Funny Faces

In early November I slowly started getting back into running, with not falling my highest priority. I hiked and walked as well. The numbness on my face has receded to mostly a small part of my lip which somehow I mostly notice while driving. Not while talking or eating really, just while driving.

So I guess I make a lot of funny faces and contorting my mouth as part of my driving process? No wonder I’m such an excellent driver! 

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 61 books (I’m actually writing this on New Years Day). That’s accurate as I worked at cleaning up the list yesterday.

Books Completed November 7 - 13

What Stalks the Deep, T. Kingfisher. A reread that I was looking forward to; I like the sworn-soldier idea and its implementation. I had managed to forget how far into horror this got; the whole sequence with the horses shedding and stuff was very vivid.

Boy-Crazy Stacey, Ann M. Martin. I liked how the kids would talk to the babysitters and how they dealt with some fears that way. The TV adaption changed that to a crush on the babysitters. Humph.

I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871, Lauren Tarshis. Although the illustrations of the fire were great, I still prefer the written version because of the greater character development and period details.

Faye and the Dangerous Journey, Kim Sigafus. This one is good at period details, although once again the kid seems modern.  Good history but duller stories.

Pokémon Sun and Moon 7, Hidenori Kusaka. I am definitely losing track of the sub plots, but I’m all in on the million dollar quest and also better pharmaceuticals.

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. I loved falling into this book and hanging out with the characters.

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer. I’m too old for teen romance. Even with zombies. But I see why it was a Cybils finalist.

Books Started

What Stalks the Deep, T. Kingfisher. Cloudy pick.

Floating Hotel, Grace Curtis. Sword and Laser pick.

Faye and the Dangerous Journey, Kim Sigafus. A Girl Survives book.

Thirst, Mary Oliver. Next poetry book and I’m here for it.

Gold Dust, Catherine Asaro. More about Bhaaj and her Dust Knights.

Pokémon Sun and Moon 7, Hidenori Kusaka. Gotta get the whole series!

Semiotics, Sue Burke. Scintillation book club pick.

The Babysitters’ Summer Vacation, Ann M. Martin. It’s a super special! (That means all the girls get to narrate.)

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer

All the Beauty in the World, Patrick Brinkley.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts, Lucy Gilmore

North Woods, Daniel Mason

Bluebird, Ciel Pierrot

Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!                                       

                                                                                                                               

                                                                                                           True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                                     South Riding, Winifred Holtby                     

                                             Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                                             The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                                             Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                                     Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

                                    Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles                        

                           The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell 

                  Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

         The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.  

   An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

   So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

Hello Stranger, Lisa Kleypas

I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

I’m Sorry You Got Mad, Kyle Lukoff. A shade too didactic, but I still enjoyed it. It’s a kid forced to rewrite an apology until it has the actual shape of an apology, with illustrations showing the context of the kid’s emotions and his relationship with the one he harmed as well as other classmates. I like it when picture books use illustrations and text separately to build a bigger story.

The Book That Kibo Wrote, Mariana Ruiz Johnson. Kind of funky illustrations but a neat idea of how a book affects different people. It’s the teacher saying of doors and windows, but shown in how each animals relates to Kibo’s book - as an exotic other world or as nostalgia or whatever.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Shopping for towels.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James. The ending moves back to the personal.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. My gaming is not on this level.

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I’m getting some good ideas for kid management. 

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Fair Trade
• Library Book: Ghosted
• Friend Book Club: Movie month!
• Hugo Finalist: Reread Short Stories
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Hugo Short Stories, 
• Sword and Laser Club Book:   The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
• Scintillation Book Club: Morgaine Chronicles
• Cloudy Book Club:  The Gilded Crown
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Canticle For Leiberwitz
• Romance Book Club: Snowed in together: Stitch in Snow
• River Runs Under It Book Club: Orbital 

Candy For Everyone!

