I recently went to a book discussion at my local art museum. They had chosen Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti to read to complement a traveling exhibition called Dig by Jeff Donaldson.
He was an African-American artist in the 1960s who did multimedia work. He did collages and paintings. His work tied together African art from the past by using motifs from several African countries in addition to modern images. I loved the whole exhibit.
By far my favorite piece was one called One 4 Bearden.
Obviously the first thing I saw was the image of a harpist partially made up by quilt blocks. Perfect for me. Seriously, this wants to come and live at my house. I was so sad that there were no available reproductions available to buy. The museum gift shop didn’t have anything about this exhibit. I was there with my money out ready to buy.
Anyway, look at the top corners and you see the Egyptian harpists in the background. The more you look the more you see. The whole exhibit was like this.
The discussion was ok. I’m a Nnedi Okorafor nerd. I’ve read all her books and I follow her on Twitter. So people would reference stuff in the biography in Binti and it took all my self control not to be like, “That’s a few years out of date. She’s moved on from there because….” Don’t go all super fangirl on the nice people. You’ll scare the muggles who are talking about never really reading sci-fi much. They liked the book and are talking about reading more of her books. Let that stand as is.
I loved the idea of picking a book to complement the traveling exhibits. They only do it a few times a year but I’ll definitely see what they chose next even if it means going out in public and talking to strangers.
“When LSD was first discovered in the 1940s, it seemed to researchers, scientists and doctors as if the world might be on the cusp of psychological revolution. It promised to shed light on the deep mysteries of consciousness, as well as offer relief to addicts and the mentally ill. But in the 1960s, with the vicious backlash against the counter-culture, all further research was banned. In recent years, however, work has quietly begun again on the amazing potential of LSD, psilocybin and DMT. Could these drugs in fact improve the lives of many people? Diving deep into this extraordinary world and putting himself forward as a guinea-pig, Michael Pollan has written a remarkable history of psychedelics and a compelling portrait of the new generation of scientists fascinated by the implications of these drugs. How to Change Your Mind is a report from what could very well be the future of human consciousness.“
I’m a huge fan of Michael Pollan’s food writing. I’m not sure where he is going with this one but I’ll give it a try.
What Am I Listening To
“Nashville, August 1920. Thirty-five states have ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, twelve have rejected or refused to vote, and one last state is needed. It all comes down to Tennessee, the moment of truth for the suffragists, after a seven-decade crusade. The opposing forces include politicians with careers at stake, liquor companies, railroad magnates, and a lot of racists who don’t want black women voting. And then there are the ‘Antis’–women who oppose their own enfranchisement, fearing suffrage will bring about the moral collapse of the nation. They all converge in a boiling hot summer for a vicious face-off replete with dirty tricks, betrayals and bribes, bigotry, Jack Daniel’s, and the Bible.“
I’m still listening to this one. It is slow going because I have to keep stopping to cuss people out.
“Centuries after the last humans left Earth, the Exodus Fleet is a living relic, a place many are from but few outsiders have seen. Humanity has finally been accepted into the galactic community, but while this has opened doors for many, those who have not yet left for alien cities fear that their carefully cultivated way of life is under threat.
Tessa chose to stay home when her brother Ashby left for the stars, but has to question that decision when her position in the Fleet is threatened.
Kip, a reluctant young apprentice, itches for change but doesn’t know where to find it.
Sawyer, a lost and lonely newcomer, is just looking for a place to belong.
When a disaster rocks this already fragile community, those Exodans who still call the Fleet their home can no longer avoid the inescapable question:
What is the purpose of a ship that has reached its destination?”
What Am I Listening To
“Nashville, August 1920. Thirty-five states have ratified the Nineteenth Amendment, twelve have rejected or refused to vote, and one last state is needed. It all comes down to Tennessee, the moment of truth for the suffragists, after a seven-decade crusade. The opposing forces include politicians with careers at stake, liquor companies, railroad magnates, and a lot of racists who don’t want black women voting. And then there are the ‘Antis’–women who oppose their own enfranchisement, fearing suffrage will bring about the moral collapse of the nation. They all converge in a boiling hot summer for a vicious face-off replete with dirty tricks, betrayals and bribes, bigotry, Jack Daniel’s, and the Bible.“
After a rolicking reading week last time, I was back to just finishing one book.
