My vote for the Nebula Award for Novella
May. 21st, 2025 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mount_oreganoAs a member of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, I get to vote on the Nebula Awards. Here’s my vote for best novella (17,500 to 40,000 words). The awards will be presented at the Nebula Conference on June 7 in Kansas City.
The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom) — A woman ventures into a dangerous forest to save two children from a monster. A grim story told with urgency.
The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Tordotcom) — Elephants and newly-revived mammoths face extinction from ivory poachers, but they have protectors. The story explores its ideas back and forth in time to dramatize a contest between greed and survival.
Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (Tordotcom) — An ancient power arises in a post-apocalypse dystopia, and three very different people in a literally stratified society must try to survive.
Countess by Suzan Palumbo (ECW) — A story inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, but in space.
The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain by Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom) — The chain is about an ex-slave, the practice is about the chance to become something better, and the horizon the chance to get it. A lot of social justice, told with the distance of spaceships.
My vote: The Dragonfly Gambit by A.D. Sui (Neon Hemlock) — A former lover, now an enemy, conspires to bring down an empire. I was impressed by the tight storytelling, emotional tension, and frequent reversals.
GIANT STRAWBERRY CINNAMON ROLL CAKE
May. 21st, 2025 04:56 amnverland posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
creative_cooks
GIANT STRAWBERRY CINNAMON ROLL CAKE
Yield: 8-10 SERVINGS total time: 3 HOURS OR SO
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE DOUGH:
1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 cup warm non-fat milk (heated to about 120 degrees, about 45-60 seconds in the microwave)
1/3 cup + 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, divided
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 - 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Paddle attachment & dough hook for your mixer
FOR THE FILLING:
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups diced fresh strawberries (about 3/4 pound)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar
FOR THE FROSTING
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 ounces cream cheese, very soft
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or milk
( Read more... )
Music Tuesday
May. 20th, 2025 09:17 pmmuccamukkThe CBC keeps playing this at me for some reason, and it's really pretty.
BUT ALSO: what is that piano intro reminding me of? I'm thinking late'90s with a female singer, but it might just have been... something I listened to a lot in the '90s.
Catching up...
May. 20th, 2025 07:59 pmcatherineldfWhat's been going on? Oh, nothing much. A tornado missed touching down in my hood on the way to downtown by an uncomfortable margin last week - it ended up not touching down, at all, fortunately for us. Unlike poor St. Louis and elsewhere. I did get from the attic to the basement with essentials, my emergency lamp/charger and 2 elderly confused kitties in 3 minutes, so good to set a preliminary bar to improve upon.
I went to the Independent Book Publisher's Association Pub U Conference on Friday in St. Paul. On the plus side, I met some lovely people and had a nice lunch. I also scored contacts at two book distributors to have chats about how to try and "level up" sales at Queen of Swords Press so I think that part was worthwhile. The one workshop panel I made it to was...an experience. Apparently, they don't really vet their presenters. Or maybe they do and thought this was fine? I went to a panel on fundraising and grant writing for publishers at which: one panelist conducted a sort of revival meeting about writing mission statements and believing in yourself (but nothing about finding sources of funding, applying, etc.); there was a mildly terrifying New Age skinny white lady who had no noticeable publishing experience, but was apparently trying start a cult, and urged us all to ask our personal communities for $5000-$25,000 to “be a part of the process” (head slap! Why didn’t I think of that?); and then there was the moderator who urged us to go through our mail to look for possible local funding sources to approach (I’m sure the fly-by-night realty companies trying to get their hands on my house would tots be interested in our books! Or maybe the gas company!). Then there was the AI panel, about which the less said, the better and which also could have done with several fewer people who were all unquestioningly “shiny toy!” and utterly clueless about the fact that if they get the brave new techbro future they are so excited about, no one will need them (hint: avoid NYU's publishing program. Just saying). Would I go again? Not unless someone else was paying for it.
Saturday was Rochester MN Pride, which was mostly delightful except for being cold and windy. My friend Matt was great and we found a fun new restaurant.
Sunday, I went to breakfast with Caroline Stevermer, who is a marvelous dining companion, and to a matinee of "Things Like This" with another friend. This is a new indie gay romcom in which one of the protagonists is fat, but that is not the central conflict of the story and no one insists that he get skinny to get the guy! It was charmingly uneven and enjoyable.
