Curioussquared takes refuge in books in 2023, part 3

Hello everyone! I'm Natalie. I have participated in the challenge on and off over my almost 15 years (!!!) on LT, and consistently over the past several years.

I'm located in Seattle, where I live with my husband and dogs. I do most of my reading curled up on the couch with my retired racing greyhounds Otter and Kermit, or listening to audiobooks while doing chores and walking the dogs. I am lucky to work from home full-time in HR communications for a large retail corporation.

I read mostly fiction, with a heavy emphasis on fantasy and sci-fi, romance, YA fiction, general fiction/literature, a scattered mystery here and there, and the occasional non-fiction title.

I've been keeping track of my books read since 2008, and I have traditionally aimed for 100, but I think these days I'm usually hoping to hit 150. Last year I hit 200, which was an all-time high and surprising even to me.

Another typical reading goal for me is to prioritize books off my shelves. Last year I was slightly weighted toward library books and I'd like to shift that back this year. I have a separate thread I maintain in the ROOTs group, and in addition, I have a selection of books off my shelves I'd like to get to this year, which you can see in a post below.



Kermit and Otter cuddling and modeling Spring's latest hound fashions :)

I had over 30 new-to-me 5-star reads in 2022. I managed to trim it down to these favorites:

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Faithful Place by Tana French
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
Paladin's Grace by T. Kingfisher
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis

Books read in 2023:

January
1. You Have a Match by Emma Lord (off my shelf)
2. Heartstopper vol. 3 by Alice Oseman (library)
3. The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun (library)
4. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (off my shelf)
5. Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres (off my shelf)
6. The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (off my shelf)
7. Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (reread)
8. The Maid by Nita Prose (library)
9. The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley (off my shelf)
10. Chaos on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer (off my shelf)
11. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (library)
12. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (off my shelf)
13. Heartstopper vol. 4 by Alice Oseman (library)
14. This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron (off my shelf)
15. This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron (off my shelf)
16. Possession by A. S. Byatt (off my shelf)
17. Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera (library)
18. Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher (library)
19. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan (off my shelf)
20. The Wonder Engine by T. Kingfisher (library)

February
21. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale (off my shelf)
22. Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey (off my shelf)
23. The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling (off my shelf)
24. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (off my shelf)
25. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (off my shelf)
26. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (reread)
27. Mysteries of Thorn Manor by Margaret Rogerson (off my shelf)
28. To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers (library)
29. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (off my shelf)
30. Everything For You by Chloe Liese (library)
31. The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (library)
32. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (off my shelf)
33. Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper (off my shelf)
34. The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (off my shelf)
35. Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (reread)
36. The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie (off my shelf)
37. Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf (off my shelf)
38. Broken Harbor by Tana French (off my shelf)
39. Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier (library)
40. Garlic and the Vampire by Bree Paulsen (library)

March
41. The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert (off my shelf)
42. Scattered Showers by Rainbow Rowell (off my shelf)
43. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (off my shelf)
44. Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman (library)
45. An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (library)
46. In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan (off my shelf)
47. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (library)
48. Othello by William Shakespeare (off my shelf)
49. All the Feels by Olivia Dade (library)
50. Healer and Witch by Nancy Werlin (library)
51. Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell (off my shelf)
52. Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (off my shelf)
53. Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian (library)
54. Forest Mage by Robin Hobb (off my shelf)
55. Spare by Prince Harry (library)

Books read in 2023:

April
56. On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn (library)
57. Icebreaker by A. L. Graziadei (library)
58. The Time Garden by Edward Eager (off my shelf)
59. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (off my shelf)
60. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik (reread)
61. The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (reread)
62. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (off my shelf)
63. Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (reread)
64. Headlong by Michael Frayn (off my shelf)
65. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (off my shelf)
66. Well Played by Jen DeLuca (library)
67. Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola (off my shelf)
68. The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin (off my shelf)
69. The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite (library)
70. The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho (off my shelf)
71. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (off my shelf)
72. Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov (off my shelf)
73. The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (off my shelf)

May
74. The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (library)
75. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan (library)
76. Five Children and It by E. Nesbit (library)
77. The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty (off my shelf)
78. What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (library)
79. Happy Place by Emily Henry (library)
80. The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold (library)
81. Jane Austen Made Me Do It edited by Laurel Ann Nattress (off my shelf)
82. Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake (library)
83. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi (off my shelf)
84. We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds (library)

June

Books read in 2023:

July

August

September

Books read in 2023:

October

November

December

Last year, I identified a list of 61 books I own I wanted to get to in 2022, and I made it to 51 of them. This year, I'm being slightly less restrictive and still picking about ~40 books I want to read this year, but in some specific categories.



The first column on the left here is a stack of series continuations and sequels I own that I'd like to get to this year. From the top of the stack to the bottom, they are:

1. All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
2. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
3. The Time Garden by Edward Eager
4. The Dragon Republic by R. F. Kuang
5. The Missing of Clairdelune by Christelle Dabos
6. The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
7. A Restless Truth by Freya Marske
8. Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore
9. Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell
10. Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor
11. Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
12. Rebel Sisters by Tochi Onyebuchi
13. Chaos on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer
14. Broken Harbor by Tana French
15. Forest Mage by Robin Hobb
16. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

And not pictured because I have them on my Kindle or forgot to include them in the photo and am too lazy to take a new picture:

17. Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
18. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
19. In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
20. Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers

The second column on the right are books I've owned for a while (some as far back as 15 years or so!) that it's high time I get to. In order from top to bottom:

21. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
22. Headlong by Michael Frayn
23. Sula by Toni Morrison
24. Possession by A. S. Byatt
25. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
26. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
27. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
28. A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood
29. Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill
30. Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward

The final 10 books are books off my Kindle. I tend to neglect these owned digital books in favor of physical books, so I wanted to prioritize some this year.

31. Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
32. The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin
33. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
34. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
35. The Martian by Andy Weir
36. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
37. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
38. Hidden Figures by Margo Lee Shetterly
39. Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez
40. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

DONE: 20/40

Welcome to my new thread!

Happy Number 3, Natalie.

Happy new thread, Natalie. Love the doggo jackets. ❤️

Happy new thread Natalie. Making good progress with your owned TBR!

Happy new thread, Natalie!

>1 curioussquared: Kermit and Otter look well in latest hound fashion :-)

Happy new one, Natalie! Otter and Kermit look very chic (and relaxed)!

Happy new thread!

Happy new one!

Happy new one, Natalie! Love the topper photo!

Happy new thread! From your last one, excellent book haul!

>9 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

>10 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I do like having dogs who like being dressed.

>11 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks, Kro! Yes, I'm pleased with the progress I'm making and I'm halfway through the longest book on the list, too.

>12 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! Kermit and Otter say thank you :)

>13 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Chic and relaxed is their standard state (except for when they're derpy and relaxed)

>14 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>15 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>16 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mamie :)

>17 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi! All but Emily Wilde and The Serpent Sea were used copies -- I was excited by the used selection they had on Saturday :)

Happy Monday! After Silent Book Club yesterday I watched some TV, then cooked dinner -- rigatoni, marinara and meatballs, and roasted broccoli. We caught up on the latest episode of the Mandalorian and then just hung out with the dogs on the couch reading before bed. Today will be work, followed by a workout with my friend and at some point I'm going to tidy up the house before the cleaners come tomorrow afternoon.

Currently reading: Over halfway through Drums of Autumn now so will hopefully wrap it up this week. Finished On the Way to the Wedding while cooking last night and started Icebreakeron audio while walking the dogs this morning.

Currently watching: Finished all the available episodes of Love Is Blind yesterday afternoon and caught up with The Mandalorian with Tim last night.

56 books read: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

Gregory Bridgerton has never been in love -- he's sure that when he meets the right girl, he'll know. And when he sees Hermione Watson for the first time... he knows. Too bad she's in love with somebody else. Enter Lucy Abernathy, Hermione's best friend, who's on a mission to get Hermione over her crush on her father's secretary. She sees the way Gregory looks at Hermione, and she KNOWS he'd be a better match. So she starts working with Gregory, giving him tips on winning Hermione over. They get along well; Lucy is used to being overlooked in favor of Hermione, and Gregory is used to plotting with girls, given all his sisters. Everything seems to be going according to plan until Hermione is abruptly taken off the market and Gregory realizes that what he's really missing isn't Hermione, but his talks with Lucy. But Lucy is already engaged to someone else... Gregory is determined to win her over, but Lucy must go through with the marriage in order to maintain her family's respectability. Can anything be done?

Another fun Bridgerton book. This one was a bit middling for me, not the best, not the worst. My favorite part was hanging out with Kate and Hyacinth. I'll miss listening to these! 4 stars.

So which is the worst Bridgerton for you? I really didn't like OtWttW when I first read it ages ago, but I liked it better upon re-reading more recently. I still think it might be my least favorite, though. Of course, a bad Bridgerton is better than a lot of books!

>21 katiekrug: Looking back... probably The Duke and I, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, or When He Was Wicked? I hate the weird rapey-ness with Daphne forcing Simon in The Duke and I. Romancing Mister Bridgerton suffered for me because I watched the show first and so much of it is about the reveal that Penelope is Whistledown. Also, I hate that Colin only starts noticing her after she loses weight. When He Was Wicked I think mostly just suffered because I read it too close after finishing To Sir Phillip With Love.

>22 curioussquared: - Interesting! I love comparing rankings :)

I read them all pre-LT (so pre-2011) and RMB was actually my first, so it's special to me. I hate what they've done with Penelope in the show.

TSPwL might be my favorite...

>23 katiekrug: Me too! I feel like everyone I talk to has a different favorite Bridgerton. I really enjoyed TSPWL but I think my favorite is either The Viscount Who Loved Me or An Offer from a Gentleman.

Happy Tuesday! Standard workday today with some tidying before the cleaners come mixed in. I'd like to do another dance workout this evening -- I like exercising with my friend but I get better workouts when it's just me because I don't take breaks. I'm also testing out a new workout service, The Fitness Marshall on YouTube -- I really liked the workout I tried from him on Sunday and want to do a few more of his free sessions before I decide whether or not I want to subscribe to his livestreams. Not sure what dinner will be -- probably either leftover rigatoni or leftover Indian food from last night.

Currently reading: Still working through Drums of Autumn and really enjoying the ride. Brianna has just met her family at Lallybroch. Almost two thirds of the way through Icebreaker on audio which is very teen angsty but still fun. Also started reading The Time Garden during my lunch break yesterday and it's a cute, old-fashioned children's fantasy. So far I'm liking it more than the last book in the series, Knight's Castle.

Currently watching: We watched half an episode of Reacher last night before turning it off as not for us, then watched half of Pitch Black, which was also not my thing.

>25 curioussquared: I'm enjoying your updates on Drums of Autumn. Waiting to see what you think of it as you make it further through.

>26 MickyFine: I'm always intimidated when I start an Outlander book, just by the sheer size, but Gabaldon is so good at sucking you right into the story. I'm hooked! I knew that Brianna went through the stones eventually so I was glad to finally get to that point in the books.

Happy Wednesday! Yesterday after work I did my workout and then feasted on leftover Indian food, then Tim and I watched a little TV before bed. Today should be pretty similar! I finally bit the bullet and subscribed to The Fitness Marshall so am going to try another one of his workouts today.

Currently reading: Made more progress in Drums of Autumn (spent a lot of time with Roger at sea last night). Wrapped up Icebreaker on audio before heading to bed. Next up will probably be Headlong.

Currently watching: We tried the first episode of True Detective last night and will probably continue the show at least for the moment.

>2 curioussquared: What a great list! I have read about half of them - now I need to get to the other half! I will say that 84, Charing Cross Road is one of my all-time favorite books.

Happy new thread, BTW!

>28 curioussquared: Those look like super fun workouts

>20 curioussquared: When He Was Wicked is one of the only romance novels I've ever truly loved. I read and liked most of the others in this series.

57 books read: Icebreaker by A. L. Graziadei

Mickey James III is destined to be the number one NHL draft pick -- after all, his grandfather and father were the number one picks, and he's been training for it his whole life. He's too young to be picked straight out of high school, so first, he'll do a year of college at Heartland, where he's a legacy. The only problem? His biggest rival, Jason Caulfield, is also at Heartland, so they'll have to go from rivals to teammates -- because staying rivals can only hurt both of them in the upcoming draft. But Mickey has more to worry about than the draft and his new team -- he's been battling depression for years, and he's been trying to work up the courage to come out as bi to his sisters for ages. As everything changes, Mickey looks for stability and support wherever he can find it -- and is surprised when Jason comes forward.

A solid YA queer hockey romance with a focus on mental health. This was like eating cotton candy -- easy to get into and listen to. Not the most substantive when you get down to it, but still an enjoyable read. The mental health aspect felt important but heavyhanded reading it as an adult, and the romance was very teen angsty -- it felt very fanfic-y. 3.75 stars.

>29 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Charing Cross Road was so lovely. I can definitely see myself returning to it in the future.

>30 libraryperilous: Hi Diana! Yeah, I needed a workout changeup. I have a Zumba Nintendo Switch game that is actually a really good cardio workout, but it only has about ~30 songs and I've done them all so many times at this pointthat I can't face it anymore. I like that the livestream model comes with fun commentary and everchanging content. It's $15 per month but that's a lot cheaper than the $100 per month I was paying for live in-gym dance workout classes pre-pandemic.

IDK why When He Was Wicked didn't work that well for me. I really do think a lot of it was reading it too closely to the previous book.

Hey Natalie :)

>25 curioussquared: >28 curioussquared:
Well what a coincidence, I use them for dance workouts too :) I'm fond of their video for Sia's Move Your Body.

>33 Ravenwoodwitch: Ooh, I'll need to try that one! :)

>32 curioussquared: I would recommend Hanff's other books to you too. I have not liked any of them as much as I loved Charing Cross Road, but they are still very good reads.

>35 alcottacre: Good to know, Stasia! I'll add them to the ever-growing list.

Finished a book while eating lunch today:



58 books read: The Time Garden by Edward Eager

Jack, Ann, Roger, and Eliza aren't excited when their parents leave them at their old relative's house for the summer while they go to the UK to put on Roger and Ann's father's play. They're longing for more magic like they experienced in Knight's Castle, and they're not sure how to find it. But the magic finds them, for when they reach their summer destination, they find a magical garden full of... thyme? But as the magical frog-like creature called a Natterjack tells them, the H is silent, and with the thyme, they can travel in time. The children embark on several adventures and do good deeds and escape from scary situations.