I have an excuse this time though. On Saturday, we had my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary party. It turned out to be a big shindig. I didn’t get a final turnout but we were expecting about 75 people. People came in from all over the U.S. They all kept congratulating me on being able to pull off a party of that size and getting all those people there. This confused me. I literally sent one group message to any relatives I’ve friended on Facebook and followed that with a mailed invitation. That was the extent of my involvement in who showed up. It was all of them to decided to book plane tickets and come.
I spent the day monitoring the food and explaining who people were. Since it was both my mom’s and dad’s side of the family, people would sidle up and try to figure out if other people were distant relatives they didn’t remember or if they weren’t related to these people at all. My dad’s family was made up of 9 kids with over 30 years between the oldest and youngest. So many nieces and nephews are younger than uncles, etc. To outsiders it looks like generational chaos, so I was fielding all the “Now, which ones are your dad’s brothers?” questions.
“Adèle has only one goal: catch the purple-haired thief who broke into her home and stole her exocore, thus proving herself to her new police team. Little does she know, her thief is also the local baker.
Claire owns the Croissant-toi, but while her days are filled with pastries and customers, her nights are dedicated to stealing exocores. These new red gems are heralded as the energy of the future, but she knows the truth: they are made of witches’ souls.
When her twin—a powerful witch and prime exocore material—disappears, Claire redoubles in her efforts to investigate. She keeps running into Adèle, however, and whether or not she can save her sister might depend on their conflicted, unstable, but deepening relationship.”
What Am I Listening To
“Whales are among the largest, most intelligent, deepest diving species to have ever lived on our planet. They evolved from land-roaming, dog-like creatures into animals that move like fish, breathe like us, can grow to 300,000 pounds, live 200 years and roam entire ocean basins. Whales fill us with terror, awe, and affection–yet we know hardly anything about them, and they only enter our awareness when they die, struck by a ship or stranded in the surf. Why did it take whales over 50 million years to evolve to such big sizes, and how do they eat enough to stay that big? How did their ancestors return from land to the sea? Why do they beach themselves? What do their lives tell us about our oceans, and evolution as a whole? Importantly, in the sweepstakes of human-driven habitat and climate change, will whales survive?
Nick Pyenson’s research has given us the answers to some of our biggest questions about whales. Nick’s rich storytelling takes us to the cool halls deep inside the Smithsonian’s priceless fossil collection, to the frigid fishing decks on Antarctic whaling stations, and to the blazing hot desert of Chile where scientists race against time to document the largest fossil whalebone site on earth. Spying on Whales is science writing at its best: an author who is an incredible, passionate writer, at the forefront of his field, on a topic that invokes deep fascination.”
This is the first week in a long time where I’ve felt like myself in terms of reading. I had a run of good books that kept me engaged instead of letting me drift off to something else without ever settling in. Now I have lots of reviews to write.
What Am I Reading?
I saw this mentioned on Twitter and had to try it since the ebook was free.
“When Thomas Khatt awakens to the magical world following the sudden, violent death of his elderly Archmagus neighbor, he doesn’t get the standard package of awesome power combined with a hero destiny. Nope, he trades his thumbs in for a tail, tawny fur and four feet with a very low co-efficient of friction on linoleum. His destiny as one of three talking mountain lions in the magical world? To be sold at auction and bonded to some pimply faced apprentice for life.
Thomas would rather eat dirty kitty litter.
Armed only with an impressive set of chompers and buckets of snark, Thomas faces off against a lightning-bolt throwing granny and a sexy union recruiter as he desperately tries hold the threads of his old life together. To stay off the leash he’ll have to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Archmagus’ death and help the local Inquisition solve his murder. A pyromanic squirrel, religious werewolves, and cat-hating cops all add to the chaos as Thomas attempts to become the first Freelance Familiar.”