On Halloween day I realized I hadn’t decorated at all, so I dragged out the bin and put up stuff. Then I went to get my COVID shot. I had just enough candy to last the evening, although I was lucky it was rainy and unpleasant because I had no spares. The streets were pretty empty when I turned off all the lights and went to hide upstairs.

The next day I was tired from the shot but still managed a bit of a run; my face still is numb in spots so I’m fairly careful how I step. And this week I managed to knock off a few more libraries for my list.

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 80 books, but I’m so far behind at marking things as complete that who knows. The library thinks I have 74 physical books checked out. In unrelated news, I have completed my quest to visit all KCLC libraries (in real time, not back in October). 

Books Completed  Oct 31 - Nov 6

Lily and the Great Quake, Veeda Bybee. A Girl Survives book. I’m still chugging through these but they aren’t as rich as the Tarshis books. Lily is a girl who likes her book and is there for the San Francisco earthquake; the book is strong on action and some facts but light on historical feel and character development.

Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice. Wow did this make me feel old, because I have vague memories of reading it back in the day and I was so clueless. I missed all the erotic bits between the guys. These men are professing their love for each other and it went right over my head. Also I had completely forgotten the interviewer until the scene at the very end; what a gormless chump.

Rei Escapes Disaster Graphic Novel, Susan Griner. Another depiction of the tidal wave (I read an I Survived book about it). This one has the viewpoint of local school kids. I’m still hung up on the teacher sending two of the kids back on their own for some reason, because that made the narrative better but the teacher seem incompetent. Also I’m so old it’s hard for me to read the black and white comics.

Come See the Fair, Gabriel Savin. I got halfway through this as a Cybils reader a year ago before deciding it wasn’t strong enough, but I hate unfinished books so I went back. It took a lot for me to sympathize with the main character as she stopped doing things quickly and didn’t start again until two-thirds through when there was no one else to do things. And the ending didn’t satisfy me. But it’s a good story and brings 1800s Chicago to life.

Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen. These poems respect both poetic forms and the Roman Catholic understanding of Christ. I appreciated the love and effort that went into them although none begged me to take it home. But each one is part of the bigger edifice Esolen is building, and I enjoyed reading through his book.

Mary Anne Saves the Day, Graphic Novel, Ann Martin and Raina Telgemeier. Fun but not as good as the original. I like the nuance of a written book.

I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018, Lauren Tarshis. Wow, this kid has such a big problem that even the wildfire takes a while to get his attention. And history is getting very recent — probably school kids can remember the fires.

Anya Flees the Fallout, Erin Falligant. Early year I read an adult history of Chernobyl, so I was interested to see how the Girls Survived book showed the experience from a kid’s point of view. Needless to say it was not encouraging to hear her dad was a fireman (sent in to literally shovel on top of the radioactive pile) and that she had a beloved pet (all pets were abandoned and then shot as radioactive), and that was before her grandfather opted not to evacuate his home. Anya seemed to vary in age according to narrative requirements and her parents clearly kept their opinions of Russian news veracity from her and her older brother.

Spook, Mary Roach. For Torches & Pitchforks book club. Roach is always fun as she wanders about to experts and asks questions even if they are dumb. Sometimes the questions are dumb, sometimes the experts are, but it mostly works. The chapter in India didn’t age that well but after that rough start we mostly had fun.

Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum. For my Hugo judging I skipped to the essays about things I’ve read or seen, but it was worth going back to read the rest. I like her way of taking literature seriously on its own terms, judging it by what questions it asks and how it answers them. Even when I disagreed with her I appreciated how she made her points. 

The Poisoned King, Katherine Rundall. Although not as perfect as the previous book, that’s a high bar that leaves a lot of room for a good read. I liked the characters and the situations and the illustrations and the way actions had consequences.

Books Started

Rei Escapes Disaster Graphic Novel, Susan Griner. A Girls Survive book.

All the Beauty in the World, Patrick Brinkley. Recommended by a librarian.

Anya Flees the Fallout, Erin Falligant. A Girls Survive book.

The Poisoned King, Katherine Rundall. Because I loved book 1.