A cute old-fashioned fantasy by the author of Half Magic. These kids are the children of the Half Magic gang. A fun enough diversion with a few interesting episodes. 4 stars.

>28 curioussquared: Having enjoyed the Netflix series and managed to put enough distance between it by now, I will soon start the Outlander series, Natalie. I understand that the series departs from the books in certain respects and I look forward to spotting those differences.

>38 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I think you'll enjoy the books if you liked the show. I haven't watched it all but from what I have watched, I feel like it captures the spirit of the books pretty well. Gabaldon does "epic" really well.

Happy Thursday! I had way too many meetings yesterday and that pattern is repeating today, boo. Didn't do any walking because of the meetings yesterday, but I'm hoping to get some in today. I did do another workout last night, so that felt good. Tim was getting dinner with his old roommate and his wife, who both work at the same company as Tim. I don't dislike these people, but I don't think of them as MY friends, either, and when we all get together it's literally just the three of them talking about work, so I let Tim hang out with them by himself these days, lol. I stayed home and did my workout, took advantage of Tim's absence to make matzo ball soup for dinner (happy Passover! Tim doesn't find it to be a satisfying meal), and read for the rest of the evening. Today will be work, then hopefully another workout. Tilapia, potatoes, kale, and probably rice for dinner. After work I also need to help Tim shift some furniture in his office -- he's converting half of it into a weight room. He ordered all his supplies but in classic Tim fashion, his new personal trainer is coming tomorrow morning and he hasn't set anything up yet.

Currently reading: Only 200 pages left of Drums of Autumn. Do you think my work would understand if I told them I need to sign off early to focus on finishing? Started Headlong on audio.

Currently watching: Nothing yesterday.

>40 curioussquared: That also sounds like what would happen with me, lol.
Still, good luck to your husband on his health journey.

Sorry to hear about the meeting overload, Natalie. Good luck making it through the day.

Only 200 pages left of Drums of Autumn. Do you think my work would understand if I told them I need to sign off early to focus on finishing?

I feel this so hard sometimes.

>42 MickyFine: I actually just found out that I still have to attend one of the meetings, but no longer need to present, so I got a bit of a reprieve!

I might read some Drums of Autumn at lunch...

>43 curioussquared: Yay for no presenting!

Happy Friday! Already done with my one meeting of the day, so that's good :) Yesterday my friend ended up coming over for a workout in the evening and then we got dumplings and watched an episode of Taskmaster Australia, which is a lot of fun. Today is a normal workday, then in the evening we're going to Tim's sister's house to do an extremely delayed Christmas exchange with her and her boyfriend. We're supposed to bring a side dish so I'll make something after work before we head over which probably means I need to pop out to the store during work.

Currently reading: Still Drums of Autumn. Fell asleep reading last night. Hoping to finish by tomorrow! About 40% through Headlong on audio and I have a lot of Thoughts that I will wait to share until my review. Spoiler: the Thoughts are not very positive.

Currently watching: Just the episode of Taskmaster Australia.

It's nice to get things out of the way early in the day, right?! One of these years I will start over with the Outlander books. And actually watch the TV show. I've started the first season twice, but my TV time is limited, and I want to read the books again before watching, so who knows when it will happen :)

Have a nice time tonight and a nice weekend!

>56 curioussquared: Hi Rachel! Totally get what you mean about Outlander -- they are a COMMITMENT! I finally finished book 4 yesterday and was torn between wanting to start book 5 asap and needing a break, lol.

Happy Saturday! Shortly after posting yesterday I realized that that congestion and runny nose I had been blaming on leftover congestion from the cold I had last week were actually an entirely different cold that was rapidly getting worse. We cancelled dinner and I spent the evening binging the new Love Is Blind episodes and finishing Drums of Autumn instead. Tim spent it playing video games and staying far enough away from me that he hopefully doesn't catch what I have.

I feel OK today but definitely have a head cold, so I've been taking it easy and mostly lounging and reading in bed in the hopes of being able to attend family Easter festivities tomorrow.

>48 curioussquared: Boo to the head cold. Take some honey-lemon and have yourself a restful weekend, Natalie.

Aww dang. Sorry about head cold round 2. I hope it passes quickly.

>49 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. Lots of tea was consumed and I definitely rested a lot!

>50 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky. Head cold symptoms appear to be improving but turned into an awful migraine last night (possibly sinus-triggered). Woke up still feeling awful so am taking a sick day. I'm really bad at using sick time since I work from home but I've been at my job almost a year and I think this is my first one so I'm justifying it to myself.

It's Monday and I'm still stick, so like I mentioned above, I'm taking the day off from work. Had to skip Easter festivities yesterday which was a bummer. On the bright side, Tim made chicken noodle soup and my mom dropped off some food from the family Easter celebration in the evening. I got a ton of reading done while resting until a migraine hit yesterday afternoon and then I was mostly just lying in the dark occasionally watching tiktoks.

Currently reading: The best thing about being sick is that I'm binging the Scholomance books. Finished rereading A Deadly Education on Saturday and The Last Graduate on Sunday, and am 1/4 through my first read of The Golden Enclaves.

Currently watching: nothing but tiktoks, lol.

So sorry you're not feeling well, Natalie!

Sending get well soon vibes!

Hope you feel better soon!

>53 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks, Angela! Still not 100% but well enough to be working today.

>54 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi! I'm on the way there.

59 books read: Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

Newly arrived in the Americas (somewhat accidentally), Claire, Jamie, and young Ian journey through the dangerous new world to find Jamie's aunt and uncle who have settled in North Carolina. Jamie is also tempted by an offer of land of his own -- grants are being given to respectable scotsmen even through the law says they can't be Catholic to receive a land grant. Meanwhile, back in the present day, Brianna and Roger continue to dance around each other, unsure how to move forward in their relationship. Then, Brianna discovers something that leads her to throw caution to the wind and risk everything.

Another epic tale from Gabaldon, almost impossible to review just due to its expansiveness. Suffice to say I enjoyed this one a lot, if maybe slightly less than the previous book, and am looking forward to the next in the series. Roger's sections were a little long and he frustrated me a few times in this volume. 4.5 stars

60 books read: A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

El is a student at the Scholomance, a deadly magical school that wizards continue to send their kids to only because it's slightly less deadly than letting them come of age outside. She's always had a fairly dark, menacing aura that's kept her from making friends at school -- after all, her seer grandmother did prophecy that she would bring death and destruction to the world when she was just a toddler. And El knows she DOES have that power -- her magical affinity seems to be for killing and destroying, and she works hard to ignore it every day. As graduation approaches (aka the mass sprint through the graduation hall full of monsters that approximately 1/4 students survive), El knows she needs to buckle down and concentrate on building mana and finding a reasonable graduation alliance. Too bad Orion Lake, the most popular boy in school, won't stop inconveniencing her by saving her life with his flashy maleficaria-killing affinity.

Loved this just as much with my reread. I had forgotten most of the details, especially the emotional aspects (that El works hard to hide), and enjoyed re-meeting a lot of the characters. 5 stars.

61 books read: The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

Now a senior, El is pretty sure what to expect from her year. Get through the classes she knows she's getting, keep building mana to replace the stores she lost last year, and keep expanding her tentative friendships with Aadhya, Liu, and, well, Orion, into something of a graduation alliance. But everything goes out the window when instead she gets ridiculous classes she wasn't expecting, in ridiculous classrooms scattered around the school. Plus, she's the only senior in a room full of freshman, and she keeps finding herself USING mana instead of building it in order to save their lives over and over again and each class is interrupted by various maleficaria. Soon, El realizes something is fishy -- she's the only one being targeted by mals, out of the whole school. No wonder she's using so much mana. As El grows further into her power and continues training for graduation, she starts thinking the Scholomance itself might be trying to tell her something -- now if only she could figure out what...

Again, just a delight on the reread. 5 stars.

62 books read: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

Now back in the outside world, El must partner with those she made alliances with in the Scholomance (some of whom actually like her? That'll take a while to get used to) to take down an evil force that is destroying enclaves around the world. Along the way, she'll face several terrible truths -- about herself, and about Orion Lake.

Hard to summarize this one without giving anything away but I gave it my best shot! I thought this was a fantastic conclusion to the trilogy. When I read both the first and second books for the first time, I remember wanting so badly to have the next one in my hands right away -- Novik does such a good job of bringing you into El's world and it's hard to leave it each time. It was so much fun to binge the series all in a row, even if I wasn't feeling great while I did it. If I had to offer some criticism for this book, it was that I wanted more, almost -- the first two entries are so closed off in the Scholomance. The world is finite and Novik had limited room for expansion (in spite of the endless void). This one, by its very nature, is the total opposite of that. We have the whole world to explore and it's truly a jetsetting book, with stops in Wales, London, Portugal, New York, Dubai, Beijing, India, and probably some other places I'm forgetting. I loved all of it, but there was so much jampacked in that I just wanted more detail than could possibly fit in a ~400 page book. 5 stars.

Back to work today! Feeling a lot better if not 100% and I'm glad I took yesterday off. Still taking it easy with no real plans aside from getting through the workday. It's been super gray and rainy here for days and there's finally a little sunshine, so I might try to walk the dogs after work -- I think it'll be good for me to get outside. Probably teriyaki salmon and some sides for dinner.

Currently reading: Read a little more Fugitive Telemetry last night before bed after finishing my Scholomance binge yesterday. Got a little more of Headlong done on audio yesterday and I'm a little over halfway through now.

Currently watching: S2E5 of Outlander yesterday.

Happy Wednesday! It's another sunny day here so it's finally feeling like Spring. I keep getting vague urges to do some yard work. Still not feeling 100%, but am much closer to normal today. Yesterday we ended up ordering pizza and watching a little TV after I walked the dogs, so salmon will be for tonight.

Today my job announced that they're going to be requiring all corporate employees (me) to go into an office at least 2 days a week, no exceptions, starting in June. I'm... pretty mad about it and told my boss right off the bat that if it was enforced I would consider quitting. If I lived where my team members lived and could actually go into an office to collaborate with people? Sure, that would make sense to me. But I'm the only member of the benefits team who lives in Seattle, so I would be commuting (from Seattle to Bellevue, for anyone who knows what that means -- it's just an awful commute that I've done before and quit a job over) anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours a day to go sit in a cubicle in a sad office park by myself, on the same Teams calls I could be on at home, maybe to say hi to one person I've met a few times but don't work with directly. I would consider going into the office once a month -- I think I would run out of productive things to do there in less than 8 hours, but whatever -- but twice a week is just not on the list of things I want to do. Maybe I sound whiny, I know a lot of jobs are back in offices, but I took this job with the understanding that I was remote and that there was no reason for me ever to do a local commute since my team is fully distributed. At most, we have three team members based in one office, out of 15 or so. Even worse than my situation, they're apparently not making any exceptions for people who moved away from an office during the pandemic -- there are two people on my team who currently live ~150 miles from an office and the current instruction is just to work with your manager so you can start meeting the twice a week requirement when it starts. It feels draconian and punishing to me in a way that implies a fundamental lack of caring for and trust in your employees.

Currently reading: Finished my reread of Fugitive Telemetry last night and made some more progress in Headlong.

Currently watching: Finally got to last week's episode of The Mandalorian and thoroughly enjoyed the guest stars. My favorite Mando episodes are the ones that are totally useless to the plot and just do fun, hilarious Star Wars things, like putting Lizzo and Jack Black in as the Duke and Duchess of what appears to be a space version of 18th century Versailles. Like, yes, more of that, please, lol.

63 books read: Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells

Having saved Dr. Mensah from GrayCris, Murderbot has been spending its time wandering rather aimlessly around Preservation Station -- until a dead human is found in the station mall, and Murderbot is enlisted to help solve the murder in case GrayCris was involved. Murderbot is reluctant to work with Station Security, since they've been suspicious since it arrived, but Dr. Mensah wants it to play nice, so it does. As Murderbot digs into the mystery, it starts to make some connections with the humans, despite its best efforts.

This is my second time through this entry and it still kind of feels like a filler episode -- the Murderbot Christmas Special, if you will. But still a lot of fun. Probably my least favorite in the series just because by its nature it doesn't really move the overall story forward, but I still had a great time reading it again. I love watching Murderbot slowly move forward in its "relationships" (I know it would hate that word) with Ratthi, Gurathin, Dr. Mensah, and the others, and continue to figure out how to exist in a world that was very much not built for it. 5 stars.

>61 curioussquared: Oof, I'm sorry to hear about the work drama. That sounds really challenging. *hugs*

Yay for Murderbot continuing to be awesome though.

>37 curioussquared: Oh I loved Half Magic so much when I was a kid. I read a couple of his other books (not sure if this was one of them) and they were fine but not as good, definitely.

Also, Morgan and I have watched the first two episodes of Love Is Blind now. I half want to spoil myself because at this point I'm hoping that a sinkhole opens up in episode 3 and Irina falls into it. (Micah can go too, but Irina is the top priority.)

I don't think you sound whiny at all about the change in job requirements. It's ridiculous of them to expect you to make that commute when you were hired as a remote worker. And those people who moved away?!?! Holy cow.

>63 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! We'll see what happens with the work stuff since it was just announced. I'm going to try not to worry about it too much at this point.

>64 ursula: Yes, none of them have lived up to Half Magic so far. This one was better than Knight's Castle, though. I'm excited to see what you think as you keep watching LIB! Sort of spoiler, not for anything important but just something that is said: I love the part where Irina is lying on the couch whining, like, "OMG, I'm so mean, I should be nicer!" And Chelsea goes, "Why don't you then?" just totally deadpan. Asking the real questions, lol.

>65 katiekrug: Thanks for the sympathy and affirming that I'm not overreacting, Katie! I feel really lucky that I'm in a position where 1. I can afford to take the risk that they would actually fire me while fighting back against this and 2. my boss supports me in my feelings and is working to figure out options. I know she doesn't want to lose me and I was very up-front and frank about my feelings and objections. She told me she actually used me as an example while the new policy was being discussed (i.e. why should Natalie go into an office when there's nobody there for her to work with?) and her concerns were brushed off, so we'll see.

>56 curioussquared: I think I am on #7, An Echo in the Bones in the Outlander series. I didn't realize I have so many still to go!! And I have only watched up to season 2 on TV, but liked it a lot, and guess what...the new season is the same as the book I'm on! Guess I need to catch the TV up to my book level. LOL

Hope you feel 100% soon!

>61 curioussquared: Ugh, sorry to hear about the work stress. Hopefully they will rethink their policy.

