I could certainly go for some pastries and cocktails!

OMG, I want every single pastry in that book.

Update: I *do* like the characters. A LOT.

Curious to know when this happened for you because I'm in Bordeaux and...I still don't like them very much. Maybe it's the narrator? I can't tell, but something about this book isn't clicking for me.

It was definitely gradual and slow for me. Trying to see if I can look at the table of contents and remember...ok, it was certainly after Bordeaux. Maybe around San Sebastien? Maybe not until the POV switch? I remember being impatient to get the other side of the story, for sure, but I think I was liking the characters more before that happened.

I was also irritated with some of the line readings early on? And that eventually went away, not sure if I got used to whatever they were doing with them or if they got more like I wanted them to be or what.

A little tempted to listen to it again and see how the experience changes with knowing everyone going in, but I have started re-reading Anne Rice so that's gonna keep me busy for a while (I haven't decided how far I want to go, I stopped with The Body Thief or Memnoch the Devil (I honestly can not figure out if I read Memnoch the Devil or not) the first time around but I'm kind of intrigued by Atlantis)

Oooh I've been wanting to do an Anne Rice Vampires reread too, at least up to Body Thief, after seeing the S3 teaser.

Maybe not until the POV switch?

I think it was after the POV switch that I really started liking them.

Okay. I really don't want to DNF Casey McQuiston, so I will trust that Kit's POV will eventually make me less irritated with Theo's nepo-baby whining.

after seeing the S3 teaser

Yeah, that's pretty much why

So, Mercy of the Gods is my listen-while-commuting book right now. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it yet, I can’t tell where it’s going enough to be emotionally prepared for, like, anything, but I definitely like how alien the aliens are. Not just humans in costumes, you know? And I think I just met a particularly intelligent shade of blue, which delights me

I definitely like how alien the aliens are.

Have you ever read Startide Rising by David Brin?

In the sequel -- The Uplift War -- the aliens are ever weirder. I really enjoyed those stories, I should re-read them again.

I listened to Sundiver a few weeks ago, which was the first of the Uplift series. I enjoyed the alieness of the aliens. Brin is pretty clunky with the love interest parts, but, eh, whatever. Or, was in this one anyway. But I think I liked it enough to continue.