Foolscap! And then April!

OK, it's been a month. A month ago, I helped run our Foolscap Convention, so I missed a week. And the next week we had a power outage when I meant to be writing up my reading report. And the next week I was overwhelmed by three weeks worth of books. But if I don't get this out now, I'll be even more overwhelmed, so warning: lots of books, not much thought. 

Foolscap was virtual again this year, and I enjoyed it tremendously and can now make an omelette and may try pickling something. Not cucumbers though, ick. And I've tested my emergency readiness and can confirm that I have easy access to candles and flashlights in case the power goes out. 

I'd had fun with my many book clubs -- Tuesday went through Foundation and then I've talked them into trying Strange Love, the Friday people met up and we had a good time and even talked about the book, the Romance club was a lot of fun, and the kids did a good job discussing A Wild Robot. I managed to finish NOTHING for the Triple Book Club but showed up anyway. April Fools day came with no fooling by me, but I made up for it by losing all my documents and filing for an extension on Tax Day. I'm now double-boosted for COVID and plan to start going back to the gym any minute now. Really. It's gonna happen.

I'm still plugging through Deep Space Nine, and have started Bridgerton but binged Old Enough. I've started dozens of books but finished a lot less. 

I am still second on my list of all the Cybils finalists. But I'm still working on the categories (as you see, middle grade SF is showing up), so I have hopes of regaining the top spot. Look out, Shaye! I only need like thirty thirty-five more books to catch up! (Shaye continues to read the rest faster than me. I'm doomed but happy about it.)

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" and I think I'm in time this week! Ditto for the children's lit version at either Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers.

Started

Ophie's Ghost, Justina Ireland. Cybils finalist. 

Heat, Mike Lupica. Cybils finalist.

Royal Airs, Sharon Shinn. From my shelves, chosen to cure my reading slump.

Phoenix Extravagant, Yoon Ha Lee. For local Sword and Laser group.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part 1 Vol 2 (Manga), Miya Kazuki. Because bookworm.

Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest. Also a reading slump cure.

Gender Queer, Maia Kobabe. For my banned book reading group.

Foundation, Isaac Asimov. For my Tuesday book club.

Heartstopper, Alice Oseman. My non-literary nephew recommended this web comic.

Constellation V. 5: Liaden Universe, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. I'm a Liaden fan.

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls, Kaela Rivera. Cybils finalist.

Sweet Home Alaska, Carole Estby Dagg. For my elementary school book club.

The Wild Robot, Peter Brown. For the other lunch group at the elementary school book club.

Black Butler XX, Yana Toboso. Working my way through this manga.

Too Bright To See, Kyle Lukoff. Cybils finalist. 

The World's Most Pointless Animals, Peter Bunting. Cybils finalist.

A Master of Djinn, P. Djeli Clark. Sword and Laser pick. 

Completed

The Girl From the Sea, Molly Knox Ostertag. 2021 Cybils Young Adult Graphic Novel finalist. A lot of this book is the protagonist being terrible to her girlfriend, so terrible that I desperately wanted the girlfriend to draw some boundaries and walk away. And it's not that she was a bad person, but she was young and afraid and protecting herself. But that doesn't mean she wasn't being hurtful. So it was a great book and I was very invested and very worried. 

Kiki Killira Breaks a Kingdom, Sangu Mandanna. 2021 Cybils Elementary / Middle Grade Speculative Fiction finalist. A lot of fun! It's a nifty portal fantasy where the protagonist created the portal world, but now it exists on its own, or it will if she can help save it. I like books where it's a real adventure but the fantasy world reflects the real themes of the story. It also explicitly deals with Kiki's anxiety issues, which is a bit less fun for me in a problem-novel kind of way, but that doesn't overwhelm the story and I guess authors like representation.  

