Category: Books Page 28 of 163

WWW Wednesday—November 13, 2024

On November 13, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Every title in this post is one that I own. That doesn’t happen too often–it’s rather nice to have a bunch of things to decrease Mt. TBR all together like this.

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Instinct: An Animal Rescuers Anthology edited by L. J. Hachmeister	Running and Jumping by Steven Kedie	The Late Lord Thorpe by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I need some shorter reads that I can dip into here and there, so what better time to finally get around to this collection? Urban Fantasy stories starring some of my favorite fictional animals–how have I not read this yet?

And yeah, I decided to squeeze in another title before Kedie’s work, but I am getting this read now.

I’m still working through The Late Lord Thorpe–my job has been actively working against me listening to it a lot over the last few days (and will continue to do so through the end of the week), so I have no idea how long it will be before David Smith and his creator show me how wrong I was last week.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Wrong Hands
by Mark Billingham

I think DS Miller’s first adventure was a bit more on the amusing side–but this second book is so good that I didn’t care. This was a really compelling and twisty read.

What do you think you’ll read next?

1-800-CallLoki (The Loki Adventures Omnibus)
by Dawn Blair

This omnibus has been sitting near the top of my TBR for too long, it’s time to knock it out.

Given how long the new Grainger is taking me, and library due dates coming up, I honestly have no idea what my next audiobook will be (yes, the audiobook of What You Are Looking for Is in the Library had to be returned unlistened…the amount of work I’m putting into listening to this is outweighing my expectations, but at this point, it’s the principle of the thing)

What authors and titles have caught your attention lately?

Saturday Miscellany—11/9/24

By HCNewton

On November 9, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Who’s Really Writing Celebrity Novels? The writers and agents working behind the scenes tell us how it actually works.
bullet Ranking 40 Popular Books That Are Actually Badly Written—this click-baity list is something largely to read to scoff at or argue with.
bullet The Book News is Generally… Good?—after those two stories and all the ick of the last couple of weeks, who couldn’t use a little bit of good news (no matter what you may think of Tuesday’s results, it’s hard to deny that things have been rather nasty lately).
bullet Dorothy Parker and the Art of the Literary Takedown: Her reviews are not contemptuous, a common pitfall for her imitators. They are simply unbridled in their dislike.—Okay, fine, if you’re going to be negative, do it like the Master. (I read so many people today that need to do this)
bullet The Novel and the Dictator: On the Man Who Criticized Stalin Yet Lived—I’m really glad that I discovered Nadya Williams this year.
bullet IYKYK: When Novels Speak a Language Only Part of the Internet Gets
bullet Out of This World: Books to Read When You Need an Escape—Just in case anyone is interested in that sort of thing…
bullet Comfort Reads: Feel-good Fiction for Rough Days—continuining the theme, Jodie has some great choices
bullet Let’s Talk About Book Boyfriends—a.k.a. Fictophilia (my weakness is for Book Dogs/Pets, but I get it…)
bullet September & October 2024 Community Posts!—Dini has collected some great posts can be found here.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
bullet The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey
bullet Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution by Keith R.A. DeCandido
bullet The Burning Room by Michael Connelly, So, Anyway… by John Cleese, Harry Harrison! Harry Harrison! by Harry Harrison, and Texts from Jane Eyre by Mallory Ortberg. (it’s been that long for the Ortberg?)

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Teen Titans: Starfire by Kami Garcia, Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator)—My only real gripe with this series is the release timetable, so I’m really eager to dive in to see their take on Kory Anders.

Game Night Book Tag

By HCNewton

On November 7, 2024

In Book Tag, Books, News/Misc.

Game Night Book Tag
I’ve only seen this on one other blog–Witty and Sarcastic Book Club–which is also where it originated. Like Jodie said, these games aren’t my go-tos, but it was fun to revisit them. Just for fun, I tried to find images from the editions of the games that I used to play from.