This week is a mad scramble of stressors - my work contract is up in a couple of weeks, my mortgage just took a healthy leap upward, etc. So I am dealing with it like an adult and fleeing town for part of the weekend. My cat sitter is camping out here by way of a mini vacation for her and I am off to Red Wing, MN to hang out at a delightful Victorian hotel with a whirlpool bath (my sore hip is craving this!), go to tea at the local tea shop, look at antiques, write a bit and such. Oh, and log in to WisCon online for our 4PM Saturday panel on small press publishing. Is this wise? Nope! Very much looking forward to it.
Have a grand holiday weekend, however you're spending it!
I went to the Independent Book Publisher's Association Pub U Conference on Friday in St. Paul. On the plus side, I met some lovely people and had a nice lunch. I also scored contacts at two book distributors to have chats about how to try and "level up" sales at Queen of Swords Press so I think that part was worthwhile. The one workshop panel I made it to was...an experience. Apparently, they don't really vet their presenters. Or maybe they do and thought this was fine? I went to a panel on fundraising and grant writing for publishers at which: one panelist conducted a sort of revival meeting about writing mission statements and believing in yourself (but nothing about finding sources of funding, applying, etc.); there was a mildly terrifying New Age skinny white lady who had no noticeable publishing experience, but was apparently trying start a cult, and urged us all to ask our personal communities for $5000-$25,000 to “be a part of the process” (head slap! Why didn’t I think of that?); and then there was the moderator who urged us to go through our mail to look for possible local funding sources to approach (I’m sure the fly-by-night realty companies trying to get their hands on my house would tots be interested in our books! Or maybe the gas company!). Then there was the AI panel, about which the less said, the better and which also could have done with several fewer people who were all unquestioningly “shiny toy!” and utterly clueless about the fact that if they get the brave new techbro future they are so excited about, no one will need them (hint: avoid NYU's publishing program. Just saying). Would I go again? Not unless someone else was paying for it.
Saturday was Rochester MN Pride, which was mostly delightful except for being cold and windy. My friend Matt was great and we found a fun new restaurant.
Sunday, I went to breakfast with Caroline Stevermer, who is a marvelous dining companion, and to a matinee of "Things Like This" with another friend. This is a new indie gay romcom in which one of the protagonists is fat, but that is not the central conflict of the story and no one insists that he get skinny to get the guy! It was charmingly uneven and enjoyable.
This week is a mad scramble of stressors - my work contract is up in a couple of weeks, my mortgage just took a healthy leap upward, etc. So I am dealing with it like an adult and fleeing town for part of the weekend. My cat sitter is camping out here by way of a mini vacation for her and I am off to Red Wing, MN to hang out at a delightful Victorian hotel with a whirlpool bath (my sore hip is craving this!), go to tea at the local tea shop, look at antiques, write a bit and such. Oh, and log in to WisCon online for our 4PM Saturday panel on small press publishing. Is this wise? Nope! Very much looking forward to it.
Have a grand holiday weekend, however you're spending it!
J6 rioter, pardoned by His Orangeness, arrested again for home burglary
May. 20th, 2025 06:00 pmthewayneMy heart is always lighter and my smile brighter when something like this happens.
Pardoned by El Presidente four months ago, he was arrested after being confronted by the home owner while breaking into someone's house. He fled, but was caught by police a short distance away, and is now being held pending charges, bail hearing, court appearances, all that good stuff.
He was one of the most violent J6 rioters and had an extensive criminal record prior to that event, including "...past arrests for residential burglary, grand larceny, assault, disorderly conduct, and vandalism". He was sentenced to eight years prison to be followed by 36 months supervised release. He was convicted of eight felonies and three misdemeanors.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/capitol-rioter-zachary-alam-arrested-burglary_n_682c7b6ae4b0dc52ee2c8505
Pardoned by El Presidente four months ago, he was arrested after being confronted by the home owner while breaking into someone's house. He fled, but was caught by police a short distance away, and is now being held pending charges, bail hearing, court appearances, all that good stuff.
