Hot and Home

The heat came back. I've been in the Northwest long enough that 80 seems hot, and these days in the mid-90's are painful. I huddled in my house with fans. My sister and her family went on a vacation to a lovely lake, which was a wise move, but at least I had the joy of switching cars -- they drove off in my minivan while I plugged her Leaf into my garage. It even enticed my older son into practicing his driving a bit more.

And then my younger boy came home from his month abroad, tanned and tired. I swear his hair grew inches! He's not quite fluent in Greek now, but seems more comfortable with strangers and independent. Of course, my ex and his wife immediately got to work on crushing that growth; somehow they think successfully showing independence is to do everything they say. Humph.

My currently reading is back up to 26. I need to finish some of the books gathering dust in my reading bag. On the plus side, I seem to be finishing most of the stuff I start, and so there is hope.

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 Texts or Unleashing Readers and last week I read a Cybils YA so I'll sign up there.

This Week I started:





A Closed and Common Orbit, Becky Chambers. My brother was complaining that all the recent Hugo nominees were OK but not great books (or books we found actively annoying) so the Tuesday book club is looking at other recently lauded books to see if anything catches his fancy or if he's just a hopeless curmudgeon.

Soupy Leaves Home, Cecil Castellucci. Cybils YA graphic novel.

The Burning Page, Genevieve Cogman. My next Reading My Library shelf book.

Gone Gull, Donna Andrews. It was lying around.

The Hearts We Sold, Emily Lloyd-Jones. Cybis YA.

If Tomorrow Comes, Nancy Kress. Another book from Foolscap 2019 GoH.

The Compleat Gentleman, Brad Minor. My next audio RML book.

I finished:




Princess in Theory, Alyssa Cole. Happily they toured not-Wakanda, reconnected, discussed the importance of honesty and the difficulties of expectations, and reached happily ever after.

The Power, Naomi Alderman. Each page leads to the next, but it definitely falls into the genre of "tough people who do rotten things, usually with competence" except that the tough people tend to be women and the men need a lot of rescuing and emotional support. Very well done as an interrogation of the genre, though.

Soupy Leaves Home, Cecil Castellucci. Cybils YA graphic novel. I liked this story of a teenager riding the rails during America's Depression, teaming up with a mentor to learn the rules of the life. Complications include the mentor's illness (tuberculosis?), her masquerade as a boy, and the complex question of The Professor, whom nobody seems to trust. Strangely, I had no problems distinguishing the characters, so I adore the artist.

Gone Gull, Donna Andrews. I love Meg's family, always ready to help each other or at least take their calls. I think I'd better back off a bit from the series before I overdose; I find Meg's superiority a bit grating this time. But I did feel clever when I recognized the killer first.

Tomorrow's Kin, Nancy Kress. I liked all the different kinds of books: a SF first-contact story, a mediation on family and connection and parenting and loss, and an environmental warning about linchpin species. I thought they had interesting things to say on their own and in conversation with each other.

Bookmarks moved in:



Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer. I like it but the tone means a little bit is enough.

Circe, Madeline Miller. June's Sword & Laser pick. I like the feel of the immortals although it doesn't quite match Renault's Ancient Greece for me.

Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown. I have pulled it out of my reading-any-second bag!

Robots vs Fairies, ed. Dominick Parisien. I found it! It was under my bed.

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




Kenilworth, Sir Walter Scott. Kenilworth is sorry he was a jerk and plans to make amends. Queen Elizabeth is Not Amused.

A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George. More interviews. The violinist still can't play.

The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox.Transistors.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen. Sammy's Gramma is having relationship drama. And things seem strange with Casey.

Change of Heart, Norah McClintock. Having high drama friends is exhausting even when your other friends aren't in jail awaiting a murder trial.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Techniques to solidify new vocabulary.

2018 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2017! 15/104-ish. I started (and finished) Soupy and then plowed into The Hearts We Sold.  I also amassed a pile of younger books.
2. Reading My Library: Started The Compleat Gentleman. So far my sons are resisting listenign along with me. Started The Burning Page.
3. Where Am I Reading 2018?: 36/51. Hmm, almost all of this weeks books were perambulators; I guess I can count Alternate London as the UK.

Social Butterfly

I burst out in a flurry of sociality. I went to a friends house and we read a play (The Revolutionists) out loud, which was a lot of fun. Hmm, maybe I should count it as a book read? I dragged my son to my brother's island so we could hang out at the local Strawberry Festival, aka an excuse for me to eat a gyro. I went to see King Lear at the Shakespeare in the Park festival. And then I went to the graduation party for a local teen who had grown up with our kids. Good golly, that doesn't seem like much but as I'm a dedicated homebody it was a lot for me.

