This week, I mostly read the first 10,000 words of Rocky Start, and cut a lot of them (those screams you’ll be hearing in the next couple of days will be Bob’s). I also went back and read some Rivers of London, just because I needed something I knew would be good.
So what did you read the you knew would be good? Or not.
It’s a sign that I’m getting work done on my wip if I am the first commenter. It’s an unusual time for me to be awake and online.
I read Aurora Rose Reynolds book “Rushed”. It’s the first in her Adventures In Love trilogy. I have all three but I won’t be rushing to read them. “Rushed” was okay. It seemed a very watered-down version of romance for this author.
Her Until Him / Until Her series is a comfort re-read for me although I skip the graphic sex scenes.
Next up is “Sharp Edges” by Jayne Ann Krentz. Not sure if it is a first read or a reread. I do know that it will be good and I will be able to put it down when I need to.
What did I read that I knew would be good? Murderbot.
Today I DNFd two books I was trying to read at the same time as Murderbot. Both SFF romances, both with interesting world-building (I’m a sucker for world-building; if it’s good enough I get annoyed when there’s plot getting in the way) both with an interesting set-up for the main characters, but both of them plodded, and I mean P L O D D E D, through their extremely predictable (at least up to the points where I gave up) plots and the characters, although agreeable, were also predictable, and I just said Life is Too Short. If there were interesting plot twists farther in than about a third, you should have foreshadowed them better, authors.
I’m catching up on my Pendergast stories with Preston & Child.
Spooky, set in Savannah – should’ve read Bloodless last month lol
I’ve been listening to a horror story podcast and it was getting a little intense so I took a break. I went into the Audible plus catalogue (their free books) and found Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone and it was exactly what I needed. All of the interaction between the main characters is on the phone so all they do together is talk. There’s “live” interaction with other characters so it’s more than just dialogue. There’s nothing surprising in the storyline but the way the characters interact and treat each other with such kindness was just what I needed.
I loved Call Me, Maybe. So different but the character interactions were great.
Putting it on my library list!
I finished up Max Seventeen, but Kate Johnson – recommended here by someone. It is a sci-fi, with interesting characters who actually do talk to each other between when they aren’t fighting off the enemy. I didn’t see the big revelation coming at all, so there is an element of surprise there. But it did fit in logically – and looking back, there were clues, so it wasn’t a cheat on the reader.
It’s been a week of duds, and the proofs I’m reading for the day job are annoying. I’ve fallen back on Eli Easton again; didn’t have the mental energy for anything at all demanding.
Jane, Eli’s xmas novella 2022 is due on November 22. Not very long to wait!
As you said: her books are not demanding but more often than not charming.
Yes, fingers crossed – she’s the sole author (I’ve given up on the ones she writes with co-authors), but it is part if a series written by different people, which makes me a little wary.
Interesting to know!
Her solo books are almost always a hit for me, I haven’t given up on the collaborations because I liked a couple of titles.
As her titles are mostly available via KU, I tend to be less easily disappointed as when I’ve dished 5+ Euro.
The synopsis sounded interesting anyway. A bit tougher than her usual topics. We’ll see.
But I keep my fingers crissed, too.
I reread Enola Holmes Mystery #4, The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan. I also rewatched Enola Holmes on Netflix. The books make Enola 14. The movie, 16. No spoilers. (And I so want to spoil!)
Grey Wolf’s Variation on a Theme Book 4 serialization continues. I continue reading it.
NAKED THROUGH THE SNOW And Other Bits of Silliness by Sailor Jim Johnston. In assembling an ebook version, I necessarily read the whole thing, which I thought I’d done but hadn’t. If someone would like to borrow it, drop me a line at gary dot s dot jordan at gmail dot com, specifying html, epub or mobi. Mobi is Kindle compatible. If you specify Kindle, I have that, too.
