The Post-Read Ramble : The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton

Tuesday I posted teasers.

Wednesday I neglected much needed sleep because of the even greater need to finish.

This book. Ooooooooh this book.

It had me intrigued from the very beginning and then I realized that the prologue paled in comparison to what came next (or first, as the prologue isn't actually the beginning of the story).

Once I hit the 71% mark I felt an incredible pang of regret that I wouldn't have this in my life for much longer.

At 74% my feelings about this book were summed up beautifully by H (via the amazing Sarah Burton):

"Like a young enamoured fool who seeks out sad music to lend charm to his own agony, I read these lines over and over, wondering at the thrilling pain they produced. I threw the book across the room. I picked it up. I threw it out of the window. I ran downstairs and retrieved it from the garden. I threw it into the fire. I picked it out with tongs. I sat down on the hearth and hugged the book to myself and wept."

Luckily, I didn't actually throw my book in the fire or out the window as I've been reading the e-arc received with great pleasure through Netgalley … but the sentiment is the same. I laughed. I cried. I cried some more. I got angry. I got ecstatically happy. I repeated all of these time and again.

I am absolutely in awe and I need more. Hopefully Burton will continue with the stories of Grace and Frankie and Godfrey and Kat and Janey and … I just need more.

The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

I do not know that I have the words in me to describe Sarah Burton's The Strange Adventures of H and how very much I am loving it adequately. I am currently at 64% of the ebook (thanks to Netgalley and the publisher) and I am absolutely in awe. Luckily, it's a day for teasers and I will let those speak for me.

For today's Tuesday Intros tease I have opted for the first paragraph of the first chapter instead of the prologue because I feel it tells more about the amazing heroine of this tale. The prologue is wonderful and all, but I love the first paragraph of the first chapter. The teaser for Teaser Tuesday was much harder to pick because the entire book (so far) is absofrickinlutely phenomenal. I finally settled for a bit right about the halfway point.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Soulless by Gail Carriger (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

They say the third time's the charm and that appears to be the case for me and Gail Carriger's Soulless. 

The first time I attempted it, I believe I was still in recovery over her Finishing School series ending. This was written first but those come first chronologically as far as story goes and you probably know by now how I am about such things.

The second time? Life in general probably got in the way -- much as it has been for me and any reading at all for the past couple of months. Funny how all this "extra time" people seem to have thanks to the whole pandemic/world falling apart/blah blah blah has meant less time spent reading for me. 

I've tried. 

I've failed.

Gail Carriger has saved me. And it's with a book that has failed me before.

This time around I'm obsessed. I do cringe slightly when we alternate between "Alexia" and "Miss Tarabotti" -- sometimes in the same paragraph … but not so much that I'll actually close my Kindle to do things like sleep or eat or accomplish much at work. (I still do all of those things, of course, but the Kindle is never far away and almost always open to see what's happening next.)

Friday 56 (today is page 56 of the paperback) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

I'm just at the 70% mark of Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country and I have to admit: I'm a bit discombobulated. It's not that the book is in any way not amazing, because it is. My problem comes from trying to figure out how in the samheck they're going to manage to do it justice with the upcoming series on HBO -- especially since I've seen over and over that it will only have eight episodes. 

Ummmmmm no. That's not enough. Not nearly. 

Of course, I'll still watch it. At this point I'm beyond hooked and very much officially a Ruff fan..

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by I'd Rather Be At The Beach. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.

The Spy's Convenient Bride by Erica Taylor (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

Practically from the moment Erica Taylor entered my life I have been begging her for more Luke Macalister. There's just always been something about him that has niggled at the back of my brain and maybe a few other parts. Okay, so definitely a few other parts.

And now it's happened.

I have such mixed feelings about this.

A page-turner that kept me guessing and my heart racing and, yes, provided all the feels. Luke is as amazing as I had dreamt. He's just the right combination of rakish and mysterious and hilarious and serious. Vivian is now one of my favorite book heroines. She's pretty much the female equivalent of Luke -- though perhaps not the rakishness. (Can women be rakish? Would the equivalent be wanton? I somehow think not. It's 4am at the time I'm writing this and that makes me ramble. Moreso than usual, that is.)

Anyway. I am absolutely in love with this book so far and I'm only at the 42% mark -- the perfect time to stop and ramble, nerd that I am. But.

There's that whole mixed feelings part. The whole BUT aspect.

I love this book at least as much as I have every other book in the series BUT part of me hates the fact that this has been released (today, in fact! Happy Book Birthday, Erica!) because this is book number five in the series. 

We're running out of Macalisters and I'm going to miss them horribly.

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by I'd Rather Be At The Beach. "Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two from anywhere in the book currently being read.