It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Nov. 9, 2020)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading... 

November 4

What a difference a week makes! All the snow is gone and the temperature is nearing 70 degrees today. Yesterday's temperature was also 70 and we're supposed to have temperatures in the high 60s for the next couple of days too. 

Saturday: We actually had temperatures in the 70s including 75 degrees on Friday which broke an all-time record for November in Duluth. It does look like reality will be returning next week as we look forward to possible snow on Tuesday.

This week has been a fascinating look at democracy in action as many of us have been glued to the TV watching and waiting for votes to be counted. This afternoon Joe Biden was determined by the media to be the winner. Of course, Donald Trump hasn't conceded and is planning challenges through the courts starting on Monday. 

There are still votes to be counted and races to be decided but it seems, as CNN says, to be 99.7% certain that Joe Biden has won. My twitter feed seems even more excited about Kamala Harris as the new Vice President. She is quite a record breaker being the first woman, the first woman of color, the first South East Asian to hold this high office. 

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• A Brush with the Moon by Raquel Lyon (Mine) -- This is a self-published urban fantasy that I bought this year. I liked the worldbuilding. My review will be posted on November 21.
• Dragonwriter edited by Todd McCaffrey (Mine) -- I grabbed this print copy from my TBR shelves while I was waiting for my Kindle to charge. It contains all sorts of essays by authors and others who knew Anne McCaffrey. I found it full of interesting information by an author I enjoyed. I don't plan to review this nonfiction title.
• Grave War by Kalayna Price (Review; Nov. 24) -- The final novel in the urban fantasy Alex Craft series was a great conclusion to the series. I loved the worldbuilding and will hate saying good-bye to Alex and her colleagues. My review will be posted on November 24.

• Murder Is a Must by Marty Wingate (Review; Dec. 1) -- This cozy mystery stars the curator of a First Editions Library of Mystery novels written by women in the 1930s. It was a fun story with engaging characters. My review will be posted on November 26.
• The Cousins by Karen M. McManus (Review; Dec. 1) -- This YA thriller was an entertaining story told in three points of view in the present and one point of view from the past. The characters were engaging and the mystery was excellent too. My review will be posted on November 28.
• The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley (Mine; Audiobook) -- I both read and listened to this marvelous historical fantasy. I have become a real fan of this author. My review will be posted on December 12. 

DNF

• Bright Shining World by Josh Swiller (Review; Nov. 24) -- I was completely turned off by the main character of this YA humorous thriller. I totally missed the humor and found the main character very annoying. 

Currently

• Tie Die by Max Tomlinson (Review) -- This is the second Colleen Hayes historical mystery. I am enjoying this return to the 1960s.

Next Week

• A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber 
• The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (Audiobook)

• Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T. A. Willberg (Review; Dec. 29)
• Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt

Reviews Posted

• The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley (Audiobook)
• Absence of Mercy by S. M. Goodwin (Review)

• Flag in Exile by David Weber (Audiobook)
• Shadow of Freedom by David Weber (Audiobook)

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Bought:

• Bitter Falls by Rachel Caine (Kindle and Audiobook)
• A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Dreaming Darkness by Kelley Armstrong

• Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus 
• Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Relative Fortunes by Marlowe Benn (Kindle and Audiobook)

• Below the Bones by Kendra Elliot
• A Broken Bone by Melinda Leigh
• Legacy of Lies by Robert Bailey (Kindle and Audiobook)

Review:

• No Holding Back by Lori Foster (Jan. 12)
• The Ruthless Lady's Guide to Wizardry by C. M. Waggoner (Jan. 12)
• The Unkindness of Ravens by M. E. Hilliard (April 13)

• All That Fall by Kris Calvin (April 13)
• The Last Scoop by R. G. Belsky (May 11)
• A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams (June 8)

What was your week like?

