I've just begun an autobiography that a friend lent me: it's by/of Dame Vera Lynn, famous wartime singer from London, who is best known for 'The White Cliffs of Dover', and 'We'll Meet Again'. 
So far I have discovered that she had an unusually low voice for a child, and began professional singing at 7 years old.
(I already know that she released an album when she was 100, and that she also beat a re-released Beatles album when she was 92!

Posted by: @fantasia

I have searched my house and my parents house looking for my Felicity collection. I cannot find them anywhere. A double shame as they're apparently a hot commodity on the internet right now and certainly not in my budget. 

 

Yeah, Mattel revamped the historical line a while ago and now the old books are out of print. I am really regretting not picking up the box sets I saw in a used bookstore 7ish years ago. I had no idea how hard it would eventually be to find them.

I finished my Stormlight Archive re-read, but I forgot the talking sword Szeth has originally appears in Warbreaker, which is not part of that series, so I guess I'm going to reread that one too.  

But first! Attolia reread. Only a few weeks until Return of the Thief.  

And I'm also in two book clubs now so I'm reading those as well. Definitely increasing the number of books I'm reading and exposing me to authors I might have not picked up otherwise. This month's YA book was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. It's about a college student's freshman year and figuring out how to balance her pre-college interests with her new life. Scifi book is This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Haven't read it yet, but the title alone is intriguing.

Too bad about your missing Felicity books, @fantasia! Hopefully you can find them somewhere! We had most of the books for the first six dolls growing up, but a lot of them fell apart due to reading and love. Various of us girls started collecting them again, but I don't think anyone has a full set necessarily.

How have your reading time strategies been working, @snowangel? I kept thinking Chapter 5 should be showing up, but looked for it in the mailbox in vain for a couple of weeks. A couple days ago, though, I discovered it in my stack of the rest of the chapters, though I can't remember when I put it there.

Oh, the problems of trying to read all connected Sanderson books, @dot. Your book club picks sound interesting too! I'd be curious to hear if you recommend them once you've read them.

I am currently reading Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh. I'm about 2/3rds of the way through and have yet to be impressed, which is disappointing since I've heard Marsh was well regarded. I had thought it might be the first on the series, but apparently I was far off on that supposition (number 18, maybe, it looks like). Irregardless, I think a book where the recurring characters don't show up until about a third of the way in and are not the main focus of the plot should stand on its own and not leave the reader puzzled or confused about who recurring characters are or what they do. I would also say that if geography is such an important part of the mystery, as it appears to be, either it needs to be more clearly described or - more helpfully - a map provided. On top of that, I don't like reading, "Though he was unaware of it at the time, this was an immensely significant discovery" in a mystery - it seems shoddy or blunt to have such a statement, especially when the discovery is part of a constantly recurring thread. Nor am I a fan of being told multiple times that the detective is explaining his theory - but not actually being told what it is. Maybe I'll change my mind when I finish, but currently I have no strong desire to read the other four books in the five volume collection.

Posted by: @valiantarcher

How have your reading time strategies been working, @snowangel? I kept thinking Chapter 5 should be showing up, but looked for it in the mailbox in vain for a couple of weeks. A couple days ago, though, I discovered it in my stack of the rest of the chapters, though I can't remember when I put it there.

Rather well. I finished Ember Falls, then read The Last Archer, finished Courage Has No Color, and now I am nearly three-quarters of the way through Ember Rising. I could have been farther in Ember Rising, but Scarlet had to tell me how late it was last night. I will be over 2,000 pages for the month when I finish Ember Rising.  

Oh, dear, that's kinda funny. Chapters 3-5 of The Silent Bells have been snatched from the mail pile by the younger siblings and then brought to me, so the whole household knows when a new chapter has arrived. There's absolutely no way of keeping a new chapter a secret around here.  

My sisters all have American Girl books, I'm pretty sure I am the only one that never had any of the books. But I also fairly certain of the sisters I have read the most American Girl books thanks to the many public libraries I visited in my youth. @fantasia, have you tried thriftbooks? I purchased my Ashtown Burials books and Stuart Brannon books from them.

SnowAngel

@snowangel, I'm glad your reading strategies have gone pretty well. Congrats on the large pages-read number! I guess you might have only yourself to blame for all the interest in the new chapters of The Silent Bells, though.

