Category: Bookish Owl

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The Bookish Owl – Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Today’s book post is about Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo.

I’m hoping this book is as good as the first one in the trilogy (which I only picked up out of desperation when I ran out of books on vacation), because I devoured that one in a day.

I’m in the mood for magic, treachery and mysteries, so I’m counting on this book to deliver.

Siege and Storm
by Leigh Bardugo

Soldier. Summoner. Saint.

Alina Starkov’s power has grown, but not without a price. She is the Sun Summoner―hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Shadow Fold. But she and Mal can’t outrun their enemies for long.

The Darkling is more determined than ever to claim Alina’s magic and use it to take the Ravkan throne. With nowhere else to turn, Alina enlists the help of an infamous privateer and sets out to lead the Grisha army.

But as the truth of Alina’s destiny unfolds, she slips deeper into the Darkling’s deadly game of forbidden magic, and further away from her humanity. To save her country, Alina will have to choose between her power and the love she thought would always be her shelter. No victory can come without sacrifice―and only she can face the oncoming storm.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

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The Bookish Owl – Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

This is not going to make sense to non-Discworld fans, but I’m reading Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett now because I need to get ready for Christmas.

Obviously I need to do my reread of ‘Hogfather’ in December and the last couple of Discworld books I have yet to read will be released in the the collector’s edition next week, so if I want  to reread some Death books beforehand, it needs to be now.

Sorry Granny Weatherwax – I’ll continue rereading the Witches books soon!

Since I can already feel myself freaking out about it soon being December as I’m writing this, let’s talk about the book: In Reaper Man, Death is once again MIA because he doesn’t really want to do his job and be Death. For a walking skeleton, this guy has surprisingly frequent mid-life crises.

So basically, this book is about people not dying even though they are supposed to, and if there’s one thing that’s more insane than wizards, it’s zombie wizards. Cue Windle Poons.

I will stop blabbering now, since I know you’re all just here for the owl.

Reaper Man
by Terry Pratchett

‘Death has to happen. That’s what bein’ alive is all about. You’re alive, and then you’re dead. It can’t just stop happening.’

But it can. And it has. So what happens after death is now less of a philosophical question than a question of actual reality. On the Disc, as here, they need Death. If Death doesn’t come for you, then what are you supposed to do in the meantime? You can’t have the undead wandering about like lost souls. There’s no telling what might happen, particularly when they discover that life really is only for the living…

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

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The Bookish Owl – The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

The Masked City Genevieve Cogman

New book and it’s The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman.

That’s it. That’s all you get. It’s Monday, and it’s raining, and my head feels like it’s full of rocks, so I’m gonna need you all to work with me and pretend I just did a few cheery paragraphs about this book, okay? Okay.

Okay, okay…

It’s the sequel to The Invisible Library. Which was weird. But which I liked. And which had dragons. And robots.

There. I did the thing. I am now going back to scowling at the Monday.

The Masked City
by Genevieve Cogman

The written word is mightier than the sword—most of the time…
 
Working in an alternate version of Victorian London, Librarian-spy Irene has settled into a routine, collecting important fiction for the mysterious Library and blending in nicely with the local culture. But when her apprentice, Kai—a dragon of royal descent—is kidnapped by the Fae, her carefully crafted undercover operation begins to crumble.
 
Kai’s abduction could incite a conflict between the forces of chaos and order that would devastate all worlds and all dimensions. To keep humanity from getting caught in the crossfire, Irene will have to team up with a local Fae leader to travel deep into a version of Venice filled with dark magic, strange coincidences, and a perpetual celebration of Carnival—and save her friend before he becomes the first casualty of a catastrophic war.
 
But navigating the tumultuous landscape of Fae politics will take more than Irene’s book-smarts and fast-talking—to ward off Armageddon, she might have to sacrifice everything she holds dear…

The Masked City Genevieve Cogman

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The Bookish Owl – Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

Witches Abroad Terry Pratchett Owl

It’s been a while, but I’m finally starting on a new book. And since Halloween is right around the corner, I’m going with Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett.

The last few Discworld books will be released in this edition on the 14th of November, so I’ll soon be taking a break from my reread marathon to read those for the first time. But as of right now I’m still revisiting my favorite characters.

I honestly don’t remember much from ‘Witches Abroad’, except from Magrat becoming a fairy godmother, Granny Weatherwax worrying about becoming evil, and Nanny Ogg going full-on tourist and horrifying people in her path. I’m sure there was also a plot in there somewhere, but I can’t seem to recall what it was.

But that just means I have even more to gain from a reread.

Witches Abroad
by Terry Pratchett

Once upon a time there was a fairy godmother named Desiderata who had a good heart, a wise head, and poor planning skills—which, unfortunately, left the Princess Emberella in the care of her other (not quite so good and wise) godmother when death came for Desiderata. So now it’s up to Magrat Garlick, Granny Weatherwax, and Nanny Ogg to hop on broomsticks and make for far-distant Genua to ensure the servant girl doesn’t marry the Prince.

But the road to Genua is bumpy, and along the way the trio of witches encounters the occasional vampire, werewolf, and falling house (well this is a fairy tale, after all). The trouble really begins once these reluctant foster-godmothers arrive in Genua and must outwit their power-hungry counterpart who’ll stop at nothing to achieve a proper “happy ending”—even if it means destroying a kingdom.

Witches Abroad Terry Pratchett Owl

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The Bookish Owl – The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Lady of the Lake Andrzej Sapkowski

So, I’ll be starting on The Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski.

This is, of course, because I will be leaving for Poland tomorrow where I’ll be attending my second round of Witcher School, and the 7th book in the Witcher series seems like the ideal entertainment for my flight to Wroclaw.

(And for when I’m in so much physical pain that I have to hide out in my room during the LARP…)

It’s been a while since I read the previous book, The Tower of the Swallow, and all I really recall is Geralt and Regis arriving in Toussaint, and Yennifer getting hit with an oar by some Skelliger fishwife. And there was something with Ciri and some fight pit…?

Hopefully it’ll come back to me.

On another note, I’ll be leaving early tomorrow and I have yet to pack anything beside this book, so I better cut this short and get off my ass. Onwards to the owl photo!

The Lady of the Lake
by Andrzej Sapkowski

After walking through a portal in the Tower of the Swallow, thus narrowly escaping death, the Witcher girl, Ciri, finds herself in a completely different world… a world of the Elves. She is trapped with no way out. Time does not seem to exist and there are no obvious borders or portals to cross back into her home world.

But this is Ciri, the child of prophecy, and she will not be defeated. She knows she must escape to finally rejoin the Witcher, Geralt, and his companions – and also to try to conquer her worst nightmare. Leo Bonhart, the man who chased, wounded and tortured Ciri, is still on her trail. And the world is still at war.

The Lady of the Lake Andrzej Sapkowski