Persuader, Lee Child. Tuesday book club. I'm definitely taking a Reacher break, but it was a fun ride. This one was interesting because the stuff in the present was in first person, and then there was some flashback to the past events that made Reacher interested in the current stuff. Reacher is always a bit grey in that if someone pushes him he doesn't hold back when pushing back, but in this one he goes even darker and is a full on vigilante. But his purity is saved when he hired to finish the job. So it's interesting to see how Child plays with his genre conventions.

Royal Airs, Sharon Shinn. I really like this author, so when I saw this book in a used book shop I grabbed it in hardcover. And then I had to read my new copy to make sure they remembered to put all the words in. I like her richly textured world, and I'm always pleased with fantasy religions that feel authentic to me. This one worked. The characters are just regular people dealing with their lives; it's not terribly exciting to be in their heads but I like that; the events around them that they are dealing with are exciting enough. I think Shinn has a great grasp of people -- mostly good but also prone to errors, and I enjoy submersing myself in her imagination. 

This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, Ann Patchett. Reading this at night is working well for me. Having a book I only read before sleeping reminds me to turn off screens, and since I was enjoying these essays I also had an incentive to get to bed on time. And this was a great pick because they were essays of varying lengths, so I could read as much or as little as I wanted, depending on how tired I was. I loved the peek into her life and interests, although she sounds like she might be an exhausting neighbor. But her love for her dog and her adventures with a camper (which was really an adventure in learning to commit to the man she'd eventually marry for the title essay) were really moving.

Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part 1 Vol 2 (Manga), Miya Kazuki. This reader is very determined! She keeps forgetting she's in the body of a sickly child, so there are many setbacks as she attempts te reinvent papyrus and clay slabs, but she also uses her math skills to get a job with in the barracks, which is an opportunity for her to learn to read again. Fun pictures and a theme I can get behind!

Grave Reservations, Cherie Priest. A nifty kind of urban fantasy -- the world is just as we know it, but this woman's hunches are solid. She doesn't know why, and it doesn't help much, but occasionally she gets something right. And now a cop wants to team up! They zip around Seattle, which is fun for me because I usually knew where they were going, although I thought that book store had moved. And the protagonist should probably take a self defense class, not how to beat someone up but on what to do if you have a stalker. Hint -- do not leave the bright and populated store, and if you do, definitely do not sneak out into the dark back alley. But it was in character and she had many redeeming features, including the great idea for divination through karaoke, and I look forward to the next one.

Gender Queer, Maia Kobabe. This is the next pick for Torches and Pitchforks, and this year we are focussing on banned books. The discussion will be interesting, because this was a great book that really helped me understand Kobabe's struggles with gender. I'm not very interested in my own gender -- I'm assigned female and that's fine, but I don't perform it much and it doesn't bother me when people don't notice. But some people are different! What a revelation! In this case, it matters, and it matters that what Kobabe feels completely doesn't match with what people think, but it's hard to find something that does fit. Why do people ban it? Well, there are some people banning it because they find the idea of questioning gender deeply frightening, but also very powerful, so they think reading about it might destroy civilization. Other people might be uncomfortable with the mentions of sex, pap smears, and other sex-adjacent issues. Mostly I think it's a signal that people who care about this sort of thing are bad people, and there is a very fuzzy idea of what is meant by "sort of thing." 

Heartstopper, Vol 1 Alice Oseman. This was intensely sweet, and I finished it while waiting for my nephew to finish up somewhere so I could tell him all my favorite bits on the way home and he could attempt not to spoil me for the next bit. I'm so excited to get to talk books with this boy, especially one that he also enjoyed so much. Nick is a cinnamon roll even though he's managed to hurt his friend by running off in a panic right then. I have asked the library to get me the next book.

Ophie's Ghost, Justina Ireland. 2021 Cybils Elementary / Middle Grade Speculative Fiction finalist. I really liked the historical setting, which gave a clear view of life in the early twentieth century (or thereabouts), and I liked the idea of people with the ability to see ghosts, and what their responsibilities were, and how not everyone understood ghosts the same way. I also really liked how the author balanced Ophie's age and abilities -- adults often would not explain things, or would make arbitrary decisions without asking her opinion, even when Ophie did in fact know relevant details. This did not make the adults evil (well, some were racist) but did make Ophie an even more sympathetic character. She had enough agency to be interesting, but not enough to make my suspension of disbelief lag. Interesting and emotionally realistic, which is the best thing for a fantasy book!

