Book Review: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge

"Do you think that doing the right thing will always be pretty?"

I really loved Rosamund Hodge's first book Cruel Beauty (my review here). I was not sure how she could possibly match it, especially with a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood which is a fairy tale I've never cared for much.

I am happy to say that Crimson Bound is a compelling story just as fresh, just as exhilarating, just as complex, just as stay-up-til-midnight-reading-as-fast-as-possible engrossing. While being completely original and different.

Here's the official description:

An exhilarating tale of darkness, love, and redemption inspired by the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, from the author of Cruel Beauty.

When Rachelle was fifteen she was good—apprenticed to her aunt and in training to protect her village from dark magic. But she was also reckless—straying from the forest path in search of a way to free her world from the threat of eternal darkness. After an illicit meeting goes dreadfully wrong, Rachelle is forced to make a terrible choice that binds her to the very evil she had hoped to defeat.

Three years later, Rachelle has given her life to serving the realm, fighting deadly creatures in a vain effort to atone. When the king orders her to guard his son Armand—the man she hates most—Rachelle forces Armand to help her hunt for the legendary sword that might save their world. Together, they navigate the opulent world of the courtly elite, where beauty and power reign and no one can be trusted. And as the two become unexpected allies, they discover far-reaching conspiracies, hidden magic . . . and a love that may be their undoing. Within a palace built on unbelievable wealth and dangerous secrets, can Rachelle discover the truth and stop the fall of endless night?

I saw a reviewer wondering where Little Red Riding Hood was in all this. I really had to stop and think about it. There is an innocent, naive girl. There is a big, bad wolf. There is a cottage in the woods with a beloved, elderly relative. The fact that I had to stop and think about it to locate these elements tells you that the original fairy tale is merely a springboard for Hodge's creativity.

Crimson Bound also echoes of sparkling courts in medieval France and of darker places where an unseen Devourer and its living, breathing Forest are barely held at bay from transmuting and destroying all normal life. It is a delightfully formed world which felt very natural and real.

This is the background against which Hodge weaves an absorbing tale featuring wonderfully complex heroes and villains, none of whom are ever allowed to be entirely evil or entirely pure. Their actions are driven by reasons rooted in their lives, their histories. This allows the story to raise questions which may haunt the reader afterward about loyalty, choices, friendship, love, guilt, and sacrifice. Interestingly, this world has a religion which has very strong echoes of Catholicism. The perceptions and reality of religion in such a setting become a story element that again add depth.

There is, of course, romance and since this is a YA book it is kept fairly pure though I can think of a few things that would make me give this to older teens rather than younger. Those "iffy" elements are conveyed largely through inference and distanced language. That also applied to the violence, of which there is a fair amount because there is a lot of swordplay in this book which tends to be described more thoroughly although not with unnecessary emphasis on gore.

I'm not sure how Rosamund Hodges writes books that are so layered, yet also so enchanting they swirl around in my head for days afterward, making me collar other book readers so I can tell them to read it. All I can think is how lucky I am to be around while these books are coming out and all I can say is, "More please!"

Note:
This book comes out on May 15. As soon as I finished reading the uncorrected galley proof, I went to Amazon and pre-ordered the final version. I highly recommend you pre-order one too. You need to start reading this as soon as possible!

(I read a review book. I also gave my own opinion and no one else's.)

What Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge (coming in 2024)

Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia's palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep - and silencing the kingdom's gods.

Born with a miraculous gift, Lia's destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god - or die.

To make matters even worse, Ruven's spirit is haunting her.

This book begins where Sleeping Beauty usually ends, with someone breaking the spell on the briar-enclosed palace and awakening the royal family and servants. As is so often the case with Rosamund Hodge's tales, there is only one place where the connection to a traditional fairy tale is obvious before the story unfolds to become something completely different and original.

On the surface, this is an exciting adventure into an imaginative world. Below the surface there are many layers to ponder for those who are so minded.

In my case, I pondered the intricacies that connect us to the original story's title for several days after I finished it. Where do we see sleepers who need awakening? What do they find after they return to consciousness? What happens when those who were always awake find that they have perhaps been sleepwalking? If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what happens when the beholder "wakes up" and sees a previously hidden truth?

This book doesn't come out until March 2024 so I don't want to say anything else that might spoil the book. Readers have something special to look forward to. I'm a big Rosamund Hodge fan and am happy that What Monstrous Gods proves once again that she is a master fantasy novelist. Highly recommended.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was raised to marry a monster.

