Computer Down!

I am enjoying the fall, especially since I'm barely part of the school calendar any more. Instead I can use the time to do what I like.

It was good to get together with my friends on Monday, especially since they picked a spot right in my backyard. Well, right next to our local lake park. After the meal I dragged everyone off to see some of the sights that were part of my kids' youth. They were underwhelmed, but it was still fun and a lovely day for it.

Tuesday is my movie day, of course. I meant to go see something with heart, but ran late so we ducked into Angel Has Fallen which has guns instead. Not as good as Fast and Furious, especially in terms of female characters (all without agency) but I didn't regret the time spent there. That night is my usual online computer book club/gaming group, but sadly my desktop computer turned up its toes as I sat down. After a lot of effort and consultations with the internet, I have diagnosed it as dead. I should probably haul it off to the Apple store to get a price check on a resurrection, but I think a new computer is in my future.

Wednesday I actually cooked again! I'm on a roll. A short roll because I also took the time to see what my AARP benefits include, and one was a discount to a local restaurant (Vince's) so that became Friday's menu plan. It was made extra-special because my niece came home on a visit from college so we were celebrating.

Saturday I went up to our local Sword and Laser meet-up, event though I hadn't actually read the book. Any of the books, because they are really a three-in-one book club, but I like the people and I want to keep in the habit of going. It was worth it -- it was good to see everyone, there were some new members, and there was a beautiful storm on the way home. I had to drive slowly but the lightning was spectacular. After pulling into my driveway I reset all the clocks (I guess the lightning hit something!) and then enjoyed the view from my bedroom window. With that tree down it's a clear view to the sky.

Sunday my brother came out for family dinner, and then he left with the stuff I've been forgetting to mail to my son. His wife does not suffer from the post-office phobia I struggle with. And now here is Monday again! I need to decide whether to be a Cybils judge very soon.

My currently reading is 19 (14 active), which is one page on Goodreads and makes me feel accomplished. This includes six I only touch in between other books, five that have bookmarks but I'm not really reading, three from my shelves, a serial audio from Baen, an audio CD for the car, a KINDLE app book, a Foolscap GoH book, and a Cybils poetry book.

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 I've got a YA book and the Cybils poetry to qualify me.

Started: 



The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson. This is for next month's Cloudy book club, not the one on Saturday. That one I haven't started yet. Luckily it's been postponed to next month.

Poppy Done to Death, Charlaine Harris. Another audio Aurora Teagarden. I am working my way through them.

Iron and Magic, Ilona Andrews. Backtracking from the last Kate Daniel's book to see how her enemy Hugh turned up on the good guy side.

At the Edge, Norah McClintock. I'm curious to see if Nick is still around so I skipped to the last Robyn Hunter book.



Completed:




The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson. Very claustrophobic and intense. It was fascinating watching through Elinor's viewpoint as that felt very shaky. It was also interesting seeing the world as it was back then and what how people's expectations limited and shaped them.

Iron and Magic, Ilona Andrews. This was a lot of fun! It had much less baggage than the Kate Daniels books, so I didn't have to remember zillions of characters. Instead just two super powered people who have the hots for each other squabble and one-up each other while working together to defeat more super powered enemies.

The Stars My Destination, Alfred Bester. The people seemed utterly alien to me, in a way that Shirley Jackson's characters did not. As it's a science fiction novel, I found their unrecognizable motives and decisions as intriguing as following what Bester does with jaunting. Is that how love affairs are meant to work? It's not uncommon for women in old SF to see utterly inhuman, but in this case so were the men. Not flat, but alien. It was an interesting read.

Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds. Cybils poetry book. Ouch. The individual poems don't really stand alone, but the whole book is a powerful epic mostly contained in a young man's ride down in an elevator along with many of the dead from his life. Will he join them? Has he joined them? Is there any other possible path?

At the Edge, Norah McClintock. OK, in all the Robyn Hunter books I'm impressed with Robyn's independence and poise, even if she rarely figures out anything useful until after she's in whatever danger the finale finds her. And she usually isn't the one who rescues herself. And I'm annoyed by the teen drama, especially with her best friend. In this case I found myself sympathizing with the friend -- Nick was rotten and instead of cheering them on I wanted more space. And the mom was as awful in this one as she was in the first book; at least Robyn let herself feel a bit irritated over her parent's monumental selfishness. No, it's not a fun surprise to tell a teen that you want to move next week away from her father, her friends, and the last year or so of high school. This is the last book but in my head Robyn stages a custody move in the next installment.

Poppy Done to Death, Charlaine Harris. It was fun watching Aurora grapple with her feelings of discomfort and distaste as she helps wrap up her murdered sister-in-law's life. Aurora is very much into fidelity and loyalty and keeping up standards, and seeing the proof of Poppy's more free wheeling life with multiple lovers and scandals discomforts her and gives her a chance to examine what she wants for herself. And what she wants is a family where everyone can rely on each other.


Bookmarks Moved In:




Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 57/? Baen's podcast serial. Trust is hard when you are infamous for betrayal.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt. Still inching along. This kid is looking for emotional pain and it's not that hard to find.

Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan. 2/10 discs. Another two tracks down!

Book Lust, Nancy Pearl. Still in the A's.

Founding Martyr, Christian di Spigna.  Boston Massacre. Successful career. Dead wife.

One Good Dragon Deserves Another, Rachel Aaron. Brothers are tough.

I Am Princess X, Cherie Priest. I am starting to like these kids. I hope they are worth it!

Mary's Monster, Lita Judge. The next 2018 Cybils poetry book.


Picture Books:

None this week.

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.

Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Alan Burgess.

The Educated Child, William Bennett. English in Kindergarten and first grade. These guys do not seem aware of the latest data on homework's inefficiency.

Cookie, Jacqueline Wilson.

Give All to Love, Patricia Veryan. She's his ward. She's not jealous at all. Nope.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Why reading is fun.

Reading Challenges

1. Cybils 2017. Nothing.
2. Cybils 2018. Finished Long Way Down, working on the Mary Shelley one.
3. Reading My Library. Nothing.
4. KCLS Ten to Try. Cybils for the win!