Category: Blog

Excesses in Tea

As hard as the words were yesterday; that’s how easy they were today.

One thousand thirty-five new words written, bringing the WIP to 72,240ish, total.

Which brings us, by routes mysterious and circuitous, to tea.

I really did go nuts. That said, all teas listed are 15g/0.5oz sample bags.

FIRST, my undoing: The Upton Black Tea Flight for Beginners, which is 5 sample bags; one each of: #1 Tippy Orthodox Darjeeling; Tippy Orthodox GFOP Assam; Ceylon BOP; Rukeri Estate Rwanda BOP; Yunan FOP Select. These teas are variously from India, Sri Lanka, and China.

THEN, I scored a free sample bag of Assam FTGFOP1 Select Blend from, of all places, Germany.

Now we hit the nuts part, the Tea Flight having Opened My Eyes to the possibilities inherent in buying samples.

THE REST OF THE STORY: Leadenhall Street Breakfast Blend (USA); River Shannon Breakfast Blend (USA); Bond Street English Breakfast (Germany); Scottish Breakfast Blend (USA); Mincing Lane Breakfast Blend (USA); Colombian Breakfast Blend Organic (Columbia); South Street Breakfast Blend (USA); Black Label Breakfast Blend (Germany); CTC Irish Breakfast Blend (USA).

Yes, these are all black teas. Call me boring. I’m looking forward to trying each sort, and to seeing if I can (1) tell the difference and/or (2) have a preference.

My favorite black tea ever, so far, is Upton’s Original Blend Russian Caravan (England). My fall-back black tea is Harney’s Irish Breakfast.

I kind of don’t get The Point of English Breakfast Tea. Lapsang Souchong, which at first glance oughta be right up my alley, is too peaty (I don’t like Scotch, either), and fruit-flavored teas are just — no.

I do quite like Harney’s Organic Peppermint, Ginger, and Chamomile teas; and the Lemon-Chamomile from the Republic of Tea; as well as what used to be called Buttermint Tea (now Peppermint and Creamy Vanilla) from Twinings.

And that? Is the record of my crimes.

Walkin’ through the streets of Soho in the rain

Thursday. Chilly and grey.

Woke up to find that I had been repurposed into a structural component of a cat pile consisting of myself, two coon cats, and The Best Pink Ball. We were all so comfy, I went back to sleep for a while. Who knew being a foundation could be so relaxing?

Vertical now, but going about a bit slowly. Well. Nothing on the schedule but one’s duty to the cats and writing.

A question arose regarding how many words equal a page, and that is one of those questions that seems to be perfectly straightforward, only — it isn’t.

Because I began writing in the Age of The Typewriter, and because Habit is a Powerful Thing, I write on an 8.5 inch by 11 inch word processor page with 1 inch margins all around, double spaced.

The Word of God is that, on average, a page set up in this fashion contains 250 words. If someone asks, I can break that down further, but at present, I’m under-caffeinated.

Note that the above has to do with manuscript pages.

If by “pages” one means “pages in a published print book” — I have no idea how many words will equal a page. A publisher (trad or indie) can play a lot of games with final pages — increase the font size, decrease the font size, widen the margins, reduce the margins, increase the leading, decrease the leading — those leap to mind.  Also, yanno, is the book published as hardcover, tradepaper, or mass market? So there’s no real correlation between manuscript pages and final published pages.

Ebook pages is a whole ‘nother thing, considering that the reader has final say on, oh, size of type, which affects page count.

And this? Is why I report words written, which, as we have discussed before, is an accounting system with its own inbuilt problems, but less than, oh, say — pages.

And now? I believe I will have some tea. And maybe breakfast.

What’s your plan for the morning?

Today’s blog post title comes to you via Warren Zevon, “Werewolves of London.“

Romantic facts of musketeers foundationed deep, somehow

Coon cats first.

And again.

#

Well. That’s a thing to see, so it is. Now all we have to do is hope that the Department of Dirty Tricks isn’t stampeded into behaving indiscreetly.

Oh, wait.

So! The other day I called the Census Bureau and left a message, indicating my unwillingness to host a Census worker in my residence, and offering to do the thing by telephone or online.

Today, Chris from the Census Bureau called me back, and, the upshot of our conversation is that I will be “unenrolled” from the survey. Pursuant to the above, I note that today I received a postcard from that same Census Bureau informing me that I might call Field Representative NAME at NUMBER to schedule an appointment. Chris called just as I got in from the mail, so I’m counting him as the straight dope, and trust that Field Rep NAME will be informed in the fullness of time.

