Category: Bookish Owl

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The Bookish Owl – The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman

New book, and it’s The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

I have been told I should read this book, so… now I’m reading it.

You realize you have been reading too many series when you don’t know what to say as soon as you’re about to read a book where you don’t know what to expect.

I’m just going to talk about the owl photo, okay…?

I’m rather proud, since I finally succeeded in taking a decent photo of a book with a gold embossed cover (why do I own this many books with gold embossing, anyway?). And Artemis is at the top of his game, looking incredibly fierce for someone who’s the size of an underfed guinea pig.

The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman

IT TAKES A GRAVEYARD TO RAISE A CHILD.

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead. There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod’s family.

The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman

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The Bookish Owl – Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Making Money Terry Pratchett Collector's Edition

Next on the reading list is Making Money by Terry Pratchett.

I’m rapidly nearing the end of Discworld, but at least I know I’ll have to slow down soon, as the last couple of books won’t be released in the Collector’s Edition until November. Guess that’ll give me an excuse to reread some of my favorites!

‘Making Money’ is the 36th (did Pratchett ever stop writing…?) Discworld book overall and the second with Moist von Lipwig as the protagonist. I really enjoyed ‘Going Postal‘ and, after reading the first 50 pages, this one seems to follow the same scenario: Vetinari making not-so-subtle threats, Moist getting a new job, and then everything going haywire.

Making Money
by Terry Pratchett

Amazingly, former arch-swindler-turned-Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig has somehow managed to get the woefully inefficient Ankh-Morpork Post Office running like . . . well, not like a government office at all. Now the supreme despot Lord Vetinari is asking Moist if he’d like to make some real money. Vetinari wants Moist to resuscitate the venerable Royal Mint—so that perhaps it will no longer cost considerably more than a penny to make a penny.

Moist doesn’t want the job. However, a request from Ankh-Morpork’s current ruling tyrant isn’t a “request” per se, more like a “once-in-a-lifetime-offer-you-can-certainly-refuse-if-you-feel-you’ve-lived-quite-long-enough.” So Moist will just have to learn to deal with elderly Royal Bank chairman Topsy (née Turvy) Lavish and her two loaded crossbows, a face-lapping Mint manager, and a chief clerk who’s probably a vampire. But he’ll soon be making lethal enemies as well as money, especially if he can’t figure out where all the gold has gone.

Making Money Terry Pratchett Collector's Edition

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The Bookish Owl – House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

House of Many Ways Diana Wynne Jones

Yep, new book. It’s House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones.

I loved the first book in this series, “Howl’s Moving Castle“, and since a friend gave me all the books for my birthday, I saw no reason not to get started on the sequel. Hopefully it holds up!

I’m trying to get a lot of reading done this summer, but I prefer to read outside if possible and the Danish weather is (as usual) rather bipolar. Right now it seems to have two settings: So windy that I have to bring a blanket or so hot and sunny that I last all of 10 minutes before being roasted.

Often both of these happen within a few hours of each other.

House of Many Ways
by Diana Wynne Jones

When Charmain Baker agreed to look after her great-uncle’s house, she thought she was getting blissful, parent-free time to read. She didn’t realize that the house bent space and time, and she did not expect to become responsible for an extremely magical stray dog and a muddled young apprentice wizard. Now, somehow, she’s been targeted by a terrifying creature called a lubbock, too, and become central to the king’s urgent search for the fabled Elfgift that will save the country. The king is so desperate to find the Elfgift, he’s called in an intimidating sorceress named Sophie to help. And where Sophie is, the great Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer won’t be far behind. How did respectable Charmain end up in such a mess, and how will she get herself out of it?

House of Many Ways Diana Wynne Jones

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The Bookish Owl – Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Wintersmith Terry Pratchett owl

Though I struggled a bit to get through my last book, I’m finally starting on Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.

I’m looking forward to another Tiffany Aching book, especially because I was dragging my feet with my last read. Discworld is always a good palate cleanser and the Tiffany Aching subseries even more so. Sometimes you just need a not-quite-a-witch hitting things with a frying pan.

And if Granny Weatherwax is around to mess with people’s heads, all the better.

Oh, by the way, if you wanted a photo where you can see the cover artwork, I’m going to have to disappoint. I sat the bird down and then he would not move. Not sure what I did to deserve him freezing in a “Come at me, bro!”-stance like this…

Wintersmith
by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany Aching put one foot wrong, made one little mistake…

And now the spirit of winter is in love with her. He gives her roses and icebergs, says it with avalanches and showers her with snowflakes – which is tough when you’re 13, but also just a little bit… cool.

And just because the Wintersmith wants to marry you is no excuse for neglecting your chores. So Tiffany must look after Miss Treason, who’s 113 and has far too many eyes, learn the secret of Boffo, catch Horace the cheese, stop the gods from seeing her in the bath–

‘Crivens!’ Oh, yes, and be helped by the Nac Mac Feegles – whether she wants it or not.

But if Tiffany doesn’t work it all out, there will never be another springtime…

Wintersmith Terry Pratchett owl

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The Bookish Owl – Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski

Baptism of Fire Andrzej Sapkowski

It’s amazing how rapidly I consume books when I can’t use a PC for some time. Fourth book this week is Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski, meaning that you’ll once again have to listen to me talk about the Witcher.

My Witcher craze was dying down a bit, seeing as I didn’t have many people to geek out about it with, but I have a friend who promised me to play The Witcher 3 if it ever came to Nintendo Switch (the only gaming platform she uses).

Guess what just got announced for release later this year? She is so going to regret her promises once I’m breathing down her neck to finish this game…

Not to mention that Netflix is releasing their Witcher show some time this year as well. And I’m returning to Witcher School in October. I’m going to be insufferable, you guys.

What were we talking about again…? Oh, right. Books.

In case you didn’t guess it, ‘Baptism of Fire’ is the next book in the Witcher series. In the last book, Time of Contempt, we left Geralt badly wounded after getting caught up in a sorcerer coup, and his foster daughter Ciri joining up with a bunch of murderous outlaws after stumbling through a malfunctioning portal. Good times. I hope it goes better for them in this book, but honestly, these two are some of the unluckiest people ever and I just don’t see it happening.

Baptism of Fire
by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Wizards Guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The Witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times.

But now that dark times have fallen upon the world, Geralt is helpless until he has recovered from his injuries.

While war rages across all of the lands, the future of magic is under threat and those sorcerers who survive are determined to protect it. It’s an impossible situation in which to find one girl – Ciri, the heiress to the throne of Cintra, has vanished – until a rumor places her in the Niflgaard court, preparing to marry the Emperor.

Injured or not, Geralt has a rescue mission on his hands.

Baptism of Fire Andrzej Sapkowski