I seem to have acquired A Dozen Days of Death (Helen Binney Mysteries)[Kindle Edition] By: Gin Jones. A pre-order fulfilled. TBR
Subscribing to Netflix and Hulu may have been a mistake. I’ve watched nearly an entire season of Supergirl, two episodes of Smallville, the pilot episode of The Flash, both Enola Holmes movies, Gilmore Girls, and more.
Official Weigh-In Day #83. Less than OWID#82, so yay for that again.
Have you tried Only murders in the Building on Hulu? The first season is better than the second, but both were fun and funny. Reservation Dogs is on my list next.
Not yet! I’m already plastered to the screen way too much. I’ll get there.
I had a number of dudes and dnfs, but did finish Nalini Singh’s newest archangel book. Thanks to whoever mentioned that it picked up, because the first half to 3/4 was a slog. I borrowed it from the library, glad I finished it because I do like that series, but glad I didn’t spend money on it.
And I am back to Charlie Adhara for comfort. I really like these books and hope for more soon!
And my hold on Soul Taken as an audiobook came in, so that is up next. And Shaun Tan has a new book out, Creature. I ordered two copies in actual book form. One to give to the hubby (I get to keep) and one to give to my sister. I love his art and short stories.
duds, not dudes. Argh.
I also love Shaun Tan and glad to see others do, and that there is a new book! Thx Lupe.
Welcome! Glad to share the love.
I re-read Nora Roberts’ Dream trilogy: Daring to, Holding the, Finding the Dream. Then I re-read the Calhoun family books by Roberts. There’s drama and some really nasty villains in both series, but the characters are charming, in their way. Then I read Nettle and Bone, by T. Kingfisher. It was wonderful! My kind of book, with some sexual tension, but no sweaty sex, and fun magic, quirky characters, and a great HEA. I went back and read the last few chapters again, because I had rushed through them to get to the end. Thank you to those of you who recommended it. I didn’t write it down, because I ordered it immediately, but you know who you are.
I’m re-reading Winnie the Pooh, and found a line I’m saving for a “meh” day. Pooh says to Eeyore, “And how are you?” and Eeyore says, “I’m not very how today.” LOL I love the illustrations in this book, and the wry humor.
I’m wondering what happened to Nita?
Eeyore is the best at snark, before that word was A Thing. My favorite chapter is when Pooh and Piglet build him a house. This exchange makes me laugh every time:
Hallo, Eeyore,” said Christopher Robin, “how are you?”
“It’s snowing still, said Eeyore gloomily.
“So it is.”
“And freezing.”
“Is it?”
“Yes,” said Eeyore. “However,” he said, brightening up a little, “we haven’t had an earthquake lately.”
And the exchange that follows when Eeyore tells Christopher Robin that his house has gone missing…hilarious.
There’s a reason those books have remained a staple for children all these years. Thanks for sharing your favorite part.
Someone put that up on the wall at work in late winter 2011, not long after quakes had wiped out half my city. They had my kind of sense of humor.
I try to read In Which Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water every time there are days of steady rain. Clever Pooh!
I love when they play Pooh sticks and then Eeyore wins by coming out from under the bridge frost. Apparently it reduced me to giggles everytime as a small child and it does to this day.
I felt that I should finally read some Colleen Hoover in order to find out what the fuss is all about, so I downloaded “Slammed” because it’s free on Kindle Unlimited. It was a nice read but … not necessarily unputdownable.
Then I realized that the new SJ Bennett novel about Her Majesty Investigating (“Murder Most Royal”) had been delivered to my Kindle, so I read that next. I was hoping for a great read, and it was.
I just checked Amazon and the US hardcover release date is 9/15/23! Noooo!
For Murder Most Royal, I mean.
It’s really weird with this series, the numbers are mixed up and if I hadn’t had a preorder on the ebook, I would have paid a fortune. Not very customer-friendly, I have to say.
Oh, and we watched English on Netflix(?). I wasn’t sure how I felt about the ending, but I am still thinking about it. It’s a western, so sad and somewhat brutal, but the story has good bones and the actors did a wonderful job. Oh, and visually it is beautiful. Long sweeps of prairie and sky.
