Current Nancy Drew Auction Warning, Store Hiatus, and Other Updates

I abruptly deactivated all of my eBay and Etsy listings last Tuesday afternoon.  Work-related stress has been extreme for around two weeks. 

I haven't felt much stress from online selling.  However, selling books is the one thing I can control.  By not selling right now, I avoid having to pack books in the evenings, which at least reduces my overall stress slightly.

The stress is being caused by me having to miss school several times recently and in the near future for appointments.  When I'm not at school, I get nothing done.  I also must go over two lessons the day before I'm gone, even though I have instructional videos uploaded to our course management system.  This is because students learn much better in person, and most of them aren't motivated enough to watch videos at home.  The explanations need to occur when students are present.

I will get into the specifics in a future post, but I had a bad reaction to two medications a few weeks ago, resulting in some pretty bad rashes.  I'm getting better, but it's been quite unpleasant.

I have no idea what the time frame will be for when I reopen my stores.  I think for my own well-being, I need to keep my listings deactivated until spring break, which begins the afternoon of March 14.

I delayed my upcoming blog posts so that I can insert at least two posts sometime in the next two weeks.  My posts won't be published on the schedule shown in my recent post, but they are still coming soon.

Finally, you might have noticed some rather scarce Nancy Drew items are currently up for auction on eBay.  Be careful, since some of the listings feature reproductions.  I am working on a blog post with information on how to spot reproductions, but I'm not sure how quickly I can finish it.  

The seller has been advised by collectors about the authenticity concerns, and two auctions now have a message after the description mentioning those concerns.  

One listing offers a Nancy Drew Larkspur Lane book with a reproduction Bonita Granville wrapper.  The wrapper is smaller than it should be, so it can't be authentic.

Another listing has a 1930A-1 Nancy Drew Old Clock book that has a reproduction 1930A-1 dust jacket.  The jacket is off in appearance in several ways.  We have determined who made the copy jacket for the collector whose book is for sale.  There is no doubt that the jacket is a reproduction.

And yes, the same seller has a 1930A-1 Nancy Drew Old Clock book with an authentic 1930A-1 dust jacket up for auction.  I have moved back my upcoming posts, since all of this is going on right now.  

The End of Everything Series by Nate Johnson

The End of Everything series by Nate Johnson was published in 2022 and 2023.

1.  The End of Everything, 2022
2.  The End of the Beginning, 2022
3.  The End of an Era, 2023
4.  The End of Hope, 2023
5.  The End of the Road, 2023
6.  The End of the Line, 2023
7.  The End of the Chaos, 2023

Book 1 summary:

At the end of the world, Nick Peterson never expected to be stuck with a bunch of kids.  A seventeen-year-old boy shouldn't be responsible for keeping other people alive.  But he didn't have much choice in the matter.  That's what happens when everyone else dies.

A CIT (counselor in training) at a summer camp high in the Poconos, Nick is left in charge of nine kids and fellow CIT Jenny O'Brien.  No big deal.  But when the people in charge don't return, Nick and the others slowly learn the truth.  No one will ever be returning.

A deadly virus has broken out across the world at the same time.  A virus with a 100% fatality rate.  Only those who are lucky enough to be on their own will survive.  In fact, the last thing you want to come across is someone you don't know.

Blessed with enough food to last them months, Nick and the others hunker down and try to figure out how to survive in this strange new world.  Devising solutions and new ways of doing things to stay alive.  But after a winter of starvation, Nick has no choice but to brave former civilization and pray the virus has died away.  It is either risk death to get food or die of starvation.

The discovery of a sanctuary on the other side of the country becomes their goal.  Loading everyone into a bus, they start their way there.  Fighting both the few remaining people and the elements to reach safety, only to discover it isn't as safe as they hoped.

Each book in this series features different characters caught in the aftermath of the virus.  Through happenstance, they end up in the Pacific Northwest in the same vicinity as the characters from Book 1.  Plot summaries of subsequent books do not spoil the rest of the series.

Book 2 summary:

Luke Sinclair is left alone in an empty world where almost everyone has died.  After spending two years searching out the few remaining people, he discovers Brie Osborn and her fellow survivors.  But at eighteen, he isn't ready to settle down no matter how pretty the girl is.  However, after discovering three children trapped in an evil situation, he reluctantly accepts the responsibility of saving them. Unfortunately, Brie would be vital to his success.

Two teenagers and three children being chased by evil men in a world gone mad.  A world without anything that they had come to depend upon.  Nothing works as it should. There is no authority to turn to.  Only two people doing the right thing.

Book 3 summary:

Five young people trapped in a skyscraper at the end of the world must learn to survive in a new era.  An era where all the old rules no longer apply.

Evan Carlson finds himself responsible for four other teenagers at the top of the Palmer tower in New York City.  Unable to descend into the chaos beneath them, they must scavenge from their new home.  But, even isolated, the evil from below still rises and must be dealt with.

Finally, when they are forced to break free, they discover everything is worse than they could ever imagine.

Sydney Parker had her entire life mapped out.  Harvard next year.  Yale law school four years later.  A girl's dream husband along the way.  But now, her world is ruined.  Everything she had hoped to find had been taken, and she must learn to live in this new world with death and devastation around every corner.  And a young man in Evan Carlson that would try any woman's patience.

Book 4 summary:

The small town of Hope, Montana cuts itself off as the world ends around it.  Little more than a village all alone in the mountains struggling to survive the worst of dystopian disasters.

Jake Roberts is an outsider.  A young man fighting to belong while the world crumbles.  Torn between helping others and trying to remain detached.  As the town and its people fight to survive both the plague and each other, Jake is caught in the middle of it all.  How do people live when they lose contact with civilization?  What happens when people lose what they have taken for granted?  Food, electricity, and security.  All of it gone, and worse, never coming back.

Mia Burk is left caring for her foster brother and sister as the world ends.  A situation no seventeen-year-old girl should be put through.  This new heavy burden of responsibility forces her to do things she would never consider if life was normal.  But this new world means she and her family must do whatever is necessary to live.

Book 5 summary:

Alone, isolated in the wilds of Alaska, Rachel Jordan's only goal was to keep her two little sisters alive as the world they knew disappeared.  Abandoned at her uncle’s lodge, Rachel struggles to come to grips with the new reality.  Everyone she ever knew is dead or dying.  Civilization has disappeared and there will be no rescue.  She and her sisters must face this new world all alone.

Of course, when a boy is washed up on the beach, her problems only go from bad to worse.

Half drowned, Noah McCain is forced to accept a new responsibility.  Keeping three girls alive, and finding a way to get them back to what used to be civilization.  He must use every bit of woodcraft and repeatedly risk his life just so they might survive.

Only after living through a harsh Alaska winter can he focus on escape.  He knows that long term, their only chance is to find other survivors.  Even if that means they have to walk all the way.  

Book 6 and Book 7 are set 19 and 38 years later, respectively.  The summaries are just mildly spoilerish, but since they do mention some names, I won't include them in this post.  I had really enjoyed the first five books, and I felt some discomfort when I reached Book 6.  I knew the situation would a little different, since it is set 19 years after the other books.  

It turns out that Book 6 and Book 7 are just as good as the rest of the books in the set.  What's great about the ending of Book 7 is that readers know that the survivors will be okay.  They do have printed books from the before times, and as more people gather in Oregon, they will continue to rebuild civilization.

This series is just as good at Nate Johnson's other series that I recently reviewed.  Like with the other series, these books have many punctuation and homonym errors.  Randomly capitalized words sometimes appear in the middle of sentences.  Like with the other books, the story is so good that I didn't care.  I just ignored most all of the errors, except in the rare instances where an error temporarily confused me.

If you like young adult apocalyptic teen fiction with some romance and danger without gore, then you will like these books.

Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie with Fintan

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

This will make more sense if I include my previous thoughts before I get to what I recently realized.

