The Ninja Writer's Library- Magical Regency

Happy Monday Friends,

It's another segment of The Ninja Writer's Library and this time we're diving into the Cecelia and Kate Series by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. So came along as we dive into these magical reads.

Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
Here we find two regency women, cousins Kate and Cecilia, the former in London the latter stuck in Essex. We follow their adventures as they try to deal with magic and aggravating men done in the form of correspondences the two have with each other during the Season.

Reading this defiantly reminded me of Jane Austin. Older women constantly reminding the younger of proper behavior, or trying to get their daughters or nieces to marry well. Yep definitely a Austin like atmosphere, if Austin had magic. I thought it was fun the story was told through letters. I did find myself getting mixed up on who was who on occasion, trying to recall who was where, but it wasn't often.

I also liked learning at the end that this book was a game of letters between the two authors that they did with each other. That I thought was cool and fun.

The Grand Tour or The Purloined Coronation Regalia

In book two of this series we find the cousins and their new spouses going on their honeymoon travel and finding themselves in a magical mystery.

This book was Austin meets magic meets murder mystery. We learn magicians don't do well near water, which I think this is folklore I might have heard before. We visit a post Napoleon France and Italy in this book where our characters deal with a mystical mystery that fell in their laps not long after stepping on the French shores. It was a great whodunit tale.

I seriously would not want to be a well to do person in this time period. Society protocol having you call on people or have them call on you and you'd have oblige them so you didn't step on people's toes. Was this just a thing with the wealthy people of the time, or did lower class do this too? I'd just want alone time once in a while. I'm in a new place, just married, not that I know what that's like, I think I'd want some time for us and to check out the city you know.

The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After

It's been ten years since the last book. Now our friends are dealing with parenthood, the railroad, and a missing magician.

Now in these correspondences we are seeing the husbands point of view of things as well as the wives. So it's good to hear from the husbands. There are children now with their parents knack for mischief. Plus some of them have magical talents so that adds to the fun. There is also alot of talk of ley lines lots of ley lines

As with any book that takes place so far after the other books it's bitter sweet for me. I don't know why I guess seeing time pass for me triggers the depression and anxiety in me.

Again I shudder at things that was expected of well bred woman of the time. We got aunts who still descend upon on nieces who are grown and married to set them straight if they were to screw up the family name... Glad I have aunts who I'm sure love me, but aren't all sticking their nose in my business.

What have you guys been reading? Let me know in the comments!

I hope you guys have a good week, read lots, and God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

What Am I Doing Now?

Happy Tuesday friends,

Things have been slow lately so I'm gonna take pages from Julie Wunder and Austin Kleon and tell you some of the things I've been doing recently.

Bookwise: I was reading through the Cecilia and Kate series by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. I got part way through the The Mislaid Magician: or Ten Years After when I saw I wasn't going to finish it before it was time to return it, because it's difficult for me to visit even the nearest branch of my local library I use the digital library and check them out through my kindle app. I'm not sure how to extend my check out, and I don't want overdue fees so I figured I return it an check it back out, didn't realize someone else was on the waiting list, so I'm waiting for it so I can finish. Sadly not all peeps can speed read like I tend to.

Binging: Still watching Critical Role I'm making my way through the second campaign. I love the characters especially Jesture, she's just adorable and mischievous. If I keep watching at this rate I'll be caught up before long. Upside caught up, downside what to watch on the bad anxiety nights, never fear I am going to rewatch and maybe actually finish Barky's Brigade.

Music: I have The Old Ways from Loreena McKennitt's The Visit album stuck in my brain. It's a beautiful song. It's based off a New Year's Eve experience she had the turn is as haunting as she says the experience was in her song description on the CD booklet (Hit the info tab on the website to read it for yourself). I love to lay in bed and listen to this song.

Food: I have been eating everything in sight lately. I'm hungry constantly lately. I think it maybe one of my meds. Cause I had some trouble with eating like this last time I was at a full pill of it. I am thinking about making up some of Sugar Bean Bakers' Pumpkindoodle Cookies, they are so yummy. 

Animal Friends: In the backwoods we have many wild animals that we encounter. I heard a deer snorting last night, I've also heard the call of a screech owl.

For a few days I made the acquaintance of a frog hanging out on a trail, sadly it seems to have moved on, I wish I'd gotten a picture.

I did get a picture of this cute ground hog out my window:

It's things like this that make me happy to live where I do.

Other Things I'm Noticing: I've been noticing couple spider webs. The first is one made on the trail where I spotted the frog. I first noticed the huge spider in the middle of it. Then as days go by I look up in it to see what's up with it. Seems the spider has left it, but it's still hanging there. Sadly due to it's position I couldn't get a picture of it.