>67 Berly: There are a LOT of Outlander books, Kim! You have a lot of show to catch up on :) I like to leave a little bit of space in between the books so I don't think I'll pick up book 5 right away, but I have two and a half seasons now of show before I'm caught up to my place in the book so I have a bit of breathing room :)

>68 foggidawn: Thanks, Foggi!

Sorry about the work policy. Remote workers are productive, and remote work has helped disabled people and people without reliable transportation get good jobs.

You can tell which companies want to make good choices and which are run by busybody middle managers.

>70 libraryperilous: Thanks, Diana. I've basically decided that I won't do more than once a month, and if that won't work for them... I guess we'll see where that leaves us, lol. Most of my team is annoyed because we all feel that working from home lets us get MORE done. Feels extra bad that they announced the new policy the day after announcing that we had great Q4 earnings. Like, thanks for making us money! Here's your punishment.

So far I haven't heard a single word from people who are excited about the announcement. A corp comms person today was trying to express what we're looking for by encouraging in-office time as a "spark" or a "je ne sais quoi". Right, tu ne sais quoi because there is no reason, just some bigwigs who are bad managers and don't know how to work from home themselves so don't think anyone else can do it either.

>71 curioussquared: We had a really good welfare state during covid. It's heartbreaking to watch corporations, the GOP, and centrist Democrats join together to ruin it so jerks can make even more money being jerks.

I cannot imagine 'sparking' with my coworkers. We're not painting with glitter here.

>71 curioussquared: This sounds just like my work. We have the added benefit of a particular type of person (::cough, cough:: straight, cis, white, extrovert, men :: cough, cough::) in those management roles. For them, the idea of not always having people around them is torture, so why wouldn't you want to be at the office all day? Just don't pay attention to how much time they spend on the golf course.

It sucks because most of us not only get more done from home in way of work, but we also get to live more. I do not miss having to prep my lunch, drive to the office, make small talk, walk to my car in the dark half of the year, then drive home. That is time I would rather spend on literally anything else.

I do feel for you. I'm glad your direct boss at least sounds decent, and here's for hoping they figure it all out.

>72 libraryperilous: Yep. My boss kept bringing up how the Washington Post keeps running articles on how most companies are back. I was like... you know Jeff Bezos owns that, right?

Someone else pitched the idea of an internal campaign about hanging out with your "work bestie". Kill me.

>73 dreamweaver529: I went so far as to say to my boss that this sounded like something just being handed down by some old white men on the senior leadership team (I surprised myself a little with how bold I was! She's a good boss.). She said that apparently it's actually some old white women on our SLT this time, which surprised me a bit, but not too much -- I've often found that older women who sacrificed a lot to personally to succeed professionally did so by putting other women down rather than lifting them up. And I personally believe that being anti-WFH is anti-woman.

Totally agree on the living more. I told my boss that I like my job because I'm good at it, but also because I have really good work life balance in my current role, and that's the only reason I'm here, so if that's taken away from me, I'm gone. She seems like she understands and is supportive, so we'll see how it shakes out.

>74 curioussquared: You can always count on the US media to adopt whatever pro-corporate, pro-employer stance they think will get them invited to fancy parties. We have a free press in this country, but we don't have a fair one.

hanging out with your "work bestie". Kill me.

Oh god. What's next, sleeping in the office like you're one of Elon Musk's employees?

Ouch. That whole commute sounds like a pain in the rear.
I admit I personally hate working from home but that is based SOLEY on my own faults. What they are doing to you is unfair and I am so sorry.

(added those Naomi Novik books to the 'to read' list btw. That subject matter sounds just right for me.)

>76 Ravenwoodwitch: That's totally valid and anybody who prefers working in the office should be able to! I'm not even against working in an office, honestly; I don't think I could go back to full time, but I could certainly do hybrid. What frustrates me about this decision is that 1. It's not what I signed up for and 2. I wouldn't be going into an office to collaborate with anyone, since my team doesn't work near me and I don't actually work with anyone else in the Seattle area.

>66 curioussquared: That was in episode 2 and yes! I generally don't care for her much either but she nailed Irina.

Your work situation - ugh! There's no reason to subject you to that. Like you said, you didn't sign up for it and there's no benefit to it. Either of those reasons would be enough to be unhappy (and to quit) but both together? Oh yeah.

>78 ursula: Yeah, I wouldn't want to hang out with Chelsea but she at least appears to have a set of morals 😂 Thanks for the sympathy on the work situation!

It's Thursday! Last night Tim and I made salmon with roasted potatoes. I watched TV and played some Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the first time in a few years (my save file tells me I hadn't picked it up since June 2020!) in preparation for the sequel's release next month. I already know I will go absolutely feral for Tears of the Kingdom so expect my reading to take a hit starting May 12, lol.

Nothing too exciting going on today -- mostly work and prepping for our weekend trip to Mount Rainier with my in-laws. It should be pretty chill, so I'm mostly planning on just tossing a lot of comfy clothes in a bag. The "kids" (me and Tim and Tim's sister and her boyfriend) are in charge of meals, so I have a grocery pickup scheduled for this afternoon. Today is the day Otter and Kermit are supposed to have their monthly preventative pill (flea/heartworm etc) but I messed up and only have one left. The vet MIGHT be able to have a refill ready for pickup today, so I might have to pop out in the afternoon for that, too. And finally, my friend might come over in the evening for a workout since I'm feeling better now.

Currently reading: Still slogging through Headlong on audio. I considered putting it down, but I'm almost done at this point and I'm kind of excited to give it a horrible review. Started Honey and Spice on Kindle last night. Need a new print book soon!

Currently watching: An episode and a half of Outlander.

Currently playing: As stated above, BOTW :) Very tempted to start a whole new game and see how much I can get through before TOTK, but we'll see.

Sigh. :(

>80 curioussquared: I always DNF instead of hate reading things. I don't have the fortitude. Looking forward to your excoriating review!

>81 libraryperilous: Ugh. Honestly, I understand workplaces wanting to increase "meaningful" in-office presence; it's the lack of meaning in what is being requested of me that I take issue with.

Just finished Headlong this morning so stay tuned! Honestly, it's also going to be an excoriating review of the ex-boyfriend who recommended it to me 😂 ETA: I am more likely to DNF something in print; audio is easier for me to push through something I'm not loving.

Happy Friday! Busy day yesterday with work and the errands I mentioned and then my friend coming over. In between errands and my friend coming over, my dad showed up unexpectedly to try a few things on my car, which still isn't fixed. (I had called him earlier with some questions and he had mentioned he might come over today, but not yesterday. Pretty sure his love language is helping me with my car, though; he always rushes right over when I need him, lol.) I think we narrowed down what the issue might be and it sounds like the battery itself is just faulty, even though I only bought it last year. So that's good and cheaper to fix than other issues, especially if I can find the receipt for the purchase since it should still be under warranty.

Have a few things to get done at work today and will also be puttering around in between tasks getting ready to leave for our trip. We were thinking of taking off of work a few hours early, but it looks like with rush hour traffic it would be a 4 hour drive if we left anytime between 2-6 pm, and more like a 2 hour drive if we leave around 6:30-7, so we'll probably leave around 6 and grab some dinner before truly getting on the road.

Currently reading: Finished Headlong on audio this morning while walking the dogs and picked up A Visit from the Goon Squad to replace it. Didn't make any additional progress on Honey and Spice or pick up a new print book yet. Considering Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Legendborn, Crown Duel, City of Brass, and The Anthropocene Reviewed, so quite a varied selection.

Currently watching: An episode of Taskmaster Australia after my workout with my friend.

>83 curioussquared: I haven't gotten into any of the non-UK Taskmasters yet. I feel like I'm saving them for a rainy day or something but I don't really know why.

64 books read: Headlong by Michael Frayn

Martin Clay and his wife Kate are a young British couple from London who have semi-recently purchased a cottage in the country and are taking their newborn daughter to stay there for a few weeks for the first time. Kate is an art historian, and while we don't know much about Martin's work, he has also recently taken an interest in art history and is working on some kind of book of his own on the subject. While in the country, the two are invited to dinner at their neighbors' farm. Tony Church, the neighbor, asks for their opinion on a few old paintings he has inherited and is interested in selling. While a few seem worthless to Martin, the moment he sets eyes on the last one, he's absolutely convinced that it is a lost Breughel from the set of paintings known as The Four Seasons (even though there are five) or The Series of the Months. Rather than telling Tony this, though, Martin's immediate instinct is to not react in order to execute a plan of paying Tony a nominal sum somehow and then claiming the bulk of the profit and the fame from having unearthed a lost masterpiece for himself. Over the course of a few weeks, Martin manages to delude himself into believing he is a genius, much smarter than Tony and even his actual art historian wife, that his amazing plan will make him rich and famous. But then his plan starts to go sideways...

I bought this book back in college while visiting my ex-boyfriend in Rockford, Illinois, at the Half Price Books Outlet there. It was only a dollar, and now I know why. I wouldn't have picked it up except that said ex-boyfriend said he had loved it and it was great, so I bought it. I can say categorically that I did not love this book and it was not great, but I totally know why he liked it. Martin's main character trait is that he considers himself to be better than and smarter than literally everyone around him. He looks down on farmer Tony before even really speaking to him, and considers himself to be much more insightful on the topic of art history than his degree-holding, actual art historian wife, even though he has just really started dabbling of his own accord. His second character trait is that he is someone who believes that nothing is actually his fault and that anything that goes wrong or against him is something that is happening TO him, and not because of him. Unfortunately, these are both traits that he shares with my ex-boyfriend, lol -- he's still one of the smartest people I've ever met, but over the four years or so I knew him, he barely managed to get anything done because of a fundamental laziness and lack of ambition that he always turned into the odds being stacked against him. So I imagine it was quite easy for him to identify with the character of Martin. Anyway, don't read this book unless you want to watch a spineless, ego-inflated idiot hurt himself, his wife, and his neighbors for no reason other than his own greed and mostly get away with it. 1.5 stars -- there were at least a few bits where I learned some stuff about art history.

>84 norabelle414: Hi Nora! I've actually only watched a few episodes of UK Taskmaster -- I'd like to watch more but haven't gotten around to it since they're the sort of thing I'd watch with my best friend but she's already watched them all. We were in the mood for something light and silly recently and she suggested the Aussie version because she likes the hosts so far -- she said she wasn't a fan of the New Zealand hosts, but take that as you will. I need to get to UK Taskmaster at some point, though.

I can say categorically that I did not love this book and it was not great, but I totally know why he liked it.

We've all dated someone like this, but we rarely get the chance to write book reviews about them. Five stars for your 1.5 star review!

ETA: Oh, and your comment reminds me of reading Pamela Paul's biblio memoir where she's complaining about her ex-husband's taste in books. It turns out that the ex is Bret Stephens and Paul's a TERF, so they both suck. It's refreshing that, in your case, only your ex is awful. :)

>87 libraryperilous: Lol, thank you. It was fun to write. Not a relationship I regret, but I do wish I'd broken up with him a year or two before I actually did.

Ahhh I love a good bad-book lashing, moderate or otherwise.

As a stranger looking in, your ex-boyfriend sounds frustrating and this book sounds like it would get DNF'ed when I barely started it.

>89 Ravenwoodwitch: Right? If I get far enough in and realize that I'm hating a book, sometimes it's more satisfying to me to rip it apart in a review than DNFing it.

Love the review, and totally get why you finished it, both for writing the satisfying review and also just for the train-wreck-in-the-rearview-mirror nature of it.

We watched another episode of Love Is Blind and speaking of train wrecks, we just knew Zach was going to make the choice he did. I guess I should spoiler it in case there's anyone else out there who would watch this although I suspect we may be in a party of two! They left the reveal on a cliffhanger but we had to watch the first few minutes of the next episode to watch it all play out. I feel bad for him but there were red flags everywhere and he chose to ignore those. (Not even talking about the info he got from Bliss, just his own comments said that he knew what was going on "I worry that she's immature", "I know who you are at the core". I swear he even said to her in the pods that he knew she was kind. HAHAHAHAHA as she calls him "creepy" 3 times to his face. 🚩🚩🚩

>91 ursula: Right?? So many red flags all the time 🤦‍♀️ They're very good at those keep-you-watching cliffhangers. Keep me updated on your thoughts as you keep watching!! I just finished the weddings episode and am planning on watching the reunion live because I feel the need for some drama in my life this afternoon 😂 Also, what did you think of Zack's song to Irina? Lollll. It gave me so much secondhand embarrassment I almost had to mute it while he was singing.

I saw a headline on the NYT that the live was postponed for some reason? Obviously I didn't click through since I'm not done with the season and I'm not sure if the photo itself was a spoiler. 🤷‍♀️

Singing should be banned, that's what I have to say. Even if you're good at it, it can be weird and cringy to watch second-hand (thinking of Mallory and uh ... whatshisface from a previous season). But Kwame and Zach should not have been singing. At least Kwame kept it simple, Zach went all-in with the eye-rolling lyrics.

I think we just finished episode 5. The ease Irina felt in telling all her innermost jerkface thoughts to Zach once they called it off just infuriated me. She clearly doesn't understand that he's a human - perhaps that anyone else is a human at all. Looking forward to when the two mean girls find themselves facing off, who would have guessed that Irina would turn on her own kind? (Everyone.)

I like Marshall, although of course there's the possibility of everyone turning out to be terrible!

>93 ursula: Yeah, Netflix somehow totally screwed up the live stream and it didn't air live at all. They filmed it last night and I think it'll be posted today.

I thought Sal's song to Mallory was cute because at least he could carry a tune (Mallory didn't deserve him IMO). Kwame and Zack were just SO cringe to watch.

Irina definitely has some issues! I did think it was hilarious how quickly the tension between Zack and Irina dissipated once they called it off. He was trying SO hard and was getting more and more awkward, she was being so awful, and then poof, they could communicate again. Yeah, I thought Marshall did a really good job comforting Jackie when she had her breakdown in Mexico -- he was just there to support and comfort instead of trying to fix things which can be the opposite of what you need when you're overwhelmed.

Happy Monday!

We had a nice weekend with Tim's family -- drove up to the base of Mt. Rainier where we had rented a few cabins. Drove into the national park, did some hiking around the cabins, and just hung out. Got back yesterday and I watched the Love Is Blind weddings episode and then tried to watch the live reunion but Netflix messed it up and nobody could watch. In between I walked the dogs and did a 30 minute cardio workout and then a 20 minute strength workout. I'm feeling both today! Finished up the day with a quick pasta dinner and some BOTW before bed. Back to work today; might go to trivia tonight but it sounds like a team might not come together, so I might just spend the evening doing a workout, tidying up before the cleaners come tomorrow, and actually watching the LIB reunion.