I read Alexis Hall’s Paris Daillancourt is About to Crumble – mixed feelings about this. There were some laugh out loud moments in the first half and then, as others have mentioned on this blog, the high anxiety of the MC was in itself anxiety producing.
Everina Maxwell (Winter’s Orbit was her first) released Ocean’s Echo – totally enjoyed it and I would say it is more science fiction than romance.
Read two hockey books – a series called Hockey Ever After by Ashlyn Kane and Morgan James which were okay and strictly for those of us who are desperate for additional hockey content.
I also read two books in the Bad Boyfriends series by Lisa Henry and Sarah Honey – men who hire themselves out as dates to people who for various reasons want to appall their families by the people they are dating. The dates provide quite a bit of amusement. Chacha1, I think this series is for you.
And not to leave Lupe out of things – I know you will be very excited to learn that Cat Sebastian’s latest in the Cabot series is out – Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots. You’re welcome.
Just for that, I am goin g to read Lisa Henry. Nah nah nah 😛
How was Allentown?
FINE. But don’t blame me if you wished you’d read the Cat Sebastian.
I’m still in Allentown. Had a great meal at Melt last night. Delivered my presentation this morning and am now taking a break. I was definitely surprised that an army of people from the client company showed up in a ballroom-sized room. And then my dopey (all-male, sorry I’m about to be sexist here) team refused to use the microphone and so they couldn’t be heard and when I went up for my part and picked up the microphone the room gave me a round of applause. Jeepers.
Competency is always worthy of applause.
Yes but I was hoping it would be because of my brilliant (?) presentation, not because I wasn’t afraid to look weak by picking up a microphone.
I bet they thought your presso was brilliant too.
Ocean’s Echo and Paris Daillencourt are in my holds list, nosing ahead of each other like the end of a horse race. Soon, soon.
I am surrounded by thirsty gardens. A low water alarm went off on Seble, which prompted me to check all the water levels, restore siphons, and add buckets where needed (darn near everywhere!) The reservoirs are all “Gurgle-blooping” like demented water coolers.
I initially mistook the low level for a “Feed Me, Seymour” alarm, which I didn’t (don’t) expect until the 24th, which I now realize is USA Thankfest. I need to thaw a Rock Cornish game hen. I have all the sides and stuffing. Except that cranberry jelly thing, for which I will substitute a nice glass Ocean Spray CranApple. I might not have any ripe tomatoes, but I’ve got peppers, hot, hotter, and sweet.
I’m down to my last ready-to-be-harvested lettuce, but there are others growing. Also, I’m still getting a giggle-snort out of the “Jenny-vese Basil growing in Jenny of New JARsey.”
I read / listened to Sophie Cousens’ latest, Before I Do, and had to force myself to finish. I was so very disappointed because I enjoyed her first two books tremendously.
I wasn’t able to connect with the heroine well at all, and I think it was largely due to the fact each chapter takes place at a different point on the story’s timeline. Talk about jumping all over the place! And the character’s diffidence was simply annoying to me. Disappointing but I won’t give up on the author yet.
I’m 2/3 of the way through Olivia Dade’s Ship Wrecked and enjoying it quite a bit. If you liked Spoiler Alert and All the Feels, this is more of the same.
Yay. Now I am number 12 on the holds list for Ship Wrecked, which last time I checked the library didn’t have yet.
Of all the things I have read this week, the one I picked because I sort of knew it would be good, is an Andrea K Höst book I haven’t read yet, Stained glass monsters, … so far, so good.
I did pick up some other new books by authors I like but they haven’t been that great so I am not going to give you their title.
What I need really right now is a great author I haven’t read with a decent backlist, not too many books but more than 3. Feeling very goldilocks at the moment…
I need that too! Have you ever read the “Swallows & Amazons” series by Arthur Ransome, LN? They are technically children’s novels, but well written, illustrated by the author, and full of interesting, adventurous British kids from the 1920s and 30s. Each book stands alone, but there are a few recurring families.