How's that for a first line?

From that moment we are immersed in a world which has been ripped out of time, suffering a curse which Nyx has been pledged from birth to try to break by marriage to the demon lord Ignifex. When she finds Ignifex is not simply what he seems on the surface, she is torn between her vow to her people and her love for a complex person. And in this world the Greek gods punish vow-breaking with a vengeance, so this is a serious problem.

I read this book faster and faster so that by the end I knew I was heedlessly missing details. But the plot was the thing that kept me reading until midnight two nights in a row. This is a romance and it's a good one. After all it is based on Beauty and the Beast, albeit very loosely. However, the author tells it with a freshness and immediacy that makes me think of Robin Mckinley's The Blue Sword, which is some of my highest praise.

I am amazed this is a first book. Hodge took the Beauty and the Beast story and mixed it up with Greek mythology and a few other classics that I won't mention here for fear of spoilers. The result is a completely new soup* that doesn't seem derivative in any way. It is complex, compelling, and Tolkien-esque in the way big themes and truths are woven seamlessly into the story. It is C.S. Lewis-ian (is that a term?) in the way that source materials are woven seamlessly into a completely new story a la Til We Had Faces (yet so much more understandable to a schmoe like me.).

It is not without flaws, but they are few and forgivable as quirks. They are fairly minor and annoy no more than a few gnats so I'll not go into detail about them.

Above all I was struck by the underlying themes of the masks we hide behind, the real meaning of love, the many forms selfishness can take, the value of intention in sacrifice, the price of trying to control fate, and the fact everyone has more layers than you can see at first glance.

Cruel Beauty is being marketed as a YA novel and it fulfills those requirements in that I'd let my 9th grader read it if I still had one around the house. However, I miss the days when there was no YA designation and one could pick it up, as I did The Blue Sword long ago, without the preconceptions of a label. This is a story that adults can definitely enjoy. Be not afraid.

This book is a masterpiece and should become a classic. Certainly it is one I will be rereading more than once. I want to shove it into everyone's hands and force them to read it so we can talk about it.

Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

NOTES
1. This is a review copy and I'm friends with the author's brother and sister-in-law. Believe me, that all made me rather leery than inclined to shove this book into everyone's hands. This "shove-this-book-into-everyone's-hands" review is my honest opinion.

2. I've been asked if guys would like this book. I asked the author's brother who is not prone to read "girly books" and you may read his answer in the comments for his review at Goodreads.

3. Catholics will be happy to note that I used Tolkien-esque deliberately. Everything Hodge has here is solidly Catholic in basic worldview, despite the fact that the only gods mentioned are pagan. Which is as it should be. The story is the thing. The solid values that are the bones of this soup* give it depth and savor, but do not intrude upon a fine tale.

*THE SOUP
From Tolkien's essay On Fairy-Stories.

In Dasent's words I would say: “We must be satisfied with the soup that is set before us, and not desire to see the bones of the ox out of which it has been boiled.” Though, oddly enough, Dasent by “the soup” meant a mishmash of bogus pre-history founded on the early surmises of Comparative Philology; and by “desire to see the bones” he meant a demand to see the workings and the proofs that led to these theories. By “the soup” I mean the story as it is served up by its author or teller, and by “the bones” its sources or material—even when (by rare luck) those can be with certainty discovered. But I do not, of course, forbid criticism of the soup as soup.

Emphasis mine. Everyone leaves that bit off and I always feel I can see Tolkien smiling as he wrote it.

They Crept In: Latest Review Books On My "To Read" Stack

I have been trying hard to have a different attitude toward review books. Like any blogger who gets free books (free books! calloo callay!) it is easy to go overboard, commit to more reading time than there are hours in the day, and take everything offered whether or not you are suited to the style. (C.S. Lewis mentions this in an essay about reviewing, that it is important not to review books which are a style that you normally dislike because it is impossible to be fair to the book.)

I have an unfortunate tendency to be like Therese of Lisieux, "I want it all," but without the charming saintly qualities with which she was imbued. So "all" is not really good for such as me.

At any rate, I began asking myself, "would I be willing to pay for this book in five years instead of getting a free copy now?" Suddenly, my time and book ratio began to straighten out. I hardened my heart, turning away more books.

So if a book made it onto this stack, I thought long and hard about it, read a Kindle sample, and thought yearningly of the Dickens novel that I might not get to begin because I was reading a review novel instead. (Dickens is my latest "discovery" as of a few years ago. As unlikely as it may sound, a year without Dickens is a year without sunshine and I've got a lot of his books to go.)