Sweet Home Alaska, Carole Estby Dagg. For my elementary school book club. This was quite fun! I liked that the protagonist was a huge book nerd and was eagerly awaiting the next Laura Ingalls book and used Almanzo's pumpkin technique to grow a big 'un. I also liked how it was in dialog with the politics of the Ingalls book -- how the book emphasized how independent Pa was even though in reality he was supported by his community and his government. In this one, Trip's father resists going on relief even as they are selling off the piano to pay the grocery bills, but he is eager to sign up for the government program to resettle people on farms in Alaska, which he sees as fair. Same tension between when something from the government is a sign of weakness and when it is a fair deal. 

The Wild Robot, Peter Brown. For the other lunch group at the elementary school book club. These kids showed up! This would be a good read aloud, and not only because the chapters are very short. I liked the way the text and the illustrations revealed different things, and the way the robotics and nature talk worked together, and how it wasn't afraid to ask questions about identity and community and relationships but only walked up to carnivores but looked away before things got brutal. 

Black Butler XX, Yana Toboso. Some of the problems in this book were solved in a surprise twist -- advanced technology can mimic fantasy! Surely you (the reader) were not superstitious enough to believe in this silly stuff! Which is a hilarious twist in a book centered around a demonic servant. I enjoyed it tremendously and have requested the next book from the library. 

Too Bright To See, Kyle Lukoff. 2021 Cybils Elementary / Middle Grade Speculative Fiction finalist. OK, I read this when I got it from the library but I couldn't remember why I ordered it. I think it's a really solid fiction book but not as good a speculative fiction one; in fact I would have liked it even more if the ghost element had been more ambiguous instead of definitely real. It's a book about the summer between elementary school and junior high, and how Bug learns a lot about identity and truth. Bug's life is complicated among several dimensions -- a beloved uncle has recently died, the family finances are looking grim, friendships seem to be shifting in odd ways, expectations don't match reality, and oh yeah, that uncle's ghost is frantically trying to say something. It all works together, except for the ghost, sorta. 

Constellation V. 5: Liaden Universe, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. These were a lot of fun -- lots of deep dives into Liaden conflicts, some on Surebleak, some elsewhere and elsewhen. I like to see them filling in lots of bits among the grand scope of the larger novels, especially because it reminds me of many of the situations currently in play. I'm not a huge fan of the Terran provincial accent, but I can get by. The cat worship is also a little overdone but it works in short stories. 

Live Free or Die, John Ringo. It finished at the end of February or maybe the beginning of March, which I've just caught up on. The first section was fun, but Ringo's habit of pausing for short (or not so short)  political statements got even duller in the back half, where most of the characters disappeared and we just had our Lone Hero, now richer than Musk, heroically making himself rich while saving humanity from the aliens. It's interesting that I read this as the same time as Foundation, because it has that classic science fiction thing of getting so interested in the technology and the situation/plot that it forgot to have characters beyond the simplest outline. There wasn't much tension, because the author liked his main character so much we knew he'd always turn out to be right, whether he was ordering from an alien menu or converting an asteroid into a Death Star. 

-- Book from the blogging gap -- 

Forget it. This is long enough as it is!

Bookmarks Moved (Or Languished) In:

Ok, I'm only going to put a book in here when I actually try to read it. Or at least actually pick it up and think about reading it. This week I made some progress in:

Medicus, Ruth Downie. Book to keep at the table so I can read while eating.

Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Disaster, Serhii Plokhy. My shared read with my brother-in-law.

Ancestral Night, Elizabeth Bear. I'm listening while I clean the kitchen at night. So ten minutes a night, except when I'm slacking off.

