I'm spending the fresh year dodging bad weather and huddling at home. Of course, I keep my home unfashionably cold because I like layers and heavy blankets so my kids tell me I might as well be outside except that I'm dryer. Hey, 60 degrees is a fine indoor temperature, except at night when I like things a bit cooler.
I had fun with the kids at book club, although they had slacked off at doing the reading. I brought my cookie-making son as a show and tell, although he's getting old enough not to be as interesting. I think high school is the peak age of coolness to a fourth grader. Older than that and you are just an adult. Boring.
We have all the Christmas decorations stacked on the coffee table because we are missing one giant outdoor ball. Maybe it blew away? But whenever we move to put the boxes in the garage we get distracted by going outside to beat the bushes one more time. That's the dangers of evergreen landscaping around my house -- decorations get swallowed by the plants. And the weather reports call for SNOW next week. The WSU boy left on Sunday for a lengthy and slow drive back to campus through intermittently open passes and snowy roads.
My currently reading shelf descended even further to 21, and I have hopes of getting it to 20, which is one page. Of these at least seven are books I'm although I'm not really reading, I refuse to give up on. They are paused, not abandoned. Honest.
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. Ditto for the children's lit version at either Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers. I clung onto my kidlit credentials with that book for the elementary school.
Started:
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St Helens 1980, Lauren Tarshis. For my elementary school book club.
Archangel's War, Nalini Singh. Catching up on a series. I think I skipped a few books here...
Completed:
Once a Spy, Mary Jo Putney. Yes, she learns how to have sex, and they live happily ever after, well, they do once they defeat Napoleon (Wellington and his forces play a contributing role). It does exactly what it says on the tin and I was very happy with this book, but I'm not sure who I would recommend it to.
Cantoras, Carolina de Robertis. The Torches and Pitchforks book club pick for December. This was a lovely book and I'm so glad I finished it after the meeting. I liked having the hints about the plot from the discussion. It was a great book on many levels -- I liked the prose, the structure, the imagery, and the peek into the history of Uruguay during their dictatorship and for lesbians during and after it. I bet my mom would love it.
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St Helens 1980, Lauren Tarshis. Those lazy kids hadn't read it! So I tried to give them some hints since it's one of the Battle of the Book books, and then we talked about volcanoes and how close they are, Seattle as an exotic destination, and boy books/girl books and the assumptions we make when we recommend things.
Bloodshot, Cherie Priest. Lots of action drove me quickly through to the end. I liked how ambiguous the main character was -- it was in first person so the reader is invited to sympathize with her, and her enemies are clearly very very bad, but when you pull back a bit Rayleen isn't really worth cheering for either. There are a lot of murders there! But she's interesting, which is what I want in a vampire heist mystery story.
Sweep With Me, Ilona Andrews. Wow, I found this just in time. It's completed and up for sale now. I really liked the Orro subplot, especially the happy ending. And I really want to be Calpernia in my next life. I mean, I wouldn't be good at the planet ruling and mayhem, but the retirement in a B&B that has those innkeepers? Perfect!
Bookmarks Moved (Or Languished) In:
Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 77/? Baen's podcast serial. OK, it's back!
Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan. 4/10 discs. I am reading this one track at a time. Sadly the tracks are about 45 seconds long, which seems a bit excessively short.
Book Lust, Nancy Pearl. Finished the "C" section. And I really want to read some of the companion sets she recommends.
One Good Dragon Deserves Another, Rachel Aaron. Oh oh. There have been some reversals. I have to trust in Bob.
The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang. Last month's Sword and Laser pick. Hey, the library gave it back!
Tropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan. The library called this home.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke. I have the audio and switch back and forth between it and the paperback. So far I'm up to 1.75 speed but I need to get up to 2.0 since this is a very long book.
ConCom: Conflict Communication, Rory Miller. Oops, forgot to finish this.
Masques, Patricia Briggs. The main characters have met, and this time I know that they are peers. Well, one is currently a wolf.
Picture Books / Short Stories:
"The Seven Nipples of Molly Kitchen," D.J. Butler. Baen Free Radio Hour podcast offered this in place of the currently serialized novel. I liked the alternate America with magic and compassionate but dependable practitioners.
Palate Cleansers
These books I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading. Of course, since I was off having Christmas in Utah, they were untouched.
A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George.
The Educated Child, William Bennett. The importance of history and geography, and teaching kids to be patriotic.
Cookie, Jacqueline Wilson.
Give All to Love, Patricia Veryan. Is love in the air? For the side characters, I mean.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt.
Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Basal readers and vocabulary.
Reading Challenges
- Cybils 2017. Nothing. I ordered some up, though.
- Cybils 2018. Nothing.
- Cybils 2019. Nothing.
- Reading My Library. Nothing. I rechecked out my next book.
- Ten to Try. Of course I'm doing this again. Starting out with a bang -- I've got 3/10 already!
2 comments:
60 degrees! Good grief. We like it to be at least 70 around here - although we prefer it very cold for sleeping. I haven't read a Mary Jo Putney novel in decades, but maybe I need more of this kind of fun, happy ever after romance in my life?
I had to giggle at your "They are paused, not abandoned" comment. After several months I finally removed a book from my "currently reading" list that I had started with my children. It's not a DNF, just something we'll have to pick back up later. And I like having my home colder than most people do. Even in the summer time, though -- so people thing it's a refrigerator in here. But now that we've fixed our fire place, the kids keep lighting fires. So I have to sneak the thermostat down whenever I can. Have a great week, Beth!
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