I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871, Lauren Tarshis. I’ve already read the graphic novel.

Boy-Crazy Stacey, Ann M. Martin. Another babysitter club book.

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

Bluebird, Ciel Pierrot. 

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

Hello Stranger, Lisa Kleypas

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer

North Woods, Daniel Mason. 

Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!   

                                        

                                                                                                                        Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno             

                                                                                                        True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                                  South Riding, Winifred Holtby                     

                                          Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                                          The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                                          Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                                  Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

                                 Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles                        

                        The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell 

               Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

         The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.

      Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

      Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

Ahoy, Sophie Blackall. A good story about imaginative play with the illustrations dancing between reality and the game, but I found the artistic style a bit repellent. The people fell into an uncanny valley for me. But this was a personal thing;I bet most kids would like it.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Shopping for towels.

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Long slow ending is like finishing a milkshake; good to last drop.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James. I liked the essay in Track Changes about this book.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. 

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books. Or not; I had confused Last Stop On Market Street with a different book.

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Red Dragon Codex
• Library Book: The Sailor Cipher
• Hugo Finalist: So Let Them Burn
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Hugo Short Stories, 
• Sword and Laser Club Book:   The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
• Scintillation Book Club: My Name Is Red
• Cloudy Book Club:  The Gilded Crown
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Canticle For Leiberwitz
• Romance Book Club: Snowed in together: Stitch in Snow
• River Runs Under It Book Club: Orbital 
• Talbot Hill Book:  realistic fiction, school stories
• Friday Book Club:  Movie Night!

Volunteer and Make Friends, They Said

I’m so far behind I barely remember what was going on. I marched in a rally (No Kings!), gave blood, met my new Ukrainian friend so she could practice English with me, went to see Patricia Briggs talk about her new book (and bought said new book), and complained about my slowly de-numbing face. Oh, the power went out for a day so we went out to brunch and they let us recharge all our devices. Thank you, Countryside Cafe!

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 77 books, but I’m so far behind at marking things as complete that who knows. The library thinks I have 80 physical books checked out. In unrelated news, I have completed my quest to visit all KCLC libraries (in real time, not back in October). 

Books Completed  Oct 24 - 30

I Survived the American Revolution, Lauren Tarshis. An I Survived book. Once again I prefer the original to the graphic novel retelling, despite the latter’s great illustrations. I enjoy seeing the interiority of the character, and Tarshis makes each one individual and complex. I felt his friendship with the Black workers was earned, not just pushing modern sensibilities back into the past to make a character more,sympathetic.

Blind Date With a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs. I went to hear the author talk about this book and her writing in general, and she was great. Then I wandered over to buy a copy, and my friends joined me although they have moved completely digital in their reading. I thought she did a great job taking some stories originally written as a lark and building a book with an arc and a theme from them; I expected a book of short stories and got a novel.

Where the Woods End, Charlotte Salter. I met this author so I went out to get her book, and it was good and powerful and far too scary for wimpy me. The danger to the kids, both physical and psychological, was very real and conveyed with skill and yikes, it was hard to finish. But I think it would be great for kids.

Give Me a Reason, Jayci Lee. The Tacoma Extreme Library Challenge has a Slot for K-drama, so I grabbed this book about a star returning to California where she has a second chance romance. It was fun, but emotionally the couple came across more as the late teens they were when they tragically parted so she could go off and save the family fortune by become a K-drama star. Hey, I don’t think she ever learns about the zillions he made as a nebulous investment guy before becoming a fireman. 

Books Started

Lily and the Great Quake, Veeda Bybee. A Girl Survives book.

Spook, Mary Roach. For Torches & Pitchforks book club.

Bluebird, Ciel Pierrot. Partner read for a book club.

Blind Date With a Werewolf, Patricia Briggs. Buy on sight author.

I Survived the California Wildfires, 2018, Lauren Tarshis. Only a few left.

North Woods, Daniel Mason. River Runs Under It pick.