Currently reading: About halfway through Honey and Spice and my feelings on it are mixed so far -- my best friend highly recommended it so I may have gone in with unrealistically high expectations. Almost three quarters of the way through A Visit from the Goon Squad on audio and will hopefully finish today. I brought Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Legends and Lattes on our trip to start a new print book but I didn't pick up either one, so we'll see what the next print book ends up being.

Currently watching: Love Is Blind!

Currently playing: Breath of the Wild. Still toying with starting a new game. Also toying with finally playing more than a few hours of Age of Calamity; I didn't like the game mechanics as much but apparently there is a lot of fun character development that you miss if you don't play it. Boo.

Goon Squad on audio must be interesting. I'm fascinated by how the format would treat the chapter that's done as PowerPoint slides.

>96 MickyFine: I listened to that portion yesterday and I think it worked pretty well, although it didn't fully translate that they were formatted as PPT slides. There was a "click" sound like a projector switching slides between each one, but I still didn't clue into how they were laid out visually. Honestly, the words worked pretty well just as prose, too, aside from the few slides that were literally just charts. I took a look at the PPT pages after I finished and honestly, in some ways listening was easier, because the narrator made the decisions on which words to read first for the slides where it wasn't clear.

Happy Tuesday! Ended up going to trivia last night with a family team -- my brother, older cousin, and aunt. We did very badly but had a lot of fun. Had Thai takeout at the trivia location (they're a brewery that doesn't serve food, so I usually get something from a nearby restaurant for dinner, which I kind of like -- you can have whatever you feel like that night instead of being limited to the trivia location's menu). I didn't do much tidying for the cleaners so will probably spend half an hour at lunch today frantically running around doing that. No workout yesterday but I did get 10k+ steps during my workday. My dad got my car working again over the weekend (yay!) and I think tonight I'll go put some desperately needed air in the tires before I take it to the airport tomorrow -- I'm flying to Boise in the evening tomorrow, attending work meetings on Thursday, then headed home on Thursday evening, so I figured I'd just park at the airport since it's probably cheaper than two Lyfts and Tim can't drive me during his workday tomorrow.

Currently reading: Finished A Visit from the Goon Squad yesterday and started Well Played on audio. Read a little more Honey & Spice before passing out last night.

Currently watching: Nothing :( Hoping to get to the LIB reunion tonight.

Currently playing: Nothing, but my fingers are itching for more Zelda.

65 books read: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Tells the story of Bennie Salazar, a record label executive, and his assistant Sasha, a kleptomaniac with a troubled past, through a series of interconnected short stories -- almost character studies -- that jump around in time.

I enjoyed this! "Interconnected short stories" are not normally my thing but Egan's writing draws you in and I was engaged in figuring out each character's deal with each new scenario. 4 stars.

>97 curioussquared: Interesting. I read the book the year it won the Pulitzer and while most details have been lost to time, I still remember the delight of the PPT chapter.

I hope your work trip goes smoothly and the car cooperates the whole time!

Have a safe trip! Sorry its for work but, still.

>100 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>101 Ravenwoodwitch: Thanks, Angela! I don't expect to have a lot of time to explore the wonders of Boise, but I'll be able to say I've been to Idaho now :)

Happy Wednesday! Went to Costco last night, bought lots of fun things, got my sad tires filled, got some nice cheap gas. Came home and Tim was hanging out with a friend and I hung out with them and chatted a bit. The friend let us know of his plans to propose to his girlfriend later this year and I made happy noises and congratulated him, but Tim and I are bummed because we do NOT like the girlfriend. We expected this was coming, though.

Doing some work today and also throwing a quick suitcase together because I failed to pack last night before heading to the airport in the afternoon. Should be a good quick trip! It's also Tim's birthday today and I feel a little bad about leaving him but I gave him his presents this morning (airpods and a greyhound t-shirt). We'll do a dinner this weekend or something.

Currently reading: Almost 3/4 done with Well Played on audio and I expect I'll finish while packing/driving to the airport/navigating said airport. Passed out last night before I made any progress in Honey & Spice, but it's possible I'll finish on the plane. Still haven't started a new print book.

Currently watching: Watched the LIB reunion yesterday while doing some multitaskable work. It was fine. Nick and Vanessa need to be fired as hosts.

Currently playing: Nothing :(

66 books read: Well Played by Jen DeLuca

Stacey has been working at the local renaissance faire every summer since she was in high school. She loves it, but has started to feel stuck in a rut when it comes to her life -- she was supposed to move away ages ago, but stayed in her small hometown after her mom got sick and her dad needed her support. Now, she's in her late 20s with no sign of a future in sight. So at the end of faire season, she takes a wild leap and drunkenly messages the guy from a faire band she's hooked up with the past few summers, Dex. Dex responds, and Stacey is surprised to find that he's... intelligent? Articulate? Sweet? Very different from the Dex she thought she knew... and it turns out that's because she hasn't been talking to Dex at all but to Daniel, his cousin who manages the band. Stacey feels betrayed, but can't get away from the fact that she was actually happy while she was talking to Daniel all year, jumping at every phone conversation. Can they get past their weird first connection and make things work?

I've actually seen a lot of hate for this book on the internet, and I can kind of see why. When you get right down to it... it's a catfishing romance, and I'm not sure Daniel is made to pay enough for that deception. I do think that most of the people who REALLY hated this book missed the fairly obvious Cyrano allusions (two side characters literally say something along the lines of "He Cyrano'd you?") or aren't familiar enough with that work to understand what DeLuca was trying to do. As someone who understands what DeLuca was trying to do, I'm still not sure she did it QUITE well enough to make this book a major success for me. Stacey felt a little spineless, and like I mentioned above, I wanted Daniel to have to pay a little bit more before Stacey blindly forgave him. I also felt like there just wasn't a huge amount of chemistry between them after all that. I overall enjoyed listening to this if I didn't think about it too hard, but there were a few moments that didn't quite work for me. I'll continue with the series but I preferred book 1 to this entry. 3.5 stars.

>104 curioussquared: Oh, I agree about Daniel not having to atone enough. Cyrano is my favorite play, but I don't think this homage worked particularly well. It's my least-favorite of the series.

>1 curioussquared: Happy new thread! I finished a book that you might like called Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki. It's a mix of sci-fi/fantasy about a violinist who sold her soul to the Devil. I enjoyed it immensely.

>105 foggidawn: That's good to know it's your least favorite despite loving Cyrano!

>106 ocgreg34: Hi Greg! That one is on my list to look into :) thank you for the recommendation!

Happy Friday! Back from my whirlwind trip to Boise. I met a lot of my coworkers in person for the first time (including my boss!) and some of our vendors as well, so I think it was productive overall. Got home around 8:30 last night and Tim and the pups were very happy to see me (and I them). Back to work this morning and I'm struggling after a poor night of sleep. And it's an unusually meeting-heavy Friday, too. Boo. Tonight I think we might try a new Mexican restaurant in our neighborhood for dinner. Big plans!

Currently reading: Finished Honey & Spice on Kindle on Wednesday night and started The Nature of Witches on Kindle at the airport on the way home; it's a pretty quick read so I got about 75% through it even though my flight was only about an hour. About a quarter of the way through The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows on audio. Still need to start a new print book but will probably wait until I finish The Nature of Witches since I'm so close to the end.

Currently watching: Nada

Currently playing: Zilch

67 books read: Honey & Spice by Bolu Babalola

Kiki Banjo is the ice queen of Whitewell College. She notoriously doesn't date, but she does play excellent music and dispense even more excellent dating advice on her Brown Sugar college radio show that she runs with her best (and only) friend, Aminah. Kiki's one vice is her hookups with Zack, who she's sworn off anyway. But then, a new guy enters the scene: Malakai Korede, transfer student, and he seems... different. When Kiki's mentor professor encourages her to partner with a new student in order to increase her radio listenership and gain admission to a study abroad opportunity in New York, Kiki is skeptical. She's even more skeptical when that new student turns out of course to be Malakai. But as they start talking, Kiki realizes she may have misjudged him. Soon, the two have entered into a fake relationship that will hopefully benefit them both by helping Kiki boost listeners and Malakai use the material for a new short film he's making on relationships. But as their friendship grows, Kiki starts to wonder just what's so fake about their relationship -- and she just might be forced to drop the ice queen front.

This book had a lot going on. The writing is stylistically really pretty and interesting; almost poetic in some spots. I really enjoyed the prose overall! I did have problems when the stylized prose bled into the dialogue; I have a lot of trouble believing that ANYBODY talks like these characters, let alone 20 year old college students. Overall, I enjoyed the story a lot, but was taken out a few times by the dialogue and a few plot points that felt very first novel-y. I would still read another book by Babalola, though. And I want the fake fantasy book series that Kiki likes to be real! 3.5 stars.

>108 curioussquared: Glad the trip went smoothly! I look forward to a report on the Mexican place of you go.

That was definitely a whirlwind trip! Those really exhaust me.

We watched episode 8 of Love Is Blind last night, where the couples all got together again for more drama!

I don't know if I should still spoiler since the whole thing is done now and I'm just trying to navigate not getting spoiled myself but here goes:

I've been back and forth on Kwame but I can say he's not the one for Chelsea. He would be if he were a few years older, but the kids thing is not something you can play around with. I assume he told her he would be fine with it in the pods.

Micah's very drunk friend is the WORST. She feels threatened by Paul having a brain.

Marshall and Jackie ... yeah his "project" comment was awful but I did understand what he meant. (I wouldn't have taken it well either, for the record.) He knows it's going to be a process, but he's willing to wait it out. And speaking of drunk people who are the WORST, cue Josh. If Jackie has any interest in him at all, Marshall is not for her.

I guess there are just a couple more episodes left so I'm anxious to find out what happens! Also, no matter who you choose, etc, Zack is crazy for thinking that doing this at the same time as trying to open his own law office is a good idea. He looked like he hadn't slept in forever in some of those interviews.

Glad the whirlwind trip went well! Have a great weekend.

Happy belated bday Tim! Glad the trip went well and you got to meet your boss. Sorry your friend is planning on proposing to the GF you don't really like. Your Dad gets major let-me-show-you-how-much-I-love-you points for trying to fix the car. I think I'll skip Headlong, although I loved how you explained why your ex enjoyed it. Loved Goon Squad and nice Cyrano connection on Well Played and Honey and Spice sounds like a good, fun read. Phew! I am caught up! At least momentarily. Happy Saturday.

>110 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

>111 ursula: Totally agree with all your takes. Marshall's project comment was bad but I felt like he walked back from it pretty well. He feels like somebody who can say something in anger but recognize that he was wrong in the moment. But yeah, anybody who is wooed by Josh... is not supposed to be with Marshall, lol. And yes, not sure what made Zack think that would be a good idea 😂 Poor guy looks constantly exhausted.

>112 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>113 Berly: Good to see you, Kim! My dad is the best. Not the most emotionally available person but he's always there when it counts :)

Happy Monday! I had a nice and somewhat eventful weekend.

On Friday night we went out to dinner at that new Mexican restaurant and it's definitely going to become a favorite. It was SO good. Tim had enchiladas verde and I went for the fish tacos. You could tell everything was authentic and also made with really fresh, high quality ingredients. Plus, the sangria was great, and it's only 5 minutes from our house, so we'll definitely be back.

On Saturday we went to a few open houses. The first was in a neighborhood we really like and had some great features, but ultimately wasn't right for us. The second was in a neighborhood we like slightly less... but the house was INCREDIBLE. Usually when I see a house online and then go see it in person, it doesn't measure up to the pictures or the in-person tour reveals a dealbreaker or two. This one accomplished the rare feat of being better in person and it actually checks all of our boxes. We've been semi-seriously looking at houses for 6 months or so at this point and this is only the second house we've felt this way about, so now we're trying to decide if we're actually ready and want to submit an offer. Exciting times! In the evening my best friend came over and we did a dance workout and then watched a movie.

Sunday was less eventful; I slept really poorly so had a slow morning. Walked the dogs, did a Ring Fit Adventure workout, and then Tim and I had more house discussions and decided to at least move forward with the mortgage pre-approval process.

Today we're going back to the house to do a tour with our real estate agent to get his read on the property. Otherwise should be a normal workday.

Currently reading: Started The Soulmate Equation on audio and The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo on Kindle. I STILL need a new physical book.

Currently watching: Mandalorian S3 E7 and E8 on Friday night. Yes, I squealed at the adoption. Rye Lane with my friend on Saturday night. An episode of Indian Matchmaking S3 yesterday.

Currently playing: Uh, a LOT of Breath of the Wild. I'm addicted again.

That's exciting about the house!

68 books read: The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin

In a world where witches are divided in their powers by seasonal affinities, Clara Densmore is a once-in-a-lifetime miracle -- she's an everwitch, a witch who can use the power of all four seasons instead of just one. Not much is known about everwitches, as the last one lived 100 years ago, but theoretically, Clara should be able to control the power of the witches around her to complete larger magic workings than she and the other witches could do alone. And it's a power that's desperately needed. Witches work with the earth and the weather to maintain the natural balance, but as climate change accelerates, the world and the weather have been growing more and more out of balance, and wildfires and other natural disasters have increased to the point that the witch community is having trouble controlling things. But Clara's magic has never been her friend -- the power within her is so strong that it will sometimes lash out, even killing people close to her. Clara's training is at a standstill, and she's not sure how to move forward, so her school brings in new teachers -- a teacher from the California magic school, and his advanced studies student, Sang, a botany specialist who can project calmness with his magic. Clara and Sang begin to train together, with Sang using his calming abilities to help Clara feel more confident in her powers, and Clara begins to make great strides -- and she and Sang figure out new ways to use her powers. But as Clara's control grows, so does her attraction to Sang. It's mutual, but Clara knows what happens when people get close to her -- they die. As Clara struggles with her feelings and her instinct to protect Sang, the weather patterns start growing worse, and soon, Clara will have to make some choices about her future.

I'm not sure I did a great job summarizing us, but this was an enjoyable and fresh YA fantasy. I thought the seasonal weather magic was an interesting system and Clara's growth was believable and realistic. There was one leap at the end of the novel that felt a little unexplained, but it didn't affect my overall enjoyment. 4 stars.

ETA - with this finished, I'm halfway through my list of books to read this year at the top of the thread!

>116 katiekrug: Thanks Katie! I'm cautiously excited right now :) There are still a lot of things to figure out and no guarantees but it would be a really cool move.

