Lovely Weather

The weather has been absolutely lovely and yet I huddle inside. I think I managed one walk this week. I need to figure out why I don't want to do things that make me happy. Maybe I'll do yard work, which would get me outside but still make me miserable.

I had the excitement of having my phone COVID warning go off -- apparently I was near someone with a phone who had COVID last week. So I diligently tested and came up negative. So far so good.

The KCLS Romance Reading series discussed Slow Burn Romances last Wednesday. We discussed the difference between a category and a trope and why some get marketing slots and others get maybe some vague cover hints. I accidentally had read a book that moved slowly because the characters were adults who wanted to get to know each other (I like that kind) and also one where they both declare themselves on a dating hiatus when they meet, so they get to spend many pages regretting that declaration before daring to bring up the idea of altering it. That method usually needs a lot of madcap plots to distract both the characters and the reader, but that can be fun too. 

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 nonfiction is showing up), so I have hopes of regaining the top spot. Look out, Shaye! I only need like thirty thirty-five forty thirty more books to catch up! (Shaye continues to read the rest faster than me. I'm doomed but happy about it.) Ha! Shaye has read 95% of the books -- she can't climb much higher.

I'm also working my way through the Hugo finalists for this year.

I'm currently reading about 35 books, which is actually an improvement over last week.

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

Life's Too Short, Abby Jimenez. For my Romance Reading Series (Slow Burn).

Happy Families, Tanita S. Davis. From library.

Thanks a Lot, Universe, Chad Lucas. Cybils finalist.

Valley of the Shadow, Carola Dunn. Zipping through this series.

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir. Hugo finalist.

Finding Junie Kim, Ellen Oh. Cybils finalist.

Cobra, Timothy Zahn. The Baen Free Radio Podcast serial. I've made it to part 7, so I think I'm here for the ride.

Completed

Never Say You Can't Survive, Charlie Jane Anders. Hugo nominee -- Best Related Work. This is a writing guide that is partly about how writing benefits the writer, and partly about how the writer can get better. Although Anders is careful to repeat that what matters is what works and that can vary from person to person, she also describes what works for her, giving details on how she figured it out and what doing that gives her. The idea is to help the reader discover their own process and learn to identify what they are doing and whether they want to be doing that. It's a personal and inspirational book -- anyone looking for encouragement as to why they should keep writing should find good stuff here.

Life's Too Short, Abby Jimenez. This was a lot of fun! She's built her life around the possibility of developing ALS, so she is all about seizing the moment. He's designed to avoid emotional pain. She gets a baby, he gets a pesky dog. After agreeing that romance is off the table, they become best friends. It's a slow burn because of that agreement; they have time to really learn to trust each other. I still hate the requisite ending of current romances, but at least it was only a small part of the plot. (I mean, obviously they get together, but the giant fight at the end seemed extremely unlikely.)

Measuring Up, Lily LaMotte. 2021 Cybils Middle Grade Graphic Novel finalist. I liked the balance of angst from Taiwanese immigrant child missing home and worrying about fitting in at her new school in Seattle and the stress of a local weekly elimination cooking competition. There were a few glitches (skipping the announcement of who was eliminated?) but it flowed well. There were a variety of side characters -- the original friends and the development of the friendship at the contest, which has to survive when cooperation turns into competition. A good balance of interest, suspense, and payoff.

The Educated Child, William Bennett & Chester E. Finn Jr. Well, I finally finished it, long after my kids grew up, so the information isn't practical for me which is just as well as a lot of it is outdated. It was a good chance to think about what your kid is learning each year in school, with some reality checks to see if things have gone awry, but a lot of the advice for dealing with teachers and administrators seems unhelpful, and the studies I've seen do not reinforce much of what they'd like to be true (homework isn't as useful as you'd think). But I liked the constant reinforcement that caring parents are vitally interested in their children's education.

Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews. Heroic family does heroics! Also, LOVE! Frothy and fun.

Valley of the Shadow, Carola Dunn. I really liked the interesting crime in this one -- the book was much more concerned with the refugees and their situation, although the final action scene was very enjoyable if rather unlikely. But the interactions of the intimidating detective, the elderly aunt, the lady cop, and all the others were interesting and historic enough to be a bit exotic. The descriptions of the sea rescue teams and the rescue itself was especially vivid.