I did see Wildwood yesterday afternoon. It was Awfully Pretty, but I fear for storytelling. I already have a problem with how visual narratives work (it’s me, not them), but the storyline of Wildwood, (which I expected to be derivative, and it did not disappoint, though I’ll admit that I was surprised by some of the derivations) confused me, and though I managed to work out most of the kinks later, there are at least two points on which I remain capital-C Confused. (And, not a confusing point, but an irritating one: How is it that no one involved with this film knew that “Governess” does not mean “the wife of a Governor?” It scratched a nerve every time I heard it)

Still — very pretty, not sorry I viewed it, points to Madame Svik (the “Governess”) for playing honor as only the Fae can; will not be viewing it again. My capacity for war carnage, even realistic cartoon (as opposed to “cartoony”) carnage, was never high and is currently at ebb.

What else? Oh. I went a little nuts the other day and ordered in a zillion sample bags of black tea from Upton, so that’ll be a fun exploration.

This morning, I wrote just about 1100 words, bringing the WIP to 71,200ish total words.

I should mention here that this week may go a little pear-shaped towards the end, so if I drop out of sight for a day or two, that’s more likely the reason than A Meteor Landed On The House.

Lunch was another kind of the new premade “salad” lunches Hannaford is offering. This one was brie and ham over spinach, with fig sauce (for the brie) and candied nuts for dessert. I hope they continue with this, because at least (and so far) it’s working out for me.

And! I have letters to write, and banking to do, and coon cats to take care of.

How’s everybody doing today?

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Robert Allen Zimmerman, performed here by The Byrds, “My Back Pages.”

Election Day Drive-by

So, I’m back from the Food Bank, where, after a brief tour, I was able to donate my items; and CVS, where I purchased a glasses leash and arnica gel, of which more in a moment; and then I did most of my shopping at Hannaford, of which more now.

Mine city has adopted the scheme of selling the One True Garbage Bag to residents. They are purple, come in Large and Small, and can be purchased in 5 (large) or 8 (small) bag rolls at the grocery store for $13 the roll.

As you might imagine, the One True Bag system has its detractors. While it’s meant to be “fair” — you only pay for the trash you throw out — they’re expensive, especially in these days of $5 blocks of cream cheese, and, in short, the bags grow legs and walk out of the store.

Which means that they must be hidden behind the checkout counter, like girly magazines, and the customer must ask to have them added to their order as they’re emptying the contents of their basket onto the conveyor.

It will surprise no one to hear that I usually forget to do this. It will perhaps surprise some — certainly, it surprised me — that, this morning, I did remember to ask for a couple rolls of the One True to be added to my order, only?

The cashier failed to do this. No, she didn’t charge me for them; it just flew out of her brain.

So, now, I have the challenge of remembering to ask for the One True the next time I’m at the store. Or, possibly, I will make a Special Pilgrimage. And honestly? That’s most likely.

Which brings us to arnica. First, my apologies for having concerned people.

What Happened is that I fell forcibly into a door and whacked my head (and as I found out later, my left wrist, too). No, I don’t know how I did it. No, I did not pass out. No, I do not have a concussion. Speed was involved, which is often the case when I sustain these kinds of injuries. I refer you to Val Con and Theo, both of whom were too fast for their own good until they grew into their reactions. The difference being that I never grew into my reactions.

The result of the Encounter with the door was a lump on my forehead; I immediately applied ice; the swelling went down, and while I do have a slightly discolored bump on my forehead, it is gently mauve, not technicolor, and the black eye I feared has not materialized.

The wrist only started to hurt yesterday, and again — no idea. I did, however, put some arnica gel on it when I got home and already the bruise has faded, which is — Fast Work and I’ll make sure to keep some of this stuff in inventory, thank you very much to those who suggested it.

I finished Half an Orange last night and started The Witches of Cambridge this morning. Given my usual commentary on the subject of writing, I shouldn’t like Alice Hoffman, but every time I say to myself, “Oh, I’ll just read the first page,” I wind up reading the whole thing, and it looks like she’s Done It Again.