Mary Anne Saves the Day, Graphic Novel, Ann Martin and Raina Telgemeier. Fun but not as good as the original.

Hello Stranger, Lisa Kleypas. Romance with a doctor, for Romance book club.

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum

Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice

Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

Come See the Fair, Gabriel Savin

Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!   

                                        

                                                                                                                     Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno             

                                                                                                     True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                               South Riding, Winifred Holtby                     

                                       Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                                       The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                                       Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                               Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

                              Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles

                        I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

                     The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell 

            Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

            One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

      The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.

   Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

   Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

Super Goat Girl, Tracey Baptiste. Recommended by the podcast Even the Trunchbull, this is a fun book about a new kid in a class of superheroes. She’s unsure of herself but has hidden strengths, yet her classmates are a little hesitant to accept her. There are great illustrations and clever puns (the teacher, who gets rescues a lot, is Miss Damsel) and goats are cool.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. On to picking the right material for a household linen job. Or a carpet.

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Long slow ending is like finishing a milkshake; good to last drop.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. 

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books. Or not; I had confused Last Stop On Market Street with a different book.

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Red Dragon Codex
• Library Book: Tom Lake
• Hugo Finalist: So Let Them Burn
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Hugo Short Stories, 
• Sword and Laser Club Book:  Floating Hotel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
• Scintillation Book Club: Fangirl
• Cloudy Book Club:  What Feasts At Night, The Gilded Crown
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Moon of the Crusted Snow, Canticle For Leiberwitz
• River Runs Under It Book Club: Barracoon
• Talbot Hill Book:  Animal Stories, nonfiction
• Friday Book Club: Some Sherlock Holmes pastiche

Numb Face, Faint Heart

I’m so far behind I barely remember what was going on. I marched in a NomKings rally and complained about my slowly de-numbing face. We had a friends bookclub but over zoom because of traffic, and we heard more stories about a member’s recent trip to Japan.

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 72 books, but I’m so far behind at marking things as complete that who knows. The library thinks I have 80 physical books checked out. In unrelated news, I have completed my quest to visit all KCLC libraries (in real time, not back in October). 

Books Completed  Oct 17 - 23

Year of the Tiger, Alice Wong. I just heard that Alice Wong died, so that is coloring my memories of the book. She felt very vibrant on the page, pushing to be heard and refusing to sit quietly. I didn’t always agree with her, but I did appreciate how much she did to clear the way for quieter people with disabilities to be heard as well. And her family strikes me as regular people being quietly amazing for their kids.

Beowulf, J. R. R. Tolkien. I read the translation ages ago for a book club, but I finally managed to get through all the end notes, which weren’t really worth it. I believe that Tolkien worked hard and knew a lot of Old English, but I don’t and can’t really appreciate whether or not a letter dropped out of words I don’t know.

The Stars Did Wander Darkling, Colin Meloy. Horror for kids is still too scary for me; I probably am much worse at seeing kids in danger than kids are. I did like the nostalgia factor as it was set in the last century. 

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, Lisa See. Lots of conversations about historical medicine, foot binding (that was a tough one), and marriage and privileges. I liked this view into a period I don’t know much about, and will look out for this author.

Redshirts, John Scalzi. I enjoyed this reread, although I again noticed my biggest complaint with this; it’s hard for me to tell his characters apart by voice and they have long bantering conversations. There’s a fun bit where it’s plot relevant that someone doesn’t talk much but I hadn’t noticed because I treated the main groups conversations as kind of an internal hive mind stream of consciousness. But there was plenty to talk about.

Ruth and the Night of Broken Glass, Emma Carlson Berne. Good competent writing that gives an overview of the historical event but I didn’t get a strong sense of place and time from the characters.

Books Started

Give Me a Reason, Jayci Lee. I need a K-drama book.

Where the Woods End, Charlotte Salter. I met her at the Seattle WorldCon.

Ruth and the Night of Broken Glass, Emma Carlson Berne. A Girls Survive book.

I Survived the American Revolution, Lauren Tarshis. An I Survived book.