So, voila! Here are the books who crept into my heart despite my best efforts to thrust them aside. I wanted to let you know now so you don't have to wait until I've read them.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

This book has been in the corner of my eye for a little while. You know, you suddenly realize that you've seen this book mentioned everywhere, that half your acquaintances are reading it, and that it just ducked behind some trash cans like a stray puppy when you turned around suddenly on the street? Or maybe you don't. I get haunted by books that way.

So when the Darwin Catholics ran a book giveaway for a copy of Cruel Beauty because the author is Darwin's sister, I signed up. While waiting for the results I thought, "Wait. Rosamund Hodge. Didn't she just become my friend on Goodreads? Never mentioning her book? Just arguing with me about whether Jane Eyre is really a true romance novel?" By golly, I like her style!

Didn't win. But I was interested enough to request a copy at the library, super impressed by not only Ms. Hodge herself but by the fact that I have a friend whose sister's first book is out from a major publisher in hardback, on Audible, and as an ebook. And, of course, the Kindle sample was good. Luckily for me, the Darwins, those canny friends of mine, scored me a review copy.

Deathbed Conversions: Finding Faith at the Finish Line by Karen Edmisten

I read Melanie Bettinelli's review of this book.

I trust Melanie. My father was a deathbed convert to Christianity. And I loved the way Karen Edmisten began the book.

Had to ask for a copy.

Go read Melanie's review. You'll see why I was interested.

Jesus and the Bridegroom Messiah: Shedding Light on the Ancient Jewish Traditions That Influenced Christ by Brant Pitre

In Jesus the Bridegroom, Brant Pitre once again taps into the wells of Jewish Scripture and tradition, and unlocks the secrets of what is arguably the most well-known symbol of the Christian faith: the cross of Christ. In this thrilling exploration, Pitre shows how the suffering and death of Jesus was far more than a tragic Roman execution. Instead, the Passion of Christ was the fulfillment of ancient Jewish prophecies of a wedding, when the God of the universe would wed himself to humankind in an everlasting nuptial covenant.

Ok. I'm gonna say what we're all thinking. "Thrilling exploration?" That description does not make the book sound thrilling.

But ... and this is a big but ... I absolutely loved Pitre's Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist (my review here). Yes. I was even thrilled by it.

It's the kind of nerd I am and I'm ok with it. Again, the Kindle sample sold me. This is gonna be some kinda good. It may just be the book I read during Lent.

St. Peter's Bones: How the Relics of the First Pope Were Lost and Found ... and Then Lost and found Again by Thomas J. Craughwell

In 1448 a team of architects and engineers brought Pope Nicholas V unhappy news: the 1100-year-old Basilica of St. Peter suffered from so many structural defects that it was beyond repair. The only solution was to pull down the old church-one of the most venerable churches in Christendom-and erect a new basilica on the site. Incredibly, one of the tombs the builders paved over was the resting place of St. Peter.

Then in 1939, while working underground in the Vatican, one workman's shovel struck not dirt or rock but open air. The diggers shone a flashlight through the opening and saw a portion of an ancient Christian mausoleum. An archaeologist was summoned at once, and after inspecting what could be seen through the hole the diggers had made in the mausoleum's roof, he authorized a full-scale excavation. What lay beneath? The answer and the adventure await.

Love Craughwell's writing. Love this topic. One of my favorite books as a relatively new Catholic was an old one on this very topic but which has been out of print forever and could only be gotten through my parish library. I was so pleased to see that Craughwell was telling the story anew and I'm interested to see what modern developments may have happened.

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge

Short Review: Brilliant fantasy from a world class writer. Super, super, super good. This book comes out in a week and is part one of two. (Because I realize my super-long review ... which you should read anyway ... might be a TLDR for some.) 

The world was made from the blood of gods. The blood of men sustains it now. So said the Sisters of Thorn. Runajo did not believe in the gods, but she didn't doubt the power of spilled blood.

Nobody in Viyara did.

Rosamund Hodge retold Beauty and the Beast in Cruel Beauty and she retold Little Red Riding Hood in Crimson Bound. Not that you'd necessarily know that if you weren't told before you began reading.  Hodge weaves complex tales in completely unique worlds of her own imagining, with heroes and villains whose imperfections make them fascinating and compelling.

Now Romeo and Juliet serve as a springboard into a dystopian fantasy world where there is one city left standing. Without blood the magic will fail and the walls will fall. And when that happens ... the zombies will get in.

