I don’t normally enjoy fantasy — but there was something about this book that kept me going.
The pace at the beginning was encouragingly quick.
It’s set currently with mobile phones and apps. Less world building than typical for the genre.
Sera Swan used to be one of the most powerful witches in Britain.
Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild.
Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests’ shenanigans, tries to keep said talking fox in check, and longs for the future that seems lost to her. …
Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera Swan is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone…and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.
Welcome, Chaos (1983) is the second of her books I’ve read.
Though it’s a bit dated, I found the story intriguing.
Disillusioned and sorrowful history professor Lyle Taney retreats to the Oregon mountains to study eagles but becomes entangled with her neighbors, kindly polymath Saul Werther and his assistant Carmen, and a manipulative CIA agent, Lasater.
She discovers Werther and Carmen are part of a secret organization guarding a dangerous immortality serumfrom Nazi Germany. A serum that grants immortality but can also kill half its recipients and cause infertility.
When Russia independently obtains the serum and unleashes it as a flu epidemic, Lyle must choose sides in a struggle that could lead to global destruction or the start of a new civilization
AI summary
Sure you can argue the writing is not great.
BUT the 4 main characters are really well developed.
In a cat-and-mouse game that trails from sun-drenched Bel-Air to a peaceful European estate and gorgeous Santa Fe, Stone and his friend remain just one step ahead of their opponent.
But their pursuer is not a man who can stand to be thwarted, and tensions are mounting…and may soon reach the boiling point.
I spent about 2 weeks in Jakarta, Indonesia, one of the most populous urban sprawls in the world. Terrible traffic.
It’s fair to say that Jakarta is not much of a tourist city. Few attractions, most difficult to reach by public transportation.
New subway, LRT, and dedicated bus lanes are definitely helping.
President A.I. Nano Banana
Almost met 😀 President Prabowo Subianto. He drove by us in a motorcade, past his 120-member cavalry guard, with visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
I was here for the World Gymnastics Championships 2025. An excellent event, marred by Indonesia disallowing Israeli gymnast to compete. This means Indonesia won’t be hosting international sports competitions for many years to come.
Most mornings I went for a 30 minute run. Sunday morning I joined in the BIG weekly fun run on one of the major roadways which is shut down to traffic. I called it my personal NO KINGS protest. 😀
Hardy booked a site-seeing day tour for a group of us. We enjoyed a guided trip into Istiqial Mosque, capacity over 120,000. Twice a year, with people outside, they have about 200,000.
Across the street is the largest Catholic Cathedral. Religious harmony is the intent.
In fact, I found Islam to be very moderate in Indonesia, at least in the tourist areas I visited.
We stopped at the National Monument. Disallowed going up to the top. This was my 3rd failed attempt to get up for the view from the top. 😀
Not a great dystopian novel as it didn’t have enough to say about our current pre-dystopian present.
But still worth reading.
All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water.
In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History.
The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need.
They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science.
When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson.
They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections.
Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they’ve saved.
I’m not a foodie — I’m not adventurous — BUT for me the foot I ate in Indonesia was not that spectacular .
As a coffee addict, I was looking forward to the JAVA here. BUT what you get most places in Indonesia is strong, black sludge. They mix finely ground coffee with hot water, allowing the grounds to settle to the bottom. Something like cowboy coffee on the hiking trail.
One time I DID make a special trip to try a special dish was for Gudeg.
Sixteen-year-old Frankie Budge—aspiring writer, indifferent student, offbeat loner—is determined to make it through yet another sad summer in Coalfield, Tennessee, when she meets Zeke, a talented artist who has just moved into his grandmother’s unhappy house and who is as lonely and awkward as Frankie.
… when the two jointly make an unsigned poster, shot through with an enigmatic phrase, it becomes unforgettable to anyone who sees it.
The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.
Rick McCharles 