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum

Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice

Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer

Come See the Fair, Gabriel Savin

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!   

                                        

                                                                                                                  Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno             

                                                                                                  True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                            South Riding, Winifred Holtby                     

                                    Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                                    The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                                    Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                            Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

                           Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles

                        So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

                     I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

                  The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell 

         Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

         The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

         One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

   The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.

Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

None.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Currently learning laundry details for more polyesters. 

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Long slow ending is like finishing a milkshake; good to last drop.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. I’m in the end game and I think I missed some things.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. The teen romance stuff isn’t working for me, but it’s true it’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich guy (as my grandmother used to say).

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books.

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Wolf Hall
• Library Book: Tom Lake
• Hugo Finalist: So Let Them Burn
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Hugo Short Stories, 
• Sword and Laser Club Book:  Floating Hotel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
• Scintillation Book Club: Fangirl
• Cloudy Book Club:  What Feasts At Night, The Gilded Crown
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Moon of the Crusted Snow, Canticle For Leiberwitz
• River Runs Under It Book Club: Barracoon
• Talbot Hill Book:  Animal Stories
• Friday Book Club: Some Sherlock Holmes pastiche

Self-Indulgent Reading For Healing

Well, after my diagnosis I had a doctor’s note to avoid running for a while and complete latitude to feel sorry for myself and pamper myself as much as possible. So I had a lovely dinner at a really nice Italian restaurant (walked there so I could have wine), whined for sympathy at the family zoom call, and spent sunny days ambling about to the Seaside library, bookstore, bagel place, pancake place, Thai place…, and I spent rainy days petting the cats and calling for food delivery. I must say I do convalescing well. 

At the end of the week my friends came home from Japan, so I heard their fascinating stories, woke up to delicious omelets being prepared by my jet lagged host, and then drove home to reunite with my own cats, who were desperately in need of petting and had been completely neglected by my house mates, who never even fed them.

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 65 books, but I’ve finished a few of those so I think I’m trending downward. The library thinks I have 83 physical books checked out. In unrelated news, I knocked off ten more libraries on my KCLS branches quest; I think I have three or four left (I’m not sure if one is a branch or another set of lockers).

Books Completed  Oct 3 - 9

Toll of Honor, David Weber. This one is for dedicated completists; it’s retelling some things from a different point of view and using that to give us some back stories of characters who get popular later. Skimming is important in this series as things tend to be explained several times to make sure the reader is keeping up; it’s a sprawling story so I guess that makes sense. I had fun and didn’t have to concentrate much, so it was a perfect read while petting a cat is waiting for a cat to come in from the patio when I wanted to close the back door. 

War of the Wind, Victoria Williamson. A Cybils nominee I went back to finish. I liked the setting and the band of misfits, but I thought it took a while for the protagonist to get over being a huge pain and that the ending slid a few to many things into neat packages. Also I’m still mad about the dog.

Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger. Although I didn’t love this as much as some as I felt the writing was competent but not inspired, I did enjoy learning about what home economics and and has been, and what it could be, and why the patriarchy continues to try to undermine and devalue what it sees as women’s stuff.

Books Started

Secret History of Home Economics, Danielle Dreilinger. Recommended by Miss Yingling.

Redshirts, John Scalzi. Foolscap monthly pick.

Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice. Sword and Laser monthly pick.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, Lisa See. River Runs Under It monthly pick.

The Stars Did Wander Darkly, Colin Meloy. Talbot Hill Challenge: Scary Book

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer

Year of the Tiger, Alice Wong

Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

Come See the Fair, Gabriel Savin

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!   

                                        

                                                                                                               Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno             

                                                                                               True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                         South Riding, Winifred Holtby                     

                                 Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                                 The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                                 Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                         Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

                        Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles

                     So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

                     Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

                  I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

               The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell   

         Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

      Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

      Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

      The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

      One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

   Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

   Beowulf, J. R. R. Tolkien

The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

None.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Currently learning laundry details for rayon..

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Relationships are affirmed.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. I’m in the end game and I think I missed some things.