My currently reading is triumphantly down to 24. Since my ideal would be around 10-15, that's not too bad. Really.

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 Texts or Unleashing Readers and last week I read a  Cybils YA so I'll sign up there.

This Week I started:




No Farm, No Foul, Peg Cochran. A Reading My Library Quest book.

Moxie, Jennifer Mathieu. Cybils YA.

Biscuits and Slashed Browns, Maddie Day. Set in Indiana.

Circe, Madeline Miller. June's Sword & Laser pick.

The Revolutionists, Lauren Gunderson. Play.

I finished:




The Privilege of Peace, Tanya Huff. Great action and world building, as our Hero deals with civilians, team mates, partner, and bosses while making the world safe for civilized folks. The development of the plastic aliens worked well, as did the integration of the dinosaurs into wider society. I hope there are more.

Symbiont, Mira Grant. OK, I never understood how the master plan could possibly work, but it was fun to watch them executing it, and I liked the further discussion of tapeworms and their evolution. I will chase down the next one soon.

Alliance of Equals, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Padi's story comes to a triumphant conclusion; her half-sister may or may not be on the way, Korval's trading has been increased a wee bit, and the Admiral is still working on achieving competent sapience. A fun conclusion and I'm looking forward to seeing what Baen has for me next.

Tinker, Wen Spencer. Tinker, of course, emerges triumphant. Each time I reread this I catch more weaving that Spencer puts into the plot, so that everything that happens has been grounded, and I also see how the future books grow from this one.

No Farm, No Foul, Peg Cochran. A RML book. I was disappointed in the plot-inspired cluelessness of the narrator. It was cute to have part of the story be her gormless blog posts, but wouldn't some of the local people reading it comment on her speculation about who murdered whom at the church picnic? And how has she been a mom for 12 years without ever having to set limits for her kids -- did her husband do all of that while he was alive? Don't get me started on the last evening, where she was handed the idiot ball and not allowed to let go.

Grunt, Mary Roach. My audio RML book. And I don't have the next one ready because I hurried this one along when I realized I was switching cars!. I like Roach's curiosity and energy as she wanders into various crannies of her subject. From sharks to smell warfare to submarine crew sleep patterns she cheerfully brings along her audience as she asks the questions and walks as much of the walk as her subjects allow. Nothing deep but a good driving book.

Biscuits and Slashed Browns, Maddie Day. This Indianian protagonist was refreshingly competent after the hapless farm owner. She ran a restaurant, contacted the police when she felt threatened, encouraged her friends to report their misdeeds to the police, (even when the police were barely more competent than their Michigan counterparts), and held down an adult relationship. Not a parent, but a responsible pet owner.

Moxie, Jennifer Mathieu. Cybils YA. I loved this story of girls in East Texas rebelling against an obnoxious school administration that encouraged sexual harassment, especially by its football players against the entire female student population. The mix of inspiration from a previous generation's work probably appealed to me as an old person, but I hope actual young adults also liked the 'zine approach taken by our narrator.

The Revolutionists, Lauren Gunderson. My feminist book club read this aloud. There were only four parts, so even with a small turnout we had people for each role, and the play is only 88 pages so we started after dinner and finished before dark. I had a lot of fun; everyone was a good sport, we were very non judgmental, and the play itself built to a strong finish. I mean, we know at the beginning that everyone dies, but the play distracts you and then they all die.

Bookmarks moved in:




Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer. I am uncomfortable with the convict slaves of the future.

Princess in Theory, Alyssa Cole. Since I read romances for vicarious happiness, I always drag along during the valleys. I hope they go to not-Wakanda soon so I can at least enjoy it in an SF kind of way.

The Power, Naomi Alderman. The library is giving me another chance and I am frittering it away. Also, everyone is awful. Do I just live a protected life, because most of the people I know are not awful.

Tomorrow's Kin, Nancy Kress. One of the characters is a drug addict, and I hate reading about drugs.

Boys in the Boat, Daniel James Brown. I have pulled it out of my reading-any-second bag!


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. Cops grimly go around interviewing unhappy people.

The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox.

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

Change of Heart, Norah McClintock. If your friend is accused of murdering your other friend's boyfriend, where do your loyalties lie?

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Vocabulary growth without bloodshed among children.

2018 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2017! 14/104-ish. I started (and finished) Moxie.
2. Reading My Library: Finished Grunt. Finished No Farm No Foul.
3. Where Am I Reading 2018?: 36/51. I read an Indiana. Also Texas and Michigan, but those are repeats.

Heat Wave!

Heat has descended upon my northwest portion of America and I am huddling in the shade and refusing to expose myself to the deadly rays of the sun. So much for my exercise routine.