He was one of the most violent J6 rioters and had an extensive criminal record prior to that event, including "...past arrests for residential burglary, grand larceny, assault, disorderly conduct, and vandalism". He was sentenced to eight years prison to be followed by 36 months supervised release. He was convicted of eight felonies and three misdemeanors.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/capitol-rioter-zachary-alam-arrested-burglary_n_682c7b6ae4b0dc52ee2c8505
Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times summer reading list? 10 of 15 books DO NOT EXIST
May. 20th, 2025 03:55 pmthewayne*sigh*
Care to guess how it happened? The suggestions included "Tidewater Dreams" by Isabel Allende and "The Last Algorithm" by Andy Weir". The independent who put the list together used an AI and didn't check what it generated.
The Sun-Times went through some massive lay-offs recently as its finances are in not very good shape, and lost 20% of its readership. I'm sure this little reading list snafu will encourage people to reup their subscriptions. Or not.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/chicago-sun-times-prints-summer-reading-list-full-of-fake-books/
Care to guess how it happened? The suggestions included "Tidewater Dreams" by Isabel Allende and "The Last Algorithm" by Andy Weir". The independent who put the list together used an AI and didn't check what it generated.
The Sun-Times went through some massive lay-offs recently as its finances are in not very good shape, and lost 20% of its readership. I'm sure this little reading list snafu will encourage people to reup their subscriptions. Or not.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/chicago-sun-times-prints-summer-reading-list-full-of-fake-books/
Microsoft starts blocking improperly configured bulk mailers
May. 19th, 2025 05:54 pmthewayneIf a mailer is trying to send more than 5,000 emails a day to Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, or Live.com email addresses, and the server is not configured to standards, Microsoft is going to block the emails from going through their networks with an error message. Yahoo and Gmail have been doing this for some time.
Specifically, "... (the) SPF record must clearly identify which IPs can send on your domain’s behalf. DKIM must sign the message with a valid key. And DMARC needs to be published, with alignment to either SPF or DKIM. Preferably both. Without all three in place, Microsoft will silence you."
This will make it harder for fly-by-night spammers to get messages through as they often do not have top-shelf IT people supporting them. It will also cause problems for legitimate mass mailers who use third-party email providers who also do not have top-shelf IT people who may be a little soft on their mail server configuration.
But this is the price paid because scammers are determined to make sure that we cannot have nice things.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftdefenderforoffice365blog/strengthening-email-ecosystem-outlook%e2%80%99s-new-requirements-for-high%e2%80%90volume-senders/4399730
https://betanews.com/2025/05/05/microsoft-email-blocks-start-may-2025/
https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/05/1817247/microsoft-cracks-down-on-bulk-email-with-strict-new-outlook-rules
Specifically, "... (the) SPF record must clearly identify which IPs can send on your domain’s behalf. DKIM must sign the message with a valid key. And DMARC needs to be published, with alignment to either SPF or DKIM. Preferably both. Without all three in place, Microsoft will silence you."
This will make it harder for fly-by-night spammers to get messages through as they often do not have top-shelf IT people supporting them. It will also cause problems for legitimate mass mailers who use third-party email providers who also do not have top-shelf IT people who may be a little soft on their mail server configuration.
But this is the price paid because scammers are determined to make sure that we cannot have nice things.
https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/microsoftdefenderforoffice365blog/strengthening-email-ecosystem-outlook%e2%80%99s-new-requirements-for-high%e2%80%90volume-senders/4399730
https://betanews.com/2025/05/05/microsoft-email-blocks-start-may-2025/
https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/05/05/1817247/microsoft-cracks-down-on-bulk-email-with-strict-new-outlook-rules
Plants for Garden in the French Pyrenees
May. 19th, 2025 02:49 pmdonut_donut posting in little_detailsHi! I'm writing a novel that takes place in the French Pyrenees (modern day), and I'm trying to figure out what plants to place in this fictional garden.
More info:
The novel takes place at a villa owned by a middle-aged bohemian lady who moved there from Paris maybe a decade ago. Gardening is her hobby. In the back of the house is a potager (vegetable garden), and I've got that covered. But the front of the house has a flower garden, and I don't know so much about that.