War QCross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. 

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books.

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Wolf Hall
• Library Book: Framed In Death
• Hugo Finalist: So Let Them Burn
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Wooing the Witch King
• Sword and Laser Club Book:  Floating Hotel
• Scintillation Book Club: Semiosis
• Cloudy Book Club:  What Feasts At Night
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Moon of the Crusted Snow
• River Runs Under It Book Club: Barricuda
• Talbot Hill Book:  Animal Stories
• Friday Book Club: Some Sherlock Holmes pastiche
• Romance Book Club: Doctor romance (Hello Stranger)

Klutz Problems

Wow, I’m falling far behind! I blame the head injury.

So, the morning I started my restful catsitting vacation in Seaside, I went out for a run. I’m working my way through a Couch Potato to 5k program, and this was finishing up Week 4. And at the turnaround point I tripped and hit my head pretty hard. My nose was bleeding all the way home and I felt very sorry for myself as I gorily made my way back up the hill. Luckily the bear that had been sniffing around garbage cans the night before did not make an appearance.

I managed not to bleed on anything in the lovely house, and I called the nurse hotline  to make sure I wasn’t forgetting how to handle a sports injury. Since I never get sports injuries I hadn’t paid attention to what to do about them, but they just checked for a concussion. The next few days I played with the cats and enjoyed the town, walking to the beach, sampling restaurants and the library and the bookstore, and swapping out my run program for some dedicated ice cream savoring. But my face felt weird and at night I’d worry, until finally I called the nurse line again (at three in the morning) and she asked questions that helped me identify the weirdness as numbness and made me an appointment to see a doctor on Thursday. And one long day involving a lot of driving, a nice doctor who was very reassuring, several rounds of X-rays, a drive to another town where I found a delicious gyro place and a nice book store while waiting to see if I needed an MRI, and finally a last long drive back to Seaside through a rainstorm and I was ready to enjoy my second week.

But I wasn’t gonna try running again. 

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 63 books, but I’ve finished a few of those so I think I’m trending downward. The library thinks I have 66 physical books checked out. Oops.

Books Completed  Sept 26 - Oct 2

Pokémon Journeys 2, Machito Gomi. My old friend Ash! And some Pokémon.

Trader’s Leap, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. I like watching Shan deal with stuff, including his daughter. Even though I think his mom was a bad person.

Emmi in the City: A Great Chicago Survival Story, Salima Alikhan. Burying stuff before a fire is good thinking.

In the Beginning, Chaim Potok. No, I’ve definitely read this before, but spending time in a Potok world is never a bad thing. It repeats some tropes — childhood illness, studying the wrong stuff, family rejecting sons for your life choices but still loving them despite years of separation, and the worth of good study habits.

A, B, C: Three Short Novels, Samuel Delany. A book club read one of these but I ended up reading all three. I think of Delany for language and ideas but he’s also a great storyteller. 

Jessi’s Secret Language, Ann M. Martin. More proof that I prefer text to graphic novels. I liked seeing Jessi adapt to her Deaf babysitting charge and how she incorporates her dance into her world and her matter of fact awareness of how being Black affects her life.

The Dragonet Prophecy, Tui T. Sutherland. Ok, I did like this but honestly dragons are so cool to look at that I might have actually liked the graphic novel better. But I’m more likely to read on in the text series.

Leah Braves the Flood: A Great Molasses Flood Survival Story, Julie Gilbert. I’m not enjoying the Girls Survive! Books as much as I do the I Survived! books; they lack the emotional depth and aren’t as good at  capturing a sense of the historical period. And yet it’s hard for me to abandon a series like this. 

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inn-keeping, Sanguine Mandanna. The romance is sweet and the quirky family is fun but I ended up uncomfortable with the parallels between ableism and magic and what it means to lose an ability so close to your heart.

Pokémon Sun and Moon 5, Hidenori Kusaka. I’m baffled by action but I like watching the people run about.

Pokémon Sun and Moon 6, Hidenori Kusaka. See above. It helps to read them close together.