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 The Forgotten Secrets:

Page 243   But once again, they'd finished a memory and learned nothing—except that Kenric either lied when he told Oralie he'd slipped past Fintan's mental defenses, or he'd been fooled by a pretty simple trick.

We learn here that Fintan served on the Council at the same time as Fallon.  Could Fintan be one of the three Founding Councillors?

I wonder if Kenric did make a deal with Fintan.  It appears that he didn't, but we don't really know.  Kenric could have come back at a later time and made a deal with Fintan.  I wonder about this because Fintan faked his death in the Everblaze, and I'm certain that Kenric did as well.  That's quite a coincidence for both of them to fake their deaths at the same time and seemingly on the spur of the moment.

Fintan's statement that he's "not in charge—at the moment" sounds a bit ominous.  We now know that Fintan does want to be in charge and that he is working with the Neverseen in order to gain power.

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 More on the Forgotten Secrets:

This secret provides some information regarding Elysian and Fintan's Noxflares.  I spot several vague statements that are likely hints about Elysian.

Page 228:   "But some of us are still willing to wait for the opportune moment."  He smiled with the last words, as if he'd made a private joke...

This tells me that Fintan is waiting for a certain moment in order to unleash his scheme, whatever that is.

Fintan accuses Kenric of planning to give him one of his "infamous heart-to-hearts."  Interestingly, Oralie tells Sophie that she doesn't know what Fintan means.  Strange.

We learn that Noxflares are fire-resistant.

I continue to suspect that Fintan helped Kenric fake his death.  I believe some possible clues are in this memory. 

Page 234:   Fintan shook his head.  "These aren't hungry flames.  They'll stay right where I want them.  That's why I chose them."

What if the fire that Fintan sparked in Oblivimyre was one that Fintan could control and keep where he wanted it to burn?  What if the fire was designed to burn the tower and buildings of Eternalia and nothing else?  Is that why everyone was able to leap away?

Page 235:   "As far as I'm concerned," Kenric continued, "you can burn your whole house down if you want to—as long as no one gets hurt."

Hmm...  If Kenric didn't die in the Everblaze, then all that happened is that the tower burned down with nobody getting hurt.

Fintan offers Kenric a deal.  He will answer Kenric's question if Kenric will do something for him.  It seems that Kenric doesn't take the deal.  But then... most of the rest of the memory is unintelligible.  We know that Kenric did probe Fintan's mind, but only because of the other part of this memory that is detailed in Book 8.5.

From More Keeper of the Lost Cities Thoughts and Speculation:

My opinion about Kenric and Fintan colluding together to fake their deaths in the Everblaze has shifted for now.

This is what I wrote previously in my post More on the Forgotten Secrets:

What happened when Kenric probed Fintan's mind?  Could Kenric have made a deal with Fintan?  My thinking is that Fintan and Kenric had some kind of agreement that ultimately resulted in Fintan and Kenric faking their deaths at Oblivimyre.

The one thing I've struggled with is that Fintan would know that Kenric is alive.  I've since realized that since Kenric is a Washer, he would have simply erased Fintan's memory right after they escaped the flames.

A popular fan theory is that Kenric is with the Neverseen, and this would explain how Kenric disappears with Fintan.  The problem is all of the clues, particularly the anagram in Kenric's full name, that point to Kenric being Forkle, which is why I stick with my explanation.  Forkle is definitely not with the Neverseen.  I mean, I suppose he could be with the Neverseen and the Black Swan, but I think that's too much of a stretch.

I've been mulling this over, and I currently feel that both Kenric and Fintan faked their deaths with no knowledge of what the other one did.  There's obviously a secret about what happened when Kenric probed Fintan's mind in the Forgotten Secret.  I thought that Kenric and Fintan made a deal.  Later, it becomes apparent that Kenric learned about Elysian and/or stellarlune from probing Fintan's mind.

That's what I wrote in my three previous posts that touched on the Forgotten Secret with Kenric and Oralie questioning Fintan.  During my fourth reading of the series, I mulled over this Forgotten Secret as I drove to work on the morning of November 12.  I had just finished reading Book 7, and I realized that the chapter where Sophie and Fitz retrieve some of Keefe's washed memories with the assistance of Tiergan provides some clues.

Book 8.5, Page 526:   "You breached his mind?  Why?"  Kenric backed away, resuming his pacing.  "The same reason I always breach someone's mind—but I didn't find the information that I was looking for, in case you're wondering."

No, Kenric learned something about Elysian.  We know this because Prentice's broken mind has information about Elysian in it and because Kenric and Oralie visit Elysian in Forgotten Secret #6.

In Book 7, Keefe's recovered memories are damaged.  They are "crackly and distorted" with "strange flickering gaps" and the "soundtrack was warped, with voices fading in and out."  Tiergan takes a look and explains that the memories were shattered, rather than washed.

The memory with Fintan has some of these same characteristics.

Book 9, Page 240   The projection of Oralie sighed and repeated her question—but halfway through, the words turned muffled and distant.  "Is that the end of the memory?"  Dex asked when the hologram warped and faded.

Kenric tampered with the memory, which means that he shattered part of the memory before storing it in his cache.

Book 8.5, Page 523  "Can you feel how serious I am when I tell you that it's absolutely essential to keep everything about Elysian fragmented?"

Kenric literally fragmented his own memory of entering Fintan's mind to find information about stellarlune.  Instead, he learned about Elysian.  We know this from the part of this secret that is in Oralie's cache.  Here is the above quote again with what follows it.

Book 8.5, Page 523  "Can you feel how serious I am when I tell you that it's absolutely essential to keep everything about Elysian fragmented?"  The projection of Oralie frowned.  "That's not the word you had me ask Fintan about."

Kenric slipped and said a word he hadn't mentioned, a word that he almost certainly had just pulled from Fintan's mind.

Book 8.5, Page 525  "You don't get to show up at my door in the middle of the night, beg me to go with you to see a former Councillor... ask him over and over about whatever stellarlune is... and then stand there, gray as a ghoul because you slipped and said something about this mysterious Elysian."

Yes, Kenric slipped.  He had just learned about Elysian from Fintan and accidentally said the word to Oralie.  He shattered that part of the memory in order to keep it out of his cache.

Kenric washed (or shattered) Oralie's memory, but his own memory is the one in the cache, since some of the memory is from when Kenric is inside Fintan's mind.  

I have long had a theory that Kenric is Ethan Benedict Wright II.  In a future post, I'll explain how I think this is still possible with what we learn in Book 9.5.  If I'm right about Kenric and Ethan, this is what I currently think:

Kenric was messing with Lady Gisela by letting her attempt to recruit him as Ethan Benedict Wright II.  While this plan was in progress, Kenric probed Fintan's mind about stellarlune and learned about Elysian.  What he learned scared him, so much so that he realized that he had made a mistake as Ethan Benedict Wright II.  In Book 9.5, Eleanor Olivia Wright tells Keefe that her father told her that he had made a big mistake.  It all fits.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Late Winter 2025 Update on Blog Posts

I have no desire to list books for sale at present.  I have built up my back inventory of matte picture cover Nancy Drew books, which had diminished considerably over the months I avoided purchasing bulk lots.  I have some Three Investigators books, the Dana Girls books with blue/red jackets, plus some other stuff that needs to be listed.  Unless something changes, I probably won't list much of anything until around spring break.

I have been working on blog posts, and I have quite a few set for publication.  I have others that are partially complete or that I'm holding back for certain reasons.

These posts are set for publication in this order:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie with Fintan
The End of Everything Series by Nate Johnson
Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #4 Kenric and Oralie at Night
No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally
Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #5 Kenric and Prentice
Don't Go to Sleep by Bryce Moore
Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #6 Kenric and Oralie in Elysian
The Perfect Place to Die by Bryce Moore
Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #7 Map of Elysian
Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Council and the Black Swan
Hidden Clues #10 The Hardest to Find Books in a Series

These next posts are complete to varying degrees:

Hidden Clues #11 Scarcity of Middle Volumes in a Set—I know what I want to convey in this post, and I'm getting closer.  This is a post that is very hard to write, and I have to do it a little at a time over the course of a few months.

