#elizabeth c bunce

[hayleythesugarbowl]

╰┈➤ if you enjoyed these books growing up then 1) your sense of humor is immaculate and 2) you’re either in pre-med or you’re a detective there’s no in between

[sheilajsn]

Series, Series, Series - 2025 update

Si ustedes llevan algún tiempo en Nuestro Rincón de Lectura, ya deben saber que yo tengo un problema empezando a leer series que luego se quedan sin terminar. Hace algunos año, después de darme cuenta de que tenía una cantidad absurda de series empezadas, yo empecé un proyecto de terminar series que había tenido olvidadas, algunas por años. Y, poco a poco, me he dado a la tarea de terminar esas…

[bookcoversonly]

Title: How to Get Away with Myrtle | Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce | Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers (2020)

[roseunspindle]

Books with “B” Authors that I Own and Need to Read Part 6

* That Lass o' Lowrie's

[maddie-grove]

Hii please recommend good 1980s - 2000s YA books

Don't mind if I do! I'm not going to try to categorize what's children's/middle-grade/young adult in this post; this is just a jumble of youth literature, organized roughly by genre. Also, I'm only recommending things I've read or reread in the past fifteen years, to avoid nostalgia getting the better of me.

Contemporary

Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade (1981), How Do You Lose Those Ninth-Grade Blues? (1983), and Seventeen and In-Between (1984) by Barthe DeClements (aka the Elsie Edwards Trilogy)

The Cybil War (1981), The Glory Girl (1983), and Cracker Jackson (1985) by Betsy Byars (all standalones)

The Fat Girl by Marilyn Sachs (1984)

Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech (1990)

Out of Control by Norma Fox Mazer (1993)

Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix (1996)

Someone Like You (1998), Keeping the Moon (1999), and Dreamland (2000) by Sarah Dessen* (all set in the same universe but not part of a series)

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (2000) (mainly the first book--the sequels are enjoyable but there's a real drop in quality IMO)

The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss (2000)

*I'm four books into a Sarah Dessen reread and haven't gotten to the favorites of my youth (This Lullaby, The Truth about Forever, and Just Listen), which is why they're not on the list right now.

Historical

What Happened to Mr. Forster? (1981) and Life. Is. Not. Fair. (1984) by Gary W. Bargar (companion novels)

To All My Fans, With Love, From Sylvie by Ellen Conford (1982)

Call Me Ruth by Marilyn Sachs (1982)

My Brother Louis Measures Worms by Barbara Robinson (1988)

The Midwife's Apprentice (1991), Catherine, Called Birdy (1994), and Matilda Bone (2000) by Karen Cushman (all standalones)

Song of the Magdalene by Donna Jo Napoli (1996)

The Gentleman Outlaw and Me--Eli by Mary Downing Hahn (1996)

No Shame, No Fear by Ann Turnbull (2004)

Copper Sun by Sharon M. Draper (2006)

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher (2008)

Mystery/Thriller/Horror

Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan (1982)

The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn (1989)

Aunt Maria by Diana Wynne Jones (1991)

Demons and Shadows by Robert Westall (1993)

The Dark Garden by Margaret Buffie (1995)

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (1995)

The Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen (1997-2014) (I'm only up to Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes, published 2002)

The Get Real series by Linda Ellerbee (2000-2001)

Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsberg (2000)

Bliss by Lauren Myracle (2008)

Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Lucie Babbidge's House by Sylvia Cassedy (1989)

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (1999)

East by Edith Pattou (2003)

Breath by Donna Jo Napoli (2003)

Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (2003)

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (2007)

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2008)

Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness (2008-2010)

Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman (2009)

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (2009)

[janiemcpants]

2024 Reading Roundup, Part 1

Another year, another bunch of books!

I read A LOT of mysteries (all 30-something Patricia Wentworths, some Georgette Heyers, some Dorothy L. Sayers, plus caught up on a few current series). I also read more fantasy than usual, and I definitely want to keep doing that. More nonfiction than last year, too, including some great books about movies. 

There weren't quite as many 5-star books as there usually are, but the ones that were were REALLY good. Not sure if this was because of my own mind, or because my picker was less lucky, but there were still more fives than ones, so I'll take it! 