The second web I noticed in this morning's sunlight. It shone like a brilliant rainbow of colors. The photo doesn't do it justice:

Saying Goodbye: We had to say goodbye to an old friend. A pine tree:

It was dying we think due to some ivy and it'd got over grown from us not being able to trim it. So we bid it adieu.

What are you guys up to this week? Let me know in the comments.

I hope your week is good, happy Fall, and may God Bless You!
Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Daily Treasures: Watching for the Space Station

Hello Sky Watchers,

After a few failed days at seeing the space station, we've been covered in clouds when it's gone over, I finally got to see the space station fly over. It's not the first time seeing it fly over, but each watch is unique in it's own way.

Tonight I saw the dark silhouettes of the leaves shaking in the breezes that touched my skyward face. The neighbor's cars riding the roads, causing dogs to bark nearby. Hearing also the motorcycles all the way from the interstate.

Something small jumped in front of me on the drive way and hid in the grass. So that will remain a mystery. Lorenna McKennitt's "The Old Ways" was probably in my head as it is now.
I saw a hand and arm reaching out in the clouds, perhaps to pull the station along.

Looked better before I grabbed the camera.

Then finally the station come over silently. It looks so small, but I know in contains it's own wonders, and maybe people looking down at us.

Do you guys have any good sky gazing tales? Let me know in the comments.

I hope you all have a good weekend, may there be plenty of stars, and God bless you!

 Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Pumpkin Skies

Happy Pumpkin Spice Season friends,

The season has brought with it it's numerous pumpkin spiced offerings which now includes Spam. *gags* Why, just why?

Because of this I thought I'd share with you peeps a funny pumpkin related story that happened with  Fangirl and me a few pumpkin seasons ago.
We were coming back from a day out and we'd just had supper. I was stuffed, but Fangirl wanted to get some Pumpkin Ice Cream from our local Dairy Queen. I think I got a small and  ate as much as I could before I got sick from being over stuffed. I actually for a while after this whenever I smelled pumpkin I'd get sick.

Anyway after getting the ice cream we stopped at a store some where, and Fangirl offers to finish drink the melted remains of my ice cream. Well as she was drinking it the setting sun turned the sky an orange. Apparently Fangirl's eyes were either closed or obstructed by the cup as she drunk it cause she was done and saw the sky and asked if the sky was orange or was it just her. I assured her the sky was indeed orange and it wasn't just her. I guess she thought she over did the pumpkin.

So what are you favorite Pumpkin, or Pumpkin Spice offerings? Let me know in the comments. I hope you guys have a good week, enjoy your pumpkin spice, and God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer

Halloween Goodness

Happy Friday my friends,

Sorry for the blog silence. Between an abscessed tooth, the mental health hydra, and worrying over getting the tooth pulled, I've not been in the best of states. Well the offending tooth has been removed, by a great dentist that made the process practically painless, which was not the case with my last tooth I had pulled in middle school I recall feeling needle pain, unless that was for the tooth fillings... Any who I'm good.  So today I'm going back to this past Saturday. With it being September the world is erupting with Halloweeness, well actually that probably started in July, but Fangirl and I just now started looking at the stores for Halloween goodness. I though I'd share some of my favorites.

First is the return of Ashland's® Meditating Yoga Skeleton at Michael's. I want this so much, but it is a little big for my current space. That is why I'm happy to see Halloween Makers Namaste Yoga Skeleton that is smaller in size at Jo-Ann's.

I saw also at Michael's Ashland's® Typewriter. I love typewriters. This one had the ominus message: help typed out. Strange thing is Maker's Halloween has a type writer with the same message at Jo-Ann's. So who copied who?

I also loved Maker's Halloween animated radio with a glowing skeleton head. I like you turn knob and get different music numbers.

The next two are both favorites of Fangirl's and mine. First from Jo-Ann's The Boneyard's Mini mermaid skeleton. You can totally use it for your year round bathroom decor.
Michael's wowed us with another Ashland® piece with this winged skeleton on a tombstone. It's all morbidly beautiful.

We also made the stop at the orange Halloween Express tent. As usual it was hot even more so on this warm September day. We didn't stay long, just long enough for me to oggle over the John Lennon style glasses for their hippie costumes. I so want those style glasses.
The one thing I noticed at Halloween Express this year was the disturbing clown pieces by Morris Costumes especially this Tug of War Clowns one.

That is some of my favorite things I have seen this year. Do you have any favorite things you've seen in the stores this year? Let me know in the comments.

I hope you guys have a good weekend, stay weird, and God bless you!

Ninja <[0000]---------------[0000]> Writer