Inside the Shadow City (Kiki Strike 1), Kirsten Miller. 2006 Cybils Middle Grade Fiction finalist. OK, I'm amused that this wasn't shelved as a speculative book -- there's a secret underground city beneath New York, there are near sentient rats, and there's a magic-science whistle that chases rats away for life, in addition to child spies, alchemists, disguise artists, and master thieves. But the fun of the book is the retrospective voice -- the narrator is looking back at her youth from an obviously advanced age (probably at least thirty) and pauses sometimes to directly give advice and tips. I liked the twists of the story and the elaborate spy plot. 

The Girls I've Been, Tess Sharpe. 2021 Cybils Teen Fiction Finalist. Lots of tense moments. It's a story of a girl and her friends dealing with a hostage situation at their local bank (the situation being that they are the hostages). But it's also about dealing with abuse and with friendship, and what honesty is demanded from you, and how does using your past as a weapon hurt you, and it's very suspenseful with a great use of flashbacks. I was hoping for a bit more secret reveals from the girlfriend, but I was okay with the direction they went there. 

Thanks a Lot, Universe, Chad Lucas. 2021 Cybils Middle Grade Fiction finalist. Two boys negotiate middle school -- this is a winning recipe for a book. The boys themselves are nuance and real, and deal with problems with ethics and varying amounts of skill and maturity, helped and sometimes hindered by the adults around them. One boy is also dealing with the realization that he is gay, and the other has just had the absolute worst day imaginable, and now must deal with the consequences, along with all the other problems that come with middle school. I hope to see more books by Lucas. (Hmm, he published another book LAST WEEK.)

Finding Junie Kim, Ellen Oh.  2021 Cybils Middle Grade Fiction finalist. Junie is having a tough time with middle school; she depressed and the racist bullying from some classmates is feeding the negative thoughts in her head. Dealing with this has her turning to her grandparents for support, and that gives the book room to tell their stories as well, stories of their childhood experiences during the Korean War. These two narratives mesh well thematically -- what support do kids need? How can we respond to our friends? How about friends who make mistakes? What if we are the ones failing? Big themes, very specific reality is a winning formula for a book.

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir. Hugo novel finalist. This had a lot of strengths like The Martian -- lone guy uses science to solve his problems in an isolated environment. But I liked all the variations -- the resources he found, the way the flashbacks were handled, and the resolution. I also like the unreliability of the narrator, where he was unreliable more to himself than to the reader.

-----------------Book From Blogging Hiatus -----------------

From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry, Paula Yoo. 2021 Cybils nominee. This reporting on the murder of Vincent Chin and how that marked a key beginning to the Asian American Movement was all new history to me; I was a child for most of it and none of it registered with me. The reporting of the murder itself was devastating and clear, and Yoo then follows the court cases that followed, from the original incredibly light punishments through the civil rights cases brought (and re-brought) partly in response to the movement inflamed by the original response. Yoo does a great job reporting the events, but I could have used a bit more help with some of the legal issues, and the separation of the general principles from the particulars of this case.

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:

Red Hood, Elana K. Arnold. Cybils finalist. Girl power! Also, incels are terrible.

Winter Tide, Ruthanna Emrys. America does not look good in this. 

Vampire Trinity, Joey Hill. Back to talking too much.

Sweep of the Heart, Ilona Andrews. Bachelor to the stars!

Ancestral Night, Elizabeth Bear. Yay!

Phoenix Extravagant, Yoon Ha Lee. I met the cover dragon!

Risk, Dick Francis. Stiff upper lip.

Forging a Nightmare, Patricia A. Jackson. 

Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Disaster, Serhii Plokhy. 

Pandora's Star, Peter F. Hamilton. March Sword & Laser pick. 

Ship Without Sails, Sherwood Smith. I'm in May!

Picture Books / Short Stories:

Pomelo Begins to Grow, Ramona Badescu. SCIENCE AND NATURE shelf in my library. OK, this shelf confused me a lot, because I might file this book under philosophy but science? Huh? It's quirky and odd and I guessed it was a translation because it felt a bit off kilter from my expectations somehow. The strange elephant thing is confronting body changes, maturity, the loss of childhood's innocence, and all sorts of existential crises, and it would be delightful to read this with a preschooler who maybe could help it all make sense.

Marsupial Sue Presents "The Runaway Pancake," John Lithgow. RHYMES AND SONGS shelf in my local library. The conceit of animals putting on a play gave an extra level to the illustrations which I really enjoyed. Apparently this is a sequel, but I had fun with it on its own. I mean to listen to the CD but I forgot.