This book shows the originating tale a little more clearly than her previous books. There are feuding clans following entrenched beliefs, there are Shakespearean quotes and poetry, there are masked balls, there is forbidden love, and even an apothecary. Romeo and Juliet can never acknowledge their love publicly. However, these elements come in a tale where Romeo and Juliet are side characters compared to the the two narrators.

The righteous atheist Runajo has joined the religious order who maintains the walls because she knows the magic is failing. Seeking long-forgotten spells means finding a way into the Sunken Library, awash in the living dead. When she encounters Juliet, they must offset each other's weaknesses if they are to succeed in averting disaster.

Paris is a pure-hearted true believer in his clan's destiny to help save their people. When his life becomes inextricably bound with Romeo's, his world turns topsy-turvey in a quest that takes them through the lawless underworld of the Lower City.

Paris and Runajo are fully realized, fully complicated human beings with faults, hopes, and internal struggles. We can recognize something of ourselves in them, even as their flaws drive us crazy.  We want them to succeed, even as we wince at some of their assumptions and decisions.

This is told against the backdrop of a culture that can never forget tragedy and death are inevitable, and that the price of life is someone else's blood. The themes are big and the devices, such as doubling, work to give the story depth and complexity beyond the usual dystopian story.

Juliet shook her head. "The word for justice is … I can feel it. Not just as an idea in my head, something I was told or that I made up. It's like the way the sun rises, or stones fall to the ground. It's infinite and eternal and closer than my heartbeat. And when people are hurt—even people who die and are gone and become nothing in the darkness—people my family would say I should care nothing about—I can feel justice scream against it. Nobody in my family understands that. They all think justice is just for use, some kind of—of instructions on how to keep us safe and headed toward the Paths of Light. It's not. It is real and it wants. It wants to reach into every corner of the world, and I was to make that happen. That's what I wanted. To bring justice to the whole city, and not just my people" She drew a ragged breath and fell silent.

Oh, thought Runjo. Her too.

She hadn't known there was anyone else.

A third of the way into this book I realized I was reading a major work of fantasy by an author of immense talent. Is this how people read when Dune was being serialized in Analog magazine? When the Lord of the Rings only had The Fellowship of the Ring published? That they were witnessing something extraordinary?

I can't tell if this book will measure up to those standards yet because it is, unfortunately, being published in two parts. That's annoying. So very annoying. I don't know who planned it that way but whoever did it was wrong to chop it in half. Chop being the operative word.

Nevertheless, my gut feeling remains. This is an incredible book that I cannot wait to finish.

NOTE: The most unfortunate part of the review galley is that it didn't mention that this was the first of two parts. The end was incredibly confusing until I wrote the author to find out what was going on. So if they haven't had the courtesy to make it obvious in the final book, I'm mentioning it here.

Oh yes - Got a review copy. Didn't affect my opinions.

Best of 2023 — Reading

 My top picks from the over 120 books I read last year.

You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me! In no particular order.

Note: I've been doing this since 2008 — check the label cloud in the sidebar for "Best of" to see other lists.

2023 BEST BOOKS

Owls Hoot in the Daytime and Other Omens

by Manly Wade Wellman

John's guitar has silver strings and with that, songs, and sometimes a silver quarter he battles evil. We are never in doubt that John will win. The charm comes in the Appalachian flavor and the imaginative nature of the predicaments faced.

(Full review here.)

Markmaker

by Mary Jessica Woods

Mariikel is a talented markmaker in a society where people's marks (tattoos) are the record of their lives. When he is ordered to put an exile mark on someone who he thinks isn't guilty it leads to an exciting story that also examines conscience, honor, truth, family, history, and politics.

(My review here.)

Winters in the World:
A Journey Through the Anglo-Saxon Year

by Eleanor Parker

Eleanor Parker weaves a tapestry of poetry, literature, history, religion, and language to go through the seasons and practices of the Anglo-Saxon year. The result is a masterpiece that gave me a real sense of connection with the people of long ago and a deep appreciation with the sacred cycle of time both then and now. This might be my favorite book of the year.

(My review here.)

The Wolf-Leader

by Alexandre Dumas

This Faustian tale infuses the hijinks of The Three Musketeers into a supernatural story with a moral center. A little-known Dumas story that is really delightful.

(My full review.)

30 Days with Married Saints

by Kent and Caitlin Lasnoski

Each day contains vivid portraits of heroically virtuous married saints as well as prayers, moving reflections, questions, and practical suggestions to enrich your marriage and inspire you and your spouse on your journey of sanctity. Really inspiring.