Stats:

Total books: 218 Total pages: 69,786 Average length: 320 pages Shortest book: The House on Abigail Lane by Kealan Patrick Burke (68 pgs) Longest book: Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (1,088 pgs)

Three favorite books I read this year: 1. Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher 2. The September House by Carissa Orlando 3. Hot Earl Summer by Erica Ridley

Three least favorite books I read this year: 1. Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera 2. A Lady Awakened by Cecilia Grant 3. The Summer Bride by Anne Gracie

Full list (with ratings!) below the cut.

Five stars: The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (1923) [reread] Very Good, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (1930) [reread] Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher (2020) Paladin’s Strength by T. Kingfisher (2021) Paladin’s Hope by T. Kingfisher (2021) Paladin’s Faith by T. Kingfisher (2023) What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher (2024) Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (2022) Starter Villain by John Scalzi (2023) The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen (2023) Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War by Mark Harris (2014) Death of an American Beauty by Mariah Fredericks (2020) His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik (2006) [reread] My Rogue to Ruin by Erica Ridley (2023) Hot Earl Summer by Erica Ridley (2024) Moving Pictures: Memories of a Hollywood Prince by Budd Schulberg (1981) The September House by Carissa Orlando (2023 Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman (2023) The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden (2024) Floating Hotel by Grace Curtis (2024) Lone Women by Victor LaValle (2023) Mrs. Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce (2023) The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (2024) The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery (1926) [reread] Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum (2024) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (1820) The Phantom Patrol by James R. Benn (2024)

Four stars: The Perfect Rake by Anne Gracie (2005) The Winter Bride by Anne Gracie (2014) Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher (2017) Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (2023) Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher (2013) The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles (2023) A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by K.J. Charles (2023) A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times by Grace Burrowes (2023) A Gentleman of Dubious Reputation by Grace Burrowes (2023) A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances by Grace Burrowes (2023) A Gentleman in Pursuit of Truth by Grace Burrowes (2024) A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor by Grace Burrowes (2024) A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe by Grace Burrowes (2024) Lady Violet Investigates by Grace Burrowes (2021) Lady Violet Attends a Wedding by Grace Burrowes (2021) The Refusal Camp by James R. Benn (2023) Proud Sorrows by James R. Benn (2023) Miss Percy's Pocket Guide to the Care and Feeding of British Dragons by Quenby Olson (2021) Miss Percy's Travel Guide to Welsh Moors and Feral Dragons by Quenby Olson (2022) Cold-Blooded Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2021) In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2022) Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2023) The Marquis Who Mustn’t by Courtney Milan (2023) The Golden Tresses of the Dead by Alan Bradley (2019) What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (2024) An Infamous Betrayal by Lynn Messina (2018) How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann (2022) Street of the Five Moons by Elizabeth Peters (1978) [reread] Borrower of the Night by Elizabeth Peters (1973) [reread] Superfluous Women by Carola Dunn (2015) The Corpse at the Crystal Palace by Carola Dunn (2019) The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (2023) Circles of Stone: Weird Tales of Pagan Sites and Ancient Rites edited by Katy Soar (2023) A Fire at the Exhibition by T.E. Kinsey (2023) An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey (2024) Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items by J.W. Ocker (2020) The Lawrence Browne Affair by Cat Sebastian (2017) The Ruin of a Rake by Cat Sebastian (2017) A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian (2019) The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (2023) The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older (2023) The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham (1952) Forgotten Murder by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2018) The Chapel in the Woods by Dolores Gordon-Smith (2022) I Do, I Do, I Do by Maggie Osborne (2000) The Rust Maidens by Gwendolyn Kiste (2018) Holy Ghosts: Classic Tales of the Ecclesiastical Uncanny edited by Fiona Snailham (2023) A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (2016) A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas (2017) The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas (2018) The Art of Theft by Sherry Thomas (2019) Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (2020) Miss Moriarty, I Presume? by Sherry Thomas (2021) A Tempest at Sea by Sherry Thomas (2023) A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas (2024) Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit (2020) The Archive of Alternate Endings by Lindsey Drager (2019) Death of a Showman by Mariah Fredericks (2021) The Lily of Ludgate Hill by Mimi Matthews (2024) Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (2006) [reread] A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper (2023) Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart (1997) The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett (2020) The Temporary Wife by Mary Balogh (1997) The Lord I Left by Scarlett Peckham (2020) The Mistress Experience by Scarlett Peckham (2024) The Witches: Suspicion, Betrayal, and Hysteria in 1692 Salem by Stacy Schiff (2015) Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk (2023) Girl A by Abigail Dean (2021) Leave It to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse (1923) [reread] Twice as Wicked by Elizabeth Bright (2017) Wicked With the Scoundrel by Elizabeth Bright (2019) The Duke’s Wicked Wife by Elizabeth Bright (2020) Mystique by Amanda Quick (1995) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (2010) Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson (2014) Snuff by Terry Pratchett (2011) Vermilion: The Adventures of Lou Merriwether, Psychopomp by Molly Tanzer (2015)