It doesn't need to be plants that are native to the region, but it has to be plausible that they would be available and could thrive there. It's summertime (late July-August), and I would like there to be flowers, because we often see her pruning the old blooms. I assume rose bushes would work, but I would love some other options to work with. I've been picturing something like hydrangeas or rhodedendrons, but I don't know how common they are in this environment.
Some kind of ornamental tree would also be nice, for a character cry under. A flowering tree or large bush would be nice but not necessary.
She has somewhat offbeat tastes, so anything off the beaten track would be great, but it has to make sense for the climate.
Thank you!
More info:
The novel takes place at a villa owned by a middle-aged bohemian lady who moved there from Paris maybe a decade ago. Gardening is her hobby. In the back of the house is a potager (vegetable garden), and I've got that covered. But the front of the house has a flower garden, and I don't know so much about that.
It doesn't need to be plants that are native to the region, but it has to be plausible that they would be available and could thrive there. It's summertime (late July-August), and I would like there to be flowers, because we often see her pruning the old blooms. I assume rose bushes would work, but I would love some other options to work with. I've been picturing something like hydrangeas or rhodedendrons, but I don't know how common they are in this environment.
Some kind of ornamental tree would also be nice, for a character cry under. A flowering tree or large bush would be nice but not necessary.
She has somewhat offbeat tastes, so anything off the beaten track would be great, but it has to make sense for the climate.
Thank you!
Knitting update
May. 19th, 2025 12:00 pmmarinarusalkaSo, after an absolute knitting marathon over the past couple of weeks, I managed to finish my blanket just in time to submit it to the county fair a couple of hours ahead of the drop-off deadline. I'm not sure I ever want to put this much effort into a knitting project ever again, at least not on a deadline, but I admit I'm very happy with how it came out.
( pics below the cut )
Seriously, how cute is this pattern?
( pics below the cut )
Seriously, how cute is this pattern?
Visiting Swan
May. 19th, 2025 12:12 pmyourlibrarian posting in common_nature
I've only seen one here twice before, once in the months after I moved in, and again a few years ago. Unfortunately just as this time, I had been on my way to the grocery, and I assumed I'd have time to take photos when I came home. Which I didn't because it was gone. ( Read more... )
#148 - Avuncular
May. 19th, 2025 02:30 ammxcatmoon posting in vocab_drabblesThis week's word is
Avuncular
ə-ˈvəŋ-kyə-lər
adjective
Suggestive of an uncle. Friendly, kind, or helpful, like the expected behavior of an uncle.
Avuncular
ə-ˈvəŋ-kyə-lər
adjective
Suggestive of an uncle. Friendly, kind, or helpful, like the expected behavior of an uncle.
[Challenge #147: Connotation] Doctor Who: 'Like An Idiot'
May. 18th, 2025 10:08 pmbut_can_i_be_trusted posting in vocab_drabblesTitle: 'Like An Idiot'
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author:but_can_i_be_trusted [formerly cyberiad_queen]
Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, River Song
Warnings: None
Notes: Crossposted todrabble_zone
Summary: "I highly doubt that," River responded, thumbing through her research materials again.
( Like An Idiot )
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author:
but_can_i_be_trusted [formerly cyberiad_queen]Rating: G
Word Count: 100
Characters/Pairings: Eleventh Doctor, River Song
Warnings: None
Notes: Crossposted to
drabble_zoneSummary: "I highly doubt that," River responded, thumbing through her research materials again.
( Like An Idiot )
JUSTICE! POPE SNUBS VEEP J.D. AT HIS INNAUGURAL MASS!!!
May. 18th, 2025 10:40 pmthewayneOh, my! WHAT A BURN!
Junkyard Dog Vance, or is it Juvenile Delinquent Vance? got all of SEVENTEEN SECONDS in the procession line after the mass. A basic "Hey, how ya doin'? I'm praying for your soul, J.D., it needs it." and a hand shake, then the pope was off to the next person.
Who did the pope spend a lot of time with? He had "extended" private audiences with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra!
PERU!
J.D. got snubbed for PERU!
I do so love it when the fickled finger of fate stops and says 'Nah, not your day, bud!' and makes Peru the anointed one to get a nice long gab session with the pope.
I would like to visit Peru some day: Russet did grad work there and they have some great telescopes there in the Andes. Sadly, once we move away from high altitude, it's unlikely that Russet will be able to return to it for any significant amount of time.