Loved Arthur Ransome as a child, though some of them were quite demanding: I vaguely remember a lot of detail about charcoal burning, for example. My father’s favourite was We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea, probably because he’d sailed on the Norfolk Broads.
I have read a lot of British classic children books but not these. Now I want to try them!
Arthur Ransome was famous for writing about strong or resourceful girls, and boys with some sensitivity. He felt he wasn’t good at drawing faces, so he did illustrations that nearly always showed figures standing with their backs to the viewer. But lovely use of negative space. So the art is very rewarding as well as the stories. And I’m really fond of the one Jane mentioned above.
Love the girl who changed her name to Nancy, because pirates are Ruthless (she and her sister insisted they were pirates).
Also, the Swallows and Amazons books made me yearn for an uncle.
What are you in the mood for? We will do our best to oblige.
Something not too hot, not too cold…just right. That’s all I know.
Romance? Fantasy? Sci fi? Mystery?
Any of the above.
To be honest I am just hanging here, reading all the comments for inspiration and have already made a note of several books to try or reread 😀, as per usual.
A series that I return to over and over again is the Amaranthine Saga by Forthright. The last one just dropped. I haven’t read it yet, saving it, drawing out anticipation.
It begins with Tsumiko and the Captive Fox. Sometimes catgorized as YA, but not necessarily. A gently magical setting based on Japanese folklore. Found family, steadfast heroine and a prickly trickster of a hero. Beautiful and lyrical writing with a cozy vibe overall. No onscreen sex, but some mature themes alluded to.
What can I say? I really love them. There are also lots of short stories in between and long before the books, but you really need to read those in order. They build on each other a lot, but feature new characters as the leads each time.
Might be the Enslaved Fox. I will have to look it up later…
I love that series too. Might be time for a reread…
Ln, did you know that Forthright has another pen name? CJ Milbrant or some such. It’s another world, not Japanese based, but still imaginative. It’s not quite as cozy and for a younger audience, but still fun.
I didn’t Lupe. I will have a look!
Have you read any books by Rachel Neumeier?
She has several standalone books that I think are good, and several short series with different settings and flavors, so there might be something there that you’ld like. She writes more fantasy than romance, though there can be a romantic subplot sometimes.
I haven’t. Going on the list…
I just finished binge reading her Tuyo series and loved them.
Have you read Martha Wells ‘ Raksura series? Not everyone likes them but I really did.
I really liked the Raksura series too.
I have read it. I did enjoy it but not as much as Murderbot, which won’t surprise anybody here 🙂
Several great re-reads last week, but only two new (to me) books. To Die For by Linda Howard was a solid romantic thriller. I’m not in raptures because I disliked both protagonists, but despite my dislike of them, I fancy this author’s writing. I discovered her only recently. She is immensely readable and she has a long back list, to my delight. I’ve only read a few of her titles yet. Yay! There is much reading joy in my future, as I’m going to read everything of hers. Eventually.
Once Upon a Forbidden Desire was an anthology of 20 fairy tale retelling by various writers. I didn’t read all the stories, just sampled some of them. A few stories were marked as very ‘hot’, and I didn’t even try them: I don’t like steamy sex on the page. Others were marked as moderate. I enjoyed a couple of those: A.J. Lancaster’s How to Marry a Winged King and Into the Bargain by Colleen Cowley. Both are excellent writers, and I enjoyed their novels before.
I like a lot of Linda Howard’s books but there are a couple which I detested to the point that I returned them to Amazon, something I do very rarely.
My favourite of hers is the Woman left behind. I totally love the heroine.
I also really like the Blair Mallory duology. The heroine again is great.
The heroes are very old school alphas which is where things get a bit icky for me sometimes but in those books I have mentionned they are ok.