[snckt]

how to get away with myrtle by elizabeth c bunce is officially my first read of the new year and !!! i simply adored it. as a middle grade mystery it was very engaging, and the last fifty pages left me guessing, despite whatever attempts i had made to build my case aha! i like myrtle and her quips about the world, from opinions on petticoats, to her adoration of her cat, peony, to books she’s liked, to morbid facts she’s picked up one way or another, she’s a rather charming twelve year old, who would believably get caught up in mystery and murder. her governess, miss judson, is the firm hand on her shoulder, but is quick to encourage and even quicker to jump in herself, if it be sketching a murder scene or facing off with a most disliked detective inspector, she balances myrtle’s excitement and inexperience in way only victorian governesses can!!

also, a train murder ✨🚂✂️🥸❗️10/10

[spinmeround]

Kate Elizabeth Bunce - Melody or Musica c.1895

[friendly-neighbourhood-librarian]

Rumpelstiltskin retellings

A Curse Dark As Gold — Elizabeth C. Bunce

Lies of Golden Straw — E. L. Tenenbaum (End of Ever After series)

The Rumpelstiltskin Problem — Vivian Vande Velde

Spinning Silver — Naomi Novik

The Wish Granter — C. J. Redwine (Ravenspire series)

🧵✨️💍

More fairy tales

[booksformks]

Book Review: Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity

Myrtle, Means, and Opportunity (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 5)by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Goodreads Author) 5 out of 5 stars Myrtle and Miss Judson are traveling to Scotland to inspect the estate which Miss Judson has just inherited from her great-uncle. There are rumors of ghosts around the estate, and a long-lost treasure of the MacJudd clan. Myrtle’s detective skills are called upon when a man is…

[bradrcook]

St. Louis Writers Guild’s 4th Annual Summer Writers Camp Week 1 - June 19-23 Week 2 - June 26-30 Camp is on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12-2pm CT $20 and includes one-year membership in the SLWG Apprentice Club. Week 1 Guest Authors Elizabeth C. Bunce & Esme Symes-Smith Week 2 Guest Authors B.B. Swann & Shana Youngdahl Hosted by Brad R. Cook There are plenty of spot left in both weeks. Register and get more information at www.stlwritersguild.org/summer-writers-camp/

[the-dust-jacket]

Oh man, I remember this eye-opening experience as a kid when my mom went on a rant about dead mothers and books where every adult was either Miss Honey or The Trunchbull.

It's so interesting -- I consistently hear from middle grade authors that the hardest characters to write are adults, the adults who are flawed and complex, seen through the young protagonist's point of view, who aren't always sympathetic but need to feel real. There are lots of authors who do a great job of it (just off the top off my head I want to shout out Kimberly Brubraker Bradley, Jason Reynolds, Ashley Herring Blake, E.L. Konigsburg, Rita Williams Garcia, Richard Peck...), but that is not helpful to OP because that is not what you are looking for, you are looking for fun and whimsical fantasy adventure!

Here are some possible options for books with either older protagonists or lots of interesting adult supporting characters, that I hope fit the vibe you're looking for!

Amari and the Night Brothers, by B.B. Alston (also just generally a really solid rec for Nevermoor fans!)

The Island of the Aunts, by Eva Ibbotsen

Which Witch, by Eva Ibbotsen

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C. Wrede (Cimorene is in her late teens as protagonist in the first one, but the rest of the cast including the next couple of POV characters are adults)

The Dark Lord's Daughter, by Patricia C. Wrede

Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer (dual POV, one kid and one young adult, with an entirely adult supporting cast)

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series by Maryrose Wood (the POV character is her teens but is functioning as an adult, as governess to three howling children)

Battle Dragons, by Alex London

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, by Diana Wynne Jones (much ink and blood has been spilled over best reading order, but in this case I might say The Lives of Christopher Chant or Charmed Life)

Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones (DO grad students count as adults?)