Sweep of the Heart, Ilona Andrews. Another Innkeeper story! I'm on chapter 9. 

Pandora's Star, Peter F. Hamilton. March Sword & Laser pick. They did warn us to start reading it a few months ago, as is is close to a thousand pages long. Oops. 

Vampire Trinity, Joey Hill. Rescued from the bottom of my currently-reading-no-I-mean-it pile, I'm now reading this after I turn off screens and before I fall asleep. 

Red Hood, Elana K. Arnold. Cybils finalist. Still struggling with the narrative in second person. You know how much that bugs me! So I'm letting library books push ahead. 

Vampire Trinity, Joey W. Hill. A gift from a well-wisher. 

Winter Tide, Ruthanna Emrys. When I'm not playing Spaceward Ho! on my ipad, I'm reading this. Did I mention that I'm climbing the Champions List? It's actually a sign of depression when I avoid doing things I like for things that scratch my ADHD. But I can't worry about that now, because I'm busy CONQUERING THE GALAXY. Ho!

Forging a Nightmare, Patricia A. Jackson. Trouble in Hell!

Three Keys, Kelly Yang. From my shelves. Sequel to Front Desk.

Coyote Dreams, C.E. Murphy. These are getting shaky in terms of whether they should stay on the list. 

Terra Nullius, Clare G. Colman. These are getting shaky in terms of whether they should stay on the list. 

Forfeit, Dick Francis. These are getting shaky in terms of whether they should stay on the list. 

Picture Books / Short Stories:

P Is For Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever, Raj Haldar. I read this in a bookstore, and as a terrible speller and pronouncer (but a good reader!) I enjoyed it tremendously and can definitely see enjoying it with both pre-school and post-school kids. I mean, I had the song "The English Language Gets a Little Goofy" on our playlist for a long time. 

I Am a Little Monkey, Francois Crozet. (The C in Francois has the thingy under it). Reading-my-library-quest book. This is shelved as for Early Readers but is fairly scientific, showing how the monkey lives in its environment. I liked the tall and skinny format and the clear but not quite photographic illustrations. This is for the sophisticated toddler, but I've known a few of those. Full paragraphs on a page, detailed illustrations that are realistic but welcoming, and an emphasis on conveying information -- this is what it is like to be a monkey in a forest. 

Stick!, Andy Pritchett. Reading-my-library-quest book. A dog, a stick, and a barnyard of animals who don't see the appeal. Just as we begin to despair another dog! A friendship! A crowd of animals who now see the appeal! Vindication, happiness, and companionship. A nice bucket of emotions for a little kid. A sweet book for kids not quite ready for sentences, or kids looking to memorize some books. 

Peep and Egg: I'm Not Taking a Bath, Laura Gehl. Reading-my-library-quest book. There's the responsible one and the rebellious one, and the second is presumably the child-insert (although I know some young people would would lean the other way). I like the way responsibility wins but in a way that doesn't squash the foolish chick. This is clearly a series but I haven't seen the others.

Fire Truck Dreams, Sharon Chriscoe. Reading-my-library-quest book. I liked this and my train-loving son would have accepted a fire truck as a substitute, but I also found the conclusion a bit odd. The fire truck spends most of the book getting ready for bed (which I heartily approve of in a book I would have read at bedtime) and then falls asleep to dream of doing some actual fire rescue stuff, but it's stuff it could have done while awake? I would have expected a less realistic dream; I almost forgot that the truck was asleep for it.

Otis and the Puppy, Loren Long. Reading-my-library-quest book. I liked the arc of the story, although I kept forgetting that Otis was a tractor because the illustrations let him contort so much that it wasn't obvious to me. Perhaps I am not very mechanically minded. It was exciting when Otis defied both the farmer and his fears to hunt to the lost puppy through the night.

Bartelli's Bicycle, Megan Hoyt. 2021 Cybils Elementary Nonfiction Finalist. A good biography of Bartelli, with excitement and friendship and nifty biking gear, and I liked the afterward that summed up the details. It's not really a great introduction to World War II (not that it tries to be), so there's a lot of skipping details to simplify the story. Fun read though. 

