justchris trails behind in 2014

Last year was a challenge. I don't expect things to smooth out soon, but maybe I can reach a good routine by the end of the year. And maybe I'll be able to get back to hanging out on LT. My main goal, though, is a focus on health--diet, exercise, and symptom management--to improve my quality of life and ability to work, both of which have been reduced for the last few years.

I really need to finish this and return it to the friend who loaned it to me:

The Camel and the Wheel by Richard W. Bulliet NF

And here's the start of my official annual listing:

January

1. The Colors of Us by Karen Katz (see #4)
2. The End of the Game by Sherri S. Tepper* (see #6)
3. Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers
4. Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers*
5. Hangman's Holiday by Dorothy Sayers
6. Urban Permaculture by David Watkins NF (see #8)
7. The Cherokee Trail by Louis L'Amour (*) - January Joyride
8. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers
9. I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven - American Authors

February

10. A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman - February Fantasy
11. Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez - February Fantasy
12. Monster by A. Lee Martinez - February Fantasy
13. Intruder by C. J. Cherryh*
14. Fair Game by Patricia Briggs*
15. Ride the River by Louis L'Amour*
16. Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy Sayers
17. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy Sayers

March

18. To Ride a Rathorn by P. C. Hodgell*
19. Bound in Blood by P. C. Hodgell*
20. Honor's Paradox by P. C. Hodgell*
21. Have His Carcase by Dorothy Sayers
22. Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy Sayers*
23. Ride the Dark Trail by Louis L'Amour*
24. Fallon by Louis L'Amour*

April

25. Knight Fall by Mary Monica Pulver*
26. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers"
27. Love Cemetery: Unburying the Secret History of Slaves by China Galland NF
28. The Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe edited by Judith M. Bennett and Ruth Mazo Karras NF
29. The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers
30. The Black Widow by Charlotte Louise Dolan*
31. Protector by C. J. Cherryh

May

32. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold*
33. The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner*
34. Heroics for Beginners by John Moore
35. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

June

36. Delan the Mislaid by Laurie J. Marks*
37. The Moonbane Mage by Laurie J. Marks*
38. Ara's Field by Laurie J. Marks*

July

39. A Short History of the Middle Ages, 3rd ed. by Barbara Rosenwein NF (Part I only)
40. Medieval Europe by H. W. C. Davis NF (chapters I-III only)
41. The Sea of Time by P. C. Hodgell
42. Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy Sayers*
43. Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers*
44. Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers*

August

45. Deerskin by Robin McKinley*
46. Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb*
47. A Short History of Spain by Mary Platt Parmele NF (chapters III-VIII only)
48. Sorcery and Cecilia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer*
49. The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer*
50. The Mislaid Magician by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer*
51. The School of Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
52. Sunshine by Robin McKinley*

September

53. Solace for a Sinner by Caroline Roe*
54. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey*
55. Kaleidoscope by Dorothy Gilman*
56. Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman*
57. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer*
58. Show Stopper by Mary Monica Pulver
59. The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip*
60. Betrayer by C. J. Cherryh*
61. Applied Tai Chi Chuan, 2nd ed. by Nigel Sutton NF
62. Tea with the Black Dragon by R. A. MacAvoy*
63. Intruder by C. J. Cherryh*

October

64. Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler
65. Clay's Ark by Octavia E. Butler
66. I Don't Want to Talk about It by Terrence Real NF
67. 22 Things a Woman with Asperger's Syndrome Wants Her Partner to Know by Rudy Simone NF
68. An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison NF
69. Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type by Isabel Myers Briggs with Peter B. Myers NF

November

70. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
71. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold*
72. Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold
73. Dragondrums by Anne McCaffrey*
74. Trauma and Recovery by Judith Herman NF
75. Invader by C. J. Cherryh*
76. Inheritor by C. J. Cherryh*
77. Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh*

December

78. Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs*
79. Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs*
80. The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner*
81. The Fall of the Kings by Ellen Kushner
82. Flying Finish by Dick Francis*
83. River Marked by Patricia Briggs*
84. Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs*
85. Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs*
86. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs*
87. Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
88. Protector by C. J. Cherryh*
89. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold*
90. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold*
91. The Verbally Abusive Relationship: How to Recognize It and How to Respond by Patricia Evans NF

Key:

* reread
(*) I know I read it before, but I sure as hell don't remember much if anything
+ not in English (such ambition!)
NF nonfiction (going to try harder this year)
P poetry (definitely need to expand)
~P text contains significant chunks of poetry

My previous 75 Book Challenge threads:

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

There's an obvious trend with these too. Sigh.

Welcome back!