And that? Is all I’ve got. Movie starts at 12:55, and needlework starts at 5, and after I come home and serve up a belated Happy Hour, I’ll have my choice of the next episode of “Maigret” or The Witches of Cambridge (or, probably, both) to keep the doomscrolling down to levels that are not damaging to what I like to call my sanity.

Everybody stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Books read in 2026

71  Half an Orange in Gretna Green (Midlife Recorder #7), Linzi Day (e)
70  Sylvester, OR: The Wicked Uncle, Georgette Heyer (re-re-&c-read) (e)
69  Saratoga Trunk, Edna Ferber, narrated by Robin Miles
68  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-&c-read) (e)
67  The Gate of Ivrel, (Morgaine #1), CJ Cherryh  (re-read) (e)
66  Mr Gorzug and the Required Qualifications (Mr Gorzug #2), Nole Moody (e)
65  Mr Gorzug, Substitute Teacher (Mr Gorzug #1), Nole Moody (e)
64  Serpent’s Reach, C.J. Cherryh (e)
63  The Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett re-read (e)
62  Chanur’s Homecoming, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
61  The Kif Strike Back, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
60  Chanur’s Venture, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
59  Pride of Chanur, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
58  The Glass-Cursed, (Whispers & Wayfarers #1) P.H. Blackwood (e)
57  The Paladin, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Stephen Bowlby
56  An Heir of Possibilities (Bad Heir Days #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
55  Bone and Blood, (Border Kingdom #2) C.E. Murphy (e)
54  Liberty’s Prison, Randall Liberty, Christine Graf (e)(bkclb)
53  Daggerbound, (Swordheart #2), T. Kingfisher (e)
52  A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions (Lord Julian #12), Grace Burrowes (e)
51  Swordheart, T. Kingfisher (re-read) (e)
50  Carousel Seas (Archers Beach #3), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
49  Carousel Sun (Archers Beach #2), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
48  Carousel Tides (Archers Beach #1), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
47  Diviner’s Bow (The Redlands #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
46  Ribbon Dance (The Redlands #2), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
45  Kin Right (Korval in Exile #7 AND Tinsori Light #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (unedited manuscript)
44  Salvage Right (Korval in Exile #6 AND Tinsori Light #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
43  Trader’s Leap (Korval in Exile #5 AND The Redlands #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
42  Accepting the Lance (Theo Waitley #7 AND Korval in Exile #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
41  Neogenesis (Theo Waitley #6 AND Korval in Exile #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
40  The Gathering Edge (Theo Waitley #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
39  Alliance of Equals (Korval in Exile #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
38  Dragon in Exile, (Liaden Universe® beginning the Korval In Exile arc), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
37  Sourdough, Robin Sloan (e) (bookclub)
36  Necessity’s Child (standalone in the Liaden Universe®), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens.
35  Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
34  Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
33  Saltation (Theo Waitley #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
32  Fledgling (Theo Waitley #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
31  The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Joe Jameson
30  A Gentleman Far from Home (Lord Julian 11) Grace Burrowes (e)
29  Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Natalie Simpson
28  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Raj Ghatak
27  Platform Decay, (Murderbot) Martha Wells (e)
26  A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (e) (bookclub)
25  Fair Trade (Jethri Gobelyn #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
24  Ribbon Dance (Liaden Universe #26), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
23  Trade Secret (Liaden Universe #17), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (e)
22  Sea Wrack and Changewind, Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard
21  When the Wolves are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr #21), C.S. Harris (e)
20  An Heir of Distinction (Bad Heir Days #5), Grace Burrowes (e)
19   Longeye (Fey Duology #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
18   Duainfey (Fey Duology #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
17  *Crystal Dragon (Liaden Universe® #10), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
16  *Crystal Soldier (Liaden Universe® #9), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
15  Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1), Sarah M. Eden (e)
14   Theo of Golden, Allen Levi (e) book club
13  *Balance of Trade (Liaden Universe® #8), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
12  *Mouse and Dragon (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
11  *Scout’s Progress (Liaden Universe® #6), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
10  *Local Custom, (Liaden Universe® #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
9   *I Dare (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
8   Cuckoo’s Egg, C J Cherryh, (audio first time)
7   *Plan B, (Liaden Universe® #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
6   Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (audio first time)
5   *Carpe Diem (Liaden Universe® #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4   *Conflict of Honors (Liaden Universe® #2), Sharon Lee & Steve    Miller
3   *Agent of Change (Liaden Universe® #1), Sharon Lee & Steve                 Miller
2   A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (Lord Julian #10), Grace             Burrowes (e)
1   Spilling the Tea in Gretna Green, Linzi Day (e)

________
*I’m doing a straight-through series read in publication order

**I screwed up and moved right on to I Dare from Plan B, therefore deviating from publication order.  I will now amend myself and go back to pick up Local Custom.

