Tag: blogging

Sozopoli

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

We spent a week in the Greek village of Sozopoli. Greece has hundreds or thousands of such places. I’m yet to find one that isn’t nice.

Sozopoli, in particular, is beautiful but has a bit of a problem with stray dogs. My step count plummeted because strays are territorial before being fed in the morning and barked at me when trying to do my morning steps. Locals seem to go out in the evening but my internal clock complained and I went down to something like 4k steps/day on some days. I tend to be more productive when starting the day early.

The first photo shows a road with a guardian.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

This is my fourth book in the recent months with a strong taste of weirdness. It was clearly written this way so it’s a feature, not a bug. I read None of This Is True earlier and liked it very much. These books are told in a way that we have a central awful and terrible event that’s uncovered through eye witnesses who live their normal lives. So it’s mostly ordinary stuff that happens but then here and there we have extremely unsettling and definitely not ordinary events and problems. Like horror story red flags randomly thrown in innocent conversations.

The plot goes around the disappearance of a highschooler and the devastation dealt to her family. The mom doesn’t give up on trying to find what happened to her daughter but does she even have any contribution to the story? And what really is the story here? It’s not at all that clear.

I gave the book 4*/5. Similarly to the books by Freida McFadden, I do not feel particular satisfaction reading weird books but at the same time appreciate the ingenuity. So I’d be happy to check another book by Lisa Jewell but may need a gap of a few months or years before I do so. This book was exhausting.

I finished it last week and damaged the book a bit. I hope the library doesn’t mind and accepts it as a donation. I would not like keep it on my shelves or remember about it.

The Blacktongue Thief by Christopher Buehlman, Book Review

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

Kinch Na Shannack is a low-level thug with good education and some magical talent. He’ll start a journey that will exceed our worst nightmares.

First of all, this is a beautiful-looking book. The pages, cover, typography, and overall design are all great. Kudos to the publisher for doing a nice job here, and also kudos for them for giving me a book for free, after messing up the order and sending me something else.

The Blacktongue Thief starts off really well. It’s set in a fantasy world of biting goblins, giants, magical tattoos, and vanished horses. Our thief possesses some rare magical skills that are supposed to help him finish the quest, which is objectively way out of his league.

I don’t know why this wonderful setup had to turn into epic fantasy. As the book progressed, it became increasingly complex and difficult to follow. If it had been another hundred pages longer, I’m not sure I would have finished it. Fortunately, it ended just in time.

I think it’s a nice book, grows up on me, and I’d compare it to Orconomics as a general feel but better because it’s shorter.

5*/5 from me. Looking forward to the continuation.