ARC Review: Absence of Mercy by S. M. Goodwin

Absence of Mercy
Author: S. M. Goodwin
Series: A Lightner and Law Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (November 10, 2020)

Description: A string of grisly murders in Pre-Civil War New York propels an unlikely pair of detectives into a deadly tinderbox in S. M. Goodwin's debut novel, a sure hit for fans of Will Thomas and C. S. Harris.

Jasper Lightner is a decorated Crimean War hero and the most admired inspector in London's Metropolitan Police. Along with a chest full of medals, he's got a head injury that's left large chunks of his memory missing. But Jasper's biggest problem is his father, the Duke of Kersey, who, enraged by a series of front-page newspaper stories extolling Jasper's exploits, decides he's had enough of the embarrassment and uses his political connections to keep his son out of the headlines--and off the police force.

Jasper is sent packing to New York City on a year-long assignment to train detectives, and discovers a police department hovering on the brink of armed conflict. Assigned to investigate the murder of philanthropist and reformer Stephen Finch, Jasper joins forces with a man who might be even more of an outsider than he is: Hieronymus Law, a detective who had investigated two almost identical killings--and who is rumored to have taken money to help frame an innocent woman for murder.

Law is bent on restoring his good name. But can Jasper trust Hy enough to bring him into the investigation? As the city devolves into madness and law enforcement falls into the hands of dangerous gangs, this unlikely team has no choice but to work together to pursue an adversary more sinister than either has faced alone.

My Thoughts: It's 1857 and Lord Jasper Lightner finds himself in New York ostensibly to train New York City detectives to follow the new scientific methods used in England. But the police force in New York City is rife with corruption and Lord Jasper finds that no one wants him there. 

There have been a series of murders of wealthy men found outside bordellos. Jasper is given this case with only the assistance of a NYC Detective that he first has to free from The Tombs where he was sent by jealous colleagues. Hieronymus Law couldn't be more different. He was raised in an orphanage after the death of his parents and grandmother. Jasper is the son of a Duke which means he was raised in wealth privilege. But his life wasn't easy. He has a stammer that he was tortured by various tutors and quack physicians to get rid of. He was also despised by his father likely because the Duke's wife was probably unfaithful making him someone else's son. Add in that he inherited a lot of money from an aunt which makes him financially independent of his father who wanted the money to shore up his estates.

Jasper was also wounded while he was in the Armed Forces and took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade memorialized by Tennyson. Jasper was left with a bad knee and a head injury that gives him massive headaches and has made a hole in his memory. 

Despite all the obstacles in his path, he is determined to find out who murdered the men. He soon finds himself in the middle of a complicated conspiracy not knowing who he can trust. The story is filled with interesting characters from corrupt politicians to the widows of the murder victims to prostitutes of all sorts. 

The story was very much steeped in the corruption in New York City and the growing tensions in the leadup to the Civil War. Lord Jasper uses his talents including his martial arts training to uncover all the mysteries here.

I enjoyed this story and am eager to read more about this new detective duo and the cases they are given.

Favorite Quote:

Davies had been insulting, combative, and rude--three behaviors Jasper abhorred. They were also three behaviors guaranteed to bring out his contrarianism. If Davies had wanted to be rid of him, he's gone about it the wrong way.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

Friday Memes: Absence of Mercy by S. M. Goodwin

 Happy Friday everybody!

Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Rose City Reader. The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. Check out the links above for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Beginning:

Prologue

April 1857

Felix Dunbarton was drunk.

Friday 56: 

Uniformed officers were stationed outside, and there appeared to be a great number of them, as if they'd been posted to subdue an unruly crowd. Jasper would have to ask Law if that was normal activity for a June morning.

This week I am spotlighting Absence of Mercy by S. M. Goodwin from my review stack. Here is the description of this historical mystery from Amazon:

A string of grisly murders in Pre-Civil War New York propels an unlikely pair of detectives into a deadly tinderbox in S. M. Goodwin's debut novel, a sure hit for fans of Will Thomas and C. S. Harris.