Nancy Drew Diaries #26 Superstitions of "The Scottish Play"—This post has been partially written.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 1 The Review Bombing—I decided to get the unpleasantness out of the way first, then I will get to my thoughts.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 2 General Thoughts—Part 1 and Part 2 were one post until I decided to separate the unpleasantness.  

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 3 Alvar

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 4 Ethan Benedict Wright II

Keeper of the Lost Cities #9.5 Unraveled Part 5 Eleanor Olivia Wright

The dates seen in Blogger represent the last date I changed something about each draft post.

I also have two posts that I continue to hold back for a certain reason.  They should get published sometime between now and June.

I wrote a post about the Nancy Drew action figures that had slipped my mind.  I'm going to pull it to the top so that I can decide when to publish it.

That's pretty much everything.  When I focus on the blog, I don't list books.  That's why nothing is getting listed.

The End of Times Series by Nate Johnson

The End of Times Series is by independent author, Nate Johnson.  The series was published beginning in 2023.

1.  Impact, 2023
2.  Escape, 2024
3.  Endure, 2024
4.  Quest, 2024
5.  Justice, to be published in 2025

Book 1 summary:

It really is the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Death, Famine, War, and Conquest.  Things a seventeen-year-old boy shouldn't have to deal with.

In those most infamous words, mistakes were made.  It wasn't supposed to happen. The asteroid was supposed to miss.  Running for their lives, Ryan Conrad and Kelsey Morgan race to escape the impact of a super asteroid and the apocalyptic world it left behind.  Fighting to survive the aftershocks.  The earthquake to end all earthquakes, the largest tsunami in human history, and worst of all, the EMP and loss of civilization.

Ryan must lead a ragtag group of people from Seattle to the safety of his grandfather's farm in northern Idaho.  Unfortunately, it seems as if fate is aligned against them.  Constantly putting every obstacle in their path.  Laying every trap, as if this new dystopian world was designed to kill them.

To top it off, he’s stuck with young kids depending upon him, a girl out of his league, and knowledge that one mistake and they all die.

Each subsequent book in this series features another member of Ryan's family heading for his grandfather's farm, each of them with a new acquaintance from the opposite sex.  The summaries of the subsequent books do not spoil the first book or any of the other books. 

Book 2 summary: 

It is a known fact.  Being in New York City at the end of the world is not the best.  There is only one solution.  ESCAPE.

When Haley Conrad was informed an asteroid is going to impact the earth, leading to the world's end, she knew her only chance of surviving was to escape New York before it became hell on earth.  But making it all the way across the country wasn't going to be easy.

Thankfully, Tanner Parks might be the perfect solution, part bodyguard and all monster.  He was just the type of boy that could keep a girl alive long enough to make it to the safety of the Idaho mountains.

Two young people following the ancient migrants trail.  Two people fighting to survive in this new world with new rules and more monsters than anyone could ever know.

Book 3 summary:

Chase Conrad didn't get along with people.  But that didn't mean he wanted the world to end.  Not like this.

High in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, he receives a call that an asteroid is going to wipe out civilization.  Not something you hear every day.  Torn between hiding out in the mountains and returning to the family farm in Northern Idaho, Chase choses home.  His sister and cousins will need him.  Unfortunately, three young people and a trial of endurance interfere with his plans.

Meagan Foster never expected the world to end.  Earthquakes, Volcanoes, EMPs.  Oh yeah, starvation.  None of it was expected.

Forced to make a choice, stay and fight the mobs tearing the city apart or the long desert road, one thing was obvious: the only chance she and her two younger brothers had was this strange boy walking out of the mountains.  Four young people must fight the desert, natural disasters, and what used to be left of civilization to reach safety.

Book 4 summary:

Cassie Conrad knew life was unfair, but she never thought the universe could be this cruel.  Informed by her father that the world is going to end, she is torn between staying with her friend Sara or trekking across the country to the family’s farm in Idaho.

Everything she thought she knew is put to the test.  Everything she valued has been taken from her.

Jake Thompson never anticipated an asteroid ushering in a post-apocalyptic world.  Left in charge of his sister Sara, and her friend Cassie, he must keep them alive as the world turns to hell in a handbasket around them.  Unfortunately, he is not surprised to discover just how fast the law of the jungle has returned full force.  Kill or be killed.

There is no one to go to for help.  No authority worth trusting.  Alone, these three young people face a new dystopian world filled with starving people desperate to take what they need.

I will get the only negative out of the way first.  These books have quite a few homonym and punctuation errors as well as randomly capitalized words.  At times, this is distracting.  However, these books are so compelling and so very good that I didn't care.

Nate Johnson tells really great stories.  The books are effortless to read.  He is low on description and includes no unnecessary information—no sidetracking into pointless, boring stuff.  Each story sprints forward from the very first page.  He is very high on characterization and effortlessly manages to gain the reader's interest.  I immediately cared about the characters and found every book to be compelling.

The stories are repetitive, but I like that.  I'm a series fan, and it's great fun reading through a set where every installment gives me a variation of what I read in the previous book.  This series does exactly that.  If you like the first book, then you'll like all of them.

Each book features a character from the Conrad family who receives a call from their father/uncle telling them that an asteroid will hit in minutes.  Each person grabs their things and takes off for the family farm in Idaho.  As each character heads on their journey, they acquire a traveling companion from the opposite sex.  The two characters inevitably begin to have feelings for each other, while hiding their feelings from each other and thinking that the other doesn't care.  

The books are unrealistic in some ways, but these kinds of books always are.  I didn't mind that, since I thoroughly enjoyed reading the books.

I love these books.  They are great reading.  If you love apocalyptic teen fiction with a hint of romance and a good dose of danger without any gore, then you'll love these books.

Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #3 Kenric and Oralie in Kenric's Readying Room

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

I have included all of my past comments on this Forgotten Secret.  I want all of my thoughts in the same post, and it will be easier for me to find what I need if I separate the Forgotten Secrets into separate posts.  I will indicate any additional thoughts by adding comments in brackets.

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 The Forgotten Secrets:

Page 217   "I know you want me off the Council."  "I do?"  Kenric lowered himself into the chair and propped up his feet.  "That's news to me."

Page 217   She leaned closer, placing her hand over his.  "You're a better liar than most.  But I can still tell."

Page 218   "I'm not a fan of you, either."  Kenric's lips twitched with a smile: "Is that so?"  "Yes.  You're arrogant and boring.  And you have terrible taste in everything."  She crinkled her nose at his orange tunic—which did clash with his bright red hair.

Page 218   "And there it is," Kenric said, pointing to the hand she'd placed over her heart.  "The wide-eyed innocent act you love to hide behind."  "There's no act!"  "Really?  So you parade around in pink and ruffles because you want to be taken seriously?"  "No, I dress this way because I like the way I look."  "Pretty sure it's because you like to be admired."  Kenric stood up to face her.

Page 222   "I'm capable.  And I'm tired of being treated like I'm weak!"  "I don't think you're weak, Oralie.  In fact, I'm fairly certain you're stronger than all of us.  But your ability will always make you more vulnerable to certain things."

Page 222   "During my last investigation, I learned that we've been imprisoning someone for thousands of years—someone whose crimes were so horrible, they've been completely stricken from any kind of record."

Page 223   "Emotions can't be erased.  They can only be buried or misdirected—which is much harder to do with an Empath."

This memory shows how Kenric and Oralie did not get along with each other at first.  We also learn that Kenric apparently knew about Vespera and that it could be considered his fault that Vespera escaped from Lumenaria.

Also of note is that Kenric props up his feet.  He does that in this memory and in Forgotten Secret #5.  I mentioned in my previous post that Forkle as Leto props his feet on his desk on page 490.  The reader is being led to draw a connection between Kenric and Forkle/Leto.

We learn that Kenric was a good liar.  We know that Forkle is a good liar.

