Life and Things

I’m finally off of my lifting restrictions after the biopsy. Finally. I know it’s necessary, but I felt so pathetic. I had a nutritionist visit Monday, and was pleased to learn that I’ve lost 5 lbs over the two weeks between visits. The goal was 3 lbs. My resting BP and heartrate were also lowered. I’m continuing to follow my guidelines. My biggest issue seems to be drinking enough water. I learned that my dietary guidelines are not just to help my liver, but are anti-inflammatory as well. I have a long-term goal: to walk the Devil’s Slide Coastal Trail.

Thursday I went to see the musical An American in Paris, about a soldier in Paris after World War II. It was pretty good, and had excellent choreography. My only qualms was how the love interests played out. To me the lesson seemed to be if you’re an ass, you get the girl… I wasn’t the only one of my group to come away with that notion.

 

Books read, reviewed, and posted/scheduled this past week

Rook by JC Andrijeski, NA, 3*

Ann, Not Annie by Sage Steadman, 4*

Sons of Isan: Taking Refuge in a Thai Temple by William Reyland, 5*

Sticks, ‘N’ Stones, ‘N’ Dinosaur Bones by Ted Enik, Sept 18, 5*

The Missing by Jerico Lenk, 5*

 

Favourite read of the week

The Missing by Jerico Lenk, Sept , 5*

‘Dark proclivities, excess, and outlandish curiosities prevail in 1890’s London. Around the city, a battle rages between the living and the dead. The Black Cross, tasked to keep the peace, are quickly losing ground.

Sixteen-year-old Willow Winchester, lives life as a boy called “Will” in his father’s house of distinguished ladies, all but invisible to the wealthy Londoners who frequent. It’s an easy ruse since his mother’s death left his father’s attention to fall upon business matters. But this isn’t his only secret.

When Will unwittingly becomes involved in a Black Cross ghost hunt, his uncanny ability to sense supernatural beings comes to light and the Black Cross wants him in their service. Suddenly, Will’s free to be himself.

But such freedom will come with a price, as Will fights for the acceptance of the only father he’s ever known.

Now, part of a team of misfits and unlikely allies, Will finds he isn’t the only one keeping secrets. Someone does not want him to uncover the truth about those who aren’t just missing from the world of the living, but missing from history itself.

Can he find the Missing before he ends up becoming one of them?’

 

Current Read

Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel

‘A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.’

 

Next Up

Across the Darkling Sea by K Ferrin

Remember, Remember by Anne Elliot (Sherlock)

Your Crossroads, Your Choice by EP Apicello

Sun Born by Kathleen O’Neal and W Michael Gear  

 

Book Haul

Only egalleys this week. One I’m most interested in are:

Damn Fine Story by Chuck Wendig

‘Hook Your Audience with Unforgettable Storytelling!

What do Luke Skywalker, John McClane, and a lonely dog on Ho’okipa Beach have in common?

Simply put, we care about them.

Great storytelling is making readers care about your characters, the choices they make, and what happens to them. It’s making your audience feel the tension and emotion of a situation right alongside your protagonist. And to tell a damn fine story, you need to understand why and how that caring happens.

Using a mix of personal stories, pop fiction examples, and traditional storytelling terms, New York Times bestselling author Chuck Wendig will help you internalize the feel of powerful storytelling. In Damn Fine Story, you’ll explore:

Fretytag’s Pyramid for visualizing story structure–and when to break away from traditional storytelling forms; character relationships and interactions as the basis of every strong plot–no matter the form or genre; rising and falling tension that pulls the audience through to the climax and conclusion of the story and developing themes as a way to craft characters with depth.

Whether you’re writing a novel, screenplay, video game, comic, or even if you just like to tell stories to your friends and family over dinner, this funny and informative guide is chock-full of examples about the art and craft of storytelling–and how to write a damn fine story of your own.’

 

The World of Lore: Monstrous Creatures by Aaron Mahnke

‘A fascinating, beautifully illustrated guide to the monsters that are part of our collective psyche, featuring both rare and best-loved stories from the hit podcast Lore, soon to be an online streaming series.

They live in shadows—deep in the forest, late in the night, in the dark recesses of our minds. They’re spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives’ tales, passed down through generations. Yet no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them: werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits.

In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating  journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, exploring not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. He delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism—some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where séances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, even Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.

In a world of “emotional vampires” and “zombie malls,” the monsters of folklore have become both a part of our language and a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore.’

 

The Power by Naomi Alderman

‘SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION

What would happen if women suddenly possessed a fierce new power?

In THE POWER, the world is a recognizable place: there’s a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power–they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.

From award-winning author Naomi Alderman, THE POWER is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways.’