I love The Woman Left Behind and the Blair Mallory duo logy – oh she makes me laugh. After Sundown is one of her newer ones that’s also great. And my long time faves: Mackenzie’s Mountain and Cry No More and Open Season. And yes, there are some of hers that make me want to throw a book at her – usually earlier books.
Definitely the older ones, but they are powerful. I mean, they are well written and raised strong emotions for me. Unfortunately it was mostly the urge to put the hero’s ( and I use that term loosely) on a pike. I do like Overload, where the heat wave takes out all the power, and the Cutting Edge.
That’s Linda Howard, sometimes I really like the characters, sometimes it’s fun, sometimes it’s no to a re-read
I love Linda Howard, but she certainly has a wide range. Some I revisit over and over again, and some are throw at the wall and burn. I don’t mind her alphas, maybe because they are so aware of it? And the female leads usually call them on it.
Her Alphas are okay, they’re usually paired up with a decent heroine who can stand on their own. Or sometimes run rings around them in a fun way
Linda Howard is one of those authors that, for me, hasn’t held up over time. I read her a lot decades ago, but recently tried to re-read one and the cringe factor was way too high.
I listened to Body Guard by Katherine Center, recommended here, and enjoyed it a lot. The protagonist was kind of prickly and emotionally insecure but professionally deeply competent. A lot of the action happened out on a ranch, and there were some horses. There were also cows, instead of cattle, which as the grandchild of Montana ranchers, really bugs me, but that’s my own issue. There were about four endings, but they were happy endings.
Listening to The Return of the King, with Andy Serkis narrating. A pleasure, it’s been maybe 40 years since I’ve read the books. Two whole women speak! Wait, three, I forgot Tom Bombadil and Goldberry. (I think she speaks.) Tolkien gives us so much landscape, from the texture of the soil on a hill to mountain ranges and valleys, I try to slow my reading down to pay enough attention and enjoy the tour.
In defense of Tolkien, even if his women don’t speak, they kick butt. I always got the sense that Goldberry was the steady partner to Tom’s wildness. I am really hoping that they make an appearance in the new show.
That would be so cool, I hope so!
I read “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry and didn’t love it. “Shipped” by Angie Hockman is amusing, and I’m loving the setting (Galapagos) because we are going there in January.
A friend got me (and most of my bookstore coworkers) hooked on several South Korean series on Netflix. “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is not to be missed, and I’m just finishing “Crash Landing on You” which I don’t want to end. My coworkers have several others they love in addition to those- I need to catch up. They are so well-acted and so different from our shows. The drawback is subtitles, which means you can’t be doing anything else (unless you speak Korean, of course.)
Subtitles are better than dubbing, which is just weird. But we loved Woo. I will have to try the other series that you mentioned. And yes, the rhythm of the storytelling is so different from our tv.
And such understated, gentle romances!
I agree – subtitles are way better than dubbing. But: then I can’t knit!
I know, not knitting, but I usually have a tv project. So we don’t watch foreign films that often.
I’ve been on a British police procedural kick recently, and a few weeks ago discovered Peter Mays’ Enzo Files, seven novels each based on an unsolved cold case murder that Enzo’d bet he could solve. They’re set in France (such a pleasure) and Enzo himself is a half Scottish, half French forensic scientist and professor. Well-written, evenly plotted and full of gorgeous detail about various aspects of French culture. For those who like audible, they’re wonderfully read. But they read well too.
In addition, I slipped in a few early Carla Kelly rereads. I imagine those among you Arghers who love Heyer have read her so you’ll know what a rejuvenating experience that was.
Finally, thanks to Arghers I read the first of Charlie Adhara’s wolf series. I look forward to the others.
I’ve read odd books this last week.
Alexis Hall’s “The Affair of the Mysterious Letter” (which I actually dnfd because…too much Sherlock Holmesian language & detail, too little people interaction) was not my kind of Alexis Hall.