What I DNFed
This was about a quilt and the family that made it including the enslaved people who they owned. It was supposed to be about northern slave society. I was supposed to learn stuff. I started getting annoyed by the author’s daydreaming instead of research. She’d go on and on imagining what a person’s life was like. Literally, each sentence would start with “Imagine”. Imagine her going to the market. Imagine her trading her vegetables. Imagine her talking to her friends. Imagine me starting to bang my head against the steering wheel. But I shut it off in disgust when she was talking about the death of a toddler. He had multiple head injuries. His father was a doctor and tried some blisters before he died. She went off imagining how if the child had lived he would have always associated pain with relief and blah, blah, blah. Also she said that women are sometimes referred to as “hoes” because of the farm tools instead of the real story where it is short for “whore.” All credibility gone.
What Am I Listening To
“Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her brilliant husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. What was a gal to do? Rhoda packed her bags and went home. This wasn’t just any home, though. This was a Mennonite home. While Rhoda had long ventured out on her own spiritual path, the conservative community welcomed her back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.) It is in this safe place that Rhoda can come to terms with her failed marriage; her desire, as a young woman, to leave her sheltered world behind; and the choices that both freed and entrapped her.“
“Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family’s interest or to be committed to a witches’ asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans’ hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is.
When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen.“
What Am I Listening To
“When we think of slavery, most of us think of the American South. We think of chattel slavery, of back-breaking fieldwork, and of cruel and inhumane treatment on plantations. We don’t think of slavery in the North, nor do we think of the grueling labor of urban and domestic/house slaves. Rachel May’s remarkable book explores the far reach of slavery, from New England to the Caribbean, the role it played in the growth of mercantile America, and the unbreakable bonds between the agrarian south and the industrial north in the antebellum era—all through the discovery of a remarkable quilt.”
“Indelbed is a lonely kid living in a crumbling mansion in the super dense, super chaotic third world capital of Bangladesh. When he learns that his dead mother was a djinn — more commonly known as a genie — and that his drunken loutish father is a sitting emissary to the djinns (e.g. a magician), his whole world is turned inside out. Suddenly, and for reasons that totally escape him, his father is found in a supernatural coma, and Indelbed is kidnapped by the djinn and delivered to a subterranean prison. Back in the city, his cousin Rais and his family struggle to make sense of it all, as an impending catastrophe threatens to destroy everything they know. Needless to say, everything is resting on Indelbed’s next move — and he’s got a new partner to help him: the world’s most evil djinn.“
I’m in a race with this one. I have this from interlibrary loan. I didn’t start it for a long time. It is due next week. I was just going to blow off reading it because I was slumpy but I always feel bad about that after putting people to the trouble of interlibrary loan. So a few days ago I picked it up just to see if it would hold it my attention at all. On the first page I was like, “#$#@%@, it’s good.” It is smart and sarcastic and absurd and everything I like. Now I have to get it done before the loan is up. It’s long and it is a detailed read but I’m on a mission now.
What Am I Listening To
“In this unique history of 1776, Claudio Saunt looks beyond the familiar story of the thirteen colonies to explore the many other revolutions roiling the turbulent American continent. In that fateful year, the Spanish landed in San Francisco, the Russians pushed into Alaska to hunt valuable sea otters, and the Sioux discovered the Black Hills.”
I’m interested in getting to the part about the Sioux because how did they not know that the Black Hills were there? This book has a lot of good information but I’m struggling with the narrator. It is a very monotone reading of a book that is very fact and date and name-heavy.
“As a child, Coriel Halsing spent many glorious summers at Castle Auburn with her half-sister-and fell in love with a handsome prince who could never be hers. But now that she is a young woman, she begins to see the dark side of this magical place…”
I love a later series by this author so I want to try this one even though it is very different.
“It’s not easy being an undercover restaurant critic—especially when you’re only twelve years old!
After successfully completing her first restaurant review for the New York Standard newspaper, Gladys Gatsby is looking forward to a quiet summer of cooking and eating. But her plans quickly go awry when her friend Charissa Bentley delivers Gladys’s birthday gift: a free summer at Camp Bentley.
As Gladys feared, camp life is not easy; she struggles to pass her swim test, can’t keep the other campers happy while planning lunches, and cannot seem to get away from the annoying new “celebrity” camper. The worst part is she’s not able to find a moment to sneak away for her latest reviewing assignment: finding the best hot dog in New York City. But when Gladys learns that her hot dog assignment might actually be a dirty trick made up by a jealous fellow critic, she fears her reviewing career could be over forever.“
“When the Imagine Network commissioned a documentary on mermaids, to be filmed from the cruise ship Atargatis, they expected what they had always received before: an assortment of eyewitness reports that proved nothing, some footage that proved even less, and the kind of ratings that only came from peddling imaginary creatures to the masses.