Leo, in his previous incarnation as a bishop, had some very choice tweets about the operation of Our Beloved Leader in his first term in office, and in what they were doing thus far in this term, I expect the slight was intentional.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pope-leo-xiv-snubs-jd-vance-as-he-meets-with-world-leaders/
Junkyard Dog Vance, or is it Juvenile Delinquent Vance? got all of SEVENTEEN SECONDS in the procession line after the mass. A basic "Hey, how ya doin'? I'm praying for your soul, J.D., it needs it." and a hand shake, then the pope was off to the next person.
Who did the pope spend a lot of time with? He had "extended" private audiences with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Peruvian President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra!
PERU!
J.D. got snubbed for PERU!
I do so love it when the fickled finger of fate stops and says 'Nah, not your day, bud!' and makes Peru the anointed one to get a nice long gab session with the pope.
I would like to visit Peru some day: Russet did grad work there and they have some great telescopes there in the Andes. Sadly, once we move away from high altitude, it's unlikely that Russet will be able to return to it for any significant amount of time.
Leo, in his previous incarnation as a bishop, had some very choice tweets about the operation of Our Beloved Leader in his first term in office, and in what they were doing thus far in this term, I expect the slight was intentional.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pope-leo-xiv-snubs-jd-vance-as-he-meets-with-world-leaders/
[Challenge #94: Cynosure] The Legend of Zelda: 'This Girl Walked in Dreams [etc.]'
May. 18th, 2025 09:39 pmbut_can_i_be_trusted posting in vocab_drabblesTitle: 'This Girl Walked in Dreams Playing in a World of Her Own'
Fandom:
Author:but_can_i_be_trusted [formerly cyberiad_queen]
Rating: G
Word Count: 187
Characters/Pairings: Princess Zelda
Warnings: None
Notes: Crossposted tolyricaltitles
Summary: Rauru has perfect confidence that you have a purpose to fulfill.
( This Girl Walked in Dreams Playing in a World of Her Own )
Fandom:
Author:
but_can_i_be_trusted [formerly cyberiad_queen]Rating: G
Word Count: 187
Characters/Pairings: Princess Zelda
Warnings: None
Notes: Crossposted to
lyricaltitlesSummary: Rauru has perfect confidence that you have a purpose to fulfill.
( This Girl Walked in Dreams Playing in a World of Her Own )
Murderbot!
May. 18th, 2025 06:53 ammarinarusalkaShort version: I liked it!
( longer version )
So yeah, that was great fun and I can't wait to see more.
Since we got the Apple TV for this, I decided to take advantage and also start watching Severance. Just to demonstrate how out of touch I am with popular culture, up until about three weeks ago I hadn't realized that it was science fiction. I thought it was a mundane workplace drama, which explains why I haven't tried to watch it until now. Oops. Anyway, it's weird and dystopian and extremely well acted, and I've already finished season 1.
( longer version )
So yeah, that was great fun and I can't wait to see more.
Since we got the Apple TV for this, I decided to take advantage and also start watching Severance. Just to demonstrate how out of touch I am with popular culture, up until about three weeks ago I hadn't realized that it was science fiction. I thought it was a mundane workplace drama, which explains why I haven't tried to watch it until now. Oops. Anyway, it's weird and dystopian and extremely well acted, and I've already finished season 1.
Holloway
May. 18th, 2025 01:21 pmpuddleshark posting in common_nature
'Holloway' comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'hol weg', and refers to a sunken path that has been grooved into the earth over the centuries by the passage of feet, wheels and weather...
'The Old Ways' Robert Macfarlane
( West Dorset holloways. )
More recent reads to recommend - part 2!
May. 18th, 2025 05:27 ama_natural_beauty'A room of one's own' by Virginia Wolf - This is the first book I have read by her and it won't be the last. I enjoyed this one greatly. She speaks out on how difficult it is for women to write and have privacy, have money and just have what they need in order to live a good life. The way she writes is thoughtful, powerful and beautiful.
'Animalkind' by Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone - I always knew that some level of cruelty happened to animals around the world but after reading this book it opened my eyes to the past and the present and how we as a society still treat animals. It also discussed educational information on how smart animals are as well as how they live together and how they connect with us.
