Freedom! Taxes Done!

I managed to finish my taxes. It involved talking to an actual human being, which is awful. Not that the CPA was awful, he was actually pretty nice, but ARGH.

This was a good week to concentrate on Cybils graphic novels, and to drive to another college on the far side of the state for another visit. I can confirm that my newish car is good for traveling, and it get MUCH better mileage than the old minivan. Also that WWU has a better library for lounging in than WSU, but the public library in Pullman was lovely so that may be a wash. I'm pretty sure the entertainment value of the library is not high on most kids' priorities when choosing a college, but there you are. Also the weather was nice for our drive and visit (a few sprinkles but not while we were walking) which was lucky because the day before we got to Pullman they had torrents and a flood.

It's been rainy and grey here in Renton (appropriate while I tore my head over my taxes) but I think the sun is going to shine again soon. My lawn mostly got mowed. My poor son procrastinated through all the good weather so I forced him out into the drizzle, but since we have a battery mower that can't really handle the weight of wet grass he only had to work in small chunks before returning to recharge his and the mower's batteries in the dry. I hope it helped him enjoy his last days of spring break.

Family dinner was lovely as usual, with food by my sister and an appearance by my brother. We started serious thinking about our family vacation next month. And my nephew and I took his grandmother to see Shazam, which he enjoyed more than he expected (he mostly came along to be social).

My currently reading remains around 20. That's about seven books I have a bookmark in but really are gathering dust, five books I have as my "palate cleansers", four print books I'm reading at home (book club pick, library book, unread book I own, reread that I own), and four situational books (my car audio, my KINDLE app book, my NOOK app book, my iBOOK app book). See, that's almost normal! (There's also a LIBBY app book, but currently that's the same book as the KINDLE).

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 so I'll sign up over there as my Cybils graphic books (and my YA) qualifies me.

Started: 





The Dam Keeper, Robert Kondo. Cybils MG graphic novel.

Where's Halmoni?, Julie Kim. Cybils MG graphic novel.

Suee and the Shadow, Ginger Ly. Cybils MG graphic novel.

Night Broken, Patricia Briggs. I'm continuing to reread all these in preparation for the new book in May. I also read some of the short stories and am starting to eye some of the Anna/Charles books. And I read a lot of Blood Bound but not cover to cover so I guess it doesn't count.

In Other Lands, Sarah Rees Brennan. For my monthly book club. I picked it so I hope everyone else likes it! (I already loved it last time I read it.)

Be Prepared, Vera Brosgol. Cybils MG graphic novel.

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Alexie Sherman. My new RML audio pick. This looks to be rather grim.

Metal Wolf, Lauren Esker. Next unread book on my Kindle. I'm hoping for a fun space romance.

The Big Bad Wolf, Benjamin Renner. The last Cybils MG graphic novel.

Feminasty, Erin Gibson. For my feminist book club, although now that the meeting time has been announce I don't think I can make the discussion.


Completed:





The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin. My favorite parts are the ones on Anurras, but they are driven by the current narrative on Urras. I did give it to my son.

Frost Broken, Patricia Briggs.  This one has Adam getting kidnapped to match with Mercy's kidnapping in Silence Fallen.

The Dam Keeper, Robert Kondo. This was a good start to a story but doesn't feel complete. I want to know more about the pig's relationship with his father, and why the rest of the town knows so little, and what the deal is with the amphibian. The next books should give these answers but nothing is complete at the end of the first volume.

Where's Halmoni?, Julie Kim. This straddles the line between picture book and GN for me. It's a charming story of two siblings looking for the grandmother while a tiger stalks in the background. There's tension but no real fear for their lives and the illustrations are really well done.

Night Broken, Patricia Briggs. Mercy gets killed. But she gets better! It's a story about reuniting  with family, by which I mean her walking stick.

Suee and the Shadow, Ginger Ly. The horror elements in this really creeped me out, and they worked well with the realistic problems of social isolation, bullying, and loneliness. Suee's isolation is partly her own choice and partly a result of her moves and her prickly personality, and the ghost sucking the shadows (and the souls) of her classmates is both pitable and frightening. The ending felt a bit rushed but the middle was nerve wracking for me.

In Other Lands, Sarah Rees Brennan. They liked it! I still love it.

The Road to Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson, discs 5-9/11. My current Reading-My-Library audio. A good book for traveling, since he is also moving around. Also the topic shifts as rapidly as the scenery in Washington. I might finish this while driving across the state next week.

Be Prepared, Vera Brosgol. Another book with a prickly protagonist in an unfamiliar place. This felt very true to life (I was also hard to like as a kid) and the privitations of camp life echoed my memories of Girl Scout summers. I also liked the peek into the culture of Russian immigrants determined to show their children their heritage.

The Big Bad Wolf, Benjamin Renner.  Funny and easy to follow, with a light tone playing on the tropes of stories of foxes, wolves, and barnyard hens. I was a little uneasy about the kidnapping parts but I don't think children will mind that.


Bookmarks Moved In:





Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 39/? Baen's podcast serial.  He's been sentenced and he's not happy. I think this will kick the plot back into motion, so I'm pleased.

Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh. I'm enjoying how global politics completely dictate Justin's visitation with his imprisoned dad. Justin is not liking this as much.

Terran Tomorrow, Nancy Kress. I didn't read this much because Kress is a grown up and so are my taxes.

The Honor of the Queen, David Weber. My Tuesday's book club pick. Can Honor save the day? Without killing the prisoners she captured while they were torturing her people?

They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera. Getting back to the Cybils YA after jumping ship to the graphic novels for a week.


Picture Books:

No luck -- no cool kid section at WSU and my Tuesday schedule was messed up so I didn't have time to browse at home. Very sad.

Palate Cleansers

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



A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George. More people doing unpleasant things to people they think they love. At least she felt bad, so there is an acknowledgment that she could have been better.

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

Change of Heart, Norah McClintock. The sleuths are both working to help their friend now.

Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Alan Burgess. Our main character is left alone in China.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Examples of reading aloud and literature use in classrooms up to sixth grade.