They didn’t expect actual mermaids. They certainly didn’t expect those mermaids to have teeth.
This is the story of the Atargatis, lost at sea with all hands. Some have called it a hoax; others have called it a maritime tragedy. Whatever the truth may be, it will only be found below the bathypelagic zone in the Mariana Trench…and the depths are very good at keeping secrets.”
“Indelbed is a lonely kid living in a crumbling mansion in the super dense, super chaotic third world capital of Bangladesh. When he learns that his dead mother was a djinn — more commonly known as a genie — and that his drunken loutish father is a sitting emissary to the djinns (e.g. a magician), his whole world is turned inside out. Suddenly, and for reasons that totally escape him, his father is found in a supernatural coma, and Indelbed is kidnapped by the djinn and delivered to a subterranean prison. Back in the city, his cousin Rais and his family struggle to make sense of it all, as an impending catastrophe threatens to destroy everything they know. Needless to say, everything is resting on Indelbed’s next move — and he’s got a new partner to help him: the world’s most evil djinn.“
I also read a short story included with Tricks for Free called:
The Recitation of the Most Holy and Harrowing Pilgrimage of Mindy and Also Mork
What Am I Reading?
I’m halfway through this one. I have a wild guess as to what happened.
“Marianne is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. After forty-one years, she has reached her limit, and one evening in Paris she decides to take action. Following a dramatic moment on the banks of the Seine, Marianne leaves her life behind and sets out for the coast of Brittany, also known as the end of the world.
Here she meets a cast of colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome, and the natural ease they all seem to have, taking pleasure in life s small moments. And, as the parts of herself she had long forgotten return to her in this new world, Marianne learns it s never too late to begin the search for what life should have been all along. “
“For centuries the Koh-i-Noor diamond has set man against man and king against king. Now part of the British Crown Jewels, the priceless gem is a prize that many have killed to possess. So when the Crown Jewels go on display in Mumbai, security is everyone’s principal concern. And yet, on the very day Inspector Chopra visits the exhibition, the diamond is stolen from under his nose. The heist was daring and seemingly impossible. The hunt is on for the culprits. But it soon becomes clear that only one man – and his elephant – can possibly crack this case…“
More baby elephant mysteries!How could I resist?
“Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It’s one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire…but for Annie, it’s a place to hide. She’s just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she’s rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time.
Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her—although their help, like everything else, comes with a price.”
After being on an absolute tear last week and finishing six books, I only finished one this week.
What Am I Reading?
I’m still working through After the Wedding. It has some mistaken identity themes which isn’t a trope I like. I think that’s what’s slowing me down since I normally inhale Courtney Milan’s books in a day.
I picked up this book from the library to add to my AsianLitBingo reading.
“On the day he retires, Inspector Ashwin Chopra inherits two unexpected mysteries.
The first is the case of a drowned boy, whose suspicious death no one seems to want solved. And the second is a baby elephant. As his search for clues takes him across the teeming city of Mumbai, from its grand high rises to its sprawling slums and deep into its murky underworld, Chopra begins to suspect that there may be a great deal more to both his last case and his new ward than he thought. And he soon learns that when the going gets tough, a determined elephant may be exactly what an honest man needs…”
A baby elephant helps solve mysteries! I’m not a mystery fan but that was before baby elephants were helping.
Ramadan Readathon starts this week and lasts for a month. All the details are here. I don’t have a full TBR for this but I’ll finish up A World of Three Zeros once I find where I put it. I was quite enjoying it. I put it down. It disappeared into the abyss.
“Peri, a married, wealthy, beautiful Turkish woman, is on her way to a dinner party at a seaside mansion in Istanbul when a beggar snatches her handbag. As she wrestles to get it back, a photograph falls to the ground — an old polaroid of three young women and their university professor. A relic from a past — and a love — Peri had tried desperately to forget.
