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Post by Dabeagle on Nov 13, 2023 18:50:04 GMT -5
This is book one of the Adam Binder series followed by Trailer Park Trickster and Deadbeat Druid. I read this back in June when I was on vacation and forgot to post about it.
This is a fun modern urban fantasy story. Adam is the main character and he's gay and has magical ability that runs in the family. It hasn't made him rich or famous, in fact he's been struggling - as has most of his family - for some time. He comes from a long line of dirt poor people. His brother tried to leave all the 'magic' stuff behind him, but when Adam follows his nose, things get messy. This is a really interesting modern take on urban fantasy and was an easy, fun read. I think I read all three books in two days. Got a sunburn from it, too.
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Post by dgt224 on Nov 14, 2023 18:39:35 GMT -5
OK, I'm taking a chance on this series. Found a web site that I thought was going to sell me an epub version that I could read on one of my tablets, but that turned out to be a scam, I suspect - bookscloud dot net, which wanted my credit card info for a "free" account that turned out to be for a trial period of unspecified length, with no information on the site regarding how long the trial period runs, how much it costs after the trial period, or any information on how to cancel the account before they start charging. Can't get much sketchier than that! So off to Amazon, where I also ended up ordering a bunch of books by Mercedes Lackey (one of my favorite authors). Large-ish order, so I thought I would try using one of the Amazon pick-up locations, partly because it's supposed to rain here over the next three days, and I'm not a fan of wet books. Turns out Amazon can deliver to me in two to four days - apparently the Adam Binder books aren't all stocked in the same location - but it would take them six days to get them to my nearest pick-up location. I ended up selecting Amazon Day delivery, which they claim will get all of them to me on Saturday in one box. We shall see. (Current forecast for Saturday is sunny - better for receiving a shipment of books! But the last time I tried the Amazon Day thing, it was for two spray cans of insect repellent, which shipped in two separate boxes [from the same Amazon facility] that arrived here on two consecutive days, so I have my doubts.)
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Post by dgt224 on Nov 19, 2023 16:56:55 GMT -5
Followup: My Amazon Day delivery of the Adam Binder books and a bunch of fantasy novels by Mercedes Lackey arrived in three separate packages - a box for the hardcover Lackey novels and one of the Binder books, a padded paper envelope for the mass-market paperback Lackey novels and one of the Binder books, and a plastic envelope for the third Binder book. The mail carrier managed to get all of them into my mailbox; getting them out was ... "interesting" is the best word I can come up with at the moment. The packages came from Richmond, VA; Atlanta; and Appling, GA, which is about a fifteen minute drive from my house. According to USPS tracking, all of them passed through the Appling facility on their way here. So apparently the Amazon Day thing is to let them consolidate shipments from a single distribution center, which does make some sense.
Anyway, I'm currently two chapters into White Trash Warlock, and so far it looks pretty promising.
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Post by Dabeagle on Nov 19, 2023 19:37:12 GMT -5
I look forward to your thoughts on it!
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Post by dgt224 on Nov 20, 2023 2:08:42 GMT -5
It'll be slow going for the next few days - I'm getting started on my Thanksgiving baking marathon. Two batches of cookies today - chocolate chip peanut butter, and cranberry pumpkin. The latter is usually make with chopped walnuts, but one of the people I'll be dining with on Thursday has a nut allergy, so I left out the walnuts. As an experiment, I baked the first sheet per the recipe, except for the lack of walnuts, then added a volume of chocolate chips roughly equivalent to the missing nuts into the remaining cookie dough - chocolate chip cranberry pumpkin cookies. They're flavored with grated orange peel and cinnamon, both of which go really well with chocolate, and the one cookie I sampled suggested it was a worthwhile experiment.
If I manage my time successfully, over the next two days I should produce five pies, four or five loaves of bread, and one more batch of cookies, if I did, in fact, put an unopened jar of mincemeat in the refrigerator last autumn. (I continue to be amazed that only Walmart stocks mincemeat here in Augusta, Georgia, and neither of the ones I tried over the last two days actually had any in stock. I guess mincemeat pie isn't really a southern thing.) Extended reading time looks to be off the menu until at least Wednesday night.