@2: Thank you as always, drneutron for the welcome and general shepherding of the 75 Book Challenge group. It's been a pleasure to participate, though my participation has declined to the minimal as of last year. This is a great community that does a great job of welcoming people.

The Colors of Us by Karen Katz is a charming children's book illustrating the the broad spectrum of skin tones found among people with an emphasis on various shades of brown. A girl learns from her artist mother to pay attention to the range of human diversity among the people she knows, and indeed she does, then goes home to paint all the glorious shades from butterscotch to cinnamon to chocolate cupcake. The various people she encounters as part of her daily life reflect a diversity of ages and ethnicities and roles. Karen Katz wrote this for her daughter Lena, also the name of the girl in the book. It's a pleasant way to instill self-esteem and aesthetic appreciation for beauty in everyone. I bought this as a gift for my quasi-niece, the adopted daughter of my chosen sister.

Chris!!! You slipped in. I don't recognize any of the books or authors you are currently reading so was glad to see the Tepper and Sayers on your January list as something familiar.

I had The Colors of Us in my room at school, but I can't now remember the name of my favorite book in that area, which had beautiful illustrations of children in marvelous colors. I shall have to do some research.

Welcome back!

The End of the Game by Sherri S. Tepper is an omnibus volume of the Jinian trilogy: Jinian Footseer, Dervish Daughter, and Jinian Star-Eye. Jinian's stories follow the first trilogy featuring the eponymous Mavin Many-Shaped (Song of, Flight of, and Search of) and the second trilogy featuring Mavin's son Peter (King's Blood Four, Necromancer Nine, and Wizard's Eleven). Mavin and Peter have key roles in the Jinian's stories, and each trilogy builds upon the earlier works.

The first book I encountered was Jinian Footseer, by chance. In my youth, I wandered a great deal, travelling between seasonal jobs and visits to widely scattered friends and family around western North America. I'm a big reader, so I always travel with books, essential for long bus/train/plane rides. My strategy in those days was to stop by a local used bookstore in whatever town I happened to be in and browse for something cheap and entertaining. Then in the next town, I would sell the books I had read and pay a few dollars for some new ones. And so I stumbled over Jinian's first book. It was charming and so I kept it and started looking for other Jinian books.

Years later, I relocated yet again and settled down for graduate school. Per custom, I eventually checked out all of the used bookstores. In one little place that has since closed, the first floor of an old mansion converted to storefront, with creaking wooden floors and sagging bookshelves and dusty stock that looked like it hadn't moved in a few decades, I was lucky enough to find omnibus editions of Peter's and Jinian's trilogies, The True Game and The End of the Game, respectively. Joy! And a delight to read. So that left me searching for the remaining (and beginning) trilogy. It took me another decade before I finally came across all three Mavin paperbacks printed in the 1980s at my neighborhood Half-Price Books. I like all of the stories, but Jinian's are the best known and beloved by me and have become one of my comfort reads.

Get on with the review, already. Okay, then. Jinian grows up in the land of the True Game, where people develop various Talents at puberty: mind-reading Demons, teleporting Elators, telekinetic Tragamors, illusionist and beguiling Kings and Queens, shape-shifting Dragons and Basilisks, etc. Many of the people with such powers play the Game (read politics using magic) and die young. Others amass power and rule as despots.

Growing up neglected and abused in one such household, she finds love and companionship from the "old dams," various women living as servants who become her teachers in the Wize-art (wizardry). As she grows up, she encounters various challenges and learns about the world they inhabit, the origins of humanity, and the existential threat to life on the planet. Jinian, her Wize-art seven, Peter, Mavin, and their allies must find the Daylight Bell and prevent the death of Lom and all living creatures, orchestrated by the Oracle and its minions, hastened by the unchecked Shadow.

Sounds like classic high fantasy, but this melding of fantasy and science fiction incorporates themes of feminism, land stewardship, ethics and morality (with definite elements of Eastern philosophies), the destructiveness of humanity yet with the potential to transcend into higher consciousness, the nature of divinity, personal responsibility, and more. Exploring these topics gives these books more heft than much of the light fantasy out there. And the young protagonists are easy to connect to as they struggle to make sense of their world, confront malice, and learn from their mistakes. These are all coming of age stories, not just for Jinian (and Peter and Mavin before her) but metaphorically for humanity as well, learning to live in balance not excess. As the Shadowpeople say, "Lolly duro balta lus lom" (Walk well upon the lovely land).

While these books really spoke to me, they are anathema to others. I found at least one religion-inspired screed of hate, or maybe just disgust, and strawman arguments because these books explore euthanasia, capital punishment, vigilante justice, witchcraft, etc. While some potentially valid concerns were raised that caused me to revisit these stories with a reappraising eye, my overall opinion wasn't changed, just challenged a little bit, which is generally a good thing.