***I’ll be re-issuing Duainfey and Longeye as an e-omnibus later this year, and so I need to read them!

Slow Monday

Slept dern near 9 hours last night, because I was So. Tired. and my Head. Hurt. And — insert whine here.

Feeling more the thing today, and I seem to have gotten away from yesterday’s misadventures without a black eye, and the lump has subsided into a bump. It’s showing some disposition to decorate in mauve, but maybe I’ll get luck there, too.

In other news! One thousand fifty-ish new words and? The WIP has broken 70,000 words.

That? Was a TOUGH 10,000 words.

Now, I need to go find some lunch. Yeah. Lunch.

On today’s agenda is wondering if I ought to go to a movie tomorrow, or schedule a day to take a ride later in the week, because I honestly can’t remember when I Drove Somewhere, and while, yes, the price of gas is appalling, and it’s not summer anymore, I do need to remember to get out of the house and Do Stuff.

In the meantime — lunch.

#

I think I probably will just go to see Wildwood tomorrow, and get out of the range of election day for a while.  I am unfortunately going to finish my book tonight, so I’ll have to be pro-active about finding something to read that’s so engrossing, I won’t tempted to hit the ‘refresh’ on the election page every three minutes.

Argh.

Also, if you haven’t already — vote.

Reading protocols: A discursion

It will surprise no one here that I am a reader of the works of Georgette Heyer, in particular her Regency romances.

Alert readers will, in fact, recall me saying on more than one occasion that I read these works, with considerable enjoyment, as comedies.  There are, of course, the occasional exception, such as, oh — These Old Shades, which is, as everyone knows, a melant’i play, written in the High Style, but, by and large I address these stories as very light reading.

When I was recovering from my mastectomy, Steve read to me every night, and, my attention span being what it wasn’t, he did a lot of re-reading.  One night, he pulled Friday’s Child off of the Heyer shelf and showed it to me, expecting — as who would not? — an enthusiastic agreement.

Instead, I burst into tears.

“I can’t, I can’t!  I mean, I know that Gil will take Kitten to his grandmother and Sherry will come about, but I just — the beginning, where neither one of them has any — and they just about ruin themselves,  and I just can’t!”

Steve put the book back on the shelf, and very likely picked up a Pratchett, and we moved on.

And, though clearly it’s a story I knew well, and I still adore Gil, and hope he found someone who deserved him — I’ve never read Friday’s Child again,

I just can’t.

Now, honestly?  I figured this to be a one-off, born of the effects of surgery, radiation, drugs, and being scared half to death, but . . .

Just the other day, I re-read Sylvester, which I’ve re-read many times, though it’s not among my most favorite Heyers.  That fact meant that I hadn’t read it for a number of years had probably influenced my decision to have it down for a re-read.

I was settling in nicely, enjoying the introduction to Our Hero, in which his character, and the style and state of his family is sketched in, including the fact that Sylvester was the eldest of two boys, the younger brother having died.

And I said to myself, “Oh.  I forgot that Harry had been Sylvester’s twin.  Losing a brother is one thing, but losing a twin is — something else again.  Did Heyer not know that?”

Which is when I started reading as a writer.  Because, of course, Heyer did know that — an author so gifted in characterization couldn’t not know such a thing, nor could she fail to use that fact to inform Sylvester.  The loss of his twin is illuminated in each flash of ill-temper, every deflection eloquent of protecting his wounded center, and the glimpses of the man he had been, when he is engaging, kind, and humorous, a little frightening because you don’t know — not even at the HEA — if he’s going to ever win back to who he ought to have been.

All this to say that — it’s not a bad book; it’s quite a good book, and I’m glad that it’s in my life.  But I put it back on the shelf next to Friday’s Child, and I may not read it again.