Very Grumpy Day, Stella J. Jones. FEELINGS shelf in my local library. The cosy pictures and friendly tone keep the obvious message from overwhelming the story -- grumpiness is easy to spread and friendliness is the same. I also appreciated that the animals apologized for hurting each other even when the injury wasn't their fault -- Fox was tripped and dropped his groceries, and he apologized to the animals splashed by his milk, just as Mole apologized for leaving his tools lying about to be tripped over.

Parachute, Danny Parker. FEELINGS shelf in my local library. I loved this. I loved the use of white and the emotionally resonant pictures that amplified and exemplified the situations described by the words. The book really echoed my parenting philosophy that kids grow best from a place of emotional safety and that having parachutes is a temporary need that secure kids will mature and leave behind. 

The Leaf Detective, Heather Lang. 2021 Cybils Middle Grade Nonfiction. Biography of a scientist I was unfamiliar with, although her work has affected me. I look forward to the day when these biographies don't have to mention the sexism their subjects overcame. I like reading about the new techniques Lowman designed and how much she pushed our knowledge about forests, trees and leaves.

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.

 

Dates From Hell, Kim Harrison & others. 

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane (no picture).

Stinger, Nancy Kress. 

Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. Yay, I listened to a few!

Reading Challenges

1. Cybils 2021: Finished a YA, two middle grade fictions, a graphic novel, and a nonfiction picture book. 
2. Early Cybils: Working on Red Hood again. Finished the 2006 Kiki. Escape is on deck.
3. Reading My Library. Have the next one waiting. Continued with the picture books from Renton Highlands.
4. Where Am I Reading 2022. Picked up Maryland and Minnesota. 20/51
5. Libraries: 38/55 for the Tacoma Extreme Challenge: Picked up 1-Historical figure, 21- Body positivity, 33- Heart on cover, 49 - Asian fantasy, 
   Read a librarian-recommend book for KCLS 10 to Try.

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: Desolation Called Peace Next: 
• Ebook I own:  Winter's Tale. Next: ???
• Library Ebook:  Red At the Bone Next: 
• Book Club Book: Machinehood
• Tuesday Book Club Book: Strange Love
• Hugo Book: Desolation Called Peace
• Review Book: Back Home  Next: 
• Rereading: Risk. Or Maybe Heidi.
• Meal Companion: Happy Families
• Audio:  Ancestral Nights

Congratulations, Graduate

Wow, I think I managed to avoid getting COVID after all! Go me! I'm the luckiest woman in the world! I'm probably invincible. And I should have bought a lottery ticket. 

I almost managed to forget about my elementary book club, because luckily my phone buzzed at me in time for me to hightail it over to the school. We had a good time discussing Save Me a Seat, and the kids talked about immigrants, and friendship, and being a new kid, and what was the best cookie, and whether anyone deserves to be allowed to pour leeches down his pants. 

My brother drove in from Utah to celebrate his niece's graduation, and incidentally to pick him our mom's wine fridge. My brother-in-law's brother also came out with his wife, so we had a few days filled with family gatherings and meals, culminating in the graduation party for our Magna Cum Laude Political Science/Pre-law honoree. 

The weather was lovely for the party, but the weather people had threatened rain. This was lucky for me, because I had ANOTHER book club on Saturday, the triple book club, and I had read all three of those books too. Because of the rain, we switched from an outdoor backyard affair to an online meeting, so I did manage to sneak over and join in. 

On Sunday my sons made me my own Dutch Baby for my breakfast in bed. This has been our Mother's Day tradition since they were small -- well, breakfast in bed is the tradition, and the meal has shifted as they got old enough to become more ambitious. Since I wasn't home until the afternoon last week, I got my breakfast this day, complete with flowers from our yard.

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 nonfiction is showing up), so I have hopes of regaining the top spot. Look out, Shaye! I only need like thirty thirty-five forty more books to catch up! (Shaye continues to read the rest faster than me. I'm doomed but happy about it.) Actually, at some point she will stop increasing her lead, because she is really close to done. 

I'm currently reading about 37 books, so maybe I'll manage to finish some of them next week.

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

Fireheart Tiger, Aliette de Bodard. Hugo nominee -- Novella.

Someone Perfect, Mary Balogh. Grabbed from library because I like this author.

