We were planning to drive to Utah to Sunday before Christmas, but the weather looked ominous and the pass kept closing. So we decided to leave a day early and drive through Portland instead of the more direct route over Snoqualmie. Turns out there wasn’t much snow but this way we were relaxed. We also stopped a few hours short of Salt Lake and found a hotel room because we wanted to give our hosts a chance to clear out the guest bedrooms.
Christmas with my family was lovely. I played cards and even managed to win a game! We took a trip to the local aviary and saw a bunch of birds. It was unseasonably warm so the birds were lively and we were happy to stay all afternoon. I did some runs; it was social because sometimes my son would walk alongside me (I run incredibly slowly) and sometimes I’d run ahead and back as my brother and his wife walked the dog. Hank, the dog, and I have a long feud going on so I refused to go just with him. Hank also made Christmas Day a bit exciting by fixing a box of chocolate truffles to snack on just before everyone got up, so presents were delayed by the emergency vet visit. The truffles turned out not to be a problem, but the large rock Hank had somehow swallowed was an expensive issue. But eventually he came home in his coned glory and napped as we opened presents.
Goodreads thinks I am currently reading 57 books. Oops! The library thinks I have 50 books checked. 6 are overdue. The missing one hasn’t turned up yet.
Books Completed December 19 - 25
The Maid and the Crocodile, Jordan Ifueko. Although occasionally a bit preachy, this YA entertained me enough that I want to go back and read the other books set in this kingdom. I liked the exploration of what kind of hero the world needs for different things and how to make a life after the hero stuff is done.
Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch. A fun audio for our car ride, with lots of English accents and cool magic stuff.
This Is Our Rainbow, Katherine Locke. This was a bit of a slog for me. It’s a collection of short stories about queer kids, which meant there were a lot of crushes and young love, and I’m not really into little kid romance since I mostly skipped that stuff in my own childhood. But the kids were mostly cool.
Jersey Rains, Robert Pinsky. This didn’t make much of an impression on me, and nothing made it into my poetry notebook.
Books Started
Broken Homes, Ben Aaronovitch. Audio for the drive.
Jersey Rains, Robert Pinsky. Poetry to end the year with.
Champion of Fate, Kendare Blake. Cybils? Hugo? I forget.
I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900, Lauren Tarshis. Hey I was in Galveston last year.
Fair Trade, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Next Liaden book.
Bookmarks Moved
Education For Empire, Clif Stratton
The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson
Ascendance of a Bookworm, Fanbook 7, Miya Kazuki
Gold Dust, Catherine Asaro
The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell
Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer
The Sailor Cipher, Trudi Trueit
Blood at the Root, LaDarrion Williams
Anne Fights for Freedom: an Underground Railroad Survival Story, Nikki Shannon Smith
Alex Wise Vs the Cosmic Shift, Terry J Benton-Walker
Bluebird, Ciel Pierrot
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
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
Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
The Library of Borrowed Hearts, Lucy Gilmore
3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years, John Scalzi
Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford
One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name
Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy
Ghosted, Amanda Quain
Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories
None.
Books on Slow Mode
Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Laundry as lifestyle.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe. Emily Dickinson is cool.
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. Good chapters about things to do after and while reading the 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: Fair Trade
- Library Book: On Air With Zoe Washington
- Friend Book Club: Lasagna Means I Love You
- Foolscap Book Club Book: The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping
- Sword and Laser Club Book: Someplace to be Flying
- Talbot Hill School: Graphic Novels and poetry
- Scintillation Book Club: The Enchanted April
- Cloudy Book Club: Love in Color
- Torches and Pitchfork Book Club: Self Love Poetry
- Romance Book Club: Old people love! Old being fifteen years younger than me, and up.
- River Runs Under It Book Club: The God of the Woods
No comments:
Post a Comment