Good luck figuring out the house situation--exciting!! And The nature of Witches sounds life fun. Happy Monday.

Checked it out from the library!

69 books read: The Care and Feeding of Waspish Widows by Olivia Waite

Penelope Flood has always known she prefers women, and her husband prefers men -- they got married so each could pursue their own interests in peace. Plus, John is usually away at sea, so Penelope is able to live her life as she wishes and devote her time to her passion, beekeeping. When Agatha Griffin, a widow who owns a London print shop, visits her warehouse in Penelope's town and discovers an errant beehive, she finds Penelope to help her dispose of it. Agatha is skeptical of Penelope in her shabby men's clothing, but soon finds her methods to be effective, and the two develop a friendship. But as political unrest unfolds, Agatha and Penelope are drawn together to protest some of the issues occurring around them, and soon find themselves discovering more than friendship.

A fun historical romance with light politics and heavy bees. 3.75 stars.

>119 Berly: Thanks Kim! I hope you like it -- it was a quick read for me :)

>115 curioussquared: House hunting! How exciting. Hope you are able to find the right fit soon.

>122 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

Happy Tuesday! Pretty standard workday yesterday. After work we went to see the house again, then came home and did some research related to the loan process. Still excited about it, but some complications mean that if we make an offer, we probably can't do it for another week or so. So if it sells really fast, we're probably out of luck. Oh well, what will be will be. Finished the day with some BOTW. I need to start taking it easy on the video games -- my hands are cramping today 😬

Working today. I slept horribly last night (a combination of mind racing with house thoughts and physical soreness from my workout on Sunday made it impossible to get back to sleep after Otter woke me at 3am) so will mostly be trying to make it through the day today.

Currently reading: Finished The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo in the middle of the night, and am over halfway through The Soulmate Equation and really enjoying it. Almost started Legendborn last night as my new print book but fell asleep before really opening it.

Currently watching: Nothing.

Currently playing: Breath of the Wild, what else?

70 books read: The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo by Zen Cho

It's the 1920s and Jade Yeo, a Malaysian journalist living alone in London, wants something more from her life. When she writes a scathing review of a novel and publishes it in her friend Ravi's journal, the author, Sebastian Hardie, finds her and takes an interest in her. Suddenly, Jade finds that she may encounter that "something more" sooner than she bargained for, and it might be more than she was intending to bite off.

This is a short, eminently readable novella; I think it's one of Cho's earlier works, but I found it just as compelling as Sorcerer to the Crown, my favorite of her books I've read. This one is straight historical fiction rather than historical fiction with a splash of fantasy. Jade is the main focus, of course, and I enjoyed getting inside her mind. 4 stars.

I feel you on the brain racing part. Good luck on the financing front and crossing my fingers the house waits for you.

>126 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky!

Happy Wednesday! I made it through my day yesterday, if somewhat sleepily. No updates on the house front except that it hasn't sold yet :) On a less exciting note, we found evidence of rats in our garage after noticing a certain... smell in our home that suggests something died in a vent somewhere. The smell is fading and we got a pest service in yesterday to tackle the garage issue. Luckily it looks like they're mostly sticking in the garage itself and not the house except the lone straggler who didn't make it. Fun home ownership times. Finished the day with a dance workout and some TV, then enlisted my friend's help figuring out what to read next before bed. I feel vaguely reading slump-y because I don't feel super excited about anything new right now, even though my reading pace hasn't really slowed, so she helped me narrow it down to a few options. Today is work followed by a workout with my friend and probably takeout.

Currently reading: Almost done with The Soulmate Equation on audio. Tried to start City of Brass after my discussion with my friend but fell asleep instead :) Haven't started a new Kindle read yet.

Currently watching: Two episodes of Indian Matchmaking.

Currently playing: No BOTW yesterday in the hopes of healing my hands, which are still sore and crampy.

71 books read: The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren

Jess doesn't have time to date. She's a single mom and most of her time, money, and energy goes toward her 7 year-old daughter, Juno. But when she and her best friend, Fizzy (aka Felicity) learn that the handsome, stoic, Americano-ordering regular in the coffee shop they frequent is one of the founders of a DNA-based dating match service, Fizzy insists they give samples. Jess is hesitant, but relents after one too many nights of feeling alone, hopeless, and stuck. But things get weird when Jess gets an unheard-of 98% match -- and it's with none other than Americano, AKA River Pena, company founder. Jess isn't sure what to do with this information, but River's company, GeneticAlly, is about to go public, and a match of this level would be great press....

I really enjoyed this! I think it's up there with Something Wilder and In a Holidaze as my favorites from Christina Lauren. (The Unhoneymooners and Roomies are at the bottom.) The concept requires some suspension of disbelief, but I loved the cast of characters, especially Juno, and the slow-burn romance. 4 stars.

>129 curioussquared: That does sound like a cool concept. I wasn't crazy about either of their books that I've read so far (The Unhoneymooners and Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, but I keep wanting to give them another try.

>130 foggidawn: I think it's worth a shot! I wouldn't say they're a favorite author, but their books can be like popcorn -- easy and unchallenging but enjoyable. I thought The Unhoneymooners was actively bad, and Josh and Hazel was middling, so might be worth trying another.

ETA: I think I like their books best when they're a little genre-bendy -- Something Wilder is half adventure novel, and In a Holidaze features a time loop. The Soulmate Equation doesn't fit that quite as well, but again, it was the fresh concept that drew me in initially.

Happy Thursday! Work went fine yesterday. I had some excitement when my computer totally froze during a meeting that I lead. It was very strange -- it was like Windows crashed, but my Teams meeting was still somewhat working. People could see and hear me and I could hear everyone and see people who had been in the meeting when it started, but otherwise, nothing on my screen would update and I couldn't get my computer to respond to anything -- no scrolling the document I was screensharing, no switching programs, no CTRL ALT DEL to open Task Manager and force-stop some programs. Even the clock had stopped changing. Luckily I had sent out the agenda the night before so I asked somebody else to open it and screenshare it for me (not that I could see it) and go through the items for me so I could still give updates, even though I was without my notes. I eventually had to hard restart my computer by just holding down the power button until it turned off. Not ideal. The rest of the day was easy peasy after that; my friend ended up being too tired to come over (she started a new job this week and I was honestly surprised she felt like she had enough energy to hang out in the first place) so I did a Ring Fit Adventure workout by myself (my two strongest attacks right now are different types of squats so my thighs are KILLING me) and made chicken burrito bowls for dinner. Tim and I finished out the day with some TV and I read a bit before bed.

I only have a few easy meetings today so it should be a straightforward workday. My friend and I rescheduled for tonight so we'll do a dance workout, order takeout, and probably watch some British TV or a romcom. I've also decided I want to start trying to walk a 5k during work each day; I usually walk at 3.5-4 kmph so it should take me less than 2 hours each day, which seems very feasible to fit into an 8 hour workday. I always get more done when I'm walking and I think having an actual goal will help keep me on track; the trick is getting myself started each day!

Currently reading: Got about 50 pages into City of Brass and I am intrigued. Was awake in the middle of the night again unfortunately so I started The Kaiju Preservation Society on Kindle and I'm enjoying it so far. About 25% through The Song of the Lark on audio and am enjoying that one, too; I always forget how much I like Willa Cather.

Currently watching: A John Oliver episode (the recent one about time shares, which I can file away in "Things I knew were bad but John Oliver has now shown me are even more awful than I thought")

Currently playing: Nothing; I'm sure I'll get back to BOTW soon, but my hands are appreciating the respite. ETA: I guess Ring Fit Adventure should count here. Slaying monsters and slaying workouts ;)

>132 curioussquared: I knew time-shares were bad but I had no idea that the companies you pay to get you out of time-shares were also scams! How grim. I do love that John Oliver spends time on stories like those and not only recent headlines.

>133 norabelle414: I was shocked to learn about the inheritance stuff; it's totally insane that someone can leave you a timeshare and you can be totally screwed if you don't submit a legal form to reject it fast enough. And then if you reject it, it goes to the next person in line and they have to reject it too! Bonkers. Agree -- these deep dives are usually my favorite JO episodes.

>133 norabelle414:, >134 curioussquared: So much of the US economy runs on scams and cruft.

>135 libraryperilous: I know this, but I still always manage to be surprised by the lengths to which people will go.

Yay, it's Friday! And it's supposed to be 70+ degrees here in Seattle for the first time this year. I can't wait :D Yesterday I successfully walked 5k+ during work and combined with a dog walk in the morning, a dog walk in the evening, and a quick dance workout with my friend, ended up hitting around 20k steps, which felt good. We had chicken shawarma for takeout which hit the spot as always.

I don't have a lot planned for today, which sounds good to me! I'll be shooting for a 5k again during work, and might do a cardio workout in the evening, but otherwise, I'll probably take it easy and read, game, or watch TV in the evening. Tim and I both have meetings this morning so morning dog walks will be shifted probably until after 11am. I would say Otter and Kermit are mad about it, but I think they transitioned seamlessly from sleeping in the bedroom to sleeping on the couch. They love walks, but they're champion sleepers :)

Currently reading: Same stuff as yesterday! About 35% through The Song of the Lark, and read a little more of The Kaiju Preservation Society before bed. No progress made in City of Brass. My hold on the audio version of Happy Place just came in (Seattle Public Library never adds the audio versions of new releases to their catalog until late in the day on release day, so I've learned I can snag a good place in line for popular stuff if I can catch it soon after it's added) and I need to evaluate my current audio checkouts and decide if I can fit into my upcoming listening rotation or if I should delay it for a week.

Currently watching: An episode of Taskmaster Australia.

Currently playing: Nothing.

>136 curioussquared: Same. I watch baseball games throughout the season, and the way the MLB now integrates sports betting into its broadcasts is so shameless. No wonder 5% of cis teenage boys have a gambling addiction. All so some lazy, well-connected jerks can get rich quickly.

We finished Love Is Blind! Is there any reason to watch the reunion? It seemed like a pretty drama-free crowd aside from Irina and there was a bumper crop of weddings.

I was pretty aghast at some of the things Paul said about Micah in the final episode though. Wow.

>139 ursula: Honestly, no, the reunion was pretty drama-free. The biggest drama is that Nick and Vanessa were horrible hosts and kept cutting people off (Vanessa, we want to hear what THEY have to say, not you). Irina came and gave a lackluster apology. Micah majorly played the victim. The best part was that Zack and Bliss, who I was skeptical of, were very cute.

Yeah, Paul really didn't hold back, did he? I was glad they didn't get married and honestly don't blame him for holding those opinions given her general mean girl vibe, but blasting her in that way on national TV is definitely harsh.

>140 curioussquared: Ugh, Vanessa.

Yeah, I'm no Micah fan but I was wondering why he seemed to have given her so much hope if he was thinking he couldn't imagine her as a mother, she didn't seem like a nurturing type, etc. And when he got to saying he couldn't picture marrying her now, or in 10 years, or ever ... oof!

I did not expect Zach and Bliss to go through with it, all things considered. But they seem like a good match in the end. They're both owls, haha!

A little jealous of your shawarma. When I get back home that's definitely going on the takeout list.

I hope you're enjoying the Scalzi novel. It was a perfect read at the perfect moment for me last year.

>142 MickyFine: I hope you get your shawarma soon after getting home 😊

So far so good with The KPS! It's my first Scalzinand I'm enjoying it so far.

>143 curioussquared: Oh nice. It's a good first one to try, I think. If you enjoy Star Trek, I highly recommend Redshirts. I really enjoyed that one.

I must read something by Scalzi myself soon.

>144 MickyFine: I've actually never watched a single episode of Star Trek. Not against it, just never have.

>145 PaulCranswick: He seems to be a popular one, Paul.

Weekend updates: Saturday my mom and her friend she started a wedding planning business with came over in the morning and I helped them with some "tech" stuff. By that I mean, helped edit a few things on their Wix site, created a designed pricing PDF on Canva, and set up Facebook and Instagram pages for them and tried to teach them the basics of posting, lol. We'll see if they catch on. Seattle was a beautiful 75 and sunny yesterday so I spent some time chilling outside reading, but also spent some time relaxing and gaming before my friend came over and we ordered Mexican food and watched a movie.

Today I took the dogs over to my friend's house to hang out with her and her 3-year-old and 8-month-old. She wanted the 3-year-old to meet some bigger dogs so Otter and Kermit fit the bill well. They were very good boys and we walked to the park, then came back to do some zoomies in their backyard and then hung out on the deck while the 3-year-old got more and more comfortable with them. She ended the visit by asking them to come back next time :) Came home and the dogs and I were exhausted so I did some more gaming cuddling the dogs on the couch. Ran some errands in the late afternoon and wrapped up my audiobook.

Currently reading: Finished Song of the Lark and started The Heart Principle on audio. Made a little progress in City of Brass in the sun yesterday. Read a little more Kaiju Preservation Society before bed last night.

Currently watching: The 1995 Sabrina with Harrison Ford, which was a lot of fun.

Currently playing: BOTW.

72 books read: Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov

In the fictional city of Padukgrad, only philosopher Adam Krug stands up to the sinister new government led by Paduk, an old schoolmate of Krug's. Krug has recently lost his wife and hasn't been able to bring himself to tell his young son. Krug is uninterested and unwilling to participate in the new regime, but even as he tries to withdraw, Paduk continues to pursue him, slowly arresting and taking away those friends who supported Krug. But Krug isn't ready for Paduk's final attack...

This took me SO long to read. I like Nabokov, but this one didn't quite work for me. I was lost for the first half of the book. It seemed to pick up for me a little before the halfway mark, and I was able to get a little more absorbed and start appreciating the writing again, which is always my favorite part of a Nabokov. But the book didn't really manage to redeem itself, and the end was horrifying. 3 stars, which feels generous after typing out this review, lol.

Just realized I totally forgot to rate and review the book I finished on Friday! Oops. Don't want to do it on my phone, so writing a note to myself here so I don't forget again :)

>147 curioussquared: Yay for the 90s Sabrina! I love it so much.

>150 MickyFine: It was my first time watching and I enjoyed it a lot :) I hated her haircut, though. Lol.

73 books read: The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather

Thea Kronberg lives with her Swedish immigrant family in the small town of Moonstone, Colorado. She has a talent for music, and takes piano lessons from the once-competent, now drunk Munch who lives in their town. The residents of Moonstone recognize Thea's talent, and her parents encourage it, but most people think her success will be limited to becoming the town's new piano teacher. But when a surprise windfall enables Thea to go truly devote herself to her studies in Chicago, Thea's new teacher recognizes her true talent -- for voice, not piano. Defying expectations of young women at the turn of the century, Thea continues to devote herself fully to her art -- and her passion and commitment might allow her to go all the way.