(My full review.)

What Monstrous Gods

by Rosamund Hodge

Rosamund Hodge is a fantasy writer whose begins, however tangentially, with a well-known fairy tale and then takes imaginative leaps into something completely original and breath-taking. In this case it begins with what happens when Sleeping Beauty awakens. This book will come out in 2024 and I'm looking forward to having my own hardback copy to reread.

(My full review.)

Before the Coffee Gets Cold

by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A wonderful, charming tale of four people who go to an obscure cafe which is rumored to make time travel possible. The rules are strict, the time is very limited, and it seems impossible that they could accomplish much. Simple but magical.

(My full review.)

Third Eye

by Felicia Day

What happens when The Chosen One fails to defeat the ultimate villain and winds up reading tarot cards in a seedy part of San Francisco? Therein lies the fun as Felicia Day combines fantasy quest tropes in a way that is hilarious and also fulfilling. Just plain fun.

(My full review.)  

Starter Villain

by John Scalzi

When Charlie's long-lost uncle Jake dies he realizes that Jake wasn't just a pay-garage tycoon, but a super villain. The first hint? When he inherits an island complete with a volcano lair. Another that is just plain fun.

(My full review here.)

Surprised by Oxford

 by Carolyn Weber

Halfway through I was recommending it to every Christian I know. Having finished it, I am still doing so.

(Read my full review here.)

Endless Water, Starless Sky by Rosamund Hodge

Romeo had looked at a Catresou girl and loved her. He had believed that Juliet was more than a weapon, and that it was worthwhile to love her, however little time they might have. He had died believing it.

Juliet had believed that once too.

She couldn't free her people. She couldn't free herself. And she couldn't save the city from its doom.

But she could be like Romeo, and learn to love her enemies. She could protect these people around her for whatever time they had left.

It wasn't exactly hope, but maybe it could be enough.

This is the second half of the tale begun in Bright Smoke, Cold Fire which I reviewed here. It will come out on July 24.

The city walls are not holding despite increasingly large blood sacrifices. The dead continue to rise, mindlessly hungry. (Yep. Zombies and the end of the world.)

The Juliet has been trapped into protecting Romeo's family at great cost to her own. Meanwhile, Romeo is attempting redemption by protecting Juliet's family. (Oh the irony! And the romantic gestures!)

Paris is still dead but alive enough to obey the necromancer's spell. Runajo is still trying to find a way to protect her city while tortured by her betrayal of her friend Juliet.

So we've got the perfect setup for the conclusion of Rosamund Hodge's riff on Shakespeare.

The story is complex enough that I'd forgotten important details from the first part and had to reread it before I could launch properly into Endless Water, Starless Sky. We still have all the big themes and literary devices that gave the first part depth and complexity. Here the story has everyone running as fast as they can to try to avert disaster, both of civilization and of their personal lives. There is a lot of fighting and a lot of talking in the first half — we did mention this is a riff on Romeo and Juliet, right? But it all works.

As engrossing as most of the book was, it really entered new territory in the last fourth where it becomes an otherworldly, Dante-esque journey. This part was wildly inventive and yet delicately balanced to guide the reader to the ultimately satisfying conclusion.

I really loved it and will definitely be rereading it, sooner rather than later. If you liked the first half, you'll like this. If you haven't read either, then you've got a treat in store.

I Can't Wait to Read ...

These are far enough in the future that I can't get a Kindle sample, but I've been waiting and waiting and waiting ...

City of Strangers (Luis Chavez #2)
by Mark Wheaton

This one's so far in the future that they don't have a cover for it yet. Or a description. I'm not surprised since the first book, Fields of Wrath, just came out in January.

You might remember I loved that book for the tough, gritty mystery and the nuanced look at priests. I especially loved Father Chavez. I'm really hoping this book upholds the promise of the first!

Poisonfeather (The Gibson Vaughn Series Book 2)
by Matthew FitzSimmons

Another one so far in the future that there's no cover. Since I wrote last week about new, fun books I had on tap, I actually read one - The Short Drop, which was FitzSimmons' first book. I found it a tightly written, suspenseful book and really enjoyed it. So naturally I want more!

From behind bars, a disgraced Wall Street financier has arrogantly hinted at the existence of a stolen fortune that by all rights should not exist. But if it does, Gibson Vaughn has vowed to return the money to its rightful owners. He’ll have to stay one step ahead of a horde of ruthless rivals who also have claims on the fortune. And behind it all lies Poisonfeather, a secret that just might get Gibson killed—or worse.

