#masquerade in lodi

[iliiuan]

PENRIC. PENRIC, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? NO, PENRIC. BAD, BAD PEN.

Also, Lois, bestie, hiding that in the bowels of another story was cruel. You big meanie.

[wearethekat]

January Book Reviews: Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold

Catching up with the Penric and Desdemona novellas now I can get them from the library. This is ninth in publication order but somewhere cryptically earlier based on internal chronology. Either was, this is not the first book and you should probably not start here. Penric is in Venice-analogue Lodi for the Bastard's Eve festivities-- but as a man with terminal main character syndrome, this is not fated to be a peaceful holiday for him. He's tasked with investigating a man who may be possessed by a dangerous demon, sending Penric on a wild chase across the city with a young saint in tow.

Bujold's writing is, as always, a pleasure to read. It's sleek and lovely, and the character voices are excellent. She has a gift for writing dialogue. This is why she's one of my all time favorite authors. However, compared to the rest of the Penric novellas, this is not one of my favorites. A lot of the novel is preoccupied with walking back and forth across the city on vague errands without a strong purpose (same issue I had with Cherryh's Hammerfall! it may be interesting to read about characters going across something Once, but by the third time it begins to pale.) This is especially noticeable in the relatively short page length of a novella.

Series highly recommended, but don't start here.

[ladyherenya]

Spent my Easster holiday reading!

Also read: Dream House by Stephanie Fournet and Radiance by Grace Draven.

Reread: Land of the Burning Sands by Rachel Neumeier.

Total: Twelve novels (including three audiobooks).

Still reading: Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr, Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Miss Moriarty I presume? by Sherry Thomas, and Sense and Second-Degree Murder by Tirzah Price.

My favourites: The Diamond Eye (engaging, fascinating, beautifully-written), Dear Mr Knightley (unexpectedly compelling) and The Love Hypothesis (university setting! fake dating! single POV!)

I’d also recommend: Love, Comment, Subscribe.

I wouldn’t recommend: Radiance.

Cover thoughts: Love, Comment, Subscribe's cover is clever, and I read The Edge of Thirteen because the cover caught my eye.

Titles, authors, genres and ratings listed below, with links to my reviews on LibraryThing.

Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold (narrated by Grover Gardner). A Penric & Desdomona novella, set between Penric’s Fox and Penric's Mission. Fantasy, mystery. 3☆

Love, Comment, Subscribe by Cathy Yardley. Nerdy romance about YouTubers, set in California.

Gouda Friends by Cathy Yardley. Nerdy romance, about high school friends of characters from Love, Comment, Subscribe.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Nerdy romance, set at a university. Single POV. 4☆

Dear Mr Knightley by Katherine Reay (narrated by Hilary Huber). Contemporary retelling of Daddy-Long-Legs. Epistolary. Christian fiction. 4☆

Dream House by Stephanie Fournet. Contemporary romance.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang. Contemporary romance about a violinist on the autism spectrum, dealing with burnout, grief and family expectations. 3½☆

The Edge of Thirteen by Nova Weetman. Australian young adult fiction. 3½☆

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Historical fiction set during WWII about a female Russian sniper. 4☆

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He. Dystopian science-fiction. 3☆

Emissary by Melissa McShane. Fantasy mystery. 3☆

Radiance by Grace Draven. Romantic fantasy. 2☆

[shsenhaji]

📚 October Reading Round-Up 📚

I read some good books this month; definitely more than in September. I have a few I’m hoping to get through in November. Continuing my Vorkosigan Saga and Murderbot journeys (and loving it!).

- Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell

- Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold (fun, entertaining, lots of action and humour)

- Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (amazing, entertaining, funny, emotional, great character development, that ending!!!!)

- Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold (cute and fun, a bit stressful and very fast-paced, great themes and ending)

- Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon (a re-read, entertaining, interesting themes, great relationship)

- Born of Vengeance by Sherrilyn Kenyon (re-read, more fun this time around, liked the pacing, plot, characters, and relationships, somewhat repetitive in terms of main theme)

- A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (story worked perfectly as an audiobook, great prose and worldbuilding and characters, almost made me cry, can’t wait to read the next book)

[nimblermortal]

I really admire Bujold, as a craftsperson, and I... have a couple of points of analysis.

1. I have a sneaking suspicion that I might, just maybe, possibly mistakenly, have some insight into her process of naming characters as they come up. Judging off Firthwyth, Gnade, and the combination of Ree and Chio.

2. She’s really good at endings. And in retrospect, I strongly expect that’s because she writes to a mostly-ending point, finds the metaphor she wants to make, and then goes back and plants seeds for that ending throughout the book. More on that below.