This book feels like more of a character study than a novel in some ways, and it's unique for that reason -- how many books from the early 1900s do we have that followed the development of a talented young woman into a successful artist, with (spoiler alert) nothing really bad or tragic happening along the way? As it drew to a close I felt like I could have used a little more conflict, but overall, I enjoyed this story, and Cather's writing is a delight. 4 stars.

OK, sorted out my reviews and book numbering and review for book #72, Bend Sinister, is now posted above.

Boo, Monday again.

Working today and not much else planned. We've been trying to do late Christmas exchange with Tim's sister and her boyfriend for ages (now very VERY late) and they just texted us and said tonight might be the only night they can get together until June??? How do people live like this? I'm so shocked I haven't responded yet, lol, so we'll see if we do that or not. If we don't go over to his sister's, Tim and I have exciting plans to partially clear out the garage so the pest control people can work tomorrow and tidy up for the cleaners coming tomorrow. I'd also like to do a workout since I didn't exercise over the weekend.

Currently reading: City of Brass, The Heart Principle, and The Kaiju Preservation Society.

Currently watching: Nothing last night

Currently playing: More BOTW, of course.

>154 curioussquared: lol, wut? I'm exhausted just thinking about their social calendar! I'm v lazy tho.

>155 libraryperilous: I mean, same, lol. I like having social plans like, 3-4 days out of the week, max, and that's a tiring week -- I'm happy with fewer busy days, too. I know her boyfriend has some business travel coming up and she's preparing for some kind of a long run at the end of the month (I don't think it's a marathon but I think it's more than a half?) and then we have their annual family camping trip over Memorial Day weekend, so that fills up a lot of days and it's possible some of her plans are more like, training for the run rather than social. I hope so, anyway!

>152 curioussquared: Song of the Lark sounds lovely. I generally like Cather, so I should definitely read that one.

>154 curioussquared: I'm getting more introverted all the time, so such a busy social calendar sounds miserable to me! I went to a one-day conference last week, and had to spend a couple hours in a dark, quiet room to decompress!

>157 foggidawn: I'm the same way. If I have social plans, I need the next day off to recover.

My daughter just had her birthday (29!) and she bought herself a Switch, and Breath of the Wind. It made me think of you. :)

>159 ursula: Oh, she's right in time for the sequel coming out! I envy her timing :)

Happy Tuesday! I had my performance review yesterday and all was well. I normally get nervous for these things, but this company does things differently where you get your manager's comments at least 24 hours before your actually meeting to review the comments, which is kind of nice. We didn't go to Tim's sister's house last night, so instead focused on our exciting plans of cleaning the garage and tidying the house. We did reward ourselves with takeout teriyaki, though. Finished the night with a little TV watching. I intended to read before bed, but I had a headache so distracted myself looking at Met Gala outfits instead (Pedro Pascal??? Anne Hathaway?? DOJA CAT?? *chef's kiss*). I haven't exercised aside from walking since last Thursday and I think the headache is because of that. Why does exercise make me feel good?

Speaking of exercise, my friend is coming over after work for a dance workout, so that's good. Before that, we have the pest control people coming at 11:30, then the cleaners coming to clean the main floor at 3:15, so busy day. I'm hoping to do my now-standard 5k of walking during work and, you know, some actual work in between all of that. I'd also like to possibly wrap up my audiobook today.

Currently reading: Still working through The Heart Principle and while it's had a few bumps, I'm enjoying it overall. No progress made on City of Brass or The Kaiju Preservation Society. I did start Jane Austen Made Me Do It on my lunch break yesterday -- this was a gift from my mom years ago (over a decade, jeez). I'm not a huge short stories person so we'll see how it goes.

Currently watching: We started The Other Two yesterday and watched two episodes. It's rare to find a sitcom that Tim and I both 1. like, 2. aren't bored by, and 3. doesn't give us too much secondhand embarrassment. So far this one is well-written enough.

Currently playing: Didn't get to any BOTW yesterday.

A little cuteness for you this morning: Otter followed me down to my office, but the basement is cold, so he whined until I burritoed him in this blanket.

heh; a whole new meaning to Dogpile.

I'm glad your performance review went welll; and best of luck when it comes to that house. I found apartment hunting exhausting and can't imagine what house searching is like in terms of stress.

>161 curioussquared: Hathaway's outfit was so great. If I hadn't known it was Versace, I would have assumed she deconstructed a Chanel suit on her own.

>163 Ravenwoodwitch: There are always lots of dogpiles at our house! See exhibit A >1 curioussquared:

Thanks! Tim and I both enjoy casually house hunting (there's something fun about going to open houses and envisioning your life in each one). In a way, I think this is less stressful than I remember apartment hunting being, since we don't have a deadline.

>164 libraryperilous: So great! It could easily have crossed the line into tacky, but instead it was incredible. I guess that's why it's Versace. /

74 books read: The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang

Anna was a successful violinist until she burned out after a video of her playing went viral. Anna knows she's different -- she has lots of coping mechanisms and ways she has taught herself to act in order to please her parents and fit in in the world. But she's normal! She has friends, and a boyfriend. Until Julian tells her he thinks she's the one for him, but he wants to open their relationship before moving forward so he can make sure he's not missing out before committing. Anna is hurt, especially when he tells her he expects she won't see anyone else, since she doesn't like intimacy. So Anna decides to have a one-night stand with a guy she meets on a dating app, Quan. Quan is dealing with his own issues -- after dealing with cancer and surviving, he's finally ready to get back out there, but he's nervous. Anna and Quan have immediate chemistry, but things go wrong when they decide to meet, and Anna expects that's it -- but Quan is willing to work through her issues and try again, and again, and again, until things feel right, and he's supportive when Anna's therapist tells her she thinks she might be on the autism spectrum. Soon, both are aware that what they're doing doesn't qualify as a one-night stand anymore, and they're excited to take things further. But when a tragic event forces Anna to spend a lot more time with her family and her ex, she and Quan might be forced apart -- by external forces, and Anna's own internal conflicts.

I enjoyed this overall! The best part for me was just how sweet Anna and Quan were -- they both have their own issues and hang-ups, but both truly want the best for each other and are trying really hard to make that happen. I was a little skeptical at the scene where Anna learns she might be autistic -- the first 30% of the book where Anna DOESN'T realize she's on the spectrum was almost painful to read because it's so obvious as a reader, and when Anna gets her diagnosis, she says something like, "I'm not like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory or the brother in Rain Man!" which just feel like very dated references and a strange lack of understanding of what the autism spectrum is for a book that came out in 2021. But I know the author wrote it based somewhat on her own experiences, so I withheld judgment and continued reading, and I'm glad I did. It was rewarding to see both characters grow, separately and together, and I especially liked that Quan was so supportive of Anna's healing through her burnout. 4 stars.

It's Wednesday and the sun is shining in Seattle!

My friend came over last night and we exercised, which felt good at the time, but I went into it with a little soreness in my left shoulder, which I ignored, but which had blossomed into a fully pulled muscle by the time I went to bed that hurt sharply every time I shifted in bed. So I didn't sleep super well and I'm still in pain today despite some advil and working with a heating pad perched precariously on the right spot. I'm hoping it improves soon.

Working today and then Tim and I have plans to go enjoy the sun at a local Caribbean restaurant that has a fun outdoor seating area with sand and bring the dogs.

Currently reading: Started The Emperor of Nihon-Ja on audio yesterday. Made a little progress in City of Brass before bed which is fine but not really grabbing me yet. Read a teeny bit of The Kaiju Preservation Society in the middle of the night.

Currently watching: Nothing

Currently playing: A little BOTW before my friend came over last night.

Sorry to hear about the sore shoulder. I hope it's on the mend soon.

Enjoy your sunshine!

>168 curioussquared: oh, Ouch.
That's a real awkward spot, too. I'm so sorry :( I hope you feel better soon.

Thanks, Micky and Angela! The shoulder doesn't hurt... unless I move it, and then it's a sharp pain, which is unpleasant. We'll see how things progress.

I hope your shoulder gets better soon, Natalie.

>162 curioussquared: Thanks for sharing this cute picture of Otter.

>172 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita! It's still pretty painful today, unfortunately. I'll be spending more time with my heating pad.

Happy Thursday! We're back to gloomy today in the PNW, but Tim and I enjoyed the sun last night on our mini date. We were going to bring the dogs but decided against it at the last moment, which ended up being good -- the restaurant we went to used to have sand all over their outdoor seating area, which was ideal for bony dogs, but now all but a very small area is wood deck instead -- it looks nice, but my un-cushioned longdogs would have been unhappy. The food was delicious as always and I had a sangria, too.

I slept poorly again last night, mostly due to my pulled muscle and also due to Otter being annoying, although he made up for it when he snuggled up with his head in the perfect spot to act as a heating pad for my muscle. We also had a thunderstorm at 4am, which woke all of us up. Today my friend is supposed to come over for another dance workout, so hopefully my shoulder/back are up for it.

Currently reading: A little over a third of the way through The Emperor of Nihon-Ja. It's fine; enjoyable enough, but I'm mostly listening to finish up the series. No progress in City of Brass or The Kaiju Preservation Society. I read another story in Jane Austen Made Me Do It at lunch yesterday.

Currently watching: Nothing.

Currently playing: BOTW. I'm addicted again.

Sorry about the shoulder pain. It's nearly impossible to get comfortable with that. I dislocated my shoulder a few years ago and it made me realize how much we move our shoulders even when we don't realize it!

>175 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Right? I think the muscle I pulled may be more in my back thank my shoulder, but it's aggravated when I move my shoulder in a particular way. It seems to be OK doing everyday tasks, but sleeping is the worst because any of those full-body movements to shift positions makes it scream.

It's Friday!! T-minus one week until the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom release 😀

Had a nice workout with my friend last night and then we watched a little TV and ate takeout. Today I'm working, and then meeting up with same friend for happy hour for Cinco de Mayo in the afternoon, which should be fun. Shoulder is still sore but the workout felt like it was good for it? Hoping it starts feeling better soon.

Currently reading: Made progress in City of Brass before bed and I finally feel like it's starting to pick up, 200 pages in. Nothing read in Kaiju Preservation Society. Halfway through The Emperor of Nihon-Ja.

Currently watching: S1E6 of Taskmaster Australia, and OMG, I haven't laughed that hard in a really long time. Tim, my friend and I were in tears watching.

Currently playing: BOTW before my friend came over last night.

Happy Sunday!

Yesterday I slept in and then did some gaming before heading out to buy a present for my cousin's sixth birthday. She got an Aquarelle paint set, the card game Rat a Tat Cat, and three books. I did a quick workout at home before wrapping the present and then we headed out to the party, which was fun. The birthday girl for a trampoline and she was very excited. Her mom's side of the family was there as well and I hadn't seen most of them since pre-pandemic, so lots of socializing.

Today Tim and I are going to a few open houses and then I'm meeting my friend at our monthly Silent Book Club meeting. Should be fun! I might try to do a workout this evening as well.

Currently reading: Mostly the same stuff, but I finished The Emperor of Nihon-Ja and have moved on to Five Children and It on audio. Hoping to make a big dent in City of Brass at book club.

Currently watching: an episode of Jewish Matchmaking. A little meh so far.

Currently playing: BOTW :)

It's Monday! Boo.

We saw a couple of cool houses yesterday but neither one was quite right. Silent book club was fun and after my friend came over and we played a little BOTW together. Finished the day reading and finally managed to wrap up my print read.

Working today and then going to trivia tonight. Should be fun!

Currently reading: Finished Five Children and It and City of Brass yesterday. Next on audio will be What Moves the Dead. Next in print... probably something from my TBR list above. Maybe A Restless Truth.

Currently watching: Nothing

Currently playing: BOTW, of course

75 books read: The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

In the 10th and final book of the Ranger's Apprentice series, the whole gang is back together, this time in Nihon-Ja, where Horace has thrown in his lot with the emperor, whose reign is being challenged by a group who want to maintain the status quo instead of supporting the lower classes. Halt, Will, Evanlyn, and Alyss travel to join him and ensure the good guys win.

This was fine! Probably good the series ended here. Everything is tied up with a happily ever after. I never felt like there was a ton threatening that happily ever after -- everyone is so capable at this point that things just sort of happened all according to plan. The best bits for me were when Evanlyn and Alyss went out on their own, although don't get me started on letting the crown princess do extremely dangerous things, lol. 3 stars.

76 books read: Five Children and It by E. Nesbit

Cyril, Anthea, Roger, Jane, and their baby brother, affectionately known as the Lamb, get a surprise on their summer holiday when they discover a creature known as a Psammead that can grant them one wish per day. The children immediately get themselves into all sorts of trouble -- but luckily, the magic from each wish vanishes at sunset each day.

There was a discussion on Kro's thread (WhiteRaven.17) about children's classics, and I noted down a bunch of suggestions from others that I missed as a kid. This was one of them! I'm not sure what I thought this book was about, but it wasn't this. I can definitely see where other authors took inspiration from Nesbit (Edward Eager, especially) -- Five Children and It almost feels derivative, reading it in 2023, until you remember that this was the blueprint for stories like this. Anyway, it holds up to varying degrees 120 years after initial publication. I appreciated that the moralizing felt manageable. The "Scalps" chapter, uh, does not hold up in this day and age, but I guess it could have been worse. I was reading through some LT reviews of the book and actually cackled at user livmae's, which reads in its entirety, "why are these children always so hungry and racist". Anyway, probably one I would have appreciated more as a kid, but I can still appreciate for its legacy and influence on the genre as an adult. I think my favorite chapter was the one where they accidentally wished the Lamb was grown up and had to deal with him as an annoying young adult because they hadn't had the chance to bully him while he was growing up.. 3 stars.

77 books read: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Nahri is just your average con artist living in Cairo (who also has mysterious healing powers she tries to keep hidden) when one day, she accidentally summons a djinn -- and a bunch of ifrit demons, as well. Reluctantly, she flees the city with the djinn -- actually a daeva, named Dara -- and the two race to the city of Daevabad, city of brass, where theoretically Nahri, whose powers indicate she is the heir to a lost tribe of daeva healers, will be safe. But Dara is cagey about Daevabad, saying only that he will not be welcome there due to his past. Meanwhile, Ali, second warrior son of the ruler of Daevabad, is determined to work around his traditional family and improve the lot of the shafit, those of mixed djinn and human blood. When Nahri finally makes it to Daevabad, it becomes clear that Dara has been hiding some things from her -- and it becomes harder and harder to know who to trust.