Never Say You Can't Survive, Charlie Jane Anders. Hugo nominee -- Best Related Work.

Inside the Shadow City, Kirsten Miller. Cybils finalist. 

Measuring Up, Lily LaMotte. Cybils finalist. 

Ship Without Sails, Sherwood Smith. I should admit I'm reading this. I follow the author's patreon and she's sending a chapter a day, although I'm falling behind.

Completed

Medicus, Ruth Downie. While I have to basis for judging, it did feel like a possibly accurate portrayal of life as a struggling Roman army doctor. The characters were relatable but also had some fundamentally different ideas of some basic stuff (slavery, for example) and the medical practices were both primitive and ambitious. I tried to ignore the romantic element as it wasn't credible to me, but the rest of it made for a nice read at my table.

Fireheart Tiger, Aliette de Bodard. Hugo nominee -- Novella. Eh, I struggled with this a bit. The romance elements didn't work for me -- the main pairing didn't balance royal privilege with preference,  and also it was a bit dull. And then the secondary pairing probably worked better, but I was completely thrown out because they had given each other the nicknames "Big Sis" and "Lil Sis," which maybe in this culture (fantasy Viet Nam?) doesn't imply a family type bond but which strongly have that feel for me. So I was reading them as in a mentorship, sisterly kind of context and then suddenly they were a romantic item, and I couldn't make the switch. The royal stuff was cool but I am old and unromantic and that was a bit part of the story.

Breathless, Beverley Jenkins. I was hoping for a slow burn romance, because that's the theme for this week's Romance Book Series. But it doesn't really fit -- they knew each other a long time ago, but haven't seen each other in decades and when they meet again things move very quickly. I liked the next book in this series a lot better; this one was mostly a lust at first sight thing, and I felt that her emotional growth was more "here's the problem -- but now it's gone" thing rather than show her actually addresses her hesitancy and fear of trust. He was magically really sexy, so she's cured! And he was tired of drifting, so miraculously he falls for this woman with a rich and successful family who can set him up with a business! Also, he has a history of promiscuity, but now he's ready to be faithful, and all the women who pursue him (except for our heroine) are shamed for their sluttiness, even though a few weeks ago he would have been delighted to go for it. It was uncomfortable.

Someone Perfect, Mary Balogh. I finished this in one sitting because I was procrastinating on doing an unpleasant chore. It did what it promised on the cover, and did it in a way that I enjoyed. There were some echos of Venetia, one of my favorite Heyer novels. She's a smart woman a little on the old side for marriage (mid twenties!) with a beloved brother. He has a bad reputation that is partially earned. But it's also a classic Balogh, where extended families are there for support and love, and emotional honesty and courage give rich rewards, and forgiveness is offered when it is sincerely sought. The characters had to work and change a bit to get what they want, but they do it like adults, so at no point did I need to put the book down and maybe clean something gross before picking it up again. (Sadly, I finished it and then had to clean the gross thing anyway.)

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, Vol 1,  Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. I'm watching this series on Netflix (very slowly) so I thought I'd check out the novel version. They are in slightly different order, but I liked seeing the characters from the inside and also learning about what was going on in some parts where I had misunderstood stuff. I also got hints on what were the conventions of the genre, which also helped. But mostly it was fun seeing these guys flail about emotionally while also being really skilled at the magic cultivation stuff that they do.

Shifting Shadows, Patricia Briggs. Audio for my drive. I liked having the shorter stories rather than a novel, because it gave me markers for my progress. The narration varied between a man and a woman, both of whom I associate with Briggs books. Maybe the guy does the Charles books? I like how the stories we have heard from characters about Bran don't exactly match up with the story we get in this book; you can see where they come from and why some stuff got confused. Especially when you compare with the stories about Mercy growing up in Montana. The accent for Ben didn't seem right somehow, but that's still a fun story, as is the final ghost story.

Song of Blood and Stone, L. Penelope. Cloudy book club book. This was a bit frustrating -- I liked the beginning as the world building was established, with the racism and the protagonist's big problem. Then her problems got worse as she met up with the other protagonist, and they had to work together to survive. But I disliked their love story that picked up from that, which kinda spoiled the rest of the book. The politics in the second half were interesting, except for our hero's response, which was tediously simplistic. By the end of it I was utterly fed up with him and had no wish for anyone to be saddled with him as a partner, romantically or politically. I was really hoping for maybe some democratic reforms. Emotionally it felt like a YA, in that the characters had the emotional maturity of a somewhat spoiled fifteen year old. But it's a first book, so I think I'll keep an eye on the author, as I liked a lot of the stuff going on around the main characters even when I didn't want to read about them.