Ha! Just went to post my review for the Jinian stories and found I'd already done so in a previous year. Oh well.

OK, not trying to do these in any particular order. Urban Permaculture: A Practical Handbook for Sustainable Living is still sitting by the computer, and I'd like to return it to the library. This small book published in the UK in 1993 is an easy introduction to many of the ideas involved in permaculture. It's a quick read, thanks to the short chapters, averaging 2-3 pages, and lavish visual aids, averaging every other page. The main sections of the book are introduction and background concepts, "putting our houses in order," "control of your food," "using what you've got,"creating your own food supply," "animals," epilogue, and 3 appendices listing various resources.

Sustainability is a baseline concept, which tends to mean focus on local economy, reduce/reuse/recycle, capturing energy and making waste another productive resource on-site, buying well-constructed, durable goods that can be repaired, becoming as self-reliant as possible. Very much a back-to-the-land anticapitalist ethos. Some of the information feels very dated, not surprising for a 20-year-old book. And it covers the basics in a lot of directions, including such things as basic stain removal from clothes, and money circulation in local businesses vs large corporations.

I wouldn't call this a handbook though, as it doesn't provide detailed instructions, and while the many drawings show various examples of such things as solar water heating systems, rainwater collection systems, greywater circulation systems, pit toilets, garden layouts, chicken runs, etc. they are not accompanied by any explanations beyond brief text descriptions of the graphic elements in the illustrations, which I tend to find abstruse, since I have no background in plumbing, etc. I couldn't take most of these drawings and turn them into reality (assuming I had the locale and means, in the first place) without accessing a lot more information and instruction somewhere else. And even though I am a homeowner with a large yard, a lot of the examples provided simply wouldn't work in my ranch house constrained by a great many municipal ordinances. How much less so for the many urban dwellers who live in apartments or condos.

And frankly, given the increasingly personhood status of companion animals in urban lives, I think plenty of people would be horrified at the thought of raising and eating guinea pigs, rabbits, etc. However, urban beekeeping and chickens have really taken off in the last 20 years, to the point that our local chicken ordinance was recently revised to accommodate rental tenants who want to keep chickens. Again, the book extols the virtues of these practices, but there's little mention of the serious investment in time and money and daily responsibility to incorporate any of these practices, especially those involving animals including bees, so novices seeking to transform their lifestyles cannot be fully informed based on this book alone. Also, the book doesn't cover a full spectrum of possibilities, just a limited sampling. For example, solar panels/water heating are the only source of alternative energy collection mentioned. No mention of wind power, geothermal, biothermal (think methane), etc. I mean, if you're going to profile options beyond the reach of most readers, you might as well give them a sense of the range of possibilities that can't be achieved. And in the sections on gardening and animal husbandry, no mention of heirloom and heritage varieties and the obligatory diatribe against agribusinesses with GMO and hybridized crops that keep consumers dependent annually on their products.

To sum up, a quick read, with multitudinous drawings, many different concepts to consider, somewhat dated, and not necessarily best geared toward an urban audience, but some of it certainly could be adopted. And there's enough different material covered that almost anyone could take away something to try (with consultation of additional resources), despite the limitations of the book. It'll either whet the appetite to seek out books with more comprehensive discussions of the underlying permaculture concepts and/or applications or generate disgust at the pie-in-the-sky impractical idealism in the hardened cynic resigned to the status quo. Permaculture was coined in Australia in the 1970s, and it has continued to develop and expand over the decades, becoming more widely known and seeping into mainstream consciousness. Perhaps someday it will become as ubiquitous as reusable shopping bags.

I bought all the True Game books as they came out, starting with the first Peter book, before the structure of the world was evident. It was a fascinating expedition. I'm glad I held on to the whole series, since the books have become hard to find, especially the Mavin books as you noted. With Tepper, there are always a lot of undercurrent issues in addition to the top story, one of the things I like about her books.

Hi Roni! Yep. Though I have read only 1 other of her books. Frankly, The Revenants really weirded me out when I was a teenager, and I just didn't know what to make of it. Or maybe it was The Awakeners. It had dudes nailed into their chairs. I keep meaning to get around to stuff like Grass and The Gate to Women's Country, and never quite do.

>5 ronincats:: Roni! I'm so sorry! Somehow I missed your first comment. Belated thanks for the welcome back. I think I'm just a little in love with Lord Peter Wimsey. I went to my shelf to re-read Strong Poison after racing through Busman's Honeymoon and discovered to my dismay that I didn't have a copy. I will need to rectify that oversight. I wouldn't expect anybody to be familiar with the specific combination of nonfiction that I am currently reading, as I wouldn't expect someone else to have my particular mix of quirks.

