Another one bites the dust! No joke, going into February and that song was playing around in my head nonstop as the first few days went by. That happen to any of you guys?
I’ve recently picked up a new puzzle that I have been working on. I don’t know if any of you have heard about a book called Cain’s Jawbone by E. Powys Mathers AKA: Torquemada. Apparently there has been a recent resurgence for this book. Now I am a proud owner of this book too! Also, since I’ve had it for a few weeks now, I have spread the love of the puzzle onto a few other people in my life. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this current obsession let me give you the tea on this near impossible word problem.
This is a “book” that was created in 1934 by a crossword creator, Edward Powys Mathers. Or as many knew him as Torquemada. The pages in his puzzle have been printed in an entirely haphazard order. Trust me it makes ZERO sense if you just read the book as it is currently bound. The goal, through logic and critical reading, is to sort the pages back into the correct order, reveal who the 6 murdered victims are, AND who killed them. These is only one correct answer for all of it! The page order and the Who killed who?!
Ya’ll it is such a hard puzzle that only FOUR people have ever solved it! Two answered it right when the puzzle was originally published back in the 30s. One made it to the very end and had the last few steps answered by one of the original winners (I know technically this doesn’t count since he was given the last step, but most still include him in the tally). And the latest one happened in 2020 when we were all stuck inside. In almost 90 years, we have only 4 people who can declare success over this crazy word problem.
Ha! I had no intent on ranting about this for the monthly blurb but, as you can see, it is at the forefront of my mind. I’ll have to write up an update for this in a separate post and keep it going. Because clearly I’ve got some thoughts on this beast. If there are any of you out there who would like to join up in the puzzle solving storm that has been happening, let me know. We can get started on figuring this thing out! I’m in it deep. My book is in separate pages. I’ve got spreadsheets and papers written on full of ideas and notes. There are sticky notes, paperclips, highlights, tabs all over my pages and tucked into my bag that I keep it all in. I am determined to figure this puzzle out! In between my reading time, of course!
Here is this month’s reading theme!
Reading Theme: Fairytale February
I’m super excited about doing something other than the easy cheesy way for February’s Theme, so I stayed away from the usual romance books that are easy to find and pick up. I wanted to dive into something that brought the OG inspiration for some of those sweet loving feelings – Fairytales. You know the Cinderellas and Sleeping Beauties of the world. Or the Boba Yagas and Evil Enchantresses causing mayhem. The stories below are inspired from some of the stories we all know so well! I am really looking forward to these retellings.
Are there any fairytales that you absolutely love? Are there any stories you’ve read that have been inspired by these folklore stories? I’d love to know!
Happy Reading Everyone!
My Reading List for February 2023:
Golden Curse By M. Lynn
A curse. A hidden identity. A dangerous love.
Ten year old Persinette Basile was forced to flee the palace of Gaule for her life. Now at eighteen, she must find a way to return in order to obey a curse on her family line. The prince won’t know who she is. Not anymore. But she knows him and what he will do if he discovers her true name. Made to fight for her life to earn her place, she vows to find a way to break the curse no matter the cost.
——-
To. The. Death.
The words describing the tournament turn Prince Alexandre Durand’s blood to ice. The last warrior standing will win a spot at his side. As he’s thrust onto the throne, forbidden magic, dangerous betrayals, and a complicated love could tear his reign apart. When the secrets begin to unravel, will Alex stay true to the laws and traditions of Gaule or will he give it all up for a woman who deceived him?
Gilded By Marissa Meyer
Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.
Or so everyone believes.
When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price.
Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.
The Wendy By By Erin Michelle Sky
When the world doesn’t want
you to be who you are,
you must become more yourself
than you knew you could be.
London. 1789. More than anything in the world, Wendy Darling wants to be the captain of a ship, but women aren’t allowed in the Royal Navy. When she learns the Home Office is accepting a handful of women into its ranks, she jumps at the chance, joining the fight against the most formidable threat England has ever faced. Magic.
But the secret service isn’t exactly what she hoped. Accompanied by a reimagined cast of the original Peter Pan, Wendy soon discovers that her dreams are as far away as ever, that choosing sides isn’t as simple as she thought, and that the only man who isn’t blinded by her gender might be the worst friend anyone could ask for.
Anyone, that is, except Wendy Darling.
Savage Beauty By Casey L. Bond
Once upon a time, a beautiful queen was cursed by a dark faery. That curse, inherited by twin princesses, Aura and Luna, binds their lives in the strangest of ways. At an early age, the girls were more than sisters. They were the strongest of allies until a combination of jealousy, anger and dark magic tore their relationship to shreds.
Aura took everything from Luna: her home, her family, and her love by murdering the prince who’d chosen her instead of Aura.
Luna wants revenge, but she’s running out of time. She must sever the magical bond tying her life to Aura’s before their eighteenth birthday or be bound to her forever. In desperation, she seeks help from a dark fae prince, but the price is steep – a piece of her soul.
Fate is a real witch. Luna was willing to give up anything to stop her sister, until Prince Phillip of Grithim, the brother of the only man she’s ever loved, falls into her life. Neither of them can fight their attraction, despite their guilt.
With Aura hell-bent on destroying everything she holds dear, Luna must decide whether she wants revenge or Phillip. She can’t have both, and in the end, this may be a battle both sisters lose.
The Swan King By Nina Clare
Elsa, the sheltered daughter of a baron, has been forced to flee her home.
When she’s given refuge at the royal castle it would seem that help is at hand, but the young king is not an easy man to speak to. In fact, Elsa’s not sure what kind of man he is.
Caught up into strange and magical happenings, political intrigues and romantic conflicts, the glamorous world of the king disintegrates about her, and enemies close in.
Elsa wonders who to trust, who to love, and if she will ever make it home again.
