Looking at My Health

I had a book team come to a crunch last week, where we had to read a book as quickly as possible, but we didn't know which book until the last minute. So I gathered up ten possibles just in case, and now I have a lot of books out from the library that I kinda want to read but only maybe? And I'm trying to get serious about all the health advice my doctors are showering on me, so I'm eating more fruits and vegetables and thinking about FIBER and even contemplating more exercise. I even read some books involving very fit people.

I cooked a pasta/egg thing that came out kind of bland; it clearly needed more bacon. And probably some veggies, although the boys disagreed about that. And then on Friday night I planned a salmon thing and ended up eating it alone because all the other fish eaters couldn't make dinner. It was really good, and then I made it again for Saturday lunch and it was even better. Yum.

Somehow my currently reading is still at 32, so I guess I should finish some of them. Especially the rereads.

The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading so I'll sign up there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Text or UnLeashing Readers. My Cybils reading keeps me eligible for that (at least for a few pages) so I'll sign in there as well..

This Fortnight I started:





How to Raise an Honest Rabbit, Amy Lane. For a book team.

The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-bearing Critters, Amy Lane. Because the rabbit book was cute.

Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair, Amy Lane. Cute and quick reads!

Knitter in His Natural Habitat, Amy Lane. Because it actually comes before Blackbird, oops.

Mackenzie's Magic, Linda Howard. This family just cracks me up.

End Game, David Baldacci. I am apparently on several author kicks, including Baldacci.

A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift, Jennifer Ashley. Different Mackenzies; this was a back up for my book team.

It Takes Two to Tumble, Cat Sebastian. Another back up.

One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia. For my elementary book club.

Rump, Liesl Shurtliff. For the other elementary book club.

Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon, Donna Andrews. For my Friday book club.


I finished:





Black Sands, Colleen Coble. I liked the Hawaiian setting, especially the work on volcanoes done by the main character Annie (very timely!). The habit of the characters to suddenly remember they were devout Christians, and then do nothing about it, seemed jarring to me but maybe I just don't understand that kind of faith (not works based). The conclusion of the mystery didn't really work, but I could buy the relationship progress.

How to Raise an Honest Rabbit, Amy Lane. I read this because it had a rabbit on the cover, but it was just up my alley -- a con man turns straight! He worries about his background. There are alpacas. Knitting solves everything!

The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-bearing Critters, Amy Lane. This was almost the same story from a different point of view, which I really like in controlled doses. More knitting and a different relationship, but it was fun to see another side of the farm.

Blackbird Knitting in a Bunny's Lair, Amy Lane. Another bunny on the cover! I liked how this book dealt with both a lot of the problems with their different backgrounds and the age difference, as well as ending up very sweetly.

Knitter in His Natural Habitat, Amy Lane.  I finished up the series. This was my least favorite, but it was still easy to finish. I felt like the author was scrounging for men to make up her couple, and the characters weren't as firmly established. And one of them never even learned how to knit!

Mackenzie's Pleasure, Linda Howard. These brothers are hilarious. Barrie is not quite as amazing as Caroline, and her honest and chilling fear of Zach when she disagrees with him is a bit worrisome for their relationship, but she sure doesn't seem a pushover. And the cuteness of little Nick makes it all worthwhile.

Mackenzie's Magic, Linda Howard. It's funny how the author pulls back from letting the sister kill people, although she's clearly up for it. And the epilogue is just another excuse to pull out cute bomb Nick. Not that I'm complaining.

End Game, David Baldacci. Hmm, no more Baldacci's lined up. This was not quite as fun as the previous, partly because the Amos series has that super fun memory thing going on and maybe skipping two books in Robie's timeline (and mostly forgetting the first one anyway) didn't help. But they rolled around, killed the bad guys, and solved problems by being clever and then being bad ass.

A Mackenzie Family Christmas: The Perfect Gift, Jennifer Ashley. This was a fun short read that checked in on a range of couples who all previously had their own books, a few of which I've read. (There were also a few couples that are probably gearing up to have a book.) I liked how Ian has changed but not become normal, and how his family loves him but often has no idea how to deal with him.

One Crazy Summer, Rita Williams-Garcia. This was a reread; I still adore Delphine, the oldest sister, and find the younger ones selfish even for their age. The mom is an interesting, complex character and a lousy parent.


Bookmarks moved in:





Alliance of Equals, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Episode 51. Attack on the ship!

Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer. I feel misunderstood whenever the narrative directly addresses the Reader, who I realize is not actually me but we share the same name.

Wolf Who Rules, Wen Spencer. Nothing like the impending due date of all the books around me to make me continue rereading this old favorite.