Cat Sebastian’s “Peter Cabot Gets Lost” was a sweet slow romance between two college boys in the…late 50s? …early 60s? who travel across the country together when the rich one offers the poor one a lift after his ride falls through. They start out barely interacting and end up each other’s best friend & supporter. A very short book, by the way.
“Himself: A Novel” by Jess Kidd is a book that I kind of dipped into because, although once an English major, I have lost the capacity to appreciate beautiful imaginative language when not accompanied by clear plot. It’s about a young man in Ireland who visits the small Irish town where he might have been born to investigate what did happen to create him. It’s all very Irish, and I have a hard time with understanding & appreciating Irish geography & people who see dead people all the time. If you like language, though, it’s worth a look.
Then I reread “Crazy for You” until the coach got really obsessed. Put it down and re-read “Friday’s Child,” which was the first Heyer that came to hand. I actually read the wikipedia entry about the book, which has a lovely full list of all the characters, which is a list just aching for a good British TV series to be created including every one of them.
I reread Crazy for You last week, too. And made it through the coach for the first time in years.
I especially adored Jenny’s respect for teens as people.
The Affair of the Mysterious Letter was my first Alexis Hall and I’m still waiting for more like it. (I love Holmes pastiche.)
If you’re looking to get through a so so day I’m going to recommend Funny Business by Kayley Loring. About a couple of comedians, one, Owen, starting to establish himself and Frankie, struggling to even get noticed. They first meet when Frankie heckles him on one of his shows but don’t reconnect till three years later. Frankie has just been fired, again, and Owen needs a nanny to help him with his son while he is on tour. They are already connected in a way as Frankie’s uncle Martin is Owen’s agent. The side characters are great, Owen’s family, brothers and parents even his son Sam along with Frankie’s parents her uncle Martin her BF Mia. The texting back and forth from everybody is snarky and funny. I liked it well enough that I picked up books two and three.
November’s been a sloooow reading month. Too much other work/life/upcoming holidays stuff.
Dipped into Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words. Bill Bryson. It’s definitely for word nerds. Which I really want to be but am not in real life. Too careless in my informal writing (clearly.)
Read Jenya Keefe’s The Monster and The Musician. I think it was originally recommended here. M/M romance between a musician and an elf. Really original take, I thought. And nicely done romance. It came across as more of an alien/human drama vs. a fantasy.
Christie Re-Read: And Then There Were None. I was going to avoid this one, since there are a few movie/tv adaptations that I’ve seen and the plot seems so well known now. Glad I didn’t. Moves fast and still one of the most well constructed “Who has actually done it?” plots ever.
And since hockey romances were brought up…I’ve read all of the Samantha Wayland M/M hockey romances…and I think a new one is still coming out in 2023…anyone have any scoop on that?
No scoop whatsoever but I’m absolutely looking forward to it when it does come out.
Finally started reading The Inheritance Games trilogy which I’d meant to read since book 1 came out but life kept happening. Anyway, great reading and I’m now in book 3 with book 4 pre-ordered (is it still a trilogy? is it a series now? a spinoff?) I am a fan of games and puzzles in books and there’s a lot to love about this cast of characters, too.
My grandkids love that series.
Maybe it’s the weather- we went from rainy to cold, and below freezing is on the way – but I am binging on Ngaio Marsh audiobooks. I have read them all at some time, but have been adding the audiobooks slowly – James Saxon absolutely nails it – and in a few cases it’s been long enough since I read them that I have forgotten lots of details. It’s almost like enjoying them for the first time.
I’ve been kind of cranky lately, so I DNF anything that struck me as being a variation on popular tropes. I did finish Sweetwater and the Witch by Jayne Ann Krentz even though most of it felt like all her other recent titles. The MCs were engaging enough to keep me going, but I always knew they were going to save the day and end up together. A nd, unlike 2 other books I tried with the same plot, the characters were individual enough to make me care that they got together.