I finished The Scales of Justice and my opinion did not improve; ah well. I also read The Tiger in the Fog by Margery Allingham - this is also a mystery partway through a series, but it stood much better than Marsh's book. I was back and forth on the mystery itself, with some elements/chapters being done well and others being unfavourable, but my impression was positive overall. For one thing, the elements I liked I rather liked, and I found the characters more relatable and sympathetic. Even the recurring characters stood up well and while there probably would've been more depth if I had read the earlier books in the series, I got a sufficient understanding of the characters themselves and their relationships from this installment. There were also a few moments where, while we didn't quite get to a "moment of grace", we got close, which I appreciated. Overall, I may not rush out and try to find more of Allingham's books, but I will definitely keep her in mind to read another one later.

I have a foggy recollection of Scales of Justice, mostly that it was interested in the scenery and that there was a lot of stuff about trout fishing. I haven't read Allingham's Tiger in the Fog, but since you're on a British mystery roll, does this mean your next author will be Patricia Wentworth, @valiantarcher?

Recently I was reminded of how fond I was of Ralph Moody's book A Horse of A Different Color, which I imagine I originally picked up because I thought it would be about horses. It's not; at that point in his life Ralph was working a freight business and shipping cattle and hogs to market in the early 1920s, and I think it only gets more interesting as I get older because I have more context for what he saw at the time.

I'm currently working my way through The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton; it's a fantasy rather in the style of Patricia McKillip in that the author is very interested in weaving a thick tapestry of words to create images for the reader. So far the plot is fairly straightforward but the full potential scope of the chain of events has yet to be revealed (and it is a trilogy) so I'm expecting some sort of grand twist in the near future. 

I'm also still reading A Man Called Intrepid in fits and starts; I took a break to read A Woman of No Importance about Virginia Hall, one of the most successful operatives in occupied France.

Your foggy recollection is correct, @mel. My British mystery roll is kind of an accident - I did read some Agatha Christie a month or so back, but these other two were because someone else recommended them and I found them on the shelves at home (the Christies were also on the shelves). I was actually thinking of picking up an Ellis Peters since she's someone else I've heard good things about but never read; Patricia Wentworth never crossed my mind. However, the library does have a Wentworth in circulation, so maybe I'll give her a try too.
Please let me know how the Cecilia Dart-Thornton books go - your McKillip comparison is intriguing.

Posted by: @valiantarcher

Your book club picks sound interesting too! I'd be curious to hear if you recommend them once you've read them.

Fangirl was alright. I'm not a big fan of contemporary romance, and that was one of the main plot points. However, I did appreciate that it wasn't the love at first sight thing that most YA books have. There was quite a bit of pining over his pretty hair, but that came later after they had known each other awhile.

As soon as I finished This is How You Lose the Time War I immediately handed it to my brother because I wanted to know what he thinks. The two main characters are part of rival groups in a war throughout hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of timelines and they write letters to each other in really strange ways. At first the letters are about mocking each other and showing off how good they are, but eventually they grow to respect each other and then of course they love each other. And when I mean they write in strange ways, I mean really strange ways. One of them took the time to manipulate the rings in a tree as it was growing to hide code words in it. The two authors wrote the different points of view, which was interesting. A lot of it read more like poetry than prose, and I generally like more solid world-building in my scifi. But this was a very good slice-of-life type story.

October's books are Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell for YA, and Gideon the Ninth by Tamysn Muir for scifi. The latter has been on my to-read list for awhile, so I'm hoping it's good.

But of course first comes Attolia. I'm on book three of my reread. I may or may not have entered a giveaway for signed copies of the entire series because why not.  

@dot, contemporary romance tends to be more a miss than a hit for me too. But nice to know the swooning at least wasn't the first step. Ooh. How You Lose the Time War DOES sound interesting! I'll have to keep it in my mental list. All the best with the giveaway! I suppose you'd have a matching set at least this way?

I am still waiting for several new books to come in on hold, including the new Susanna Clarke. But I did have a few other books come in from hold, so there's that. I am currently reading Hitler's Savage Canary by David Lampe, about the Danish resistance during WWII.

Posted by: @valiantarcher

All the best with the giveaway! I suppose you'd have a matching set at least this way?

That's the thought. My current set is a mix of editions, used copies and new. I don't remember when the giveaway ends, but since the book is out I'm assuming I didn't win so I shall just have to be content. Most of my series were bought over the course of years at used book sales so even though they don't match they do fit in on my bookshelf.  

And speaking of, Return of the Thief is excellent. One of the best finales to a series I have ever read. There were multiple moments where I put the book down for a split second because I had to pause to take it all in.

Posted by: @dot

And speaking of, Return of the Thief is excellent. One of the best finales to a series I have ever read.