Cold Welcome, Elizabeth Moon. This will be good summer reading as it gets super hot and I dip into an frozen wasteland where they huddle together for warmth.

How We Learn, Benedict Carey. Next in my Reading My Library quest, audio edition. This is an interesting read, and fun for passengers in my car to dip into as I shuttle them about.

Song of the Current, Sarah Tolcser. Young whippersnappers are spunky.

New York 2140, Kim Stanley Robinson. For my Tuesday bookclub. I'm trying to slow down and read at the pace of the other slow reader.

Marry in Scandal, Anne Gracie. We are taking a long time to set up the forced marriage. It's funny that this is the second Regency with dyslexia I'm reading this week.

These I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.




Kenilworth, Sir Walter Scott.

A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George.

The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen.

Change of Heart, Norah McClintock.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca.

2018 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2017! 11/104-ish. Read about 10 pages.
2. Reading My Library: Enjoying How to Learn. Finished Black Sands.
3. Where Am I Reading 2018?: 31/51. Progress! Hawaii. Also Kentucky. 

Adulting Is Hard

Another skipped week in my reading report, but then the last one was long and late. This one is also long but I am hoping it won't be late, which means I should catch up. Then I can look back in ten years and have some idea of what I was reading in May 2018.

There was no cooking from me. I hosted book club, and as tradition dictated served take-n-bake pizzas, to the acclaim of all. And I ordered an extra one which I munched on all weekend. The next week I had an evening meeting, so I asked the boys to cook for me. After discussing the recipe, they discarded all the vegetables and made pasta with alfredo sauce. (Originally it also had zucchini, mushrooms and peas). On the other hand, they did cook, so I guess I can't complain. And then I had to go in for a colonoscopy, so I declared myself unfit to cook. I mean, a stove is a large piece of machinery, right? The boys even brought my food upstairs so I could wallow in uninterrupted . self pity. Next week I'll venture into the kitchen again.

Somehow my currently reading is still at 31, so I guess I should finish some of them.

The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading so I'll sign up there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Text or UnLeashing Readers. My Cybils reading keeps me eligible for that (at least for a few pages) so I'll sign in there as well..

This Fortnight I started:






New York 2140, Kim Stanley Robinson. For my Tuesday bookclub.

Marry in Scandal, Anne Gracie. I liked the first in this series.

Parasite, Mira Grant. For my Friday book club.

Once More With Feeling, Nora Roberts. For a book team.

The Night Masquerade (Binti 3), Nnedi Okorafor. Finishing the trilogy.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, Chimamanda Adichie. For my Feminist Book Club.

Beneath the Sugar Sky, Seanan McGuire. For my book club. And because it was a gift from Seanan.

How We Learn, Benedict Carey. Next in my Reading My Library quest, audio edition.

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, Louise Murphy. For a book team.

Mackenzie's Mountain, Linda Howard. For a book team.

Mackenzie's Mission, Linda Howard. Because I liked the mountain book.

The Last Mile, David Baldacci. Because I liked the first Amos Decker book.

Song of the Current, Sarah Tolcser. YA Cybils that I might enjoy more.

Mackenzie's Pleasure, Linda Howard. I'm on a roll.

I finished:





Air Awakens, Elise Kova. After spending most of the book with our Heroine grappling with whether or not to accept her miraculous magical powers and accompanying rise in status along with the friendship (and perhaps romantic interest) of one, no possibly two princes, suddenly there is a wild attack and a bizarre conspiracy against her. It did not tip me over into wanting to read the sequel.

Parasite, Mira Grant. Fun science fiction about a giant corporation that convinced most of America to pay handsomely to install tapeworms in their guts, and then was shocked when things go wrong. Good balance of deeply creepy details and gross but authentic sounding science rationalizations. Also, I was impressed by how Grant made her character refuse to face the obvious conclusion but also kept me happy about that, because if I were here I'd be anchoring myself in the deepest part of the river Denial.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, Chimamanda Adichie. I agreed with most of it, so it seemed a very wise book. And it was well written, with clear but intelligent phrasing. Some points seemed a bit optimistic for parents but in keeping with advice given to newborn guardians, especially since most of it was written before Adichie had a child of her own. Kids go their own way, despite all the lessons imparted and excellent examples displayed for them.

Once More With Feeling, Nora Roberts. Reading this after the primer for feminism was a bit of a shock, especially as I did not realize that the reprint date of 2015 masked the actual published date of 1983. We have come a long way, so that men kissing women until they admit they like it no longer seems romantic. Of course, neither does smoking. But even back then I don't think I would have liked the tantrum that the hero throws when the heroine leaves him (rushing off to her mother's deathbed and then funeral). In his defense, he was in too much of a snit to read the note she left.