I feel like I'm missing something with this book. I pretty much only see great reviews. I liked a lot of things about it -- the basis in middle eastern culture, the city of Daevabad, many of the characters -- but I had trouble getting truly invested in the plot and I felt like it was way too long. Nothing much happened until halfway through when the main characters finally meet. Definitely felt like a first novel. I will probably continue the series, but I'm thinking I'll listen to book 2 instead of reading it in print. 3.5 stars.

>181 curioussquared: "why are these children always so hungry and racist" LOL! E Nesbit is an author I didn't discover in childhood, either -- like you, I probably would have appreciated her more then.

>183 foggidawn: I did own a copy of Nesbit's The Enchanted Castle as a kid, and I think I thought it was fine? Clearly I wasn't too fussed about reading her other books.

>181 curioussquared: why are these children always so hungry and racist indeed!!!
If you ever run out of reality show drama I suggest getting a big bowl of popcorn and reading E. Nesbit's wikipedia page.

>185 norabelle414: Ooooh. I might just take a little break and do that now...

>180 curioussquared: Congratulations on reaching 75, Natalie!

>185 norabelle414: Oof, those were some extremely complicated family dynamics...

>187 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita!

Congrats on blowing past the goal!

>189 drneutron: Thanks, Jim!

>148 curioussquared: I have not heard of that one by Nabakov. I shall have to add it to my list.

Congrats on reading well past the 75 book mark!

>185 norabelle414: Rosamund Edith Nesbit Hamilton, indeed.

>191 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! Eh, as someone who's read a lot of Nabokov, you can probably skip this one. It might be my least favorite out of the ~10 or so of his books I've read.

>192 ursula: Right?

Happy Tuesday! We ALMOST came in third at trivia last night, but lost on a tiebreaker. Oh well, 4th is pretty good!

Work today, with most of my meetings in the afternoon, which is unusual for me. I need to make myself walk in the morning or I'll never reach my walking goal. No plans tonight -- I'll probably do a workout and cook. Probably baked cod for dinner.

Currently reading: Over halfway through What Moves the Dead on audio and it's manageably creepy so far. Started A Restless Truth in print last night and am liking it, but I'm only a few chapters in. Read another story in Jane Austen Made Me Do It during lunch; I think I'm about 1/4 of the way through at this point. No progress made in Kaiju Preservation Society; I need to pick it up during daylight hours because I haven't been waking up in the middle of the night!

Currently watching: Nada

Currently playing: Nothing yesterday

It's Wednesday! T minus two days until Tears of the Kingdom 🤩

Pretty chill workday yesterday. I wasn't feeling great, so I skipped the post-work workout and just made dinner and watched some TV with Tim before playing a little BOTW before bed.

Should be a similar workday today. In the evening we have plans to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy movie with friends. We're going to a theater that has been in business forever but was recently remodeled to make all the seats into recliner chairs, so I'm excited about that. We'll eat dinner before but I'm not sure if I'll whip something up for us at home or if we'll go out first.

Currently reading: Finished What Moves the Dead last night and have moved on to Happy Place on audio. Read a few more chapters of A Restless Truth before and am enjoying it so far.

Currently watching: Two episodes of The Other Two.

Currently playing: BOTW :)

>195 curioussquared: Excited for you for your Zelda release day!

I hope you enjoy the GotG movie, Natalie. We saw it this past weekend (also with recliners!) and liked it well enough. I thought it was too long, but I tend to think that about every recent movie :)

I'm #1 on the holds list for the Kindle edition of Happy Place. I'm hoping it comes in next week, before I go out of town. I think it will be a good traveling book...

>196 libraryperilous: Thanks, Diana! I'm kicking myself because I agreed to plans with my mom and MIL the next day that will prevent me from going into a Zelda coma on the weekend. What was I thinking? Lol.

>197 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I agree that most recent movies are too long, especially superhero/action movies. I did think the recent DND movie was a pretty good length. I hope you get Happy Place soon! I'm enjoying it so far.

78 books read: What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

When Alex Easton learns that their old friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the Usher family home, where they find Madeline and her brother Roderick in a shocking state. Madeline is afflicted by an unknown illness that has wasted her horribly, and Roderick is transformed, too, looking decades older and horribly thin. The house itself is terrible and oppressing, rotting and molding from the inside out, and the nearby lake and wildlife are known by the locals to be off -- Alex is warned against hunting and eating any of the strange hares of the region. Helped by James Denton, an American doctor friend of the Ushers, and Miss Potter, a local amateur mycologist, Alex is determined to do what they can to help their childhood friends -- but it may already be too late.

I really enjoyed this retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher, done in Kingfisher's trademark style, jumping from humor to horror from one moment to the next. The book felt like a cross between the Poe story and The Last of Us,. Honestly, I'm a wimp when it comes to horror, and I wasn't sure if I would like this despite being a big Kingfisher fan. Luckily, it never got too scary for me -- more atmospherically creepy than anything else, in Poe style. I also really enjoyed the addition of the nonbinary narrator and the lore behind their sworn soldier status and background. My library seems to have designated this book 1 of the "Sworn Soldier" series, so it looks like we might get more in this world from Kingfisher. 4 stars.

Well, got me with that one!

>200 drneutron: I hope you like it, Jim!

Happy Tears of the Kingdom eve!

I thought the Guardians of the Galaxy movie was fun for the most part. As someone who has semi-recently spent a lot of time in veterinary hospitals and loves animals in general, the animal on life support/animal testing plotline was not super fun to watch, but the rest was enjoyable and I loved Cosmos the dog. I found time during the day yesterday to make Ukrainian chicken and potato stew in the instant pot so we had that for dinner before heading to the movie. Got home past our bedtime to some crazy dogs who did some pre-bed digging in the yard and zoomies before sleep.

Today I'm in a long morning meeting that I can thankfully attend with my camera off. I might be dropping off a few minutes early to take our larger car to get roof rails and a roof rack installed prior to our annual Memorial Day camping trip with Tim's family. I think we're going to take both dogs camping this year for the first time and we'll probably carpool with my best friend (it's a big camping trip and all friends are welcome), so we'll need to use our cargo box to fit everyone and everything! No plans this evening; I might do a dance workout with my friend if she's up for it, or maybe I'll hit up Trader Joe's for some fun snacks for my Zelda binge :)

Currently reading: Read a few more stories in Jane Austen Made Me Do It during lunch yesterday. Started Happy Place and listened while dog walking and cooking and I'm about 25% through.

Currently watching: Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 3.

Currently playing: A teeny bit of BOTW before the movie yesterday.

Did you take tomorrow off from work so that you can spend all day playing? :)

>203 MickyFine: I wish, but with our Italy trip in just a few weeks, I felt like I needed to stick around :) I do plan to quietly sign off a few hours early, though :)

>204 curioussquared: I'd feel bad for you but... Italy. :P

>205 MickyFine: Yeah, I don't feel bad for myself, either :) I'm still playing BOTW years after beating it for the first time -- I'll have plenty of time to spend with TOTK!

Happy release day!

I have no idea what this means, but apparently Wonder Woman made a Zelda joke: Twitter.

>207 libraryperilous: Thanks! Counting down the minutes until I can stop working :) I also agreed to wait to start until my best friend can come over and start with me -- we played a lot of the first game together. I regretted this last night at 9pm PT when I realized I could actually start playing then but I managed to hold off.

Lol, thanks, Wonder Woman! (The guy you play as in the Zelda games is actually named Link, and Zelda is the princess you repeatedly serve and rescue, but people often call Link Zelda, similar to Frankenstein/monster. This has been Natalie explains the joke.)

It's Friday! It's TOTK release day! Woohoo!

Ended up spending 3 hours in the Honda waiting room yesterday (how long can it take to install a roof rack??) so I was glad I had brought my work laptop. After all that I was just glad to get home, so instead of doing anything big that evening, I took the dogs on a long walk in the sunshine, tidied the kitchen, ate some leftovers, and played some BOTW before bed.

I have a bunch of meetings today but my reward will be Tears of the Kingdom, so I think today will fly by.

Currently reading: Listened to quite a bit of Happy Place and almost didn't want to go to bed last night because I was so wrapped up in it. Read a few more stories in Jane Austen Made Me Do It and I'm over halfway through now. Read a bit of The Kaiju Preservation Society at the car dealership, and then a chapter of A Restless Truth before bed.

Currently watching: Nothing

Currently playing: BOTW yesterday, but TOTK tonight!

>209 curioussquared: I hope your work day feels fast!

Happy TOTK Day!

Yay for new game release, they are the best! I've only dabbled in a few of the Zelda games, but I really should get into them as I've enjoyed the few I've played. Happy gaming!

>199 curioussquared: This was one of my top reads last year and my intro to Kingfisher, glad you enjoyed it. I had not heard anything about a "Sworn Solider" series and the possibility of more is exciting so I'll have to keep an eye out.

>210 MickyFine: >211 foggidawn: >212 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks all! I haven't played as much as I would have liked to yet for reasons I'll expand on but so far I'm having a great time.

>212 WhiteRaven.17: T. Kingfisher is so good. I only held off on this one because I'm a wimp when it comes to horror, but this still worked for me. I follow her on Twitter and just saw that the sequel was announced and the cover revealed! It's coming out early 2024 and is called What Feasts at Night.

Happy Monday, all. I had A Weekend.

Friday was normal; my friend came over and we started TOTK and had a great time playing. The game has new mechanics that encourage building structures/machines/tools and solving puzzles creatively and at one point we were crying laughing because we decided that our solution to one puzzle would just be to create an extremely long log and attach a fan to the end of it so it would be an extremely long boat. So much fun.

On Saturday I got up early and left Tim with the dogs and went to pick up my mom on the way to my in laws' beach cabin a little more than an hour north of the city. We met up with my MIL and went out to explore the island art walk and visited several little studios around the island, stopping for lunch at the cafe at one of the state parks. My SIL was supposed to come too but had to bail at the last minute -- she has been training for a marathon and has majorly overbooked herself this month. The day was fun and we're having a May heat wave, so the weather was gorgeous, but it was a long day and I was exhausted by the time I got home after dropping off my mom again. When I got home, though, Tim was really sick with COVID-y symptoms and was feeling somewhat like he couldn't breathe, so I walked the dogs and then sat with Tim while we figured out how sick he was and whether he wanted to go to an ER. He decided to doordash a pulse oximeter from Walgreens for peace of mind and just stick it out for the night.

The next day Tim was still really sick and feverish. His fever eventually got up to 103 despite tylenol so we decided to go in to the ER. They pumped him full of meds and tested him for lots of nasty things and yep, he has a bad case of COVID. According to the doctor the current strain isn't too bad for most people, but seems to be hitting certain younger men pretty hard, so I guess he was the right demographic to get bulldozered by this current one. They gave us a few medications including paxlovid and sent us home, but that was most of the day at that point. I spent a few hours setting up a quarantine cave for Tim and walking the dogs and by that point it was 9pm. Played a little more TOTK and passed out.

Tim's doing a lot better today which is good. I still don't have symptoms so am hoping I somehow avoided it. Fingers crossed. Cancelled plans to go to trivia tonight, but I'm bummed because I was supposed to go with my friend to see Margaret Owen tomorrow at her Painted Devils launch event. If I still have no symptoms and test negative right before the event, I might still go and wear a really good mask. We'll see what happens. Otherwise, I'm just working today and fielding a few consultations for rebuilding our garage/roof deck situation. We were trying to get that project done last year but got a good ways down the design process with a company that gave us a reasonable initial quote, but then they gave us a final quote that was THREE TIMES as much, so we lost steam. Trying again now!

Currently reading: Still working on A Restless Truth and The Kaiju Preservation Society. Finished Happy Place on audio and started The Vor Game.

Currently watching: Nothing.

Currently playing: TOTK!

79 books read: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Harriet and Wyn were meant to be -- together since college, engaged for years, and in the eyes of their friends, couple goals. Until they weren't. Things got tough after Wyn's dad died and Harriet became buried in her residency work, and finally, Wyn breaks off their engagement. Harriet is devastated -- for herself, of course, but also for their tight-knit friend group -- glamorous Sabrina and her partner Parth, and artsy Cleo and her girlfriend Kimmy. The six of them have for years gone on an annual trip to Sabrina's family beach house in Maine, and Harriet and Wyn agreed that she would go alone this year and finally tell the group, months after their breakup, that they were over. But when Harriet arrives in Maine, she gets an unpleasant surprise -- Wyn is there too, and the cottage is for sale, so this is the last year they'll get to come to Maine. What right do she and Wyn have to ruin it with their unhappy news?

Emily Henry is so good at writing realistic people with realistic problems and authentic voices. I felt like I knew all of these people after just 50 pages or so -- she's that good. I thought Happy Place was excellent, but it's not my favorite of her books and I'd be surprised if it was anybody's favorite, just because the subject matter is less fun to read than many of her other books. It's a heavier story, examining what happens when you can't make someone else happy no matter how hard you try. Honestly, when I finished it, my first thought was that while I enjoyed it, it really didn't feel like a romance novel. Anyway, this is good stuff, I just wouldn't call it fluffy in any way. 4.5 stars.

I'm sorry Tim is sick but glad to hear he's already feeling a bit better!

My hold on Happy Place finally came in, so I'll start it as soon as I finish my current reads.

Sorry to hear that Tim has such a nasty case but crossing my fingers that you continue to remain virus free.

Glad to hear TOTK has been fun for you so far.

I'll keep your thoughts in mind when I eventually get to the new Emily Henry. I didn't think to put a hold on it until last week so I'll be waiting a while. :P

>216 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! I'm glad he's feeling better too. Not fun to see your person feeling so crummy. I hope you like Happy Place!

>217 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! I'm hopeful but not necessarily optimistic about not getting sick. We'll see. I hope you like Happy Place when you get to it! My strategy with the super popular releases is to wait until the audiobook is added to the catalogue late on release day and try to get in early enough to get a decent spot in line, and it worked out this time.

>213 curioussquared: I just looked it up and sure enough it's there and does follow the same character, noted for future me. Thanks for the update! Also, sorry to hear about the sickness, hope Tim feels back to normal soon and that you continue to evade it.

Sorry to hear that Tim has a bad COVID case, and *fingers crossed* that you don't get sick. I may try Happy Place at some point, but still have Book Lovers on the TBR list, too, and will probably get to that first.