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 More on the Forgotten Secrets:

This secret is the one that fascinates me the most since it provides a full conversation between Kenric and Oralie in an everyday situation.  Oralie has stalked into Kenric's readying room to complain about him missing most of her special first-year-as-Councillor celebration.  The fact that she's so bothered shows that she has deeper feelings for Kenric than she realizes.  

She complains that Kenric left during dinner after the first course.  She thinks he couldn't stand to watch her celebration.  Kenric tells her that he had an upset stomach, contacted Elwin, and then returned.  Oralie places her hand on his and replies, "You're a better liar than most.  But I can still tell."

So, we know that Kenric is lying about why he left.  He certainly didn't go to see Elwin.  The first few times I read through this scene, I took the scene at face value and didn't think anything of it.  I just figured that Kenric left because he didn't want to be at the dinner.  But then, that really doesn't make sense. 

A moment later, Oralie complains that Kenric has bad taste "in everything."

Page 218:   "I'm not a fan of you, either."  Kenric's lips twitched with a smile.  "Is that so?"  "Yes.  You're arrogant and boring.  And you have terrible taste in everything."  She crinkled her nose at his orange tunic—which did clash with his bright red hair.  Kenric's smile widened.  "If you were a better Empath, I doubt you'd denounce my taste in everything."

Kenric's last statement implies that he does care about Oralie, and she has no idea.  If Kenric does care about Oralie, then he didn't leave the dinner to get away from her celebration.  What would he have been doing, and why did Shannon make a point of mentioning it?

I think Kenric was switching with his twin.  He'd have to disappear at times in order to make the switch.  This must be why Kenric left the dinner.

Page 218   "And there it is," Kenric said, pointing to the hand she'd placed over her heart.  "The wide-eyed innocent act you love to hide behind."  "There's no act!"  "Really?  So you parade around in pink and ruffles because you want to be taken seriously?"  "No, I dress this way because I like the way I look."  "Pretty sure it's because you like to be admired."  Kenric stood up to face her.

My take on Kenric's remark this time is that he correctly understands that Oralie puts on an innocent act.  She pretends to have a fragile voice, and she dresses in pink ruffles so that people think she's just a helpless beauty.  Kenric is very annoyed by Oralie's behavior, and at this early stage in their acquaintance, he has no idea why she acts like this.

[I no longer think Kenric is annoyed by Oralie's behavior.  He's just acting annoyed so that Oralie won't realize how much he loves her.  He's saying whatever he can to keep her riled up so that she doesn't sense his true feelings.]

Kenric and Oralie's conversation then switches to why Kenric voted against Oralie becoming a Councillor.  Before Kenric answers Oralie, he "[takes] a step back."  I suspect that Kenric steps back so that Oralie can't detect a lie.  Kenric then tells her that she rushes through her assignments in order to garner attention and that is why he voted against her.  Oralie is deeply offended.

Instead, Kenric probably voted against Oralie being a Councillor because he already cared about her.  That is, the twins already cared about her.  They saw her as a complication, and they had enough problems dealing with their shared identity and keeping that secret.  They didn't need a potential love interest to be a Councillor, especially since their shared identity prevented either of them from ever marrying.  

I also suspect that Kenric is openly hostile towards Oralie as a means to mask his true feelings.  By angering Oralie, he keeps her from realizing how he feels.

[Yes, that's all this is.  Kenric isn't annoyed by Oralie.  He thinks she's wonderful, but he can't let her sense that.]

Lady Fayina is also mentioned during this conversation.  She apparently fell off a cliff, and Oralie closed the case so that she could be declared dead.  Who was Lady Fayina?  Is she really dead?  Could she be of some importance?

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #2 The Matchmaker Memory

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

I have included all of my past comments on this Forgotten Secret.  I want all of my thoughts in the same post, and it will be easier for me to find what I need if I separate the Forgotten Secrets into separate posts.  I will indicate any additional thoughts by adding comments in brackets.

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 The Forgotten Secrets:

Page 210   "What if I told you that neither of us was going to remember the rest of this conversation?" Kenric asked quietly.  "Everything from this moment on will be erased.  Behnam's eyebrows lifted.  "Then what's the point?"  "This way I'll be able to remember that I asked.  But I won't know whether or not you answered."

This statement doesn't make sense.  What is the point of asking if he won't remember the answer?  Kenric must be lying to Behnam about why he wants to see the hypothetical match lists.

Page 210   "No, I suppose it doesn't."  Kenric buried his face in his hands and took a long breath.  "I realize this is a tremendous ask.  I'm just… running out of ideas for how to move on—and I have to move on.  Surely you can understand that."

Kenric is lying.  How would knowing for sure whether Oralie is his number one match help him move past the fact that he can never be matched with her?  If she is his number one match, then that would be devastating.  If not, then I suppose it could help.  However, Kenric claims that he's erasing the memory, so none of this makes any sense.  Kenric is instead manipulating Behnam into giving him the information that he seeks.

Page 211   But in the projection, Behnam leaned forward and told Kenric, "Truthfully, I do understand why you need this answer.  So I'll plug in the data for you—but I feel the need to remind you that it will always be impossible.  She already collected all five of her lists.  No more can ever be issued."

Page 212   Kenric's number one match was Oralie.  And Oralie's number one match was Kenric.

Page 213   "I don't understand," Oralie whispered, closing her palm around the cache to block the projection.  "This isn't a Forgotten Secret.  It's… I don't know what it is."  "It's something Kenric didn't want to remember," Sophie mumbled.  "But I'm pretty sure he didn't want to forget it either."  Oralie's laugh was equal parts bitter and broken.  "Well, how nice of him to leave it in his cache for anyone to find."

Kenric put the information in his cache because he wanted it to be found.

[I no longer think this.  Kenric just couldn't have Behnam remembering this event and wondering about it.]

Page 213   "And by the time he decided to give it to you, he wouldn't have had any idea what was in there, right?"  "No, he wouldn't.  But Kenric was usually far more cautious when it came to… these kinds of things."

Oralie wonders why Kenric would carelessly put information like this in his cache.  That's exactly it; the information was not placed in the cache carelessly.  He wanted Oralie and Sophie to have this information.  Also, I highly doubt that Kenric was unaware that this information was in his cache.  After all, if Kenric is Forkle, then he had an identical twin brother.  The memory would likely have been shared with his twin brother before being erased, and then the twin brother would have shared it with him again.  The same would be true for all of Kenric's Forgotten Secrets.

[I've since realized that the secrets in Kenric's cache are probably not his memories, but are instead the memories of the other person.  In this case, Behnam's memory was washed and placed in the cache.  I don't think Kenric washed his own memory.  He needed the information for Project Moonlark, which is why he asked.]

Since this memory makes no sense on the surface, it means that Kenric is up to something that he isn't telling Behnam.  I believe that Kenric is seeking information for use in Project Moonlark.  In order for the moonlark to have the greatest potential, the child would need to be the offspring of a pair of number one matches.  Kenric is actually making certain that he and Oralie are number one matches.   

Page 214   "Kenric and I… we had a very special connection.  Add in the fact that Empaths and Telepaths are frequently matched with each other, and… no, I wasn't surprised to see his name at the top of my list, or mine at the top of his.  But… we also wanted different things—and no matchmaker would ever be able to account for that."

Somehow I doubt that Kenric and Oralie wanted different things.  I think they wanted all of the same things, but Oralie was unaware.

[I wonder what Oralie thinks the different things are.  What does she think Kenric wanted?  What does she want?]

Page 214   "Why are Empaths and Telepaths usually matched together?" Dex asked.  Oralie cleared her throat again and dabbed the corners of her eyes.  "The abilities complement each other.  Both are introspective—but in very different ways, which allows each partner to find a deeper understanding of the other." 

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 More on the Forgotten Secrets:

As I wrote previously, this is a huge clue about Project Moonlark.  Kenric needs to make sure that Oralie is his match so that the donors for Project Moonlark are number one matches.

