Took much fewer pulls than I thought it would, yay.

7. Hummingbird Salamander (Jeff VanderMeer). I really should have read this with more focus, rather than being interrupted several times - it all rather dissolves in my mind now and that is unfair to it.

6. The Knight of the Swords (Michael Moorcock). Comfort reread. One of the fastest-paced books I've ever read; as soon as it has done enough with what's in one part of the book it moves on to the next part without delay (reminds me now of the Mabinogion (and similar) in some ways).

5. The Mercy of Gods (James S. A. Corey). Felt very setup-y, but I liked the well enough to want to read more of it.

This is why I keep away from water if I at all possibly can.

4. Vintage Murder (Ngaio Marsh). Murder in a touring theatre company in New Zealand. A lot of working out timing and alibis etc, fairly well done, also really nice descriptions of the theatre people and the New Zealand landscape. I rather liked it.

3. The Black Dahlia (James Ellroy). Reread, occasioned by a recent rewatch of Los Angeles Plays Itself. Fits with the theme of mythologization of Los Angeles history, sort of. It's also full of awful people, but I knew that (although it feels like they lose touch with reality towards the end).

2. Herr Nymans Detektivbragd [Mister Nyman's Detective Triumph] (David Nessle). Very lighthearted mystery set in 1908 Stockholm (and the arctic). The mystery is there, but less important than the very well-done depiction of place and comic dialogue. A very pleasant read.

1. The Mabinogion (Anonymous, translated by Sioned Davies). Reread. Loved it. So full of things happening, moving briskly from one to the next. My favourite part of it this time was some descriptions in How Culhwch Won Olwen, which, on their own, sound fascinatingly odd