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.