Page 210:   "What if I told you that neither of us was going to remember the rest of this conversation?" Kenric asked quietly.  "Everything from this moment on will be erased."  Behnam's eyebrows lifted.  "Then what's the point?"  "This way I'll be able to remember that I asked.  But I won't know whether or not you answered.  That'll be enough for me to finally let this go—while also ensuring that there's no proof of you bending any rules.  It'll be almost as if it never happened."

I mentioned previously how this makes no sense and that Kenric must be lying.  This is what he says to Prentice in Forgotten Secret #5.

Page 256:   "In case you're wondering, I'll be wiping this conversation from my mind the second you leave.  That way it'll be as if it never happened."

Page 257:   "As I said, I won't even remember that I approached you about this."

Kenric tells Behnam that he'll remember he asked.  He tells Prentice that he won't remember.  So which is it?  This depends upon where Kenric begins the memory washing for each memory, but here's the problem:  Kenric knew what he was going to do in both cases; he didn't wash his memory of when he set up the meeting with Prentice or when he walked in to ask Behnam about his match.  In both cases, Kenric would know that he asked.  He's lying when he tells Prentice that he wouldn't remember.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

The New eBay Feed and More eBay Complaints

I had gone years with minimal eBay complaints.  I used to complain all the time, and then eBay went for a long stretch where they did most everything right.  Now they've fallen apart again.  Someone must be justifying their paycheck by changing everything they can.  Instead, they're breaking everything.

Here is my last post on eBay's ineptness:

My Complaints on the New eBay Feed Page

Prior to that post, I wrote this one:

The eBay Feed Situation and Other Grievances

I have even more grievances to report!

But first, let's recap everything that's wrong with eBay.

1.  Thriftbooks has dumped its entire inventory on eBay.  This ruined all of my saved searches, and I had to create new ones to try to remove Thriftbooks' inventory.  Inexplicably, the nuisance persists.  eBay is so determined to ruin our searches that many of Thriftbooks' items still filter through even though I've blocked Thriftbooks' multiple IDs.

Just wait until all of eBay's inventory is dumped on Facebook Marketplace!  Yes, indeed.  If you haven't heard, this is going to happen.  eBay might as well ruin all marketplaces while it's at it!

2.  My store categories don't show in my eBay store unless buyers go through multiple clicks.  What's the point of having categories?

3.  eBay continually changes its feedback page with each change making the page even more difficult to use.  The latest obnoxious change causes a pop-up window asking if I want to save the seller.  I most certainly do not!

4.  The eBay saved feed has been ruined.

Here is another complaint I made to eBay on the new saved feed (complaint #5):

The feed page is now intermittently broken.  Sometimes I can only get 18 items to load.  Other times, more items will load, but slowly.  It's not my high-speed internet since all other sites load quickly.  Remove the watched items from the page.  We ONLY want to see newly listed items sorted by newest first.  Please give us the old page back! 

eBay and sellers are losing money while buyers are struggling to find items, since they must now complete dozens of searches manually in order to find items to buy.  It's a headache and not worth doing when we also check other online sites that are working properly.  eBay is now a slog to check.  It was the easiest site to check until the original feed page was removed. 

You have significantly downgraded your site.  This new page is woefully inadequate.  The old feed page was the single most important site feature for buyers, and it worked beautifully! 

When I wrote this, my goal was to make my complaint as strong as I could to make it more likely that I grab their attention.  This time I included my email address in case they decide to send a survey.  I'm not holding out much hope that they will listen, but I'm going to keep complaining.

Later, the page stopped at 88 items.  I complained again (complaint #6):

The page cuts off at 88 items.  Please fix it!

Ina Steiner has now picked up the story.

eBay Made ‘Saved Feed’ Feature Harder to Navigate, Buyers Complain

Through the article, I learned that eBay has now altered the mobile feed as well.  This proves to me that this isn't a glitch; it's by design.  eBay ruined the feed on purpose.

Ina also mentioned that this could be part of eBay's winter update, which will be announced in February.  If so, then eBay has made a mistake.  Features that are significantly changed and degraded should be beta tested first while the bugs are worked out.  They shouldn't just change an important feature to a buggy new version that is very hard to use. 

And now...

Complaint #7:

The page is broken!  "Oops!  There seems to be a problem serving the request at this time.  Please check back later."

I actually had a small amount of hope after the page broke completely.  Maybe they'll reinstate the old page.  I checked the URL, and it still redirects.  If the new page is completely broken, then eBay should let us have the old page back.  Right?  No?  We can hope...

The new page came back later, but does it matter?  

I thought of some additional mistakes that eBay has made in recent months.  The list goes on and on!

5.  eBay is sending emails to buyers telling them that their packages are delayed when they aren't!

On December 17, a buyer sent me this message:

"What is taking so long for my item to get here? It should have been here days ago. i keep getting delayed messages. This really  isn't great service. The shipping fee wasn't small either. I certainty  hope I get it soon, as this is very irritating."

There wasn't a problem.  The package had been mailed one week before, which was just two weeks before Christmas when the postal volume is extreme.  The package had gone from Oklahoma to Michigan and was at the distribution center closest to the buyer's home.  

I reassured the buyer, and it worked out fine when the package arrived the next day.  I knew why the buyer was overreacting.  eBay had originally given a fast delivery estimate.  Two messages were sent out in the following days saying that the package was delayed, and the result was that the delivery estimate was changed to a realistic date.  That's it, but the buyer had gotten upset because of the supposed delays.

eBay didn't use to send out messages like that.  By doing so, they are alarming buyers when there is no reason for concern.  I was quite annoyed in this case, and not with the buyer.  I was annoyed with eBay.

6.  eBay sends messages telling buyers that they have been refunded, making it sound like they have been fully refunded even when the refund is partial.

I send partial refunds for postage overages.  This usually happens when a buyer makes two purchases separately, and I plan to ship the books in one box.  I send a partial refund on the postage for the second book purchased.  I say why I send the partial refund.  

The problem is that eBay now sends a message to the buyer with the title "Order --------- has been refunded."  The message tells the buyer that they have been refunded.  If the buyer scrolls down, they can figure out that it was a postage refund, but eBay doesn't say that.  Buyers then misunderstand.

In just the last week, I refunded postage on the second transaction made by a buyer.  The buyer immediately sent a message asking why they were refunded.  They said that they still wanted the book.  I reassured the buyer that I was just refunding the postage overage.  

I feel like eBay and I are working at cross purposes.  

Keeper of the Lost Cities Forgotten Secret #1 Bronte and Kenric

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

I have included all of my past comments on this Forgotten Secret.  I want all of my thoughts in the same post, and it will be easier for me to find what I need if I separate the Forgotten Secrets into separate posts.  I will indicate any additional thoughts by adding comments in brackets.

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 The Forgotten Secrets:

Page 197   "You have more experience with everything, Bronte.  You can't always claim seniority.  Plus, you were away working on the mysterious investigation you refuse to tell us about."

I continue to wonder what Bronte's investigation was. 

[It's apparent from this secret that Bronte knows about the plague that affects the gnomes.  Kenric apparently doesn't, at least not at this time.]

Page 197  "Where's the gnome you hailed Elwin about?"  Kenric frowned.  "How did you—"  "Elwin alerted me right after he spoke with you.  I've asked all the physicians to contact me if they ever hear any report of a sick gnome—and thankfully Elwin remembered."

[Yes, Bronte knew.  He then takes Kenric's memory, which is how it ends up in Kenric's cache.  Bronte is keeping the secret of the plague to himself.]

Page 199   "It's been about three hundred seconds," Kenric announced several minutes later.

This is a huge clue about Kenric.  Sophie counts the seconds, and so does Kenric.  This means that Sophie and Kenric share an odd habit.  Sophie shares an odd habit (tugging out her eyelashes) with her mother, so now we know that she shares an odd habit with Kenric, who is likely her father.