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Post by Neal on Nov 20, 2023 5:52:20 GMT -5
Followup: My Amazon Day delivery of the Adam Binder books and a bunch of fantasy novels by Mercedes Lackey arrived in three separate packages - a box for the hardcover Lackey novels and one of the Binder books, a padded paper envelope for the mass-market paperback Lackey novels and one of the Binder books, and a plastic envelope for the third Binder book. The mail carrier managed to get all of them into my mailbox; getting them out was ... "interesting" is the best word I can come up with at the moment. The packages came from Richmond, VA; Atlanta; and Appling, GA, which is about a fifteen minute drive from my house. According to USPS tracking, all of them passed through the Appling facility on their way here. So apparently the Amazon Day thing is to let them consolidate shipments from a single distribution center, which does make some sense. Anyway, I'm currently two chapters into White Trash Warlock, and so far it looks pretty promising. I'm curious. Do all your Amazon purchases come via the USPS? I have had problems with the USPS here in my zip code. I think who delivers is dependent on who "The Seller" is. Short version of my biggest issue. I purchased window shades for my Escape from China because they were the only ones that would match the chrome trim and not mask it when adhered to the door frame. Yes, I'm that anal about my cars! You have to leave your windows down a little when parked outside here because the heat in Phoenix will melt things inside and on occasion explode windows out of the cars.  First time it took forever and then the last tracking report said, "returned to sender address unreadable." I tried not to be paranoid and think it was because it came from China. I dealt with Amazon and tried again. The second time I followed the tracking report and the package got to my Post office here in Phoenix and then forwarded to Tucson. Then it made its way back to Phoenix for next day delivery. Next day it was reported as Failed Delivery Attempt, No one home. That pissed me off, I really didn't want to be paranoid. I printed out the tracking reports and went to discuss my situation with the Postmaster at my Post Office. I told him what had happened, showed him the printouts and told him I was home all day, my security cameras did not show any postal workers coming anywhere near the house at the time on the report and nobody left a failed delivery notice in the mailbox! The postmaster was really apologetic and extremely helpful. He went and got a data printout of the package from both times it was in his PO. He went and found the package in the back and gave it to me. I was surprised when he went on a rant about ummm... Poor Performers in his workforce. Disciplining them or firing them was difficult. He asked me if I would fill out a formal complaint because he couldn't do much with out "evidence" of substandard/illegal performance. He was happy I agreed to file a complaint because the mail handler that handled my package (both times) was an issue for him. The PO's computer tracking print out and my formal complaint would help him discipline/dismiss the employee. Almost all of my Amazon purchases are delivered by an Amazon delivery driver, and I get a picture of where the package was placed with the email that comes almost immediately after the package is set down. My usual person even follows special instructions and brings them around the side of the house to the kitchen door. |
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Post by glh on Nov 21, 2023 18:32:33 GMT -5
My luck ordering ANYTHING that comes from China has been utterly maddening in the best of circumstances. I've had items disappear in transit only to reorder and then have the original item arrive MONTHS later. It's not the USPS, as far as I can tell. When you call the vendor, they blame it on the USPS, but invariably the USPS says they've yet to receive the item(s), that only a label has been created.
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Post by dgt224 on Nov 23, 2023 2:11:54 GMT -5
In the past my Amazon purchases had been split between UPS and USPS, but it's been a while since anyone other than USPS delivered an Amazon package. I usually get pretty good service, but I had one package that tracking status showed failed delivery attempt because the business was closed. This for a delivery to my home in an entirely residential neighborhood, and USPS ultimately lost that package completely. I've also had package status change from "Out for delivery" to "Returning to sender: Invalid address," which rather boggles my mind. I think that's happened twice now, and both times the package actually made it to my house a day late.
Edited to add: I meant to also mention - I've never been brave or patient enough to order anything from China. I've ordered stuff that almost certainly originated in China, but only from sellers shipping from a U.S. location from stock already here.
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Post by Neal on Nov 23, 2023 23:42:42 GMT -5
This thread kinda got away from the original book review. I have final thoughts on the tangent we went off on.
Thought one. It is not the (insert organization, group) that is fucked up. It is some of the people in it!
Thought two. From my dad, "Expect nothing. You won't be disappointed."
Thought three. Expect the worse. Hope for the best. Take what you get.
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Post by dgt224 on Nov 25, 2023 21:11:36 GMT -5
I'm back from my Thanksgiving travels. Unfortunately, two of the people I really wanted to see got sick and couldn't make the trip. (Possibly a little crazy that they live about a two-and-a-half hour drive away, and the only chance I had to see them over the past year was in Maryland, which is an 8.5-hour drive from here.) Aside from missing those folks, it was a good trip. The final output of the Thanksgiving Baking Marathon was five loaves of bread (white, whole wheat, cinnamon raisin, sourdough rye with cumin seeds, and pumpkin), five pies (apple, cherry, pecan, and two pumpkin pies), and three batches of cookies (cranberry pumpkin, about half with chocolate chips and half without, chocolate chip peanut butter, and mincemeat-filled sugar cookies). We had leftovers - I brought back half a loaf of rye and half a loaf of pumpkin bread, about two dozen cookies, and a quarter of the pecan pie. By the end of the day on Friday we had used up the mincemeat cookies and the two pumpkin pies. And I was able to buy a jar of mincemeat at a Harris Teeter grocery on my way out of town this morning, so I have mincemeat for next Thanksgiving.
Reading time was limited, so I'm only about a third of the way through White Trash Warlock. So far I'm still happy that I went ahead and bought it.
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Post by mattyboy on Feb 12, 2024 20:16:31 GMT -5
I read these too and really liked them. Although the "white trash" theme slides over in to "southern gothic" and straight urban-fey by the last book.
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