What I do recommend is Maggie and Her Muse by Dee Ernst. It has older MCs, an inviting setting and a somewhat slow burn romance. I would have enjoyed a little more detail once they got together, but I tend to like more of that than most readers here.
While there was a Big Misunderstanding, the fact that Maggie was a romance writer allowed her to say that she had just done something in her own life that she would never put in one of her own books. And both of the MCs went back to try to talk it out. In any event I enjoyed it enough to order her next book from the library.
I just started Gin Jones’ A Dozen Days of Death and am enjoying it. I’m only a quarter of the way in, but it’s nice to revisit Helen Binney again. I pre-ordered it last month and it was a nice surprise when it dropped into my Kindle. Thanks Gin.
Thank you! I had a lot of requests to bring back Helen since the series ended. It’s so nice to hear that people appreciate her.
Looking forward to reading my copy!
Popping back in to say that Trisha Ashley’s The Christmas Invitation is .99 if you’re looking for a cozy holiday read.
I’m reading a cozy mystery I picked up at Bouchercon after hearing the author speak and liking her a lot. Turns out to be one of the best cozies I’ve read in ages, so I’m glad I did. Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder by Valerie Burns. (Who also writes under V.M. Burns.) Giant English Mastiff tossed in for fun.
I reread “In Pursuit of the Green Lion” and “The Water Devil” by Judith Merkle Riley. These books along with “Visions of Light” detail the adventures of Margaret of Ashbury who could possibly have become a saint if she wasn’t born poor. She has magic powers of healing, but had to hide them after being threatened with burning for possibly being a witch. That is the synopsis of the first book “Visions of Light”.
The other two books are about Margaret’s life after her marriage to her true love. In the book “In Pursuit of the Green Lion” she has to rescue her husband from a count who sold his soul to the devil.
In “The Water Devil”, she has to deal with a magic spring and her husband’s family.
I love Judith Merkle Riley and wish that she was still around to give us more wonderful books.
I have been in class to become a 911 operator and an Emergency Medical Dispatcher all week. We are so short in this state that regular Department of Safety employees are taking the class and taking shifts out of our regular work hours. I’m a barrack’s clerk so I already dispatch, but to do 911 you must have a 40-hour class and get certified. So this week I have read “Emergency Medical Dispatcher Student,” “Vermont Enhanced 911 Board Training Manual,” and “The Resilient 911 professional.”
I have two tests tomorrow and then I can catch up on this blog. I am far, far behind (on the blog – not my coursework). I wasn’t planning on becoming a 911 call taker, but I don’t have kids and the extra money will be welcome. And possibly I will be able to take calls at my home barracks which is only 10 minutes from my house. (fingers crossed.) I have listened to a lot of 911 calls in the last week and I have to say, there is a lot of stupid in the world.
I hope to get caught up with Argh and clean my living and bedroom this weekend.
What’s a barrack’s clerk? I’d assume doing office work at an army barracks, but that wouldn’t involve dispatching.
Hi Jane,
I’m a clerk at the State Police Barracks. My job is to take the paperwork the troopers start, add all the bits that the States Attorney needs, and then get it to them. Well, that’s not my only job, I also dispatch and several other things, but the paperwork is a big part of it. Happily, here in Vermont, we do not have a problem with the Troopers being violent or racist as a culture.
Best of luck to you, Kate. All I can say about ‘stupid” is after watching 911 they must get those crazy stupid people scenarios from somewhere.
As someone living where we gave up having our own dispatchers (we could barely afford just enough to cover every shift with nobody sick and nobody on vacation) and everything goes through the state police now, I commend you!
First I just have to scream about the fact that the contract arrived and has been signed. As of next February (targeted release) I will be officially a Published author as well as a Self-Published author.
Now, what did I read this week? Nine books (including one of mine and two Ngaio Marsh re-reads), a couple of shorts and a DNF.