Dig In!, Cindy Jenson-Elliott. Reading-my-library-quest book. This didn't really work for me. I found the illustrations unappealing and the science slim. I would have shelved this in Very Young rather than science and nature. It is true the kid is experimenting by poking a finger in the ground to see what is there, but it's extremely rudimentary science; the monkey book had a lot more information. I guess mud happens in nature, so there's that.

Classified, Traci Sorell. 2021 Cybils Middle Grade Nonfiction Finalist. This biography of Mary Golda Ross taught me a lot about the engineer and how her Cherokee background influenced her career path and decisions and honored her values (I had never heard of her before). I'm always glad to hear about people doing work during the time we like to pretend that only white men were allowed to achieve things (although it was still easier for those white guys). But the writing and illustrations didn't amaze me. 

Sakamoto's Swim Club, Julie Abery.  2021 Cybils Elementary Nonfiction Finalist. The cover art didn't draw me in, but by the end of this rhyming history of the swim club that made it to the Olympics (despite poverty, nonprofessional coaching, and a World War) really drew me in. I'm even a convert to the art style. 

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter, Laurie Wallmark. 2021 Cybils Elementary Nonfiction Finalist. Lots of stuff I didn't know, about spy work, the development of cryptography, and how the Americans independently cracked the Enigma code. Details of the extra hurdles Elizebeth Friedman had to leap as a woman are presented but not dwelled on, and I like that we also see her having a family alongside her career. 

Mimic Makers, Kristen Nordstrom. 2021 Cybils Elementary Nonfiction Finalist. A fun book for budding engineers, with clear examples of scientists drawing inspiration from nature to make amazing things. 

The Elephants Come Home, Kim Tomsic. 2021 Cybils Elementary Nonfiction Finalist. Warm and loving account of a man who loved animals, and the elephants that loved him back. As a cynical adult, I wonder about the story behind how he acquired all that land, but this would be a fun book to read with an animal loving child or classroom. 

"So Your Grandmother Is a Starship Now: A Quick Guide for the Bewildered," Marissa Lingen. It's cool because she's a now in interstellar vessel, but this guide always wants you to realize that's she's always been her own person. 

"The Dragon Project," Naomi Kritzer. March 2022 Clarkesworld. Kritzer does a good job combining satire over bad venture capital practices and cute human interest items. The dragons are adorable, especially the one that breathes fire. 

Palate Cleansers

These books I'm barely reading; lately I use them as bribes to get me to deal with the mail. I've been ignoring my mail.

The Educated Child, William Bennett.

 

Dates From Hell, Kim Harrison & others. Moving into the last story.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. 

Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. OK, I'm doing the day's song, and then jumping back to where I fell behind. So I'm catching some of March and April and working my way through December.

Reading Challenges

1. Cybils 2021: Finished several Middle Grade SF and also some younger nonfiction.
2. Early Cybils: Working on Red Hood again. I'm not liking it much, so I also have Heat on hand. 
3. Reading My Library. The library had a pipe break and is closed for repairs! But I have a back-up library...
4. Where Am I Reading 2022. Well, my attempt to read a cowboy romance gave me Maine.
5. Libraries: 24/55 for the Tacoma Extreme Challenge.

Future Plans

I'm putting this at the end because I suspect it's complete fiction, but I feel I should attempt some structure.

I am reading: 

• Book I own: Chernobyl Next: Forging a Nightmare
• Library Book: A Master of Djinn  Next: Ikenga
• Ebook I own:  Winter's Tale. Next: ???
• Library Ebook: Bookworm  Next: Bookworm
• Book Club Book: A Master of Djinn
• Tuesday Book Club Book: Strange Love
• Review Book: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb  Next: Back Home
• Rereading: Forfeit. Or Maybe Heidi.
• Meal Companion: Medicus
• Audio:  Ancestral Night