>219 WhiteRaven.17: Thanks, Kro! Tim still seems to be on the mend and I am still symptom-free, so hoping things stay like this.

>220 bell7: Thanks, Mary! Fingers crossed indeed. Happy Place was excellent but Book Lovers was one I can see becoming a favorite and rereading (and is the only Henry I've purchased after reading), so I endorse reading it first.

Well, crap. I'm hoping your luck holds and you don't have it. Also that Tim gets better soonest!

>222 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! The paxlovid and other meds are definitely helping and Tim seems to be on the mend. Crossing our fingers he doesn't get a rebound case.

Happy Tuesday! Tim seems to be on the mend and I'm still feeling fine, so those are this morning's wins. Yesterday was uneventful otherwise; I am very slowly working my way through Tears of the Kingdom and loving every moment so far, even though I'm really bad at the building part of the game 😂

Today I'm just working and then provided I'm still not symptomatic and I test negative, I'll go to Margaret Owen's Painted Devils launch event (wearing a really good mask). Owen is one of my favorite YA authors I've discovered in the past few years, so I'm excited.

Currently reading: All the same stuff. Hopefully I'll finish The Vor Game on audio today. I knew my reading would take a hit when TOTK came out :)

Currently watching: The first episode of the new season of Queer Eye. I was surprised how cute the frat house episode was.

Currently playing: TOTK! I finally have my paraglider back, phew. And I found Hestu and am on my way to another tower to unlock more of the map. Unfortunately I also had my first gloom encounter, and WTF is that???? Terrifying. Also, the Hyrulean economy is crashing and nobody can tell me otherwise.

Happy Wednesday!

Tim is still sick but still feeling on the mend. I'm still not symptomatic and tested negative around 5pm last night, so I went to Margaret Owen's event and had a great time. She was in conversation with Kendare Blake, who I don't know much about -- I read Anna Dressed in Blood years ago and thought it was so-so -- but they are friends and are in a writing group together so it was a fun conversation to listen to. Owen told us book 3 of the Little Thieves trilogy is technically due to her editor at the end of the month, but the new Zelda just came out and she's on tour, so THAT's not happening -- extremely relatable, lol. If you're looking for fresh-feeling YA fantasy (or even just fantasy in general) I highly recommend her Merciful Crow books or Little Thieves -- can't wait to dive into Painted Devils.

Today I'm working, with a podiatrist appointment in the afternoon to get some advice/an opinion on what I think is a stone bruise/metatarsalgia before I go walk all over Italy. I'll spend the evening at home, probably playing TOTK :)

Currently reading: Finished The Vor Game and moved on to Delilah Green Doesn't Care on audio, which I'm enjoying so far. Only 5 more stories to go in Jane Austen Made Me Do It so hopefully I can wrap that up today or tomorrow. Reading just about a chapter a night in A Restless Truth so I'm only about 100 pages in. No progress since Sunday in The Kaiju Preservation Society but I'm still really enjoying the ride.

Currently watching: Nothing -- Margaret Owen and Kendare Blake talking, I guess?

Currently playing: An hour or so of TOTK when I got home last night. Made it to Rito Village, and things are bleak here, man.

80 books read: The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold

Miles Vorkosigan is back and now that he's finished with his studies at the Barrayaran Military Academy, he's ready to get his first assignment -- only for it to be a post as a glorified weatherman at a remote, isolated arctic training camp. But Miles' officer confirms this is a test: if he's able to keep his nose clean and respect his superiors for six months on this iceberg, he'll have a chance at a promotion to a fleet posting. Easier said than done for Miles...

More fun with Miles. I liked this one a little better than The Warrior's Apprentice but I still miss Aral and Cordelia as my main characters. Loved the Miles/Aral interactions in this one, and seeing Elena again. 4 stars.

Glad Tim is getting better, you're still negative, and that you have a trip to Italy to look forward to. :)

>227 ursula: Thanks Ursula! Things could definitely be worse :)

I hope the podiatrist has helpful tips. It would suck for your trip to be impacted by your foot.

>229 MickyFine: Thanks, Micky! The podiatrist confirmed my WebMD self-diagnosis, lol. Basically, my feet are too bendy which causes me to put too much of my weight on the middle of my foot rather than having the larger bones/structures around the big toe take most of my weight, which causes inflammation/pain. He did say it's something that should go away in time and gave me some good recommendations on types of shoes to look for and insoles to wear. I was looking mostly for supportive soles with a lot of cushion, but he said I need to look for really stiff-soled shoes and the cushion is less important, so I have some direction in shoe shopping now. I was hoping for some recommendations on sneakers that won't look too horrible with all my cute Italy outfits but alas, I shouldn't have expected so much from a male podiatrist. Basically it shouldn't impact the trip as long as I keep wearing good shoes.

Happy Thursday! I'm starting to think I came through this COVID thing unscathed -- knock on wood. The podiatrist visit went well yesterday although he condemned me to ugly shoes for a while. Finished out the workday, got a baked ziti into the oven, walked the dogs, feasted on ziti, then played TOTK until bedtime :) More of the same today but less cooking since we have lots of leftover chicken noodle soup and baked ziti.

Currently reading: Finished Jane Austen Made Me Do It yesterday evening before cooking. Almost done with Delilah Green Doesn't Care on audio. Made some headway in The Kaiju Preservation Society at the doctor's office. Read another chapter of A Restless Truth before bed.

Currently watching: S7E2 of Queer Eye.

Currently playing: More TOTK! Currently putting off going to the sky islands with Tulin because I'm a little worried my 6 measly hearts and single stamina wheel aren't going to cut it for whatever's up there, lol.

81 books read: Jane Austen Made Me Do It edited by Laurel Ann Nattress

A collection of stories inspired by Jane Austen in some way. Some are set directly in the worlds of her novels, some are contemporary retellings, some are ghost stories, some are based off Jane's life. As with all anthologies, the quality varies. My mom got me this for Christmas like, over a decade ago and I never picked it up because short stories generally aren't my thing, but I decided to finally read it to fulfill the PopSugar Reading Challenge prompt of "Started as Fanfiction."

My favorite stories were
- Jane Austen and the Mistletoe Kiss, essentially regency fluff with a loose Jane connection, but relatively well done
- Jane Austen, Yeah Yeah Yeah, in which young schoolgirls discover Austen's merits with a backdrop of Beatlesmania
- What Would Austen Do, a contemporary story about high school student James Austen who signs up for a summer dance class and is sent to the principal because his regency manners make the school worry he's doing drugs
- The Love Letter, a modern-day Persuasion-inspired story. My only quibble was when the main character ran out of his medical board exams to go chase after his love. Maybe I'm not romantic enough, but you've been in med school for YEARS. Your declarations can wait 6 hours.

Among the less good:
- Love and Best Wishes, Aunt Jane -- Jane's wishes to a niece upon her wedding day. Boring, saccharine, nothing of Jane in the words.
- The Mysterious Closet, in which a woman takes a solo trip to stay at a refurbished abbey, stays in "The Radcliffe Suite," and surprise, meets Ghost Henry Tilney in the night. Except he's very real and entirely unexplained. Then she just... stays with him?? There's zero plot to this one. I love supernatural, but there need to be rules.
- Intolerable Stupidity -- An entirely incomprehensible story about a courtroom trial defending Austen's characters from all the changes made to them in modern day adaptations and retellings.

3.5 stars.

Sorry about the ugly shoes but at least he didn't tell you to stay off your feet.

>232 curioussquared: I'm so picky about Jane Austen related things, I think I'll give this one a pass.

>233 MickyFine: Yeah, it was fine at best. 3.5 was probably generous, but there were a few stories I did really like and only a few that were truly awful.

82 books read: Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

When Delilah Green graduated high school, she left Bright Falls, Oregon, almost immediately, leaving her cold stepmother Isabelle and step-sister Astrid behind. Years later, she's scraping by as a photographer living in New York, and not much could convince her to go home -- until Astrid calls to remind her that she agreed to photograph her wedding and the two weeks of events leading up to it. Delilah doesn't have any particularly strong feelings for Astrid and considers dropping out, but Astrid is paying her a very substantial sum of money and honestly, she needs it. Delilah's not looking forward to these two weeks, but when she arrives, she's surprised when Astrid's friend Claire, who never liked Delilah in high school, comes up to her in a bar -- clearly hitting on her without recognizing her. Suddenly, these two weeks seem like they might be interesting... As Delilah faces old fears and lets herself relax around Astrid, Claire, and their friend Iris, she realizes something else: Astrid doesn't love her fiance, Spencer. Soon, she finds herself in an unlikely team with Claire and Iris as they try to figure out how to save Astrid from herself.

I resisted reading this for a long time because it was so popular, but I'm glad I finally picked it up! Really strong characters were the star of the show here. All the characters had to grow in realistic ways, and nothing bad that they did was unforgivable. 4 stars.

It's Friday! :D

Nothing much exciting going on yesterday. Tim was feeling well enough to come on the evening dog walk with me (I made him walk several feet away, masked; he's probably not contagious anymore, but we are NOT cancelling our Italy trip) but was pretty wiped when we got back, so we're making progress but he's definitely still recovering. Leftover baked ziti for dinner and then more gaming.

Currently reading: Finished Delilah Green Doesn't Care on audio and moved on to We Deserve Monuments. Read a few chapters of A Restless Truth before bed. Otter woke me up to go out at 3:30 and I had a lot of trouble getting back to sleep, so I made a lot of progress in The Kaiju Preservation Society in the middle of the night.

Currently watching: A few minutes of Indian Matchmaking, but I turned the episode off in favor of TOTK.

Currently playing: TOTK! Tulin and I made it to the Wind Temple but I haven't started yet. Very glad there's a teleportation point. I might leave and go build up more hearts because I don't think 6 will be enough for a boss fight, lol.

83 books read: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

When Jamie Gray is laid off from his tech job right as the COVID pandemic hits, his options are limited, and he ends up in a dead-end job as a food delivery driver for a Doordash competitor. By chance, he delivers food to an old acquaintance, Tom, and after running into him a few times, Tom lets Jamie know that his company, an "animal rights organization," has a last-minute job vacancy. It's not glamorous work, mostly lifting things, but at this point, Jamie and his roommates are going to be evicted if they don't get some cash flow soon, so Jamie doesn't ask questions and gratefully accepts the job. Little does he know what he's signed up for...

I loved this! Scalzi describes it in his acknowledgments as "a pop song of a book" and that's exactly what it is -- catchy and fun. Probably the first book I've read that deals heavily with the pandemic but remains totally lighthearted despite it. 5 stars.

>237 curioussquared: one of my faves!

>237 curioussquared: Yay! I'm glad you loved it too!

>237 curioussquared: I need to get to that one soonish.

>238 drneutron: It was a lot of fun, Jim!

>239 MickyFine: :)

>240 foggidawn: Hope you enjoy it when you get to it, Foggi!

Monday again, boo. Had a low-key weekend with, uh, a LOT of TOTK. Please don't ask how much. A lot. Non-TOTK activities included a trip to the mall to return some shoes and clothes to Macy's and Old Navy, and I ended up buying some more stuff at Old Navy, too. I don't feel too bad about my binge since this is the only chance I'll have for it until mid-June -- we leave on Friday for Tim's family's annual camping trip, come back Monday, work a few days, then leave on Thursday for Italy. It's about to be a busy few weeks!

Currently reading: Finished We Deserve Monuments on audio and moved on to All of a Kind Family. Still working through A Restless Truth; I'd say I'm about 2/3 done? Started The Bear and the Nightingale on Kindle.

Currently watching: Finished the episode of Indian Matchmaking I mentioned above. Watched a few episodes of S7 of Queer Eye.

Currently playing: Sooo much TOTK. This game is overwhelming in the absolute best way. I'll start with one goal and then see something shiny in the distance and go chase that thing and then get distracted by something else. I beat the Wind Temple yesterday morning (that boss was honestly shockingly easy?) and spent the rest of the day exploring and building out my map, beating shrines, unlocking towers, visiting Kakariko and Hateno villages. Finally on my way to Goron City, baby.

84 books read: We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

High School senior Avery had it all figured out -- she was focused on perfecting her grades so she can get into her dream school, Georgetown, and spent most of her time with her friend Hikari and friend-turned-girlfriend Kelsey plotting out their college admissions strategies. Then Avery's parents decided they were uprooting their lives and moving to Bardell, Georgia, to take care of Avery's maternal grandmother, Mama Letty, in her remaining time she has left with her terminal cancer diagnosis. In Bardell, Avery's life is turned upside down. New school, new friends, and new crush on the girl next door are enough, but Avery also learns about dark rumors and secrets that have been hidden for years -- about her white friend Jade's family, and about her own family, too.

This was an excellent book and a super impressive debut! Hammonds has written a story that made me laugh, cry, and gasp. I liked watching Avery grow and navigate difficult relationships with friends and family. One of the best things was the depiction of Avery's family, and how while their relationships are built on love, they're complex, too, acknowledging that people are multifaceted and can be overall good but have done bad things, and vice versa. 4.5 stars.

>243 curioussquared: Sounds like that one should be on my list.

Have fun camping! Also, Italy? So jealous.

>244 foggidawn: I think you'd like it! Excellent contemporary YA that, at least in my opinion, is addressing topics relevant to modern teenagers in a realistic way -- it felt super relevant without being heavy-handed.

Are you staying overnight in Venice, or staying on the mainland? If you're staying in the city itself, definitely take advantage of the early morning and the evening after about 8:30 or 9. That's when the last train for the mainland leaves. :) And if you're coming from there, go in as early as possible and leave on that last train!

For your time there, I also highly recommend getting off the main streets that point the way to the Rialto, Piazza San Marco, etc, and getting lost. The magic of Venice is in the quiet streets.

>246 ursula: We'll be there overnight so that's good to know! Tim is a very early bird and I am more of a night owl so we'll have to come to some sort of agreement on the trip, lol. Wandering the streets of Venice lost sounds heavenly :) We have literally nothing planned on this trip -- the only things we've booked are flights, lodging, and trains -- so will have plenty of time to do whatever we feel like when we get there, which is typically how we like to travel.

>246 ursula:, >247 curioussquared: Wandering the streets and getting lost is my favorite part of visiting a city. Natalie, I hope you and Tim have a wonderful trip!

>248 libraryperilous: Me too, Diana! When I went to Paris with my parents in 2019, I was honestly kind of shocked by how well I remembered the city from my ~6 weeks there in 2013, especially since I am trash at directions. All that wandering paid off :)

It's about time for a new thread, so I'll work on creating that before doing today's update and a pending book review :)