July 17: The Wizardry of Jewish Women by Gillian Polack. It’s #2 in the Enchanted Australia series, of which The Art of Effective Dreaming is #3, and it could hardly be more different! Except that it’s also slow, which I like; it’s also intriguing and intricate and the magic is wonderful (especially when the eleven-year-old girl does it) but there’s perhaps a bit too much relationship stuff in it. And the ending isn’t completely satisfactory, not in the sort-of-happy-for-now sense like The Art of Effective Dreaming but in a rushed and contrived sense. The writing is excellent, though, just as I expected from Gillian Polack. Now I’m wondering whether I want the first Enchanted Australia book too, which is full of ghosts (I asked on Goodreads if it’s actually horror; perhaps I should ask the author herself).
July 19: 4.50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie. Once again I think it’s the best Miss Marple. I wish Lucy Eyelesbarrow had her own series! (No matter whether she becomes Mrs Eastley or Mrs Crackenthorpe or even Mrs Craddock, she can still investigate!) Perhaps it asks for fanfic.
If Grace Is Too Much by resolute. White Rat universe, very good, though I prefer Bishop Beartongue’s other fanon first name.
Fourth of July Celebration and An Old Acquaintance by DesertVixen. Little House fic, slightly canon divergent (some bad times in the books are wilfully ignored).
(also some other assorted fanfic: drabbles by DesertVixen and some gifts I got)
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