Three Daughters of Eve is set over an evening in contemporary Istanbul, as Peri arrives at the party and navigates the tensions that simmer in this crossroads country between East and West, religious and secular, rich and poor. Over the course of the dinner, and amidst an opulence that is surely ill-begotten, terrorist attacks occur across the city. Competing in Peri’s mind however are the memories invoked by her almost-lost polaroid, of the time years earlier when she was sent abroad for the first time, to attend Oxford University. As a young woman there, she had become friends with the charming, adventurous Shirin, a fully assimilated Iranian girl, and Mona, a devout Egyptian-American. Their arguments about Islam and feminism find focus in the charismatic but controversial Professor Azur, who teaches divinity, but in unorthodox ways. As the terrorist attacks come ever closer, Peri is moved to recall the scandal that tore them all apart.”
“Indelbed is a lonely kid living in a crumbling mansion in the super dense, super chaotic third world capital of Bangladesh. When he learns that his dead mother was a djinn — more commonly known as a genie — and that his drunken loutish father is a sitting emissary to the djinns (e.g. a magician), his whole world is turned inside out. Suddenly, and for reasons that totally escape him, his father is found in a supernatural coma, and Indelbed is kidnapped by the djinn and delivered to a subterranean prison. Back in the city, his cousin Rais and his family struggle to make sense of it all, as an impending catastrophe threatens to destroy everything they know. Needless to say, everything is resting on Indelbed’s next move — and he’s got a new partner to help him: the world’s most evil djinn.”
I’m about halfway through Dread Nation. It doesn’t fit the theme but it is a library book that needs to go back soon.
“Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.
But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies.”
“Adrian Hunter has concealed his identity and posed as a servant to assist his powerful uncle. He’s on the verge of obtaining the information he needs when circumstances spiral out of his control. He’s caught alone with a woman he scarcely knows. When they’re discovered in this compromising circumstance, he’s forced to marry her at gunpoint. Luckily, his uncle should be able to obtain an annulment. All Adrian has to do is complete his mission…and not consummate the marriage, no matter how enticing the bride may be.
Lady Camilla Worth has never expected much out of life—not since her father was convicted of treason and she was passed from family to family. A marriage, no matter how unfortunate the circumstances under which it was contracted, should mean stability. It’s unfortunate that her groom doesn’t agree. But Camilla has made the best of worse circumstances. She is determined to make her marriage work. All she has to do is seduce her reluctant husband.“
“All leaders are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas and concrete. Yes, to follow world events you need to understand people, ideas and movements – but if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture.“
I am just not feeling my reading lately. I need something that is going to suck me into its world.
What Am I Reading?
Space Opera
“IN SPACE EVERYONE CAN HEAR YOU SING
A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented-something to cheer up everyone who was left and bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, and understanding.
Once every cycle, the civilizations gather for the Metagalactic Grand Prix – part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part continuation of the wars of the past. Instead of competing in orbital combat, the powerful species that survived face off in a competition of song, dance, or whatever can be physically performed in an intergalactic talent show. The stakes are high for this new game, and everyone is forced to compete.
This year, though, humankind has discovered the enormous universe. And while they expected to discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of aliens, they have instead found glitter, lipstick and electric guitars. Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny – they must sing.
A one-hit-wonder band of human musicians, dancers and roadies from London – Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes – have been chosen to represent Earth on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of their species lies in their ability to rock.”
One Hundred and Four Horses
“‘A letter is handed to you. In broken English, it tells you that you must now vacate your farm; that this is no longer your home, for it now belongs to the crowd on your doorstep. Then the drums begin to beat.’
As the land invasions gather pace, the Retzlaffs begin an epic journey across Zimbabwe, facing eviction after eviction, trying to save the group of animals with whom they feel a deep and enduring bond – the horses.
When their neighbours flee to New Zealand, the Retzlaffs promise to look after their horses, and making similar promises to other farmers along their journey, not knowing whether they will be able to feed or save them, they amass an astonishing herd of over 300 animals. But the final journey to freedom will be arduous, and they can take only 104 horses.”
Yeah, I did that. Everyone loves this book! Why did I quit?
It was well written. It was imaginative. But I got halfway through and realized that I just didn’t care to find out what was going to happen. That’s an issue with a lot of YA fantasy I read. I end up not caring at all about the resolution.
For this book at least, I feel confident saying that wasn’t the book, it was me.
What Am I Reading?
