Life and Things
I lost my voice for a day. Persephone (my furbaby kitty) did all her tricks with hand signals only. This is huge! She was sooo confused at first. Haha. But caught in pretty quick.
Had lots of lupus/fibromyalgia pain this week. Sometimes it feels like liquid fire in my lymph channels. I’m not sure how else to describe it. It’s not in the blood, but it’s everywhere in my body.
Oh, and I got ran over this week. Yeah, that was fun. Got out of a car, and leaned back in to get my bags. Driver had other ideas, and ran over my foot. Thankfully, he wasn’t moving fast, and nothing was severely damaged, but still… WTF.
I started playing my Jurassic World game again. They’ve made it easy to get resources and dinos. I now have several Cenozoic critters, including a megaloceros! Next goal is smilidon and terror bird.
I managed some bad drawings of Sikkaran fauna.
Books read, reviewed, and posted/scheduled this past week
Gate of Air by Resa Nelson, 3*
The Writer’s Lexicon by Kathy Steinemann, 5*
The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle, 5*
Savage by Nicole Conway, Oct 5, 5*l
Favourite read of the week
The Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle
‘A tale inspired by Christina Rossetti’s eerie, sensual poem, “Goblin Market”…
Four neighbours encounter sinister enchantments and a magical path to love in a small, modern-day Puget Sound town, where a fae realm hides in the woods and waters…
Most people have no idea goblins live in the woods around the small town of Bellwater, Washington. But some are about to find out.
Skye, a young barista and artist, falls victim to a goblin curse in the forest one winter night, rendering her depressed and silenced, unable to speak of what happened. Her older sister, Livy, is at wit’s end trying to understand what’s wrong with her. Local mechanic Kit would know, but he doesn’t talk of such things: he’s the human liaison for the goblin tribe, a job he keeps secret and never wanted, thrust on him by an ancient family contract.
Unaware of what’s happened to Skye, Kit starts dating Livy, trying to keep it casual to protect her from the attention of the goblins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kit, Skye draws his cousin Grady into the spell through an enchanted kiss in the woods, dooming Grady and Skye both to become goblins and disappear from humankind forever.
It’s a midwinter night’s enchantment as Livy, the only one untainted by a spell, sets out to save them on a dangerous magical path of her own.’
Current Read
Writing as a Path to Awakening by Albert Flynn de Silver
‘The best writers say their work seems to come from a source beyond the thinking mind. But how do we access that source? “We must first look inside ourselves and be willing to touch that raw emotional core at the heart of a deeper creativity,” writes Albert Flynn DeSilver. In Writing as a Path to Awakening, this renowned poet, writer, and teacher shows you how to use meditation to cultivate true depth in your own writing—so your words reveal layers of profound emotional insight and revelation that inspire and move your readers.
Writing calls on us to fully engage our mind’s cognitive powers, while meditation often asks us to let go of thinking and storytelling. Though these two practices may seem incompatible, Albert teaches that they can be powerfully complementary. With a mixture of engaging storytelling and practical exercises, Writing as a Path to Awakening invites you on a journey of growth and discovery—to enhance your writing through the practice of meditation while using the creative process to accelerate your spiritual evolution.’
Next Up (maybe)
The Uncrossing by Melissa Eastlake, Chapter by Chapter
Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: Legends by Lydia Sherrer ASAP
Your Crossroads, Your Choice by EP Apicello. ASAP
Sun Born by Kathleen O’Neal and W Michael Gear CBR
Book Haul
Several egalleys this past week.
Steal the Stars by Mack Rogers
‘THE NOVEL BASED ON THE DEBUT SCIENCE FICTION PODCAST FROM TOR LABS
Dakota “Dak” Prentiss guards the biggest secret in the world.
They call it “Moss.” It’s your standard grey alien from innumerable abduction stories. It still sits at the controls of the spaceship it crash-landed eleven years ago. A secret military base was built around the crash site to study both Moss and the dangerous technology it brought to Earth.
The day Matt Salem joins her security team, Dak’s whole world changes.
It’s love at first sight—which is a problem, since they both signed ironclad contracts vowing not to fraternize with other military personnel. If they run, they’ll be hunted for what they know. Dak and Matt have only way to be together: do the impossible. Steal Moss and sell the secret of its existence.
And they can’t afford a single mistake.’
Life in the Sloth Lane by Lucy Cook
‘Photos of adorable sloths illustrate a mindfulness book that reminds us to slow down and appreciate the small things.’
Close Encounters with Humankind by Sang-Hee Lee
‘What can fossilized teeth tell us about our ancient life expectancy? What can big data on fossils reveal about farming’s problematic role in human evolution? How can simple geometric comparisons of skull and pelvic fossils suggest an origin to our social nature? In Close Encounters with Humankind, paleoanthropologist Sang-Hee Lee explores some of our biggest evolutionary questions from unexpected new angles.
Through a series of entertaining, bite-sized chapters, we gain new perspectives into our first hominin ancestors, our first steps on two feet, our first forays into toolmaking and hunting, and of course our continuing evolution. Lee’s curious nature and surprising conclusions make Close Encounters with Humankind a delight to read.’