Thinking of you. I see you've been updating your reading in the first thread. I love Jame and the Kencyriath, and hope you enjoyed them as well. Did you know we're doing a year-long Vorkosigan read--you've already got the first two out of the way. Hope all is well with you.

Roni, thank you for stopping by! I signed up for not 1 but 2 themed reading challenges, and then dropped the ball on both of them pretty quickly. This has been another crisis year, which has resulted in me not having much time for reading, and then just doing comfort reads (re-reads) rather than expanding my repertoire. Plus, I'm in the midst of a MOOC, so I am currently focusing on the assigned/optional reading for that. And also, little leftover for writing reviews or participating in various chats. I starred a bunch of threads and then haven't looked at them. Just now getting around to updating the reading list. :The Sea of Time. It's better than some of the recent installments, which have felt like 50% cut and paste from earlier books. I understand the need to bring new readers up to speed, but really, does there need to be such extensive verbatim quoting from earlier works? It made things like Bound in Blood feel really lightweight. But still my favorite and one of the most original out there. Despite the awful Baen covers.

Hi Chris. I am on the same boat as you- not much time to follow up on this group, although I've been a little better recently.
Remember that if you come back into town, and have time, I'd love to get together. Just shoot me an email.

Manuel, thank you for checking in. Great to hear from you. I have actually been doing a fair amount of travelling the last while helping my mother after my stepfather died. I will have to see about following up with a visit in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. I'll email you if it seems likely.

22 Things a Woman with Asperger's Syndrome Wants Her Partner to Know is a 2012 follow-up to the similarly titled book for women partnered with men on the autism spectrum. Rudy Simone also wrote Aspergirls.

It's a very quick and easy read. Each chapter begins with a thematic drawing followed by an average of 4 pages of text, closing with "Partner's Words"--a brief statement of someone with experience being involved with a woman on the autism spectrum. Here are the 22 chapter headings, many of which are pretty self-explanatory plus my version:

1. So, you want to date an Aspergirl?
(educate yourself!)

2. Try feeling this!
(sensory issues)

3. She is not broken...you don't need to fix her
(not neurotypical and not a disease)

4. No wire hangers...ever! Why she has control issues
(routines and sensory overload)

5. Everyone's a critic...but she's better at it than you
(perfectionism without playing games)

6. Break on through to the other side
(social isolation and self-containment)

7. It might seem like her special interest is herself
(infodumping rather than small talk)

8. She only needs one friend...and the winner is, you!
(introversion)

9. Don't be cruel to a heart that's true
(bullying)

10. Home is where her heart is...and her body much of the time
(focused interests and safe haven)

11. Even if you think of her as a woman, she might not
(gender nonconformity)

12. Her name isn't Mommy...no matter how much she loves her child
(parenting)

13. How to turn a hotbed into a hot bed
(sexuality)

14. Why soothing behaviors (formerly known as stimming) are good for her...and you
(physical activity and repetitive motions)

15. Jumping for joy...or bouncing, or twirling
emotional self-expression

16. Tongue-tied but not twisted...just because she can't verbalize her emotions, doesn't mean she doesn't have them
(emotionally reactive and/or disengaged)

17. Depression--the enemy is on our borders

18. The mood swings...do more than duck
(meltdowns)

19. Trust--abuse it and lose it

20. Is it obsession or is it love?
(Use your words)

21. You may find more in common as you get older
(less masking, more cognitive problems?)

22. Asperger's is a reason, not a label, not an excuse
(community and support)

The book is written in a very clear, straightforward style and is very much in advice mode. Sometimes it feels a little too gender essentialist for me (along the lines of all women are like this, and these are just the additional quirks created by autism). I think it has a lot of useful information and perspectives and examples. On the other hand, I also worry that it sometimes skirts the line of put up with abusive, controlling behavior because she just can't help herself. However, there are specific scripts for having discussions about problematic items in some of the chapters so that the couple can negotiate and figure out what works for them, what can be adjusted or can't. Overall, I think it's a good introduction and reinforces the idea that women with Asperger's can be understood, and aren't like other people, but also aren't freakishly different, and don't need to conform to gender norms and other social expectations.

Chris, we've really missed you this year. I hope all is well with you. It's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Roni, thank you so much for stopping by and for the kind words and holiday wishes.

It has been another hard year. I am thinking that there will be big changes in 2015, because I can't keep enduring the status quo.

And so I am hopeful that the new year will be when I am able to spend more time on LT. I have missed following the conversations and seeing what all of you are up to. And not only reading books but writing up my thoughts about them. In the spirit of optimism, I'll start a 2015 thread for the 75 book challenge.

Yay! I'm making a final swing through the 2014 threads, but I'll see you on the other side!