COVID-19 ~ One Year Anniversary

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COVID-19 One Year Anniversary, Vaccines

Today marks the one year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a pandemic. It’s a tragic milestone to mark as millions around the world have lost their lives, and 1/3 of survivors continue to battle long term symptoms. Thankfully, with the vaccines, there is light at the end of the tunnel. My husband and I will be getting ours as soon our age group is called up. Hopefully, the majority of Americans will also keep doing so as well.

The Best Thing You Can Steal (Gideon Sable #1), By Simon Green ~ 4.0 Stars

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Adult Fiction, London, Mystery, Suspense, Urban Fantasy

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 6th, 2021

192 Pages

Synopsis: Welcome to London, but not as you know it. A place where magics and horror run free, wonders and miracles are everyday things, and the dark streets are full of very shadowy people…

Gideon Sable is a thief and a con man. He specializes in stealing the kinds of things that can’t normally be stolen. Like a ghost’s clothes, or a photo from a country that never existed. He even stole his current identity. Who was he originally? Now, that would be telling. One thing’s for sure though, he’s not the bad guy. The people he steals from always have it coming. Gideon’s planning a heist, to steal the only thing that matters from the worst man in the world. To get past his security, he’s going to need a crew who can do the impossible…but luckily he has the right people in mind. The Damned, the Ghost, the Wild Card…and his ex-girlfriend, Annie Anybody. A woman who can be anyone, with the power to make technology fall in love with her. If things go well, they’ll all get what they want. And if they’re lucky, they might not even die trying… (Goodreads)

If you’re a fan of the prolific Simon Green, you know that one thing you can count on when picking up one of his novels, is his delightfully quirky characters. I’m happy to say that in that regard, you will definitely not be disappointed in this first entry in his new Gideon Sable series. I absolutely loved Gideon and his crew and was thoroughly entertained by their backstories and antics. Although Gideon himself is a bit of a mystery, he’s clever and confident, yet self-deprecating. I’m looking forward to learning more about him. The world building as usual, is fantastic with London having this seedy underbelly filled with wondrous and horrifying beings and objects. What isn’t quite as good is the heist itself. Most of the book leads up to Gideon’s grand plan, and the execution of it only plays out in the last 1/4 of the story. I found it a little disappointing and anticlimactic to be honest. Overall though, The Best Thing You Can Steal was a fun, frothy read that took me all of 1 1/2 hours to polish off. I think fans of Green’s Nightside series will be especially pleased by this. I’m looking forward to the next book in which hopefully Gideon and his friends will have a quest that gives their skill sets a little more of a challenging workout.