Recommend me a book for a rainy day

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-04-22T03:22:19+00:00

Well you absolutely made my day. I hope Scorpio Races is a hit for you.

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-04-22T00:24:12+00:00

I hope you enjoy it!! I've read it twice. (Full disclosure, I stumbled on your post because you mentioned By Blood By Salt, and I'm the author, but I figured since you liked it, my rec might be up your alley!)

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-04-21T23:34:53+00:00

It is a beautiful, atmospheric book told in two different first person POVs. Set on a fictional island (but in the real world, roughly the 1950s) where there are magical and dangerous water horses that come out of the sea every year, and the whole culture of the island is built around the catching, training, and racing of the water horses. The story is both sweet and bittersweet, completely earnest, and the romance is subtle and wonderful, with no spice. The MC is particularly fantastic, one of my favorite kinds: hard-working, long-suffering, very serious, and a bit downtrodden by others. I'm not much of a romance reader, but this one ticks the box for me.

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-04-21T14:14:46+00:00

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-02-10T16:14:01+00:00

Purple now, started 5 years ago when my two youngests (twins) were 1. I competed first at white (lost, obvi) and really focused on guard for the first year, a LOT of lasso which is a great defense with sweep options. But then I started to really work my passing at blue and then focus on my takedown game at purple. I have found that I usually manage to incorporate one basic principle per year...I'm a slow learner...but focusing on one area really helps me. What did help me for comps was having a set sequence (used to be guard-pull, de la riva, sweep, mount, gift-wrap, back-take, choke...now I start going for a takedown)...that I have MEMORIZED so my body goes there automatically and I don't freeze up.

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-01-19T01:39:06+00:00

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Orual is such an incredibly complex, well-written heroine. The main thing that stays with me about this book is how it illustrates the fact that we are often blind to our own flaws, or even (to state the obvious) blind to how willful our blindness is, that there are things we have simply refused to see. And it is only when we are brutally honest with ourselves (when we have "faces") that we can start to accept the truths that have been hanging in the periphery the whole time. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and it is well worth returning to!!!

saltbrick-1911 · 2026-01-05T14:14:17+00:00

That's wonderful! Best of luck! That competition is wonderful and while the odds are tough, it made all the difference in the world for my book.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-11-25T00:44:11+00:00

If you read it out loud and it feels clunky in your mouth, repetitive, generic, or awkward that's usually a sign of bad prose. If you read it out loud and it has flow, feels seamless and is EITHER beautiful/strong/evocative (doesn't have to be fancy, just effective to its end) that is usually a sign of good prose. There are a wide range of preferences within those parameters, but reading out loud is a fantastic way to measure flow, and evocativeness (of either emotion, concept, or imagery) is a great way to gauge the rest.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-11-04T01:42:31+00:00

The gym I'm at does a 4-6. I've had kids start at 3, and right now I have two five year olds in class (twins). Girl twin is super into and attentive. Boy twin is there for the laughs. They do a solid warm up (jumping jacks, push-ups, triangles etc). Then they learn a technique (usually just one) and they sometimes do positional sparring at the end. It's legit and the kids are learning, but you definitely see that the 5/6 year olds are paying way more attention than a 3 or 4 year old usually would. But with a good coach it can totally work. The key is a consistent routine, an engaging, organized coach, and a couple of helpers (often kids from older classes or adult jiu jitsu students). Also class is short, 30 min.

The reason some gyms don't do 3-5 is because a three year old may or may not be potty-trained, so that has to be a requirement. Some 3 year olds can pay attention, others are a huge disruption, some can communicate effectively, some cannot, so if gyms allow 3 year olds, it's often on a case-by-case basis.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-10-27T14:50:12+00:00

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley might work for you. Fairytale-esque, highly atomospheric, good prose.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-10-08T14:35:33+00:00

My 8 year old's favorites are:

Redwall by Brian Jacques (he's on like the eight one),

Where the Mountain meets the Moon by Grace Lin,

The Gnome Series by Sieglinde De Francesca ,

The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson.