'Unfamiliar' volume 1 by Haley Newsome - Being a short graphic novel I liked how I got through it in a day and it was enjoyable and cute. About a young kitchen witch who discovers her home is haunted and how she must go forward with it, also making new friends. I liked the artwork and the plot was simple yet fun.
'500 self portraits' by Julian Bell - Just as the title says, it's 500 self portraits of different artists over many years. In the future I would like to learn more of these artists and their works, it made me realize there are so many that I know nothing of.
'World of wonders' by Aimee Nezhukumatathil - In this book the author talks of her years as a child, young adult, first time mom and how she compared some difficult situations to how animals, insects and plants find a way to survive and make it through. That no matter what happens to you, you may come out ahead stronger and smarter. The chapters are short but cover a wide range of interesting stories and experiences.
'Quozl' by Alan Dean Foster - To be honest this is one of the first sci fi books I've read. And it was a good one! Fun, comical, thought provoking and different. It wasn't until it got to the end that it got weird but overall I loved this book and how strange it was. It's about these aliens called Quozls who come to planet earth and their interactions with us humans. I enjoyed the authors writing style quite a bit and plan on reading more of his in the future.
'The never ending story' by Michael Ende - I'm sure many of you know of this story from the well known movie. Like a good amount of cases - the book was better! It went on to further adventures of Bastan and what happens to him later on. For those of you who don't know the story, it's about a boy who finds a book and goes on an adventure of a lifetime in a faraway fantasy world with wonderful and magical creatures who he befriends and learns more about himself.
'Days at the Morisaki bookshop' by Satoshi Yagisawa - I started this book because it was in a blind book valentines day event that I chose and I'm happy I did. It's about a young girl who is going through some difficult times in her life and ends up working and staying with her uncle at his bookshop. She develops a new love of books and reading while there and also makes some new friends and quick but still a feel good sort of book.
I'll try to stay more on top of my writings of books I'm reading. But doing a short description of books like this was sort of fun.
'Animalkind' by Ingrid Newkirk & Gene Stone - I always knew that some level of cruelty happened to animals around the world but after reading this book it opened my eyes to the past and the present and how we as a society still treat animals. It also discussed educational information on how smart animals are as well as how they live together and how they connect with us.
'Unfamiliar' volume 1 by Haley Newsome - Being a short graphic novel I liked how I got through it in a day and it was enjoyable and cute. About a young kitchen witch who discovers her home is haunted and how she must go forward with it, also making new friends. I liked the artwork and the plot was simple yet fun.
'500 self portraits' by Julian Bell - Just as the title says, it's 500 self portraits of different artists over many years. In the future I would like to learn more of these artists and their works, it made me realize there are so many that I know nothing of.
'World of wonders' by Aimee Nezhukumatathil - In this book the author talks of her years as a child, young adult, first time mom and how she compared some difficult situations to how animals, insects and plants find a way to survive and make it through. That no matter what happens to you, you may come out ahead stronger and smarter. The chapters are short but cover a wide range of interesting stories and experiences.
'Quozl' by Alan Dean Foster - To be honest this is one of the first sci fi books I've read. And it was a good one! Fun, comical, thought provoking and different. It wasn't until it got to the end that it got weird but overall I loved this book and how strange it was. It's about these aliens called Quozls who come to planet earth and their interactions with us humans. I enjoyed the authors writing style quite a bit and plan on reading more of his in the future.
'The never ending story' by Michael Ende - I'm sure many of you know of this story from the well known movie. Like a good amount of cases - the book was better! It went on to further adventures of Bastan and what happens to him later on. For those of you who don't know the story, it's about a boy who finds a book and goes on an adventure of a lifetime in a faraway fantasy world with wonderful and magical creatures who he befriends and learns more about himself.
'Days at the Morisaki bookshop' by Satoshi Yagisawa - I started this book because it was in a blind book valentines day event that I chose and I'm happy I did. It's about a young girl who is going through some difficult times in her life and ends up working and staying with her uncle at his bookshop. She develops a new love of books and reading while there and also makes some new friends and quick but still a feel good sort of book.
I'll try to stay more on top of my writings of books I'm reading. But doing a short description of books like this was sort of fun.