Wait a minute, I thought there were at least three more books coming? Hmmmm.... But your positive review makes me happy and intrigued. I will have to reread the series and add that one on.

I'm currently reading Ben and Me which I believe @Meltintalle recommended a few pages back. It's pretty silly and cute.

Now, I need everybody's help! My sister is having her baby shower this weekend, and I found this really cute game online that speaks to my nerdy soul. Emoji Children's books! 

https://images.app.goo.gl/dPD27WpDaZ3fC1Hm9

The problem is, I wrote the people who made it and they haven't sent me the answers, so I was hoping you all could help me figure them out. 14,17,19, and 23 are the ones I'm really stumped on. Later today when I'm not on my phone I'll add my own answers in case I've got one wrong and you all can correct me.

ETA: 

Sorry to hear you didn't win the giveaway, @Dot! But, I guess, unless you buy a full new set now, you couldn't have a matching set anyhow.

What fun, @fantasia! So, I've given my answers below - there are a few I have partial answers for, but 17 & 19 have me a bit stumped too. Edit: Figured out another one after doing some searching online and the pieces fitting together.  Edit 2: POSSIBLE answer for 17???

Edit 3: While digging through some lists of children books, I just discovered that When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (which I have not read) was written by the same author who wrote the Mog books (a couple of these were among the first books I remember getting). o_O I think I shall need to hunt down a copy of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit soon - and reread my Mog books.

@valiantarcher  I'm a big fan of Dame Ngaio Marsh, who comes from my NZ city, and made her name not only from writing detective fiction, but also bringing theatre back to the city (especially with students, and Shakespeare). She was made a Dame (like being Sir) for this latter work.
She supported herself by her writing, so she could do her real love, theatre.

If you want to try other books, I can suggest one or two that I currently have on my shelf.

Edit:  When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is the first of three novels, which I recommend. They are based on her own experience in leaving Europe during the war, and moving on in her own life. Poignant, and beautifully written - and we must remember that when she arrived in England she had to learn English! I have the first and third on my shelf.

Spoilers, but more information on the trilogy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out_of_the_Hitler_Time

Posted by: @valiantarcher

@snowangel, I'm glad your reading strategies have gone pretty well. Congrats on the large pages-read number! I guess you might have only yourself to blame for all the interest in the new chapters of The Silent Bells, though.

It's definitely my fault, I really should have kept N.D. Wilson's books all to myself. I do actually enjoy sharing with the siblings.   

I finished The Green Ember series and companion books this week, my favorites are definitely the first book and The Black Star of Kingston. There's so much going on in Ember Falls, Ember Rising, and Ember's End. I wish additional characters and their story arcs would have been added a little more slowly, but all in all it was a fun series to read. And it's definitely inspiring the siblings, the boys have been playing with their wooden swords a lot and one little sis is going to make crocheted rabbits.  

I've got a bookmark in Duncan's War by Douglas Bond, but first I am going to finish False Claims At The Little Stephen Mine by Stephen Bly. I am so tempted to just continue reading the Stuart Brannon series instead of reading my library books.

SnowAngel

@coracle, I knew you would be a Ngaio Marsh fan due to the local connection. I was surprised when I realised The Scales of Justice was set in England; when I looked it up, it appears that only a few of her books were actually set in NZ, which I thought a little sad. Do you know the reason why she set so many of her works outside of NZ? Thanks for the offer - I'm not keen to hunt up more of her books at the moment, but if you would like to recommend a couple of what you would consider her better works, I'll keep them in mind for the future.
I am also familiar with the premise of When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, as well as it being a trilogy - I just had never really seen the author's name, so didn't realise who it was before! I plan to add the series to my library hold list once I've gotten a few more books out of the way.

@snowangel, I'm glad you still enjoy sharing Wilson with your siblings. I haven't read the Green Ember series, but it's great to hear that it's inspired your siblings! Also, I understand wanting to just read your series instead of the library books, though I usually have the opposite issue - avoiding the books I own by reading library books.

 I'm currently feeling rather frustrated with my library system on how long it's taking to get books in - I suppose the book dealers may be slower at shipping things out right now so I can't complain too much about RotT still being "on order", but there's a new book that's been processing in the library for about a month. They got the new Susanna Clarke book out to the first people on the hold list about two weeks after it was released, so I don't understand the hold up.  I also find it frustrating to have so many books on-hold right now, but most of them aren't the library's fault as I'm just low down on the holds lists. Ah, well - guess I get to continue to exercise patience!