I made my pesto lasagna in the crockpot, which was nice because it doesn't involve me exposing myself to head and also my son loves it. And I managed to make phone contact with the other boy, who promptly ran through all the data in the international plan, resulting in a change of plan and some texting about limitations.

My currently reading is triumphantly down to 27. My new idea is I'll finish two books before starting a new one and get myself down to the low 20s. Eventually..

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 Texts or Unleashing Readers and last week I read a lot of picture books (in addition to the Cybils YA) so I'll sign up there.

This Week I started:



Alice Paul and the Fight For Women's Rights, Deborah Kops. My next Cybils book.

Stone Mad, Elizabeth Bear. I just noticed this sequel to Karen Memory was out.

The Privilege of Peace, Tanya Huff. Next installment of a beloved series.

Tomorrow's Kin, Nancy Kress. Having read a decades old book by Kress (the 2019 Foolscap GoH), I'm trying a more recent book.

I finished:




Ancestral Machines, Michael Cobley. RML book. Not a favorite; it's possible it's a bad introduction to the series but the cover disguised its place very well. Probably I just never really accepted the motley crew as the good guys, so I didn't ever care what happened to them.

Unmasked by the Marquess, Cat Sebastian. I liked all the pieces, but the whole didn't really gel for me. I'm not sure I expect this relationship to last, which isn't a good feeling when completing a romance. I suspect the biggest problem is oversaturation, so I'm going to wait a month or so before starting Sebastian's next book.

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle. My Tuesday book club tried to read this ages ago, but the library was backed up. I started it (since I own it) but just got around to finishing my reread. It was interesting to compare it to the recent movie and see where books work and what movies do; I liked both but books always win for me. I appreciate the relationship between Meg and her dad more now, as a parent who is also perhaps not perfect, and also looked for the time travel lapse.

Alice Paul and the Fight For Women's Rights, Deborah Kops. This Cybils YA Nonfiction taught me a lot about the American suffrage movement during President Wilson's years and immediately afterward, showing some of the controversies and struggles within the movement as well as the hardships and government brutality the women had to deal with. I liked reading it, but it didn't grab me by the soul and demand my attention.

Stone Mad, Elizabeth Bear. This steampunk book is about how to define and navigate a marriage at its inception; what has to be surrendered and what must be retained and how do people communicate that to their partners. I wouldn't have made some of the same choices as Karen, but we are very different people and Bear made sure I understood why she had the stances she did. Oh, and there were spiritualists and magical creatures and robot armor and stuff.

Bookmarks moved in:





Alliance of Equals, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Episode 60. Padi defeated the enemies but is now fighting herself, and she's a far more formidable opponent.

Grunt, Mary Roach. My audio RML book. Smell leads to sharks, and sharks lead to submarines. Roach is having fun.

Too Like the Lightning, Ada Palmer. I am uncomfortable with the convict slaves of the future.

Princess in Theory, Alyssa Cole. Argh, they are at the same party. I am cringing in anticipation.

Tinker, Wen Spencer. I am slowing down during the torture parts.

The Power, Naomi Alderman. The library is giving me another chance and I am frittering it away.

Symbiont, Mira Grant. I like how Sal tours all the various labs to show us every side -- the tapeworms, the government, the corrupt lab, and the secret scientists.

Picture Books:



Please Mr Panda, Steve Anthony. Board book perfect for prematurely snarky children (mine were!).  I guess there's a moral there (say please?) but no one will care.

I Got It!, David Weisner. Another worldless book, which probably will be appreciate by people who care about catching balls.

Triange, Mac Barnett. This one fell a little too far on the man side for me, as spite was the motivating emotion for everyone. But not too far, as the delightful triangle illustrations made up for a lot.



This Beautiful Day, Richard Jackson. I love picture books that use color like this. The words and pictures didn't address each other yet fit together seamlessly.

Are We There, Yeti?, Ashlyn Anstee. The punny title only carried things so far. I wouldn't mind reading it, but it didn't wow me.

The Toy Brother, William Stieg. Delightfully weird story of alchemy and family.

The Book of Gold, Bob Staake. This didn't quite work for me; the quest for the golden book struck me as meaninglessly greedy even if it had a pleasant outcome, and the death at the end seemed rather flat.

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. Her close friend is accused of murder!

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca.

2018 Challenge Progress:

1. Cybils 2017! 13/104-ish. I finished Alice Paul! I like the lack of angst in nonfiction.
2. Reading My Library: Still working on Grunt. Finished Ancestral Machines.
3. Where Am I Reading 2018?: 35/51. Still mostly in outer space, although I did touch down in fantasy Seattle and I think I'll put Alice Paul in D.C.