[I left an "out" when I wrote this, saying that Kenric is "likely" her father.  For some time, I have been completely 100% convinced that Kenric is Sophie's father.  I don't see how this series can be going in any other direction.  There is just too much for it to mean anything else.]

Page 206   Councillors weren't allowed to date or marry or have families of their own because it could bias their decisions.  But Kenric had asked Oralie to resign with him so they could be together—and Oralie had refused.  Not because she didn't love him.  Because she needed to stay on the Council.  Partially for her own ambitions.  And partially so she'd be in a position to protect Sophie.

[When Kenric was also on the Council, Oralie's only reason to remain Councillor was for Sophie.  She resisted her feelings for Kenric only because of Sophie.  Now that Kenric's gone, Oralie is on the Council for Sophie, but she also a Councillor because she doesn't have anything else.  She cannot resign for love, because there's no one.]

From Keeper of the Lost Cities #9 More on the Forgotten Secrets:

I mentioned in my previous post how Kenric counts the seconds at one point during this memory.  Counting the seconds is one of Sophie's two odd habits.  She pulls out her eyelashes like her mother, Oralie, and she counts the seconds like her father, Kenric.

Page 196:   "King Dimitar brought it to our attention.  He claimed we've been allowing the humans to expand into this land, even though it's supposed to be a Neutral Territory—and unfortunately he's right."

Kenric points out the cause of the pollution, a nearby human city that cannot be relocated.  He also mentions that Dimitar said that he will consider the Neutral Territories to be up for grabs if the humans are allowed to remain.  Bronte tells Kenric that he has no idea what they might be dealing with, and Bronte refuses to explain.  However, Bronte acts like the ogres are to blame at first.  Later, he says that it isn't what he feared and that the pollution was caused by human chemicals.

Page 205:   "There is a lot to monitor, Kenric.  We can only keep track of so much."  "Then we should ask for more help."  "From whom?"  Kenric dragged a hand down his face, leaving streaks of mud.  "I... have no idea."

Interesting.  Kenric starts to give a response, then he changes his response to "have no idea."  What was he going to say?  I think he was close to making an accidental slip, like perhaps a reference to his Black Swan activities.

Forgotten Secret #1 is the only secret that was placed in Kenric's cache by someone else.  Bronte kept the secret about the ogre plague to himself and washed Kenric's memory of it.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

If I Tell: A Murder Mystery Thriller about a Girl and a Serial Killer

If I Tell: A Murder Mystery Thriller about a Girl and a Serial Killer was written by J. W. Lynne, an independent author.  The book was published in 2022.

Publisher's summary:

My name is Jenna.

I'm sixteen years old.

And I think my dad is a serial killer.

On a muggy summer afternoon in Upstate New York, sixteen-year-old Jenna Cooper is swimming in a lake when a murdered girl is found nearby, pulled from that very same lake.  The next day, the body of another girl is discovered a couple of miles away.  Soon, more bodies are found.  All are girls in their teens or early twenties, and they were all killed in the same distinctive manner.

As police race to solve these horrible crimes, Jenna finds clues that make her wonder if her father might be the killer.  Although she is terrified to believe her dad could be a murderer, she is determined to find out the truth, no matter what it is.

But her quest for the truth is about to land her in a makeshift prison, at the mercy of a serial killer.  Will she find a way to escape or will she be the next to die?

If you like fast-paced murder mysteries with short captivating chapters, intriguing family relationships, jaw-dropping twists and turns, a dash of clean romance, and an ending that brings everything together, you'll love this riveting thriller that will keep you guessing until the final pages!

The book has an interesting premise, and I did enjoy it overall.  When I finished the book, however, I felt depressed.  The story just didn't do much for me.  There are several problems.

The book has way too many characters, and I quickly decided not to keep track of them.  That reduced my enjoyment.  Furthermore, the characters are all flat.  The text is flat.  The book is missing that something that makes a book compelling and really good.

The book has a good story, but I wanted more from it.  If the story had been fleshed out more with more feeling shown by the characters, then it could have been an excellent story.

My Complaints about the New eBay Feed Page

I previously wrote about the new eBay feed.

eBay Removed a Perfectly Good Feature This Afternoon

The eBay Feed Situation and Other Grievances

It's now over two weeks later, and we are still stuck with the new feed, which I still feel is a permanent change.  I was getting used to it, but I saved an item to my watch list early Saturday morning.  Now it's the first item I see every single time I go to the feed.  I just want to see the final selling price without having to leave myself a note on my computer monitor.  I don't need the item flashed in front of me every time I go to eBay.  I seriously want to remove the item from my watched items list.  I'm sick of seeing it!

I sent eBay another complaint in the feedback form that is linked from the feed page.

First, here are my previous three complaints to eBay.  I complain each time the new feed does something I don't like.

Complaint #1:

You removed the eBay feed page?  Why?  It was perfect the way the items flowed.  Stuff I wanted was easy to spot.  Instead, it goes to this awful saved searches page that loads slower and has so much white space everywhere.  You're just driving customers away, and I've been buying since 1997.  This will decrease how much I spend on eBay.  I am not someone who complains.  This is unacceptable.  Return www.ebay.com/feed to what it looked like before today, PLEASE.

Complaint #2:

This page could work if it were changed to where ONLY NEWLY LISTED items show up on top, not the dreadful mess that it is right now.  Please give us the old eBay feed back!  It was perfect.  It didn't need to be changed.

Complaint #3:

I listed a bunch of items for sale, and they are not showing on this page.  This makes me not trust the results.  What else is being filtered out?  I want a feed that shows me everything that appears when I run the search manually, not just what eBay wants me to see.  Let me decide what I want to see.  This page is so bland and uninteresting compared to the feed page that existed until late last week.  We need this new page to do EXACTLY what the feed page did.  Anything else is unacceptable.

Here is my latest complaint, #4:

Items from my watch list don't need to be shoved in my face at the top of the feed each time I go to the saved items feed.  Most of us place items in our watch list because we are just curious about the final selling price.  

Items we intend to buy are placed in our shopping carts, and the notification icon at the top of our screen reminds us to check out.  We don't want to see watched items at the very top of the saved search.  

Please make this page function as it did in the previous feed.  I already removed all of my saved sellers because their items took up most of the page.  I will quit using the watched items feature as well if the watched items aren't removed.  Thanks.

I put "Thanks." at the end of my complaint to be... how do I say it?  I guess I did it to indicate annoyance and not to thank them.  Something like that.  I am annoyed, for sure.

Keeper of the Lost Cities #8.5 Unlocked and #9 Stellarlune - Thoughts from 4th Reading

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

My general comments about both books are combined here.  I will go more into the Forgotten Secrets in upcoming posts.

Book 8.5, Page 524  "Can you feel how serious I am when I tell you that it's absolutely essential to keep everything about Elysian fragmented?"

Kenric apparently obtained information about both stellarlune and Elysian, and whatever he learned scared him.  He mentions keeping it fragmented in order to prevent anyone from figuring it out.  He's afraid.

Sophie has a lot of anger because of what was done to Keefe.  This is very apparent near the end of Book 7.  Sophie's anger is why she burns the archetype and the storehouse.  She's getting even for what Gisela did to Keefe.

Book 9, Page 53  "I needed a powerful Empath to merge with my abilities."

Lady Gisela basically tells Lord Cassius that she married him just for his ability.  As a result of stellarlune, Keefe now has merged abilities.  

Book 8.5, page 587  Oralie's cheeks flushed.  "I'm not certain.  It just seems significant that Keefe is now a Polyglot and an Empath, and used his voice to control emotion.  That almost sounds like the two abilities merged somehow—or synchronized.  Which would make sense, given that Keefe was exposed to shadowflux and quintessence.  Elements trigger change.  They rarely create something entirely new.  But I'd need to do more research to know for sure."

Sophie also appears to have merged abilities, which is mighty interesting.