Jasper Lightner is a decorated Crimean War hero and the most admired inspector in London's Metropolitan Police. Along with a chest full of medals, he's got a head injury that's left large chunks of his memory missing. But Jasper's biggest problem is his father, the Duke of Kersey, who, enraged by a series of front-page newspaper stories extolling Jasper's exploits, decides he's had enough of the embarrassment and uses his political connections to keep his son out of the headlines--and off the police force.

Jasper is sent packing to New York City on a year-long assignment to train detectives, and discovers a police department hovering on the brink of armed conflict. Assigned to investigate the murder of philanthropist and reformer Stephen Finch, Jasper joins forces with a man who might be even more of an outsider than he is: Hieronymus Law, a detective who had investigated two almost identical killings--and who is rumored to have taken money to help frame an innocent woman for murder.

Law is bent on restoring his good name. But can Jasper trust Hy enough to bring him into the investigation? As the city devolves into madness and law enforcement falls into the hands of dangerous gangs, this unlikely team has no choice but to work together to pursue an adversary more sinister than either has faced alone.

Audiobook: Shadow of Freedom by David Weber

Shadow of Freedom
Author: David Weber
Series: Honor Harrington - Saganami Island Book 3
Narrator: Allyson Johnson
Publication: Audible Studios (March 5, 2013)
Length: 16 hours and 38 minutes

Description: Wrong number? There are two sides to any quarrel . . . unless there are more. 

Queen Elizabeth of Manticore's first cousin and Honor Harrington's best friend, Michelle Henke, has just handed the ""invincible"" Solarian League Navy the most humiliating, one sided defeat in its entire almost thousand year history in defense of the people of the Star Empire's Talbott Quadrant. But the League is the most powerful star nation in the history of humanity. Its navy is going to be back—and this time with thousands of superdreadnoughts 

Yet she also knows scores of other star systems—some independent, some controlled by puppet regimes, and some simply conquered outright by the Solarian Office of Frontier Security—lie in the League's grip along its frontier with the Talbott Quadrant. As combat spreads from the initial confrontation,the entire frontier has begun to seethe with unrest, and Michelle sympathizes with the oppressed populations wanting only to be free of their hated masters. 

And that puts her in something of a quandary when a messenger from Mobius arrives, because someone's obviously gotten a wrong number. According to him, the Mobians' uprising has been carefully planned to coordinate with a powerful outside ally: the Star Empire of Manticore. Only Manticore—and Mike Henke—have never even heard of the Mobius Liberation Front. 

It's a set up . . . and Michelle knows who's behind it. The shadowy Mesan Alignment has launched a bold move to destroy Manticore's reputation as the champion of freedom. And when the RMN doesn't arrive, when the MLF is brutally and bloodily crushed, no independent star system will ever trust Manticore again. 

Mike Henke knows she has no orders from her government to assist any rebellions or liberation movements, that she has only so many ships, which can be in only so many places at a time . . . and that she can't possibly justify diverting any of her limited, outnumbered strength to missions of liberation the Star Empire never signed on for. She knows that . . . and she doesn't care. 

No one is going to send thousands of patriots to their deaths, trusting in Manticoran help that will never come. 

Not on Mike Henke's watch. 

My Thoughts: This was one of the shorter episodes in the lengthy Honor Harrington series. It stars Admiral Michelle Henke and takes place mainly in the Talbot Quadrant. The Solarian League is still making trouble and Manticore has less resources to defend its new territory since the sneak attack on the Manticore home system which destroyed so much of the kingdom's military infrastructure. 

The Mesan Alliance looks on that as an opportunity and they have agents in place who are determined to support revolutions on many of the planet under the authority of the Solarian Leagues' Office of Frontier Security. Of course, they say that they are helping out as representatives of Manticore which means that, when Manticore doesn't show up with military support and the revolutions are crushed, it is Manticore's reputation that will suffer.

When someone gets out of one of these systems and connects with Manticoran authorities at Montana, the whole promise of support comes as a major surprise to Admiral Henke and her fleet. That doesn't mean that she isn't going to help though. 