Clue: A Book Featuring a Mystery

The Cover of the Clue boardgame and the cover of The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowall

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowall

Anyone who’s even glanced at this site knows I could go on and on and on here. But I limited myself to one–this is a fun mystery in a SF world. It’s basically The Thin Man in Space–classic mystery characters, classic mystery tropes, unclassic mystery setting–but you couldn’t tell from teh way that Kowall deals with it.

(my post about it)

Monopoly: A Book Focused on Treasure or Money

The cover of Monopoly boardgame and the cover of Tower of Babel by Michael Sears

Tower of Babel by Michael Sears

This is all about New York Real Estate–doesn’t get more focused on Money/Treasure than that. Not that Sears limits himself to that, but the other parts of the book featured on money don’t seem as intense.

(my post about it)

Ticket to Ride: A Book Featuring Travel

The cover of Ticket to Ride boardgame and the cover of Paradox Unbound by Peter Clines

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Paradox Bound jumped to mind when I thought of this category. It’s all about travel–both geographically and chronologically. Why stick to something as mundane as roaming the highways and byways of the world, when you can throw in history as well?

(my post about it)

The Settlers of Catan: A Book with a Lot Going On

The cover of The Settlers of Catan boardgame and the cover of The Cartel by Don Winslow

The Cartel by Don Winslow

There are so many plotlines, layers in plotlines, betrayals, set-ups, twists, suprises…saying there’s “a lot” going on feels like an understatement. Winslow’s a pro at this kind of thing–you don’t even notice how much happens until you stop and think about it afterwards.

Risk: A Book in Which an Attempt at Domination is Key to the Story

The cover of RISK boardgame and the cover of Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty Saves the World by Carrie Vaughn

Many, many books led up to this one–it’s for all the marbles, Kitty and her pack (of friends and wolves) vs. Roman. And if they lose, well, he wins everyething. Yet even in the midst of all that, Vaughn makes room for character moments, resolving arcs, and a satisfying series conclusion.

(my post about it)

Apples to Apples: A Book that Makes You Laugh

The cover of Apples to Apples boardgame and the cover of Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

I could’ve put all sorts of things here, but I’d just had a conversation with someone about this book when I sat down to start working on this tag. So…

There’s some humor here about the entertainment industry (on both sides of the camera), about interpersonal relationships, Alien life, Aliens trying to blend in on Earth, the relationship between people and dogs, and…just generally funny stuff. I’ve read it multiple times, and listened to the audiobook once. Found it funny every time.
(my post about it)

Scrabble: A Book with Beautiful Writing

The cover of Scrabble boardgame and the cover of Seraphina's Lament by Sarah Chorn

Seraphina’s Lament by Sarah Chorn

It’s been 5+ years since I read this, and it still haunts me–not becuase the images and characters are haunting, but because Chorn’s writing is beautiful. I think of it frequently. I’ve read a number of her books, and they all have that teeth-achingly tragic-yet-beautiful/tragic-while-beautiful prose, but this is the one that stands tallest in my mind.

(my post about it)

Indie Board Game: An Indie or Self-published Book that Everyone Should Read

Some generic die and game pieces and the cover of Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne

Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne

I can name any number of Indie Books that more people should read. Several that many people should read. But everyone??? That’s a tall, tall, order.

I don’t know that Wistful Asending something that everyone should read. But most people should. Most people (everyone?) will find something in its pages they’ll enjoy, it’s got it all: Superheroes. Sentient space bears. Dinosaur-y/kaiju-y aliens. Talking spaceships. Fantastic Dialogue. Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True Love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest Ladies. Snakes. Spiders… Pain. Death. Brave men. Cowardly men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles. Er, wait. I think I started talking about a different book there. Eh, close enough.

(my post about it)

As usual, I’m not tagging anyone in this—but I’d like to see what you all have to come up with.

Image by OTH Amberg-Weiden from Pixabay

WWW Wednesday—November 6, 2024

By HCNewton

On November 6, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Busy, busy, busy week here. I’m actually surprised I finished this at a semi-reasonable hour. I think I might have some better content coming in the next day or two…

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


A Sky Full of Dragons by Tiffany McDaniel	The Late Lord Thorpe by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson

I’ve yet to fall under the charm of A Sky Full of Dragons, but I still fully expect to.