Book 8, Page 662   "Well… it at least explains why your enhancing is so much stronger on Empaths."  "True," Sophie agreed.  "Though my enhancing's also stronger on Telepaths—but that might be because of what Lord Cassius said.  He said the way I use my telepathy reminds him of an Empath," she explained when she saw Oralie's confusion.  "I pick up on emotions with my thoughts, I guess, without having to be in the emotional center."

Even though Sophie isn't an Empath, she can pick up on emotions through her telepathy.  This makes me wonder if Lady Gisela wasn't the only one experimenting with stellarlune.  Did Forkle do something to Sophie?

In Book 9, on page 56, Lady Gisela asks Lord Cassius if he's ever heard of Elysian.  She's making sure all of his memories were washed.  This confirms that Lady Gisela has known about Elysian.

Book 9, Page 97  "I know you elves are used to solving all your problems with your weird little talents or endless boring conversations..."

This is hilarious.  Ro mentions the "boring conversations."  Well, they are.  The biggest flaw in the later books is the extremely lengthy conversations.  

Book 9, Page 269  "Show me Mr. Forkle!  Show me Magnate Leto!  Show me Sir Astin!"  None of his aliases responded.  She'd expected as much, since she'd tried the same thing when she was still in Oralie's mind-map room—and her Imparter had stayed just as silent.

If this passage is the literal truth, then Oralie must know that Leto and Astin are Forkle identities.  Sophie called for all of them in Oralie's presence.

In Book 9, on page 506, Stina points out that Fintan could have added a certain secret to his cache later.  Exactly.  That's why the supposed inconsistency about Kenric's Forgotten Secrets isn't an inconsistency.  A fan had pointed out that the secret with Prentice was apparently saved last, and yet it couldn't have been.  Kenric's secrets could have been placed in his cache much later and in any order.  

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Keeper of the Lost Cities #8 Legacy - Thoughts from 4th Reading

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

#8 Legacy is when the secrets begin to be revealed.  Many fans think these later books are boring and pointless when to me, they are great.  I have thought of one reason why some fans find the later books boring.

The Keeper series is for middle-grade readers and it is certainly written on that level.  However, the overarching storyline is quite complex, really too complex for middle-grade.  Many of the target readers are struggling to see what Shannon is doing because it's so complex.  I've figured a lot out along the way, especially about the Forgotten Secrets, but I'm still completely confused about other things.  This is precisely why I love this series so much; it's so much fun trying to figure it out with the obscure clues we have been given.

Page 14  "We've been playing defense for far too long," he said, clearing the thickness from his throat.  "And that is never a good way to win."

Mr. Forkle knows that they need to be more aggressive.

Page 16  He turned to meet her gaze.  "We're spiraling toward war.  And not an isolated battle.  A global conflict involving every living being."

The following passages are from the washed memory that Forkle returns to Sophie.

Page 322  They started out talking.  But talking shifted to teasing.  And teasing turned to taunting as the voices grew louder and louder.  Angrier and angrier.  Sophie couldn't make out any of the individual words.  But she could feel them cutting deeper and deeper.

Page 337  "I don't know," Amy admitted after downing half the bottle.  "I guess I thought..."  She looked away, tears streaming down her cheeks.  "Those things I said to you—"  "I don't even remember them," Sophie assured her.  "Seriously.  In the memory it was just a bunch of noise.  I couldn't separate out the words—and I don't want to know."

In my post for #7 Flashback, I included some passages pertaining to Keefe's recovered memories.  The memories had been washed, or so they thought, but the memories were damaged.  Tiergan explained that washed memories, if recovered, would not be damaged.  The ones that were damaged had been shattered. 

It's apparent that Mr. Forkle chose to spare Sophie from knowing what cruel words Amy said during their fight.  He tampered with the memory so that Sophie wouldn't be able to hear what Amy had said.  There's no other explanation.  Sophie has a photographic memory, and Amy's words should have been in the memory.  Mr. Forkle didn't tamper with the memory he returned to Amy, so Amy knew what she had said.  

I want to revisit the Inflicting session from Book 3 with Bronte, Kenric, and Sophie.

From the first Book 3 post:  

On page 215, Kenric gives Sophie a suggestion on how to inflict, but then he quickly adds, "At least, that's what I remember studying," as if he needs to explain how he knows so that it won't be suspicious.  If Kenric is Forkle, then he does know about Inflicting, since he worked on genetic experimentation with Inflicting.

From the second Book 3 post: 

The Kenric in the Inflicting session seems to cover for himself when he mentions how Inflicting works.

Page 215:   "I believe the first step is to identify the emotion you want to unleash," Kenric offered quietly.  "At least, that's what I remember studying." 

He added that last part to cover.  The surviving Forkle is the one who tested the Inflicting genes to make sure that they were safe for Sophie.  This is another clue that the Kenric in the Inflicting session is the surviving Forkle.

I was getting closer.  It's irrelevant which brother was in the Inflicting session since they considered themselves to be one person and shared their memories with each other.  Regardless, a Forkle did inflict on Sophie years before, and he inflicted positive emotions on Sophie.  He knew from past personal experience how inflicting works, no matter which brother was in the Inflicting session.  He covers for himself when explaining to Sophie how inflicting works, saying that he had studied it.  

We learn in Book 8 that when Sophie manifested as an Inflictor, she simultaneously manifested as an Enhancer.  When Sophie inflicted on Amy, Forkle grabbed her hand and was able to inflict positive emotions into her mind in order to get her to stop.  Forkle knows exactly how inflicting works, even though he doesn't have that ability. 

On page 342, Mr. Forkle goes into a detailed explanation of the five unmapped stars and how each of them creates a different form of quintessence.  Here is a summary:

Elementine - the most powerful, can be used to create explosive substances like frissyn

Marquiseire - abrasive, reflective, most versatile, works at a cellular level

Lucilliant - coldest, darkest, but most balanced and can be used to preserve something

Candesia - weakest, sluggish, but safest and best for slight changes

Phosforen - most vibrant, full of life and energy, used by the Black Swan for DNA tests

The stars are tied to what Lady Gisela does to Keefe in Loamnore and to stellarlune and Elysian.

Also, on page 343 Mr. Forkle finds it odd that him telling Sophie about the five types of quintessance doesn't trigger the details that he implanted into her mind years before.  Mr. Forkle decides that it's because the details were hidden so well that that they aren't being triggered.  What if something else is at play?

On page 151, Emery tells Team Valiant that the Council has set up a meeting with King Enki and that this is "a meeting the Black Swan would never be able to properly arrange, regardless of what they might claim."  King Enki is annoyed when Bronte and Team Valiant meet with Enki a day after Granite meets with Enki.

On page 477, Mr. Forkle tells the Council that "holding secret meetings is childish."  Bronte then notes that the Council's secret meeting is to discuss the fallout from the Black Swan's secret meeting with Enki on the previous day."  After some discussion, Mr. Forkle realizes that he should have told the Council once the Black Swan had worked out a meeting with Enki.

Emery then says that the Council has been forthright, but Mr. Forkle reminds them that they didn't inform the Black Swan ahead of time when they decided to appoint several of the kids as Regents.  Sophie is surprised to learn that the Black Swan didn't know.

Mr. Forkle and Emery realize that both sides have failed to communicate.  Emery promises to update the Black Swan, and Mr. Forkle apologizes for the secret meeting with Enki.  This is a pivotal point where the Black Swan and Councillors truly turn a corner in their relations.

[This next part was written before I read Book 9.5 Unraveled.  I have left it as I wrote it, but I have struck through the parts that I believe are false.] 

I am currently confused about Ethan Benedict Wright and his daughter.  My belief is that Ethan is one of Forkle's identities.  Mr. Forkle shows up with an obituary for Ethan and his daughter, which he could have faked.  But then, Mr. Forkle also has a photo of Gisela from the surveillance cameras, and this leads the kids to believe that Gisela killed Ethan and his daughter.  I find it hard to believe that Forkle would be that cruel to Keefe.

[Exactly.  Forkle wouldn't be that cruel.]