As you may notice, I am (re)*reading Masquerade in Lodi. Here’s the ending:

“Pen looked up to find Chio’s laughing face, and Riesta’s resigned one, leaning over the bank.  The hands that had pushed him in now extended to help him out.  …And wasn’t that a fitting metaphor for their god. Helplessly, he laughed back, and took them.”

So she gets to the point of returning Chio to the orphanage, and concludes that she wants to talk about Penric’s... little moment... and how both of them are developing into fuller people within the auspices of their god. She gets the idea of the god pushing them into their situations, as sudden sorcerer and unexpected saint, but also using that to guide them into His service. A push and a pull, a push... into a canal? She did just write fantasy Venice, after all. So then she goes back to the beginning and finds a place to initially insert the idea of Penric falling in the canals, and rereads to find places to allude to it, until you get to the end and it pays off in her classic oh-wait-that’s-actually-deep style. (And of course fits so neatly with the Bastard’s character.)

Or, of course, she decided she was writing fantasy Venice and by five gods Penric was going in the canal before the end, and then she got there and crowed, “By George I think I’ve got it!” and made it meaningful. That happens too.

But it’s been really nice to get the hang/idea of editing, and realize that you can insert those by-George moments later. Whenever you please. And, depending on your skill, make it seem natural.

*Ree lol

[accidentalspaceexplorer]

September Monthly Recap

Ok, so it’s almost November, but October has been really crazy so I’m only just now catching up on things. I read 14 books in September, mostly of them in the last 9 days since I started commuting by bus again and I read a lot on the bus. My favorites in September were The Space Between Worlds and A Psalm for the Wild-Built, which are very different sci-fi stories but I loved them both regardless. I also re-read 3 books in September since I was really in the mood for some Dick Francis mysteries.

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson: 5/5

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall: 4.25/5

The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn: 4.5/5

Risk by Dick Francis: 4.5/5, re-read

The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon: 4/5

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs: 2.75/5

Sunshield by Emily B. Martin: 4.5/5

Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold: 4.25/5

Flying Finish by Dick Francis: 4.25/5, re-read

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: 5/5

The Shadowed Sun by N. K. Jemisin: 4.5/5

Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang: 2/5, DNF

Floodpath by Emily B. Martin: 4.5/5

Smokescreen by Dick Francis: 4/5, re-read

[ihaveonlymydreams]

Enough fare for ten people was scattered across the Richelon family’s dining table. The array was very miscellaneous, everything an invading army of one woman could possibly forage from a kitchen after midnight when she could not rest: ends of cold meat, cheeses, fruit and dried fruit, boiled eggs, cabbage salad, nuts, fresh-baked bread and cakes, custards, jam tarts, restoring herb tea, wines and water.

“So much food,” muttered Pen. “How many people was she expecting?”

“I believe it was a prayer,” Chio murmured from his other side.

Aye, Des agreed.

- Lois McMaster Bujold, "Masquerade in Lodi"

[abigailspinach]

INCOMING SEROTONIN: how are you today! Hope you are well 🥰

I am good!

I have too much going on at work so instead of being diligent I am sneaking reading of Lois McMaster Bujold here and there throughout the day. # good choices

Reading "Masquerade in Lodi" today

[wearethekat]

January Book Reviews Overview

The Bone Doll's Twin (Lynn Flewelling)

Kiss Her Once For Me (Alison Cochrun)

The High King's Golden Tongue (Megan Derr)

Starcrossed (Allie Therin)

The Morning Gift (Eva Ibbotson)

Hidden Warrior (Lynn Flewelling)

Wonderstruck (Allie Therin)

Proper Scoundrels (Allie Therin)

Hell Bent (Leigh Bardugo)

1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)

The Oracle's Queen (Lynn Flewelling)

Plum Duff (Victoria Goddard)

Snowspelled (Stephanie Burgis)

Gentleman Jim (Mimi Matthews)

The Flowers of Vashnoi (Lois McMaster Bujold)

Daughter of the Serpentine (EE Knight)

Masquerade in Lodi (Lois McMaster Bujold)

The Lord of Stariel (AJ Lancaster)

Green Rider (Kristen Britain)

How Not To Marry A Prince (Megan Derr)

Magic Tides (Ilona Andrews)

Black Magic (Megan Derr)

The Ivory Tomb (Melissa Caruso)

Just Like Home (Sarah Gailey)

The Physicians of Vilnoc (Lois McMaster Bujold)

Widdershins (Jordan L Hawk)

Threshold (Jordan L Hawk)

The Dragon Waiting (John M Ford)

Prosperity (Alexis Hall)

[ihaveonlymydreams]

The gods do not save us from death. They only catch us when we fall from life.

- Lois McMaster Bujold, "Masquerade in Lodi"