RogerBW's Blog

The Weekly Challenge 358: Encrypted Max 01 February 2026

I’ve been doing the Weekly Challenges. The latest involved string evaluation with fallback and alphabetic rotation. (Note that this ends today.)

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Illuminations, T Kingfisher 31 January 2026

2021 fantasy for children. The Studio Mandolini is one of several that paints Illuminations: magical paintings that ward off mice from the cheese or prevent fires. But their fortunes have been waning, and young Rosa wants to help her family. So when a box found in the basement makes her forget all about it and walk away, it must contain something valuable…

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A Word After Dying, Ann Granger 30 January 2026

1997 mystery, tenth of Granger's novels of Chief Inspector Alan Markby and non-detective Meredith Mitchell. The couple are having some time away in a tiny village. But their neighbour is a retired reporter, and she's got hold of a loose thread regarding the recent death of the reclusive grande dame

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Take Back Magic, Casey Blair 29 January 2026

2024 urban fantasy, first of a trilogy. Sierra was taken to High Earth as a child and taught magic… and was then dumped back in our own non-magical world. She is very angry.

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The Porous Borders of English Category 28 January 2026 - 2 comments

How does a bottle differ from a jar?

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The Deadly Hours, Susanna Kearsley, Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent and C.S. Harris 27 January 2026

2020 historical mystery anthology, a crossover between four authors. The pocket watch known as La Sirène has always been said to be cursed. But is it really?

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Hex and the City, Kate Johnson 26 January 2026

2022 fantasy-romance, second of its loose series. Poppy got drunk after a bad breakup, and thinks she put some real cursing magic into one of the crystal trinkets at the shop where she works. Which would be fine if her workmate hadn't just sold it to a hot guy…

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The Weekly Challenge 357: Uniquely Kaprekar 25 January 2026

I’ve been doing the Weekly Challenges. The latest involved a converging sequence and a fraction generator. (Note that this ends today.)

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Answers for the Princess Charlotte General Knowledge Paper 2025 24 January 2026

Here are the answers to last year's quiz.

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Critical Vocabulary for Romance and Mystery 23 January 2026 - 4 comments

Inspired by a conversation with Russ Allbery, I found myself thinking that while I know a lot of the standard science fiction terms (FTL, big dumb object, teleporter clone, etc.) I am less informed as to criticism in other genres I favour, specifically romance and mystery.

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