Unlike the second book, which you could pick up without having read the first, I would not read this one unless you’ve read at least the second book. This is the culmination of the story; mysteries are revealed, threads are wrapped up, lives are changed. I found the ending to be fitting for the series; it did not leave me wanting more, but it did leave me thinking that had the author lived, there might have been more stories to come in the future. Perhaps none quite so dark as what this series was about, though.



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Like the first one, this one started off just a tad slowly, and I did wonder where he was going with it. It picked up considerable speed, though, and I absolutely devoured it.

One thing I found myself thinking, though, is about the hacker mentality in Sweden. Or perhaps I should say the mentality that people who are not hackers think that hackers have. Also, I found myself a little confused about why a photographic memory might be something to be embarrassed or ashamed about. But then I don’t see things like someone’s talents and abilities as something to hide… maybe that’s just me.

If you haven’t read the first book, you won’t be too lost. Sure, there are relationships the characters had prior to the second book starting, but nothing that isn’t filled in throughout the course of the book.



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When I started making soap to sell, I wished I could do something with my soap that also celebrated my love of literature – and immediately a soap club based on favorite books came to mind. My first club, based on the Little House on the Prairie books, has been available for a while, and I’m happy to be releasing this second set. Or, if you will, second volume.

Another one of my favorite books to read, even today, is Watership Down. Those of you who have never read it are most likely thinking “oh, that story about the bunnies” and the rest of you are looking for my Contact Button so you can tell me which rabbit is your favorite, and which one you relate to the most (if you’re curious, Bigwig is my favorite, but Blackavar is the one I relate to).

This is a set of nine guest sized soaps, and retails for $12 (plus tax and shipping, if any). Fragrances included in this set are:

Blackberry
Clover
Cucumber Mint
Freshly Mown Hay
Fresh Zucchini Flower
Kehaar’s Sea Breeze
Lettuce
Rain on the Down
Summer Silflay

I’m sure hundreds of people have reviewed this already, so…

I picked this up because I wanted to read them before the American movie came out (I have not yet seen the Swedish movies). It took about 100 pages or so for me to get into it, but when I did…? BAM.

There is violence and inhumanity in this book, but also revenge, retribution, and a certain sense of morality. One of the most violent scenes seemed gratuitous until I found out upon cracking the second book that it was a set-up for the next two novels. At that point, then, it made complete sense.

Very, very glad I picked these up, and can now understand why people I know who have read them tend to look a little fanatical about them.



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My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While personally this book had me at “Roddy Doyle,” I tried to read it objectively even though all I had to do was look at the front cover in order to want to read it.

Four generations of women unite in these pages to help each other transition; on one level this book is about a pre-teen girl losing her grandmother, but on another it’s about all of the experiences that we, as women, have in common with each other, be we mothers or not.

It’s not the thickest book (it is young adult reading, after all) but I still felt that it went into the emotions of loss enough that it would be a wonderful book to give to a girl who is experiencing, for the first time in her life, the death of a loved one. At various points in the book the author brings up honestly grief, loss, humor, anger, and fear as being emotions one feels when dying or when witnessing death. Someone who in their early teens who has never had a death in the family might not know that it’s OK to have all of those emotions, and a book like this would be a boon to helping someone through that passage.

Or, just get it because it’s terribly funny in places, it’s a ghost story without being scary, and it’s a love story of mothers and daughters.

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My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The best thing I can say about this book is that I never have to read it again.

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Last in the series, this one takes place out of Emma’s usual element, and puts her on the road. Or, out to sea, as the case may be – a good portion of this book takes place on a cruise.

Emma and her mother take a cruise to relax, get to know and trust each other, and take a break from trouble; but trouble seems to follow Emma everywhere whether she likes it or not.

In this book, I found myself liking a character I previously hadn’t, and that pleases me – I love it when an author can make a character layered enough that there’s more to discover as the series progresses. I may not completely LIKE Red yet, but I like him more than I did three books ago.

This fourth book takes Emma on a journey through time, which is nothing new for her at this point. But this time, she might not be able to get back.



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One thing that I kept wondering throughout this book was if Joss Whedon had read this right before writing Firefly, because a lot of the characters in that TV show have very similar speaking patterns to a few of the characters in this book.

Another book in the Union/Alliance universe and again, I am not reading these in any sort of order. Which is one thing about this entire series that appeals to me (if you can even call it a series); you can pick up any book set in this universe and get an idea of what’s going on, without feeling that you’ve missed the first few books.

This one revolves around Bet, a former Marine who got left behind and needs to hide her past and work with her enemies in order to get home… or at least get out of where she is. During the course of things, enemies become trusted friends, and those who are initially friendly turn out to not be what they seem. Everything keeps this strong and capable woman on her toes, and no matter how she’s beat down, she fights to survive both emotionally and physically.



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I’m catching up on some reviews so hopefully won’t sound like I’m parroting the one I just wrote but… having said that, I liked the first book in this series so much I ran out to find the next three.

This third book follows Emma as she comes more into her own power, forges a relationship with her mother, and helps a family get out from underneath the curse that has followed them for generations. The more she follows the curse, the farther back it seems to go, and Emma must decide how much she can do that’s helpful, for too much help at any one stage might doom others in the same family line.

And again, I really like this main character. I like that she sometimes doubts herself, and that throughout the four books you can see her grow and strengthen. I like that she’s not young, and shows her aches and pains and sometimes her loneliness. Emma is not perfect, but she is human, and I like that about her.



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On Christmas Day when we came back home to let the dogs out and have a little nap time, I opted for (instead of napping) adding the knitting books I got for Christmas into my knitting bookshelf. (What, you don’t have different bookshelves for different subjects?!) Which meant that I had to alphabetize them – by size, since the shelves are different sizes. I divided them into Tall Books I Don’t Use Much, Short Books, and Tall Books I Go For Often. Too many more books and I’m going to have to move some of those stuffed sheep.

In other news, not much has changed – Rusty is still the same.

I’m technically “off” work this week, HAHAHAHA. Yet I’ve placed a bunch of supply orders, made soap, photographed yarn, and am bouncing around already this morning like a pachinko ball, trying to decide if I want to dye yarn for January sock club (and if so, what color), glaze bisque (which I need to do so I can fire the kiln Thursday), make soap (which I desperately need for restocks at both Wild Iris and Etsy), or straighten up my end-of-year financial paperwork. Gah. It’s only 9 AM and I’m already feeling a bit overwhelmed this morning. Some vacation, eh?! Well, whatever I decide to do, I’m knocking off no later than 3 so I can meet friends for knitting at 4. I’m already looking forward to that.