I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906, Lauren Tarshis. Tarshis works hard to have a kid living a life that is interrupted and complicated by the titular disaster as opposed to standing there to tell us about the disaster.

Claudia and the Bad Joke, Ann M. Martin. This works much better emotionally than the graphic novel, which did not really sell me on Claudia’s fear or returning to babysitting or the kid’s callousness about what she caused.

Ghost Island, Jordan Quinn. Cute dragons! Apparently this is the middle of the series, but it worked out fine.

Books Started

Pokémon Journeys 2, Machito Gomi. Talbot Hill recommended.

Emmi in the City: A Great Chicago Survival Story, Salima Alikhan. I’m now a series addict.

The Dragonet Prophecy, Tui T. Sutherland. Talbot Hill recommended.

Jessi’s Secret Language, Ann M. Martin. The original version.

Toll of Honor, David Weber. Back to the Honorverse!

Leah Braves the Flood: A Great Molasses Flood Survival Story, 

The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow. Scintillation book club.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical. Inn-keeping, Sanguine Mandanna. Cloudy book club pick. 

War of the Wind, Victoria Williamson. A Cybils nominee I went back to finish.

Pokémon Sun and Moon 5, Hidenori Kusaka. Talbot Hill recommendation.

Pokémon Sun and Moon 6, Hidenori Kusaka. Talbot Hill recommendation.

I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906, Lauren Tarshis. It would be easier to keep track if these were numbered. 

Claudia and the Bad Joke, Ann M. Martin. Number 19.

Ghost Island, Jordan Quinn. I had to wait near a bookstore for my medical results. So I waited in the bookstore.

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum

Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

Year of the Tiger, Alice Wong

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer

Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

Beowulf, J. R. R. Tolkien

Come See the Fair, Gabriel Savin

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!   

                                        

                                                                                                         Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno

                                                                                                     Marry Me By Midnight, Felicia Grossman

                                                                                         True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                   South Riding, Winifred Holtby                                   

                            Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

                           Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                           The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                           Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                   Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

                  Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles

               So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

               Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

            I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

         The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell   

   Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

   Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

None.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Currently learning laundry details for rayon..

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Relationships are affirmed.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. I’m in the end game and I think I missed some things.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. 

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books.

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Wolf Hall
• Library Book: The Library of Borrowed Hearts
• Hugo Finalist: Heavenly Tyrant
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Wooing the Witch King
• Sword and Laser Club Book:  Floating Hotel
• Scintillation Book Club: Semiosis
• Cloudy Book Club:  What Feasts At Night
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Moon of the Crusted Snow
• River Runs Under It Book Club: North Woods
• Talbot Hill Book:  Fantasy, Historical/biography
• Friday Book Club: Black Wolves of Boston 1 & 2
• Romance Book Club: Doctor romance (Hello Stranger)

Celebrations and Destinations

Wow, I’m falling far behind! I blame the head injury.

This was the week of the tall people birthdays. We were hoping for a nice party on Vashon, maybe with a special appearance from the out of town brother. Sadly illness arrive here and canceled the party which meant that John wasn’t as disappointed that work had canceled his trip. We had a lower-key celebration with good cake.  

I got to have my school book club and proposed a study of genres for the year. The kids were game, especially since I brought three kinds of cookies. I’ve got one vegan kid and one diabetic, so I need to figure out some treat options. After the kid club I drove off for my Seaside vacation! Some nice driving through beautiful forests with a finish of pouring rain and tense situations. But nothing a late sleep. Hold t cure and I was ready to train up on how to pamper my furry housemates while my friends were off on their Japanese vacation. I brought my running clothes because I was hoping to keep up my training in the nearby lovely Oregon trails and backroads. 

Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 65 books, but I’ve finished a few of those so I think I’m trending downward. The library thinks I have 53 physical books checked out. 

Books Completed  Sept 26 - Oct 2

Karen’s Goldfish, Ann M. Martin. Divorce is hard on kids. Karen is desperately cheerful, but she will not see this pet often. It’s obviously David Michael’s goldfish.