 

Books read in 2026

70  Sylvester, OR: The Wicked Uncle, Georgette Heyer (re-re-&c-read) (e)
69  Saratoga Trunk, Edna Ferber, narrated by Robin Miles
68  Tryst, Elswyth Thane (re-re-re-re-&c-read) (e)
67  The Gate of Ivrel, (Morgaine #1), CJ Cherryh  (re-read) (e)
66  Mr Gorzug and the Required Qualifications (Mr Gorzug #2), Nole Moody (e)
65  Mr Gorzug, Substitute Teacher (Mr Gorzug #1), Nole Moody (e)
64  Serpent’s Reach, C.J. Cherryh (e)
63  The Thief of Time, Terry Pratchett re-read (e)
62  Chanur’s Homecoming, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
61  The Kif Strike Back, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
60  Chanur’s Venture, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
59  Pride of Chanur, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Dina Pearlman
58  The Glass-Cursed, (Whispers & Wayfarers #1) P.H. Blackwood (e)
57  The Paladin, C.J. Cherryh, narrated by Stephen Bowlby
56  An Heir of Possibilities (Bad Heir Days #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
55  Bone and Blood, (Border Kingdom #2) C.E. Murphy (e)
54  Liberty’s Prison, Randall Liberty, Christine Graf (e)(bkclb)
53  Daggerbound, (Swordheart #2), T. Kingfisher (e)
52  A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions (Lord Julian #12), Grace Burrowes (e)
51  Swordheart, T. Kingfisher (re-read) (e)
50  Carousel Seas (Archers Beach #3), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
49  Carousel Sun (Archers Beach #2), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
48  Carousel Tides (Archers Beach #1), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
47  Diviner’s Bow (The Redlands #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
46  Ribbon Dance (The Redlands #2), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
45  Kin Right (Korval in Exile #7 AND Tinsori Light #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (unedited manuscript)
44  Salvage Right (Korval in Exile #6 AND Tinsori Light #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
43  Trader’s Leap (Korval in Exile #5 AND The Redlands #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
42  Accepting the Lance (Theo Waitley #7 AND Korval in Exile #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
41  Neogenesis (Theo Waitley #6 AND Korval in Exile #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
40  The Gathering Edge (Theo Waitley #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
39  Alliance of Equals (Korval in Exile #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
38  Dragon in Exile, (Liaden Universe® beginning the Korval In Exile arc), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
37  Sourdough, Robin Sloan (e) (bookclub)
36  Necessity’s Child (standalone in the Liaden Universe®), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens.
35  Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
34  Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
33  Saltation (Theo Waitley #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
32  Fledgling (Theo Waitley #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
31  The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Joe Jameson
30  A Gentleman Far from Home (Lord Julian 11) Grace Burrowes (e)
29  Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Natalie Simpson
28  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Raj Ghatak
27  Platform Decay, (Murderbot) Martha Wells (e)
26  A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (e) (bookclub)
25  Fair Trade (Jethri Gobelyn #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
24  Ribbon Dance (Liaden Universe #26), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
23  Trade Secret (Liaden Universe #17), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (e)
22  Sea Wrack and Changewind, Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard
21  When the Wolves are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr #21), C.S. Harris (e)
20  An Heir of Distinction (Bad Heir Days #5), Grace Burrowes (e)
19   Longeye (Fey Duology #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
18   Duainfey (Fey Duology #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
17  *Crystal Dragon (Liaden Universe® #10), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
16  *Crystal Soldier (Liaden Universe® #9), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
15  Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1), Sarah M. Eden (e)
14   Theo of Golden, Allen Levi (e) book club
13  *Balance of Trade (Liaden Universe® #8), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
12  *Mouse and Dragon (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
11  *Scout’s Progress (Liaden Universe® #6), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
10  *Local Custom, (Liaden Universe® #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
9   *I Dare (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
8   Cuckoo’s Egg, C J Cherryh, (audio first time)
7   *Plan B, (Liaden Universe® #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
6   Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (audio first time)
5   *Carpe Diem (Liaden Universe® #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4   *Conflict of Honors (Liaden Universe® #2), Sharon Lee & Steve    Miller
3   *Agent of Change (Liaden Universe® #1), Sharon Lee & Steve                 Miller
2   A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (Lord Julian #10), Grace             Burrowes (e)
1   Spilling the Tea in Gretna Green, Linzi Day (e)

________
*I’m doing a straight-through series read in publication order

**I screwed up and moved right on to I Dare from Plan B, therefore deviating from publication order.  I will now amend myself and go back to pick up Local Custom.

***I’ll be re-issuing Duainfey and Longeye as an e-omnibus later this year, and so I need to read them!