What did you recently finish reading?


Nobody’s Hero by M.W. Craven	The World According to Cunk: An Illustrated History of All World Events Ever by Philomena Cunk	Adventures in Cryptozoology: Hunting for Yetis, Mongolian Deathworms and Other Not-So-Mythical Monsters by Richard Freeman, read by Derek Perkins

I’ll be raving about Nobody’s Hero at the first opportunity I get. I had visceral reactions to this thriller.

Philomena Cunk’s latest has some real laugh-out-loud moments, as one would expect. I’ll expand on that really soon, too.

Adventures in Cryptozoology is the dullest imaginable book with that title. I think that’s intentional, but that doesn’t change my utter apathy about it. More soon, too.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Running and Jumping by Steven Kedie	What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, read by Hanako Footman, Susan Momoko Hingley, Kenichiro Thomson, Winson Ting, and Shiro Kawai

I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but despite me not really caring about sports at all in the real world, I really get into a good sports novel. I’m told that’s what Running and Jumping is, so I might as well give it a whirl, right?

I actually borrowed the audiobook of What You Are Looking for Is in the Library this time. Getting the right file type should go a long way toward actually listening to it.

What are you using to distract yourself from the outside world this week?

Top 5 Tuesday – Top 5 books on my TBR that intimidate me

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Top X List

This week’s topic is, “Top 5 books on my TBR that intimidate me” I haven’t done one of these in a minute, this seemed like a fun one to try.

In alphabetical order by author:

	The Annotated Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler Edited by Owen Hill, Pamela Jackson and Anthony Rizzuto I love The Big Sleep–it was my first Chandler novel, it’s the one I’ve read the most often. And the idea of learning more about it, getting background, digging into to some of the scholarship, etc. sounds great (which is why I ordered it months before it came out in 2018). But I haven’t been able to bring myself to read it–there’s part of me that doesn’t want to know that much about it (and I almost never say that kind of thing). I’m also a little afraid that it’s going to flip a switch and I’m going to spend months digging into Chandler scholarship in general.
	The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins I don’t know that intimidated is the best word, but I needed a fifth book. I’m more apprehensive about dipping back into that world. Also, apathetic. But sure…let’s go with intimidated.
	The Will in Its Theological Relations by John L. Girardeau 550 pages of a critique of Jonathan Edwards and a restatement of the classic Reformed position on the freedom and bondage of the will in dense 19th Century language. Yeah, that’s easy to see why I’m intimidated.
	Stiletto by Daniel O’Malley The Rook is such a good novel, but after seeing some not-as-good reviews, I’ve been putting it off since it was published. I just don’t want anything to tarnish The Rook in my mind. I should add that I haven’t seen bad reviews for Stiletto, just people who didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped. Which makes it different than the other books by O’Malley.
	Flynn’s World by Gregory Mcdonald Similarly, I just don’t know if I can muster up the courage to read this one. The Fletch novels that Mcdonald wrote in his later years were good enough, but they were missing something. I’m afraid that this would be the same way–that it came so many years after the Fletch books, makes me even more intimidated by it. The initial Flynn books are probably in my all-time favorite stack. I just don’t want to see it be tarnished. But there’s a chance I’m missing out on something really good.

Saturday Miscellany—11/2/24

By HCNewton

On November 2, 2024

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

Whoo-hoo! Tonight’s the night where we get a bonus hour of reading!! (which makes up for the one in the spring where they steal one). At least that’s the case for us in the U.S. of A., the rest of you already got that bonus, right?