I liked learning more about the Mesan Alliance and the things that they have planned. I also look forward to finding out how the good guys are going to disrupt those plans, I hope. Not that the collapse of the Solarian League wouldn't be a good thing for that culture but it will certainly bring about huge changes on all the planets. 

I liked the parts of the story that took place on the planets under the thumbs of Frontier Security. I also liked the way the Manticorans helped those planets. What I didn't like was the cliffhanger ending. Of course, I do have the rest of the series and so didn't have a year or so to wait to find out what will happen next. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Audiobook: Flag in Exile by David Weber

Flag in Exile
Author: David Weber
Series: Honor Harrington Book 5
Narrator: Allyson Johnson
Publication: Audible Studios (March 17, 2009)
Length: 16 hours and 52 minutes

Description: HONOR HARRINGTON MUST DIE

Hounded into retirement and disgrace by political enemies, cut to the heart by the murder of the man she loved, and bereft of confidence in herself and her abilities, Captain Honor Harrington has retreated to the planet Grayson to take up her role as Steadholder while she tries to heal her bitter wounds.

But the People's Republic of Haven is rising from defeat to threaten Grayson anew, and the newborn Grayson Navy needs her experience desperately. It's a call Honor cannot refuse, yet even as she once more accepts the duty whose challenges she fears she can no longer meet, powerful men who hate and fear the changes she's brought to their world are determined to reverse them. They have a plan ... and for it to succeed Honor Harrington must die.

Two irresistible forces are rushing together to crush Grayson between them, and only one woman uncertain of her capabilities, weary unto death, and marked for murder-stands between her adopted planet and its devastation.

My Thoughts: This episode finds Honor Harrington on Grayson taking up the responsibilities she has as Steadholder. She is in bad shape; she's grieving and lacking in self-confidence. When she is asked to take her place in the Grayson Navy, she is very reluctant and fears that all the certainty of her previous experience is gone. But the new Navy needs her experience and expertise because Haven has a new plan and it goes right through Grayson.

Her responsibilities to the Navy would be enough pressure but she is also facing hidden pressure from Grayson where a small fanatic band resents her success and the changes she is making to Grayson society and hatches a horrible plot to discredit her and kill her. And it doesn't matter how many innocents have to die as long as Harrington dies.

So these evil men attack Honor's Skydome industries and sabotage one of their projects which leads to the death of more than 90 people including more than 30 children. Since it looks like a horrible accident caused by Honor's greed and the usage of inferior materials, public sentiment turns against Honor and Honor herself is consumed by guilt even though she knows she didn't cut corners. When her engineers discover the sabotage that guilt is lessened but the finding the proof will alert the wrongdoers and may give them enough time to cover their tracks. And the whole situation is in danger of bringing down the Protector's new reforms.

And one final attempt to kill Honor almost succeeds and does succeed in killing many of her people and many of those who come to rescue her. One notable victim is the head of Father Church who throws himself in front of Honor to save her from an assassin's bullet.

Reeling from her injuries, Honor needs to find a duel with the Steadholder who masterminded the various plots against her and then return to her ship just in time to face an overwhelming force from Haven.

This was an excellent and exciting episode in the Honor Harrington series.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.

Book and Audio Review: The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

The Firebird
Author: Susanna Kearsley

Narrator: Katherine Kellgren
Series: The Slains (Book 2)
Publication: Sourcebooks Landmark (June 4, 2013)

Description: Two Women. One Mysterious Relic. Historical fiction with romance, betrayal, and magic you'll never forget.

Art-dealer Nicola Marter was born with a gift so rare and dangerous, she kept it buried deep. When she encounters a desperate woman trying to sell a small wooden carving called "The Firebird," claiming it belonged to Russia's Empress Catherine, there's no proof.

But once Nicola holds the object, her buried talent gives her surprising insight. She knows the woman is telling the truth.