Amari and the Night Brothers, B.B. Alston. 2021 Cybils Middle Grade Speculative Fiction finalist. Amari was a great protagonist -- courageous, loyal, smart, and ethical. I liked her progress in the school for people, and the way the real traitor was disguised. I did want her to broaden her perspective a bit, but that was a minor quibble. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

-----------------Book From Blogging Hiatus -----------------

Skipping this week. 

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:

Sweep of the Heart, Ilona Andrews. A monarchy constrained by public opinion polls -- neat concept.

The Girls I've Been, Tess Sharpe. Lots of tense moments.

Phoenix Extravagant, Yoon Ha Lee. April's local Sword and Laser group pick.

Vampire Trinity, Joey Hill. Ooh, that part was kinda hot.

Ancestral Night, Elizabeth Bear. Back to my kitchen cleaning.

Red Hood, Elana K. Arnold. Cybils finalist. This flashback is pretty grim.

Emerald Blaze, Ilona Andrews. Fun book from my shelves.

Risk, Dick Francis. Kidnappings is a plural word.

Winter Tide, Ruthanna Emrys. Cool scene.

Forging a Nightmare, Patricia A. Jackson. 

Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Disaster, Serhii Plokhy. 

Pandora's Star, Peter F. Hamilton. March Sword & Laser pick. 

Picture Books / Short Stories:

Unspeakable, Carole Boston Weatherford. 2022 Cybils Middle Grade Nonfiction. Lovely pictures show the events before and after the massacre of Tulsa. The violence isn't shown graphically, but the impact is strong. 

We Are Still Here!, Traci Sorrel. 2022 Cybils Elementary Nonfiction. I wanted the frame to make things more personal -- each spread was a school kid's report on a topic. But the afterward gave me a lot of detail on what each page was portraying. I see this as an educational book rather than one read for enjoyment, but it would be a good one.

Two Is For Twins, Wendy Cheyette Lewison. Board book I picked up and read at the library, which celebrates having and being a twin. Simple happy pictures showing kids living and going to school, always with a companion.

Over There: Daddy Version, Dorinda Silver Williams. I thought this was a preposition book when I picked it up, but it's a toddler sized meditation on having a deployed father, shown mostly from the kid (who is playing, living, and missing their father) but also from the dad, who is in uniform and calling, skyping, and writing home to convey his love. Didactic but not in an annoying way; I can see this being a great tool to help kids understand their emotions and feel part of something comprehensible. 

Nino Wrestle the World, Yuyi Morales. Reading My Library -- Our World shelf. Fun book showing a boy battling various wrestling opponents with moves improvised from his daily life, and the last page hints at the sequel. 

Crane Boy, Diana Cohn. Reading My Library -- Our World shelf. I liked learning about the development of the Crane festival in Bhutan, but the text left me unsure what was fact and what was story. I liked when I got from the afterward though.

I Don't Want to Read This Book, Max Greenfield. I'm always up for a meta book! This one isn't the greatest of its kind, but the fun fonts kept me turning pages. Apparently Max Greenfield is an actor? 

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. 

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. 

Stinger, Nancy Kress. Making progress!

Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. 

Reading Challenges

1. Cybils 2021: Finished Amari and the Night Brothers. Read a few more picture books, and brought home another graphic novel and the start of the middle grade fiction.
2. Early Cybils: Working on Red Hood again. Started the 2006 Kiki. 
3. Reading My Library. Finished Medicus, which I forgot was a Reading My Library book. Continued with the picture books from Renton Highlands.
4. Where Am I Reading 2022. Picked up fantasy China.
5. Libraries: 34/55 for the Tacoma Extreme Challenge. 
   Read a librarian-recommend book for KCLS 10 to Try.

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: Girls I've Been Next: Desolation Called Peace
• Ebook I own:  Winter's Tale. Next: ???
• Library Ebook:  Never Say You Can't Survive Next: Life's Too Short
• Book Club Book: Life's Too Short
• Tuesday Book Club Book: Strange Love
• Hugo Book: Project Hail Mary
• Review Book: Back Home  Next: 
• Rereading: Risk. Or Maybe Heidi.
• Meal Companion: Happy Families
• Audio:  Ancestral Nights