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet How To Find Comfort in Your Bookish Community in Stressful Times—Stressful times? What stressful times? Oh…right. Now. Silly me. (feel free to substitute the name of your local Indie Bookstore for “Rediscovered Books”)
bullet Have you purchased a weirdly low-quality paperback book lately? This may be why.—that’d explain it
bullet The Longest Long Words List: Don’t read this if you have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia (fear of long words).—try to work some of these into conversation this week.
bullet If You Like…by Olivia Blacke, author of A New Lease on Death—The TV shows that inspired the new book
bullet Grief Is the Thing Worth Feeling: On Michael Ende’s The Neverending Story
bullet Putting the Fangs into Fantasy: Why I Wrote my Book—Ed Crocker describes why he put Vampires and Werewolves into his Epid Fantasy…and probably convinced me to add it to Mt. TBR
bullet The Most Iconic Speculative Fiction Books of the 21st Century—from Reactor Mag
bullet I’m Not Sure I Miss All the Bookish Hype
bullet Using Someone Else’s Tools: The Ethics of Playing in Another Creative’s Playground—Peat Long takes both sides in an argument and convinces me with each
bullet The Magic-Wielding Characters Bracket Challenge Hub Page—If, like me, you’re trying to catch up on these posts, here’s a handy-dandy list.

To help talk about backlist titles (and just for fun), What Was I Talking About 10 Years Ago Week?
bullet The Deaths of Tao by Wesley Chu
bullet And the release of: The Peripheral by William Gibson; The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss; and Drawn Blades by Kelly McCullough

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke—dark comedy, a ghost, a twentysomething fish-out-of-water, and amatuer detectvies stumbling through a murder mystery. What’s not to like? I rather enjoyed it.
bullet The Late Lord Thorpe by Peter Grainger, read by Gildart Jackson—The PI, DC Smith, looks into a death and finds more than anyone expects (or so I guess)
bullet What If… Marc Spector Was A Host To Venom? by Mike Chen—I’ve never really gotten into Venom the way that everyone else has seemed to, and Moon Knight isn’t my favorite either. Combining the two sounds like it could be interesting, and if anyone can convince me to jump on the train, it’s Mike Chen
bullet The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn—is probably worth a look for the magic system alone, but the story, character, and setting make this look even better
bullet Grave Talk by Nick Spalding—this is a novel about grieving with the help of an unlikely friend, bound by coincidence and geography
bullet Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–And the Magic That Makes It Work by Jesse David Fox—out now in paperback. Which is great, because I hadn’t heard of it in hardcover. It “tackles everything you need to know about comedy, an art form that has been under-considered throughout its history, even as it has ascended as a cultural force.”

October 2024 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By HCNewton

On November 1, 2024

In Books, Calendar Items, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

I finished 24 titles in October (8 up from last month, 1 down from last October), with an equivalent of 6,605+ pages or the equivalent (1,657+ up from last month), and gave them an average of 3.7 stars (.43 down from last month). Man, audio-only productions really mess with my page count math.

A stupid cold, a lot of activity on the personal front, and miscellaneous other things are really draining my energy and making it hard to post lately. I’m trying to come up with a workable solution to this that doesn’t involve retirement (either from this or the day job). In the meantime, I’ll just grumble about how little I”m writing 🙂 Actually, that cold did more than set back my writing–you’ll note on the calendar at the bottom of the post that there are two blank days there. I don’t know the last time I spent two days without reading.

Anyway, here’s what happened here in October.
Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to,6

Still Reading

Saint Cyril of Alexandria and the Christological Controversy

Ratings

		Average =	3.7
	4		0
	2		2
	8		0
	2		1
	6

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

	Audio	E-book	Physical	Goodreads Want-to-Read	NetGalley Shelf/ARCs/Review Copies
End of 2023	6	47	68	153	5
1st of the Month	5	58	75	166	6
Added	5	5	8	2	6
Read/ Listened	5	1	5	1	3
Current Total	5	62	78	167	9

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 21
Self-/Independent Published: 3

Genre	This Month	Year to Date
Children’s	0 (0%)	7 (3%)
Fantasy	1 (4%)	32 (15%)
General Fiction/ Literature	3 (13%)	21 (10%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	10 (42%)	67 (30%)
Non-Fiction	3 (13%)	20 (9%)
Science Fiction	4 (17%)	18 (8%)
Theology/ Christian Living	2 (8%)	24 (11%)
Urban Fantasy	0 (0%)	25 (11%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western)	1 (4%)	2 (2%)