Trying to keep to her hard-won job, Nicola sets out to confirm the fascinating history of The Firebird with help from a man she never thought she'd see again.

The Firebird is a sweeping historical romance that will whisk you from London to Scotland to St. Petersburg in a magical, century-spanning epic about the dangers and rewards of being true to yourself.

My Thoughts: This book follows a double timeline. Nicola Marter is a modern woman who works with art. She has a bit of a leg up because she can touch an object and see its history. She is keeping this ability secret largely because she inherited it from her Russian grandfather who fled the Soviet Union after being forced into to experiments using his gift. He has raised her to hide and deny her talents. She also inherited an interest in Russia and Russian art. 

When a woman named Margaret Ross comes to the gallery where she works hoping to sell a carved Firebird that she says was given to her ancestor by Empress Catherine of Russia in the 1720s, Nicola holds it and sees a vision of the exchange. Yet the Firebird comes without mark or providence and there is nothing to prove its history. Nicola would like to help the older woman who has lived a life in service to her relatives and has her heart set on a world cruise before she herself dies.

When Nicola was a student, she took part briefly in some psychic experiments of her own and met Rob McMorran who had a much stronger psychic gift than her own. They began a relationship but Nicola ran from him because she was afraid of her gift and his. Now she wants to track him down to see if he can help.

Rob agrees and together the two of them begin their travels to track down the young woman who is Margaret Ross's ancestor. I think that most of the story is that of Anna which begins as Rob and Nicola find the castle she lived beside and see her as a child living with some friends of her mother's. They follow her from Scotland to Ypres to Russia and watch her grow up steeped in the Jacobite cause. They see a young girl who never has a home or a family except the one she builds among strangers. While there are dangers in Anna's life, she has always been loved and cared for by the people she lived with. 

And they see Anna who finally settles on the last name of Jamieson to honor one of the men who brought her from Scotland to Ypres as she travels to St. Petersburg and meets Edmund O'Connor and falls in love with him. O'Connor is a man of mystery and an actual historical figure that the author chooses to paint as a hero. 

I loved the way the story moved from the present back to the 1700s. Both groups of characters were intriguing people and people a reader can identify with and sympathize with. The narrator did an excellent job with the accents and pacing of this story. I liked her ability to portray the ages of the characters with her voice.

Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this wonderfully written and narrated story. They will also enjoy the author's notes at the back telling about her research and which of the characters were real and which were a product of her imagination. I also like that some of the characters in this story make other appearances in the author's other books.

Favorite Quote:

Most skills are learned. Or at the very least, developed. If I handed you a cello, would ye ken the way to play it? No. But given time and practice, ye could learn.

You're an optimist. It came out as an accusation. Anyway, it's not a good analogy. You're working with a cello. I've just got a ukulele.

I bought this one for my Kindle April 6, 2014 and got the audiobook very recently. You can buy your copy here.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (November 2, 2020)

 It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

I will be combining my YA and adult reading and purchases on this one weekly roundup.

Other Than Reading... 

October 28

I thought I'd take a quick picture to show what my house in Duluth looked like on October 28. The solar panels just lost their snow cover today. You can see some snow on the driveway where it slid off. I was sitting on my couch (the windows in the picture) when I heard a loud sound and looked out to see that there was a pile of snow on the sidewalk. I decided to pull out the roof rake and see if I could get the garage solar panels uncovered too. I just had to loosen the snow above the roof gutters and it all came sliding down onto the driveway. The pitch on the garage roof wasn't steep enough for it to come off on its own, I guess. 

I don't know how much good it did to uncover the panels. There's a slight chance of snow or rain today before two sunny days. More snow or rain is forecast for the weekend. We haven't made much electricity for the last week with snow covered solar panels. 

We did get the bill for last month today. We didn't make all the power we needed during the last billing period but only dipped into our surplus built up since March for $8.