Fairest of All, Anu Chouhan. Fun and bouncy fairy tale retelling. I bet the original was good too; this is the graphic novel adaptation.

The Hexologists, Josiah Bancroft. I enjoyed this fantasy mystery. It doesn’t have much depth, but the married life is fun, the dragon is delightful, the baking is amusing, and the world is an interesting mishmash.

Black Tie and Tails, Wen Spencer. This picked up right where the first ended and brought more fun. I’m starting to really dig this series. Now Boston is joining Pittsburgh as great Spencer locations. I hope she does another series in Hawaii someday.

I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941,  Lauren Tarshis. Cool historical details of New York mobs and Japanese American neighbors as well as a good emotional journey with the lost dad and the single mom doing the best she can. Hey. If your mom’s best gives you Hawaii, be grateful!

I Hate Fairyland 4: Sadly Never After, Skottie Young. Eh. The art isn’t really to my taste and I’m jaded about fairy tale retellings that are jaded about the source material. Give me bounce!

Mary Anne and the Search For Tigger, Ann M. Martin, up to number 25! Logan isn’t perfect! Some kids are budding criminals; extortion and kidnapping are starter crimes. This was a good one.

The Ghost at Dawn’s House, Ann M. Martin. These early ones are the best. I wonder when Martin syndicated herself? I liked the mystery and the compassion around the solution. The slumber party was kind of nostalgic.

Books Started

Fairest of All, Anu Chouhan. Talbot recommendation.

Karen’s Goldfish, Ann M. Martin. A Babysitters Little Sister book.

Trader’s Leap, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Catching up with the Liadens.

Year of the Tiger, Alice Wong. It looked interesting.

I Hate Fairyland 4: Sadly Never After, Skottie Young. Talbot recommended. 

In the Beginning, Chaim Potok. I didn’t recognized this title - maybe it’s one I missed?

The Ghost at Dawn’s House, Ann M. Martin. Jumping back a dozen books.

Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer. Looks great. So great I bought it.

Bookmarks Moved

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson

Track Changes, Abigail Nussbaum

An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews   

Arabella of Venus, David Levine

Hundredfold, Anthony Esolen. New poetry book.

The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton

This Tender Land, William Kent Kruger

Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi

Some Sunny Day, Adam Baron

Hearts Still Beating, Brooke Archer

The Farwalker’s Quest, John Sensel

One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name

A, B, C: Three Short Novels, Samuel Delany

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence!   

                                        

                                                                                                      Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno

                                                                                                  Marry Me By Midnight, Felicia Grossmann       

                                                                                      True Colors, Abby Cooper.

                                                                                South Riding, Winifred Holtby                                   

                         Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

                        Calypso, Oliver K Langmead       

                        The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson

                        Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll

                Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

               Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles

            So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole

            Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy

         I’m Nobody, Who Are You?, Emily Dickinson    

      The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell   

Heavenly Tyrants, Xiran Jay Zhao

Beowulf, J. R. R. Tolkien

Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford

Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories

None.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Currently learning laundry details for linen and cotton.

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. Home base is getting established. Emotional roots sinking deeper.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. I’m in the end game and I think I missed some things.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. 

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. I like that I remember these books.

Books Acquired

I only notice when I’m caught up.

Future Plans

This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Wolf Hall
• Library Book: The Poisoned King
• Hugo Finalist: Heavenly Tyrant
• Foolscap Book Club Book:  Wooing the Witch King
• Sword and Laser Club Book:  Floating Hotel
• Scintillation Book Club: Semiosis
• Cloudy Book Club:  Someone You Can Build a Nest In
• Torches and Pitchfork Book Club:  Spook
• River Runs Under It Book Club: North Woods
• Talbot Hill Book:  Fantasy, Historical/biography
• Friday Book Club: Black Wolves of Boston 1 & 2
• Romance Book Club: Doctor romance (Hello Stranger)