Review-ish Things Posted

In Medias Res: Black Maria by Christine Boyer
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Grandpappy’s Corner: How to Babysit a Grandpa by Jean Reagan, Lee Wildish (Illustrator): What Little One Doesn’t Need to Know This?
On the Unity of Christ by Cyril of Alexandria, John Anthony McGuckin (Translator): A Powerful Dialogue on the Person of Christ
Black Maria by Christine Boyer: A Small Town Has Some Big Secrets Exposed
On Classical Trinitarianism: Retriving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God edited by Matthew Barrett. An Outstanding Defense/Explanation/Retrieval of the Vital Teaching
The More the Terrier by David Rosenfelt: Andy Carpenter’s 30th Is as Satisfying as the 1st
The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 57: Dealing with Shadows by R. T. Slaywood: I Didn’t See That Coming
The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo: She Just Wanted Some Work…
Hermit of Paradise by Kim Sanders, A Novel That Swings for the Fences
A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke: A Charming New Odd Couple of Amateur Sleuths
Pupposites Attract 1 by Hono Natsuna, Matt Trayvaud (translator): And They Called It Puppy Love…
Blood Reunion by JCM Berne: Space Vampires, Secret Identities, and a Promise of Something Worse

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th), I also wrote:

Enough about me—how Was Your Month?

October Book Haul (and some other stuff)

By HCNewton

On October 31, 2024

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc.

The ones of you demanded a new video and I have acquiesced, with a Book Haul–because, why not?

Also featured–my lingering cough, and more “um”s than I care to admit (even if Valerie Fridland’s defense of the use of it in Like, Literally, Dude was convincing), and me likely butchering the pronunciation of some author names. Sounds like fun, right?

WWW Wednesday—October 30, 2024

By HCNewton

On October 30, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Here on October 30, I’m sitting here next to 3 of my September TBR books, probably won’t finish in time, eh? But let’s see what I have been working on…

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Seems easy enough, right? Let’s take a peek at this week’s answers:

What are you currently reading?


Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg	I’m Still a 10-Year-Old Boy by Nancy Cartwright

I’m starting the second Sharpe & Walker book today–I’m really eager to see what this book says about the series as a whole. Also, Eve Ronin is supposed to show up–can’t complain about that.

It’s fun to hear Cartwright talk about her life and career so far. I expect that the book will get even more fun once she starts voicing the titular 10-year-old.

What did you recently finish reading?


Spook Street by Mick Herron	Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death by Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes, read by Spencer Henry, Madison Reyes, and Annette Amelia Oliveira

Spook Street was just fantastic. I really don’t understand why I haven’t made the time to read everything by Herron yet*. And while I know the titular “Spook” is a reference to spies, this is his spookiest (in terms of unnerving) yet.

Obitchuary is a cute and light-hearted look at the biggest taboo topic I can think of. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come up with more to say.

* Paul, my friend, feel free to not say anything in response to this. I know you’ve been telling me this forever. Feel free to resume telling me this in January when I’ll have seemed to have forgotten.

What do you think you’ll read next?


Nobody’s Hero by M.W. Craven	Adventures in Cryptozoology: Hunting for Yetis, Mongolian Deathworms and Other Not-So-Mythical Monsters by Richard Freeman, read by Derek Perkins

I’ve been sitting on this ARC of Nobody’s Hero for awhile, wanting to post about it closer to the release date. I’m beyond ready to dive in.

Adventures in Cryptozoology seemed like it could be fun. At the very least, it’ll help boost my sagging Non-Fiction numbers for the year.*

* (that’s mostly a joke)

What have you been reading lately, what are you planning on reading while dealing with (or hiding from) Trick-or-Treaters?