I thought it odd that Mr. Forkle would create a fake obituary, because I don't think Ethan is/was a real person and it would be cruel for Forkle to make Keefe think his mom killed Ethan.  Rather, I think Gisela faked Ethan's death.

[I believe Ethan's death was faked, but it was done to trick Gisela.]

It could be that Gisela faked the obituary and the deaths.  Forkle is just showing what he found.  It's interesting that the deaths occurred in a gap in the Black Swan's surveillance.  Mr. Forkle agrees that it's odd.  But did he pick that time on purpose, or did Gisela?  As I stated, I am confused at present.  I think we'll learn something in Book 9.5.

[I've now read Book 9.5, and I'm even more confused.  As I will mention in a future post, Shannon is a master of misdirection.  She actually has already revealed some of the big secrets but has simultaneously misdirected and to a degree that has kept the secrets hidden in plain sight. 

More has been revealed about Ethan and his daughter, and it appears that I am wrong about Forkle and Ethan.  Perhaps I am, but perhaps what Keefe is told in Book 9.5 isn't exactly the truth.  Even if what Keefe is told is true, it is obvious that he is being given only a small portion of the truth.  And there's something else I realized that could mean anything is still possible.  I will get more into this when I write about Book 9.5.]

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

Using an Ozone Generator to Remove Musty Odor

Getting rid of musty odor is usually a losing proposition.  Some people will insist that they've gotten rid of musty odor with dryer sheets, carpet freshener, or cat litter.  But did they really?  Or did they just substitute one odor with another?  

Other people swear that wrapping books in newspaper works.  Or placing in a container with charcoal.  Or using essential oils.  Or using baking soda and placing the books in the freezer.  Or microwaving the books.

I've tried most of these methods, and they don't work. 

Carpet freshener

I used carpet freshener on books that had a strong mothball odor.  The books then smelled like mothballs and carpet freshener.  Yuck.  I couldn't keep the books.  This method is a very bad idea.

Baking soda with or without the freezer

This does fade the odor, but it doesn't go away.  It also tends to return.  This method doesn't work.

Wrapping in newspaper

One time I did get rid of cigarette odor this way and failed another time.  I've never tried with musty odor, but if this method failed with cigarettes, then it won't get rid of musty odor.

Microwaving the books

I have microwaved books.  This method temporarily reduces the odor, but it comes back.  The books can also scorch if you're not careful.  Ask me how I know.  Don't microwave your books.

I have never tried charcoal or essential oils.  Charcoal is too messy, and using essential oils is odor replacement.

There is one more method: using an ozone generator.  I purchased an ozone generator in 2021.

Ozone generators are dangerous.  If you ever use one, you must be very careful to use it away from pets, animals, and people.  Ozone is toxic to the lungs.

This bears repeating: 

Ozone is toxic to the lungs.

Now that I've made that statement, I used the ozone generator on some musty books in 2021 with partial success.  I don't think I exposed the books for long enough.

On May 25, 2023, I posted this on Facebook:

This poor book smells strongly of varnish.  It's an okay odor which is far preferable to a musty or cigarette odor; I'd just like it to be a bit less strong.  I can smell the book from four feet away now that I have it propped open with zip ties.  This book is an exciting Kay Tracey purchase which is an upgrade to an earlier printing than what I've owned for years.  I'd turn the book around and photograph the front, but the zip ties would fall out.

This is the book.

I treated the book with ozone for an indefinite amount of time.  I don't know how long, because I don't remember.  I got rid of the fragrance, but it was replaced with an ozone odor.  I still didn't like it, but it was an improvement.  What I thought was varnish was gone.  

Sometime later, the seller asked me if I'd "smelled the roses."  It turned out that what I perceived as strong varnish was from a rose-scented box that the seller reused to ship the book.  She was proud of herself and thought it was great.  

If you ever sell books, never use any kind of fragrance in or on the packaging.  Buyers like me will hate you.  While I wouldn't leave negative feedback over a fragrance, many book buyers would.  

The ozone smell was not permanent, which I knew.  I shelved the book and hadn't checked it until working on this post.  The book now has no odor other than the smell of paper.  It smells great!  The ozone worked.

Fast forward to November.

I purchased a rather cheap bulk lot of Nancy Drew books, most of which have dust jackets.  When I opened the package, I discovered that the books had a very strong musty odor—a very pungent, dreadful musty odor.  Imagine the worst musty odor you have ever smelled, and that was how these books smelled. 

Many of the books were solid blue and tweed Nancy Drew books from the early 1950s with good quality paper and in dust jacket.  These were books that I hoped to sell.  The musty odor was so awful that I could not possibly sell the books for much of anything.  Despite the hassle involved, I had to get out the ozone generator.

I do this outside away from the house.  I have an outbuilding with a porch that has a roof.  The building does have electricity and is about 100 feet behind the house.  I found a large cardboard box and placed on the porch.  I used zip ties to prop the books open.  The books and the ozone generator went into the box.  Here are pictures.

The ozone generator has a three-hour timer.  This is because it's not safe to approach the ozone generator while it's running.  It must shut itself off.  I kept the ozone generator unplugged while I prepped the books.  When I was ready, I turned the dial to three hours and shut the box.  I plugged in the ozone generator, then I walked away quickly while holding my breath.  I took no chances.

I waited until I felt certain that the time had expired, and then I waited a bit longer, maybe 20 minutes.  Ozone has a short half-life and dissipates quickly.  When I checked on the books, I made sure that the ozone generator was off.  I held my breath, opened the box, and moved away.  The wind was blowing on this day, so any ozone left would have disappeared fast.  

I then repeated the process, over and over.  Each time I cycled the books, I checked one.  At first, the books still smelled musty.  It was at about 12 hours that I thought the musty odor might have been removed.  I wasn't about to go to this much trouble again, so I continued cycling the books.  All told, the books were treated to ozone for 21 hours.  By that point, the books had a strong ozone odor.

In case you're wondering what ozone smells like, I'd describe it as smelling like the vinyl lining of an above ground swimming pool.  Other people say that it smells similar to chlorine.  It's a clean smelling odor.

Once I was finished, I got the books in the house and up on shelves to air out the ozone.

I'm not sure how long I left the books on the shelves.  At first I thought it was for a day or so, but now I think it was probably for one week.  The ozone odor did not decrease, and I needed to speed it up.

I moved the books to the garage.  Outside air enters the garage, and any books placed in the garage air out quite well.  I have a hygrometer in the garage, and the humidity stays between 45% and 55%.  The humidity level is fine for books.  

Here are some of the books in the garage.

The other books were scattered between other items on the shelves.

I finally checked on the books at either 2 1/2 weeks or 3 1/2 weeks since they were moved to the garage.  I detected a very light ozone odor and removed the books from the garage.

I stacked the books and waited a day.  I wanted them to be fully room temperature before I checked again.  The books smelled lightly of ozone, light enough that the paper smelled like a new book.  It was pleasant.  

These are the books.

These books are also from the bulk lot, and they have significant water damage.

The rest of the books are fine with no water damage.  Old Clock has a damaged dust jacket.  Some of the other jackets have water stains that are visible only from the reverse side.  Altogether, this is a nice group of books.  They will be sold.  I have written "ozone" on a sticky note placed inside each book.  The books get mixed in with other books that will be sold, and it's important that I keep track of these.  I will disclose that the books were musty and now aren't, just in case some allergens remain.

Conclusion

The horrific musty odor is gone.  The remnant ozone odor is pleasant and may fade completely given enough time.  Even if the ozone odor remains, most people would just smell paper.  

Some people use ozone generators inside their homes when they deodorize books.  They seal off a room where they run the ozone generator.  I cannot do that since my home has central heat and air.  There is no possible way to seal off a room.  Air will be pulled into the central unit no matter what.  My only solution is to do it outside or in an outbuilding.  I prefer outside so that I know that the ozone has dissipated.  Ozone is the best way to remove odors from books, but make sure that you know what you are doing before you proceed.