Added on Saturday: We had a couple of good days for generating electricity but today is totally overcast. I have some hopes for next week since the temperatures are supposed to be in the high 40s and may even hit 50 a time or two. That should allow all the snow to melt and let me get out and finish cleaning up some plants that need to be cut back before winter really sets in.

October Reading Report

I read 24 books in October. All of them were Kindle books or audiobooks. Nineteen were mine and five were from my review stack. It totaled 10,236 pages and more than 200 hours of listening. 

I added 42 books to my LibraryThing account this month. Among the additions were eleven new review books and eighteen audiobooks. Twenty-eight of my new additions are still on the TBR stack. My total TBR stack stands at 2,230 which includes 24 review books. 

I passed my Goodreads goal of 240 books last week and upped the goal to 250 which will probably have to be increased again. After all, there are still two months of 2020 to go.

Read Last Week

If you can't wait until the review shows up on my blog, reviews are posted to LibraryThing and Goodreads as soon as I write them (usually right after I finish reading a book.)

• Cast in Sorrow by Michelle Sagara (Mine; Audiobook) - This was a combination of reading and listening. This is the ninth book in the Chronicles of Elantra series. I don't plan to review this one on my blog but had previously reviewed it on Goodreads and LibraryThing.
• Archangel's Sun by Nalini Singh (Review: Nov. 24) - This is the 13th book in the Guild Hunter series and concentrates on Archangel Titus and the Hummingbird. It was a nice romance and great urban fantasy story. My review will be posted on Nov. 17.
• Cast in Flame by Michelle Sagara (Mine; Audiobook) - This was also a combination of resding and listening and was the 10th book in the Chronicles of Elantra series. I won't be reviewing this one on my blog but did review it on LibraryThing and Goodreads. 

• A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Mine; Audiobook) - This was a reread and first time listen to Weber's YA series set in the Honor Harrington world. It tells about one of Honor's ancestors who was the first to discover and bond with a treecat. My review will be posted on December 19.
• Fire Season by David Weber and Jane Lindskold (Mine; Audiobook) - This is the second book in Weber's YA series and tells of further adventures of Stephanie Harrington and her treecat Lionheart. I reviewed this one on Goodreads and LibraryThing.

• Treecat Wars by David Weber and Jane Lindskold (Mine; Audiobook) - This finishes the Stephanie Harrington trilogy. I had read these books when they first came out but enjoyed listening to the series this time. I reviewed this book on Goodreads and LibraryThing.
• Changer of Worlds by David Weber (Mine) - This is one of the anthologies written to fill in some of the gaps in the Honor Harrington series. I was glad to find a story that answered a question I had while reading the novels. My review will be posted on Jan. 2.

Currently

• Bright Shining World by Josh Swiller (YA Review; Nov. 24)

Next Week

• Grave War by Kalayna Price (Review; Nov. 24)
• Murder Is a Must by Marty Wingate (Review; Dec. 1)

• The Cousins by Karen M. McManus (Review; Dec. 1)
• Tie Die by Max Tomlinson (Review; Sept. 8, 2020)

Reviews Posted

• Field of Dishonor by David Weber
• Torch of Freedom by David Weber & Eric Flint

• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

Want to See What I Added to My Stack Last Week?

Bought

• The Wrong Lance by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Kindle)
• Cast in Deception by Michelle Sagara (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Cast in Honor by Michelle Sagara (Kindle and Audiobook)

• Cast in Wisdom by Michelle Sagara (Audiobook)
• Cast in Flight by Michelle Sagara (Audiobook)
• Cast in Oblivion by Michelle Sagara (Audiobook)

• A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Fire Season by David Weber and Jane Lindskold (Kindle and Audiobook)
• Treecat Wars by David Weber and Jane Lindskold (Kindle and Audiobook)

Review

• The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa (Feb. 9)
• Rafael by Laurell K. Hamilton (Feb. 9)
• A Lady's Formula for Love by Elizabeth Everett (Feb. 9)

• Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay (March 2)
• The Keepers by Jeffrey B. Burton (June 29)

What was your week like?