Highlights from September: Lines Worth Repeating

By HCNewton

On October 29, 2024

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations

Highlights from the Month

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

The tunnel is about 20 feet long. Or 7 meters. Man, being an American scientist sucks sometimes. You think in random, unpredictable units based on what situation you’re in.

…I don’t want to be in some other part of the ship if something interesting happens.

Just as I’m thinking that, something interesting happens.

Knock-knock-knock.

No, that’s not creepy at all. Being in a spaceship twelve light-years from home and having someone knock on the door is totally normal.

It’s a simple idea, but also stupid. Thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas. We’ll see which way this one falls.

I cross my arms and slump into my pilot’s seat. There’s no gravity to properly slump with, so I have to make a conscious effort to push myself into the seat. I’m pouting, darn it, and I intend to do it right.

Chasing Embers by James Bennett

“I have seen your world, little beast. I have drunk of its terror and hope. Humans fear the darkness that gave them birth and harness the light to outshine the stars. They build machines that cough with smoke and poison the very air. They suck up the blood of the earth and pour filth into the seas. They speak boldly of freedom and peace and think they can buy them with war. Money is their temple and greed their god. They stand in defiance of all that is real, turning magic into myth, myth into Remnants, choosing to live in a cold dead dream.”

The Debt Collector by Steven Max Russo

“You’re a good egg too, Gabby,” he said, smiling awkwardly. They each picked up their beers and clinked glasses. Just a little scrambled, he thought.

Nugget’s Tenth Life by Adam Holcombe

Brother yowled and turned to race down the buidling, but Nugget was made of sterner stuff (that stuff being the brilliant stupidity of youthfulness).

The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson

They say hunting monsters will turn you into one. That isn’t what’s happening now. Sometimes to kill a dragon, you have to remember that you breathe fire too. This isn’t a becoming: it’s a revealing. Ive been a monster all along.

“May your life be long and easy.”

It’s a common blessing out here, but I’ve never dissected it before, Why are we, who are so unhappy, fixated on long lives? What is the point? An easy life isn’t a blessing. Easy doesn’t mean happy. Ale doesn’t mean anything at all. Sometimes the path to an easy life makes you miserable. The only person I’ve ever heard value happiness is the former empress. She named her second son happy, hoping it would be true. She knew the cost of an easy life, and the uselessness of a long one. She had both. She wished neither for her child, only that he a some point be happy. Was he? Was anyone?

She smiles, less like she thinks I’m funny and more like she wanted prove she knows how.

…that’s what a sister is: a piece of yourself you can finally love, because it’s in someone else.

I’d love to stay. Forcing Dell into small talk is fun because she so bad at it with me. It’s like she’s being asked to communicate with a child or snake—something that is either boring or dangerous, with no in-between.

It burns, but that’s too simple a term. It burns like opening your eyes in the light burns, like being born probably burns. It doesn’t feel like my body is responding to a foreign substance, but like the substance is awakening cells usually dormant.

Death can be senseless, but life never is.

I told Esther before that nothing was inevitable, but that was before I felt so helpless to change absolutely anything at all.

An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka

I’ve always liked London at night. The noise and bustle of the day fades away, and in the quiet you can feel the presence of the city. It has its own nature, kind of like its own essentia—old, layered, and complex, man-made construction on top of millennia- old earth. Generation after generation of people, with the plants and animals of old Britain living with them side by side. It’s neat and chaotic and ancient and sprawling, and it’s my home.

It wouldn’t be the first time I’d broken the rules, but I’ve always had an instinctive feeling that there’s a difference between breaking the rules and doing something wrong.

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

Daphne raised her hand. Nobody noticed. Daphne stood up, her hand still raised. They still ignored her. Daphne did not like being ignored, in the early days of her career, she’d been overlooked on account of her sex, talked over and patronized by a series of self-important, untalented little misogynists. So much had improved in the intervening years, and she was glad to see that a couple of the Councilors at the meeting were female. But now, she was being ignored because of her age, she appeared to have jumped out of the frying pan of sexism and into the fire of ageism–the final frontier of -isms.

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)