In nonfiction: ‘How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History’ by Erik Durschmied, military history I’ve been nibbling away at for a while. It’s about pivotal moments in important battles and is not fun reading, though once he gets up to Vietnam (where he was a war correspondent) it gets much more alive. Also ‘Life in Medieval Europe’ by Daniele Cybulskie, which *was* fun reading. Fleet-footed survey broken up into chapters about, e.g., religion, violence, hygiene, sexuality. An enticing bibliography.
In new M/M romance: ‘Daniel Cabot Puts Down Roots’ by Cat Sebastian. Did not wholeheartedly love it the way I did its predecessor novellas; she says this was intended to also be a novella but ended up writing itself longer. Needed a bit more Incident for the length, I thought. Several plot threads are unresolved. I wanted an End that lived up to the Beginning and the Middle. Love interest Alex, a pediatrician, wins for character development over titular Daniel, a music writer. File under quiet, nothing-happens comfort read.
Screaming with you chacha1 – & doing a happy dance!
Congratulations! That is wonderful news.
Congratulations, Chachal! So exciting.
That is fantastic news!
Yes, didn’t love Daniel Cabot as much as Peter Cabot but still …Cat Sebastian does the feels in a way that’s unique.
Left you a book reco in my post above.
I’ve got a new Lisa Henry co-written Christmas book in my growing collection for next week. With a redeye flight (I can never sleep) one way and a lengthy layover the other, am expecting to get through at least five titles during travel.
Congrats, Chachal. It’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it?
yes, it is! 🙂
Congrats, Chachal. February sounds like a really quick turnaround for a trad pub, too. Well done, you!
Congratulations!
I reread Lord of Stariel and liked it better the second time round. So now I’m reading the rest of the series.
But the book I really loved this week was SK Dunstall’s ‘Stars Uncharted’. Wonderful space opera in a completely convincing world of body modification. I love their Linesman trilogy, too.
Ha! I just decided last night it was time for a Linesman reread.
I just started a technical writing contract with a couple other writers trying to get info from grumpy subject matter experts.
Amazingly, I got a SME to say “yes” to something. My brain clicked into Welcome to Temptation.
1. Make the mark smile.
2. Get to mark to say yes.
3. Make the mark …
Looked up the full list during the meeting and sent it to the other writers. We started using it.
We’re getting glowing praise for the sudden, positive turn the project has taken.
Thanks for making us laugh *and* helping us get results.
I love this.
Day 2 of glowing reviews for vast improvement on project progress.
This is brilliant!
I actually read for the first time Hot Toy. I thought I had read everything that had been written by you. Ooops guess not. It was cute a fast read.
I finished The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard. It was really a love letter to their parents. It was wonderful. I hope my kids look back on me with 1/10 of that.
I keep forgetting to ask this. Years ago, a Kate Shugat book (by Dana Stabenow) finished with both Kate and her dog badly injured. Then she took a 4 year break from the series (argh!). And now she’s written 2 more. And I haven’t dared read them, in case the dog died. So, have any of you read them? And does the dog die?
I just double-checked the first few pages of No Fixed Line, the next book after the shooting and am happy to report you can read on safely.
Thanks you!!
Food. I eat it. I also donate it. My FNFL has boxes, Holidays Without Hunger Boxes. I’ve been making a habit of buying a few and donating them every trip.
Last night I went to my FNFL looking for orange Fanta for the young-uns, cherry tomatoes for my salads, and this or that. Mostly, I wanted to cash a $20 coupon. I bought four meal boxes. I thought about buying a box for me just to see how well it feeds someone, but I’m a cranky old privileged white widower with diet restrictions – definitely a first-world problem – and I donated them all.
For Thankfest, I’m planning that Rock Cornish game hen stuffed with brown & wild rice, with onions and green beans and corn and stuffing on the side. CranApple for beverage. Atkins chocolate for dessert. Until then, I have leftovers of chicken breast fillets, baked boneless/skinless chicken thighs in tomato sauce, and chili. There’s always chili. Also, boneless pork chops for stir-fry, assuming I wash dishes.