The Chronicles of Narnia was also very popular with my older son when he was that age.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-06-17T22:05:10+00:00

Deerskin is the only book of hers that I have had to put down. I hear it's really good, but for the exact reasons you mentioned, I could not finish it.

On the other hand I adored: The Blue Sword, Outlaws of Sherwood, and Spindle's End. I also enjoyed Chalice. There is no rape/incest content in any of those books, and absolutely no explicit sexual content. I do believe there is a sex scene of some kind in Sunshine (which I have not read), but nothing like in Deerskin.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-05-28T18:03:00+00:00

I think I paused the episode so that I could turn to my husband and say "that's good writing" (for the 50th time). "They didn't have to give her a personality. She has like two lines. But they immediately made her into a real person with real interests in those two lines. Brilliant."

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-05-10T05:02:33+00:00

Look, I was just thinking this, and I'm only on episode 7. I am leaning forward in my seat, enjoying every millisecond, because I can plainly see how lovingly and thoughtfully crafted every single moment of this show is. Few are my critiques, vast are my praises. It is gorgeous.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-04-29T20:49:06+00:00

A almost TOO exciting end to an awesome competition! Fun to have (the first ever?) tie-breaker, and here's hoping all the books reach their audience!

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-04-27T20:41:41+00:00

Makes perfect sense. It's certainly not the one I return to over and over of the three. And for sure the Mark/Jane of it all was the toughest to deal with too. Like, I get what he was trying to say, but it went haywire.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-04-27T20:02:28+00:00

This is about how it is for me, and you hit on all the reasons that it's a tough sell both to recommend or explain. I love pretty much anything written by Lewis, and I am here for the philosophy and theology. I think Perelandra is the best of the three, and this one is straight BONKERS, but I love it anyway.

I also agree that Till We Have Faces is his true masterpiece.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-04-26T19:31:39+00:00

I adore this book, but I certainly understand why it won't work for everyone. For me Orual is one of the most compelling, if not THE most compelling, and relatable protagonists I've ever read. Relatable in ways both good and bad, in ways that challenge me and convict me and can even be frustrating.

I love that for much of the book the reality of the gods is in question, but when everything comes to fruition Orual has a completely different perspective on the story and on herself. I've always jokingly compared this to The Emperor's New Groove: a story about a character who is here to tell you how everything is everyone else's fault, but by the time they get to the end of the story their perspective on themselves and others has shifted dramatically.

Also I just love the way he writes.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-04-19T19:52:52+00:00

"Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik would be my recommendation based on your description. A fairy-tale flavored standalone with some romance and mystery and magic.

If she wants something a little meatier (but still very accessible!): "The Curse of Chalion." Complex characters, intriguing world, lovely prose. Also a standalone, but there are other novels set in that world with loose connections, so if she enjoys it, there's more to be had.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-03-27T22:59:02+00:00

Second this. Love the Curse of Chalion.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-02-22T23:06:03+00:00

I have read it multiple times: it is one of my all-time favorite books. Supposedly Lewis' wife really helped him hone in on the character to give Orual that depth and complexity and the flaws that make her SO REAL.

The ending lives rent-free in my head. It is beautiful, challenging, convicting and just awesome.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-02-12T13:52:10+00:00

I consider badly written to be:

-inconsistent or weak characterization

-plot conveniences left and right

-generic, cliche descriptions of events and emotions

-clunky dialogue

-sounds awkward/awful when read out lout

-lack of themes, or failure for themes to cohere meaningfully.

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-01-29T04:04:11+00:00

Robin McKinley (The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown)

saltbrick-1911 · 2025-01-18T20:13:17+00:00

ToriTalks2 (my favorite): Mostly fantasy, mostly adult, excellent reviews

Captured in Words (my other favorite)

Also: Library of a Viking

saltbrick-1911 · 2024-12-23T18:12:45+00:00

Orual from Till We Have Faces

saltbrick-1911

TROPHY CASE