The Night Masquerade (Binti 3), Nnedi Okorafor. This wasn't quite as powerful as the first. My interest is in how Binti navigates her cultural boundaries as they conflict with her aspirations and ambitions. The science fiction ideally reinforces this. But so much is going on from integrating the abilities from her father's clan's alien tendencies to rebirth through living space ships to discovering the banal truth about a religious icon that it just feels tiring, especially with the whole bait and switch around the family's trauma.

Beneath the Sugar Sky, Seanan McGuire. Another entry in the Wayward Children series, which gives glimpses of adolescents pushed beyond ordinary breaking points. In this case a girl was teased for her fatness into attempting suicide, then lives as a savior of a mermaid society, and then must return to earth and pick up the pieces again. She is dragged into saving the daughter of a young girl murdered at her school, and along the way makes friends and carves out a (hopefully temporary -- she wants to find the mermaids again) place for herself in this world.

Laughing Gas, P.G. Wodehouse. Silly, predictable, but still fun, although the dips into now unacceptable language sometimes killed the mood. I liked having my son in the car for the final tracks so that there was someone to laugh along as everything worked out in a ridiculous way for the happiness of all. Well, all the people we were prepared to care about, anyway.

The Mountain Between Us, Charles Martin. Somehow my son ended up with my copy of this book on the airplane, so I had to read it safely on the ground, which detracted a lot from it. I found the love story sentimental and false, having figured on the big reveal early on and not buying the doctor as a good match for love. For getting lost in the wilderness with, sure, but he was creepy once back in civilization. Of course the woman was represented mostly by lying still (the author broke her leg to make sure she didn't try to move around much) and smiling so she wasn't the deepest fish in the sea either. At least it all took place in Utah.

MacKenzie's Mountain, Linda Howard. Another old fashioned romance, but as I knew it going it I was able to relax into the expected differences. She's an old maid (pushing thirty!) who is a dedicated teacher, he's a "half-breed" (you see my modern difficulties) ostracized by the town but with a promising son she's determined to educate. Together they find happiness, after dealing with a crazed townie's campaign of rape and attempted murder.

Mackenzie's Mission, Linda Howard. The sequel, with the son all educated and a successful pilot in the Air Force, is even more fun. He's all control and seriousness, she's socially maladroit and virginal (but stylish!). She's also ruthlessly sensible, even as he accuses her of treason so she has to go confront the real villains. I think I want to read the rest of the books for this family just in hopes of Caroline careening tactlessly around in even a few paragraphs.

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, Louise Murphy. Golly, that will teach me not to read the back cover. This uses the story of Hansel and Gretel to follow two Jewish children through several months in Nazi-controlled Poland. They find friend who shelture them and also evil Germans and Poles who menace them. The girl loses agency in the middle, which drops the tension a lot, but it's still a grim read.

And I didn't finish but did give up on Shadow of Victory, which is just too long for its story.

Bookmarks moved in:





Alliance of Equals, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Episode 51. Things seem about to explode on several fronts -- the AIs and the traders.

Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer. I'm a bit confused by the lure of the siren. Not by her lure, but at the society that thinks they have eliminated gender.

Virtues of War, Bennett Coles. Zap! Zoom! I canna hold any longer! All hands abandon ship!

Wolf Who Rules, Wen Spencer. I should sit down and reread all the un-reread parts.

Black Sands, Colleen Coble. This brother seems like bad news. And this is a very faith-based (not commandment or love centered) Christianity.

A Short History of the Girl Next Door, Jared Reck. This promises to be everything I dislike in a YA -- clumsily misogynist boy who messes up and the reader is supposed to sympathize because he feels bad. I very much hope I am wrong and the blurb writers were leading me astray.

Giant Pumpkin Suite, Melanie Hill. I am inching along through the sad part.

Shadow of a Doubt, Norah McClintock. Kids today. Gotta keep 'em off the lawns.

Tinker, Wen Spencer. Still rereading in spurts.

Boys in the Boat, Daniel Brown. Again returning to books languishing in mid-read. I should work on this as I borrowed the book from my brother.

Cold Welcome, Elizabeth Moon. From my TBR stack.

These I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.




Kenilworth, Sir Walter Scott.

A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George. The police coil in circles.

The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen.

Change of Heart, Norah McClintock.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca.

2018 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2017! 11/104-ish. Am disliking my current YA.
2. Reading My Library: Finished Laughing Gas and started How to Learn. Working on Black Sands.
3. Where Am I Reading 2018?: 27/51. Progress! Utah, Wyoming, Nevada! Also Poland.