I have so many books out from the library right now. I’m ignoring most of them. I’m drawn mostly towards comfort reads right now and what I have from the library is most definitely not that.
I want to read all these books. When it is reading time I look at them, shrug, and download another romance book.
What Am I Listening To?
Nothing.
Seriously, no audiobook. I downloaded a few but nothing is sticking right now. What is sticking is the West Wing Weekly podcast. Sometimes I feel bad listening to podcasts in the car because I feel like it is wasting audiobook time. But, I’m shoving that to the side and comfort listening to this and rewatching The West Wing.
It is fun to watch even a pretend President say smart things.
I’ve started both of these but I keep getting distracted.
What Am I Listening To?
I’m almost done with this. It is very different from other books in the series. It doesn’t seem to have much of a plot but is much more character driven.
“I read a Tessa Dare book which everyone always recommends and now I’m going to have to read everything she’s ever written.”
Now look at what happened.
I absolutely hate romance novel covers like these. That’s the nice thing about e-books. You never have to see the covers while you’re reading.
I was reading in bed one night. The husband asked what I was reading and I said it was a romance novel. A few nights later he asked the same question and I gave the same answer. He asked if it was the same one. I had to think for a bit and then decided that there had been two or three since the last time he asked. I can’t help it that romance novels get read quickly.
What Am I Reading?
I picked these up from the library this weekend. They are both hefty books. They should keep me busy for a while.
What Am I Listening To?
I’ve only got a little bit of this left. I may even finish it before this posts. What am I supposed to do with my life then? This series gives me the worst book hangovers. I looked up the narrator to see what else she has read but this series is it. I don’t know what to listen to next.
WAIT!!!!
While I was whining to myself about this I found this on Audible.
This is another of my major book hangover series. It just came out. Why didn’t anyone tell me? I’ll be finishing Lake Silence before this posts then and moving on with my life. My angst will be under control until this one is done.
Last Friday the husband and I went to see Neil Gaiman talk in Cleveland. This is a fine measure of how much I’ve corrupted the husband. He used to be an ordinary fellow. Ever so slowly I’ve been moving him over to the sci-fi/fantasy side of life. He is actually the one that heard that Neil Gaiman was going to be in town and wanted to go. He only really knew of him from the TV version of American Gods, although he had seen other movies and TV shows he had written for without knowing it was him.
We were only able to get seats in the balcony since we found out late. When we got there we found that the seats were very compact. My butt just fit into mine and my knees were touching the seat in front of me. I’m only 5’6. You have to be friendly with your neighbor. The husband doesn’t really do well in situations like this because he has big shoulders that take up more than his share of space. His PTSD doesn’t do well crowded in like that either so I always make sure to buy an aisle seat for him.
We started to notice that there were seats around us that weren’t occupied. The husband started talking to our sardine section. “When the lights go down, we should all just spread out to the empty chairs.” Then he got up and disappeared. I finally saw him surrounded by a group of female volunteer ushers. He was regaling them with some story.
Then it happened. I always this day would come.
An usher broke away from the group, came over to me, and asked, “Ma’am? Are you with that gentleman?“
I sighed and said, “It depends on what he’s doing over there.” That confused her.
Turns out he was getting official permission for us to scatter. Two ushers (one was the head person) escorted us to seats farther up in the balcony. They really wanted to make sure we were ok. I didn’t see the big deal. We were going to “worse” seats than the ones we paid for. He told me later that he might have played up the PTSD/wounded warrior angle for official permission. No one else in the sardine section moved but we got to spread out and sit a bit sideways to be able to stretch out our legs.
Neil Gaiman was great, of course. He had a stack of questions from the audience that he answered by telling stories. He interspersed a few readings.
The most exciting news for me is that he is working on a second London Below book. My favorite of his books is still Neverwhere. I am here for whatever he wants to write in that world.
He told stories about working with Terry Pratchett and the filming of the Good Omens series, including David Tennant being bit by a dog who didn’t know about acting and decided to defend the kids that were being threatened.
He talked about meeting his now-wife around 2008. The husband later said that it was good thing that he had found me first because Neil Gaiman was single at the same time I was in that year and I fit his definition of people he liked. That’s people who liked books and were a little weird. I was thinking, “Wait a minute. I was not aware that Neil Gaiman was an option at the time I was making life partner decisions” but I didn’t tell him that.
