I feel like I need a catchier, alliterative naming convention for reading Wednesday posts. Hm……
This week, just one finished book, but it was a good one! Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher is a fantasy that feels like an old-fashioned fairy tale with a new fresh approach. Marra is the youngest of three princesses of a small kingdom with a vital port. Her eldest sister is married off to a local prince and suffers an early, unexpected (and somewhat questionable) demise. Her second sister is next married to the same prince, while Marra is sent off to a convent for Our Lady of the Grackles (that name alone should give you some of the feel of this witty and well-written book). During visits to her sister, Marra realizes that something is very wrong with her sister’s marriage and the prince, with bruises on her sister’s arms and several lost pregnancies. Marra decides that she is the one to save her sister. The book unfolds as Marra is undertaking the second of three “impossible” quests, constructing a dog made of bones, so that a dust wife (a gravekeeper and wise woman who can talk to and summon the dead, as well as an excellent chicken keeper) will help her on her quest. Along the way, Marra manages to complete many “impossible” tasks, and gathers with her a not-so-good fairy godmother, the bone dog, and rescues a knight from a goblin market. Filled with great world-building, a fun set of characters, engaging plot and good writing, this one was a 5-star read for me and is exactly the kind of book I need more of in my life when I want an entertaining read. Thank you to Nicole over at Bookwyrm Knits for the author suggestion and the fun buddy read!
Currently, I am still working my way slowly through Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste. A very dense read that requires a lot of thought so I’m taking my time with it. Exceptionally well-written, this book is really changing how I think about myself and how I think about the status quo of things in the US. I also have started listening to Aiden Thomas’s Lost in the Neverwood, a contemporary retelling of the Peter Pan story. I enjoyed this author’s book Cemetery Boys, which I read at this time last year, and am interested to explore their take on this tale.
Knit One, Spin Too 
Lost in the Neverwood is one I want to start at some point, but I recently started way too many things at once so it will have to wait. 😉 Thank you for the nudge to read Nettle & Bone instead of just procrastinating it again! I really enjoyed our buddy read.
Thank YOU as well – thoroughly enjoyable! Have you read Cemetary Boys? I think it’s a stronger book than this one.
I haven’t read any of Thomas’ books yet, but both of those are on my TBR list.