Sixth Watch (Night Watch)
by Sergei Lukyanenko

I thought we were done! New Watch was supposed to be the end of the series. Not that I'm complaining, of course.

"the Prophets have all reached the same chilling conclusion: The world will end in five days’ time. To ward off the apocalypse, an ancient council called the Sixth Watch must be assembled. After both Light and Darkness select their emissaries, Anton must enlist the unwilling aid of the four other Great Parties: the Vampires, the Witches, the Form-Takers, and the enigmatic Foundation. "

Tried by Fire: The Story of Christianity's First Thousand Years
by William J. Bennett

I loved Bennett's "American: The Last Best Hope" so much. It was rare to find an even-handed history, praised by conservatives and liberals alike, which was thorough but didn't bog me down with so many facts I couldn't keep track of the story. Fingers crossed, this history of Christianity does the same!

"the riveting lives of saints and sinners, paupers and kings, merchants and monks who together—and against all odds—changed the world forever. ... Challenged by official persecution, heresy, and schism, they held steadfast to the truth of Christ. Strengthened by poets, preachers, and theologians, they advanced in devotion and love."

Bright Smoke, Cold Fire
by Rosamund Hodge

You know how much I loved Hodge's first two books, Cruel Beauty and Crimson Bound. She's got a real talent for evoking a familiar story but telling us something completely original. This one uses Romeo and Juliet as a springboard and I really can't wait to see where it takes us!

"When the mysterious fog of the Ruining crept over the world, the living died and the dead rose. Only the walled city of Viyara was left untouched.

The heirs of the city’s most powerful—and warring—families, Mahyanai Romeo and Juliet Catresou share a love deeper than duty, honor, even life itself. But the magic laid on Juliet at birth compels her to punish the enemies of her clan—and Romeo has just killed her cousin Tybalt. Which means he must die."

The Hanging Tree
by Ben Aaronovitch

I discovered this series last year which pulled me back into urban fantasy, something I thought was impossible. Peter Grant is a young constable who doubles as apprentice to Inspector Nightingale, England's last wizard. I know, it sounds quite typical. It isn't though. Aaronovitch gives us a fresh look at London as well as urban fantasy.

"The Hanging Tree was the Tyburn gallows which stood where Marble Arch stands today. Oxford Street was the last trip of the condemned. Somethings don't change. The place has a bloody and haunted legacy and now blood has returned to the empty Mayfair mansions of the world's super-rich. 

SYNC's Free Audiobooks Begin May 15

SYNC offers 2 FREE audiobooks each week May 15 - Aug 20, 2014 – a current Young Adult title paired thematically with a Classic or Required Summer Reading title.

Just wanted to get this on your radar.

SYNC may be aimed at young adults but they offer a wide range of books that appeal to everyone. For example, their upcoming schedule offers classics like The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.

And you never know when one of the current books is going to grab you. I was particularly pleased to see that I'll be able to nab Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (my review here).

They use Overdrive (beloved of libraries everywhere it seems) to deliver the books but the software is free and I've had no problems using it.

2025 Schedule for A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast

 We've had fun coming up with this schedule. I think it's going to be a great year of viewing and reading ... and TALKING! 

• Jan. 14 — Guest Father Stephen Gregg, book TBD
• Jan. 28 — All Flesh is Grass by Clifford D. Simak
• Feb. 11 — Parenthood
• Feb. 25 — Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
• March 11 — Chariots of Fire
• March 25 — Ad Limina by Cy Kellett
• April 8 — Oppenheimer
• April 22 — Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
• May 6 — Vikram Vedha
• May 20 — The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
• June 3 — Star Trek: First Contact
• June 17 — The Scum of the Earth by Alexander C. Kane
• July 1 — Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• July 15 — The Twelve by C. Bernard Ruffin
• July 29 — Much Ado About Nothing (dir. Joss Whedon)
• August 12 — The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
• August 26 — Warrior
• Sept. 9 — Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
• Sept. 23 — The Wrong Man
• Oct. 7 — Monstrous Gods by Rosamund Hodge
• Oct. 21 — Godzilla Minus One
• Nov. 4 — 1 & 2 Peter
• Nov. 18 — The Truman Show
• Dec. 2 — Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
• Dec. 16 — Freaks (1932)

If you haven't tried the podcast, we're finishing up our 13th year and there is a lot to explore. The blog is here and the podcast is in the usual places.