I loved the fact that he was talking against book snobbery. He wanted people to sample and get to know authors from all genres – horror, romance, kidlit, etc.
Then he read a full story from Norse Mythology. The husband started snoring but swears he heard the whole thing. He says that it was just that Neil’s voice was so “melodic and soothing.” He couldn’t have done that in sardineland.
So if you ever have a chance to hear Neil Gaiman on tour, we highly recommend it. Just remember if you spread out and get comfy that you might be lulled into a happy sleep.
I have a new rule. I’m only reading historical romances that have been recommended on Twitter. This week I tried two that I picked out on my own. I think they were from Book Bub. I had to rapidly DNF both. There are SO MANY historical romance books and authors that it feels like just randomly reaching into a hat and trying to draw out a good one.
I’m doing a thread on Twitter of all the books I DNF this year and why. Here the explanations for each.
Catching Captain Nash – Hero’s been gone for 5 years – His wife says that she will allow him to have sex w/ her as often as needed in order to control his emotions YEAH BYE – Also too many uses of the word ‘swive’ pic.twitter.com/V11KBzXBkg
The Fairy Tale Bride – I got two chapters in and the hero is an overly proud idiot and I hope he dies the horrible death that he is hoping for pic.twitter.com/3KozBEje92
So then I started picking books from romance recommendation threads.
I promised a list of historical romances with Indian characters that don’t make my head explode. I’m kicking it off with Meredith Duran’s DUKE OF SHADOWS, which is set partially during the Indian rebellion of 1857-58 (aka “the Sepoy Mutiny”).
Check out these lists if you are looking for well done romances. Also look at WOCinRomance too.
What Am I Reading?
I read a Tessa Dare book which everyone always recommends and now I’m going to have to read everything she’s ever written.
What Am I Listening To?
I’m so excited about this one. I loved her series about The Others. This is set in the same world but in a different place. It is assumed that you have a working knowledge of world. It doesn’t have a prologue explaining things as clearly as each of The Others books do.
I loved Meg and Simon’s story so much (Grumpy Ponies!) that I worried a bit about leaving that behind but I fell right into this story. I’m loving it so far.
I am leaving this week for my annual silent retreat. Some people head to monasteries. I go to vet conferences in Las Vegas. For a week I listen to lectures for 8 hours a day and speak to no one but waiters. It is lovely. I haven’t done as much prep as normal yet.
Things to do:
Search out the latest and greatest vegan offerings in Vegas – Done and some reservations made including a restaurant where you eat in the dark and have no idea what you are eating
Download harp albums from the library onto my phone to lull me to sleep during my flight
Pick out what lectures I’m going to. This is started. I’m down to about 2-4 per hour that I’d like to hear. It is hard this year to narrow them down. Only vets have thoughts like, “Chronic diarrhea lecture with free food? That sounds good. But that’s the same time as Handling Nasty Infected Wounds- now with extra pictures! Such a hard choice….“
Pick out what books I’m taking. I know, this should be priority one. I get so much reading done in these weeks. I keep thinking that I have so many books on my iPad and through that have access to my library and Amazon, so why plan? This way lies madness, I know. I’m know I’m running out of time to read A Wrinkle in Time before the movie comes out. I have a vague recollection of DNFing this book as a kid. I thought it was boring. I want to revisit that before the movie.
What Am I Listening To?
“Since his arrival at The Daily Show in 1999, Jon Stewart has become one of the major players in comedy as well as one of the most significant liberal voices in the media. In Angry Optimist, biographer Lisa Rogak charts his unlikely rise to stardom. She follows him from his early days growing up in New Jersey, through his years as a struggling standup comic in New York, and on to the short-lived but acclaimed The Jon Stewart Show. And she charts his humbling string of near-misses—passed over as a replacement for shows hosted by Conan O’Brien, Tom Snyder, and even the fictional Larry Sanders—before landing on a half-hour comedy show that at the time was still finding its footing amidst roiling internal drama.“
I was thrashing around looking for an audiobook. I DNFed one and wandered away from another but I’ll probably go back to it. I have a highly anticipated one hitting Audible in about a week so I’m killing time with this one. Not a great recommendation I know, but it is entertaining enough.