Fly By Night, by Frances Hardinge

A Face Like Glass, by Frances Hardinge

The Witches of Brooklyn, by Sophie Escabasse

The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner (MC's age is unspecified but could be teens or early twenties; less with the rollicking whimsy, but I can't not shout about it given the chance)

Greenglass House, by Kate Milford

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines, by Mo Netz

Premeditated Myrtle, by Elizabeth Bunce (not fantasy but Edwardian mystery, a ton of fun, with another marvelous governess)

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, by Garth Nix (this one is YA but with that MG sense of whimsy and atmosphere; it has teenaged protagonists and some very fun adult side characters)

Mairelon the Magician, by Patricia C. Wrede (this one is also YA, while I've actually seen the sequel/the two book omnibus shelved as adult, but it can definitely read younger and has that rollicking MG adventure feel to it. Teenaged protagonist in an otherwise adult cast, with LOTS of delightful characters.)

The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones (another one that gets shelved in different places)

OR, if you'd like to read some mainstream fantasy with adult characters but a bit of a middle grade sensibility in the worldbuilding or structure or tone, or otherwise good for Nevermoor fans, maybe some of these! (All of these are adult, and some of them are gonna be a fair bit darker and/or romance-heavy.)

The Lord of Stariel, by AJ Lancaster

Uprooted, by Naomi Novik

Sorcerer to the Crown, by Zen Cho

The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected In Water, by Zen Cho

The Penric and Desdemona series, by Lois McMaster Bujold

A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab

The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst

Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

A Sorceress Comes to Call, by T Kingfisher (features two POV characters, a young teen and a middle aged woman with bad knees, and a really fun supporting cast)

Footsteps In the Dark, by Georgette Heyer: not fantasy. Okay, imagine if you took a Blyton-style "group of children go off to have adventures in the countryside over the holiday" mystery adventure, except they are all actually adults, two of them are married, and at least one fought in the Great War. Shenanigans ensue.

Does anyone know any middle-grade books with good interesting adults? Like in Nevermoor? In most series cults are either almost absent, useless or made of cardboard…

In case someone is wondering why I don’t read adult literature in search of good adult characters, it’s because middle grade usually has adventures and world building which is more fun.

[sheilajsn]

Series, series, series – 2024 update

Si ustedes llevan algún tiempo en Nuestro Rincón de Lectura, ya deben saber que yo tengo un problema empezando a leer series que luego se quedan sin terminar. Hace algunos año, después de darme cuenta de que tenía una cantidad absurda de series empezadas, yo empecé un proyecto de terminar series que había tenido olvidadas, algunas por años. Y, poco a poco, me he dado a la tarea de terminar esas…

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Premeditated Myrtle | Author: Elizabeth C. Bunce | Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers (2020)

[kajaono]

Took me until the second novel to realize that Miss Judson is a reference to Mrs Hudson

This book is not the most well written book I might have ever read but beautiful nerdy. Especially because it doesnnot pretend to be the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes (or to be better then Sherlock Holmes) instead Myrtel is also a Sherlock holmes fan. If he really exists in her universe… we do not know

[thenotcanadian]

Another one is “A Curse Dark As Gold” by Elizabeth C. Bunce :) YA and not super long, but enjoyable

Hello! Hope you're having a nice, peaceful day.

I was wondering if you've ever come across any good fairytale retellings of Rumpelstiltskin?

this is such an interesting question, because rumpelstiltskin is such a tough story to retell. i'm looking at it for a fairy tale final girl and whew.

i will of course direct you to the of slippers & spindles podcast with their dive into the story.

gilded by marissa meyer takes a gothic fantasy take on it.

i haven't read spinning silver by naomi novik but i want to! this is a jewish fantasy, which is so important because of so many of the antisemitic tropes that are present in the original tale.

i really like the rumpelstiltskin problem by vivian vande velde, which is a collection of short stories, all retelling rumpelstiltskin.