The fun we had: Spring 2018
June 13, 2018
What I read
The library rampage continues apace!
Naomi Novik
His Majesty’s Dragon: A Novel of Temeraire
Throne of Jade
Black Powder War
Empire of Ivory
Victory of Eagles
Uprooted (Not a dragon story, I liked this one even more than the Temeraire series.)
Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist
This made me miss Carrie Fisher so much all over again. As did Wishful Drinking.
E. Nesbit‘s The Book of Dragons
Maybe it was just my mood but I didn’t really like this one at all. It felt far too old timey and juvenile. Which makes sense, it’s a children’s book. But there are children’s books and then there are books that delight children and adults alike. This wasn’t the latter.
Terry Pratchett‘s Nation
I did really like this one – I hadn’t read it for ages because it wasn’t Discworld and I’ve been in the mood for great comedy primarily but I’m glad that I gave this one a go.
N. K. Jemisin
If I could carry a tune, I would sing N.K. Jemisin’s praises – I haven’t read a whole lot of new authors whose books suck me in because they’re so dang well written and the story is dang engaging. N.K. Jemisin is most definitely that author for whom I would sign up for any book, no matter what it is, sight unseen. She’s spectacular.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Fifth Season
The Obelisk Gate
Catherynne M. Valente
I did not love Six-Gun Snow White, not because it wasn’t well-written but for some other vague obscure feeling of discontent that it conjured up. I’m glad that it didn’t put me off Cat Valente, though, because I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, even though I read it out of order. And The Glass Town Game was even better but my goodness, the sad in there!
Ronald Kessler, The Secrets of the FBI. This was a depressing read.
Karen Abbott, American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee. I actually knew next to nothing about Gypsy Rose Lee. The full extent of my knowledge was something something burlesque?
Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik‘s Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
A Study In Scarlet Women
A Conspiracy in Belgravia
What I watched
Baahubali, The Beginning. Highly recommended by a friend, this was quite an entertaining movie, though I was disappointed in a few scenes that were not so subtly racist and sexist. Overall, though, the characters were strong and interesting and I liked it!
Coco. A movie, for kids, about the Day of the Dead. One friend Care-Bear-Stared skepticism and concern at me over this recommendation but it’s truly a good movie. It didn’t scare JB even a little bit, though I suppose it’s possible that ze just doesn’t scare all that easy. The music is fabulous and earwormy in the best way, and the characters are so lovable. It brings up all the warm fuzzy family feelings plus a few tears.
BLACK PANTHER. It was FANTASTIC. I had to wait a very long time to watch it, though no longer than I have to wait for any other movie, and it was such a lovely Mother’s Day gift. Highly recommend.
Where we went
We finally went out to a beach in Half Moon Bay (see Hiro’s beautiful photos here) for a chilly few hours and it was a lot more fun than I expected. That was because we went out with JB’s bestie and family – we were totally unprepared for beach play. The kids played near the water, dug in the sand, the adults dug up ghost shrimp, and helped dig a large trench to the water. We also chased off seagulls who were sure we had good eats to offer.
Next time we really need to get some sand toys and remember a beach blanket if I can ever find the one we got from FinCon a couple years back.
Thinking back …
I haven’t been feeling very creative lately, outside of the push to write here, so I spent this quarter rolling with the consumption of entertainment but I’m hoping to feel a spark from it.
Just finished reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe Of Heaven. So good! And I’m not usually a sci-fi person.
On the media front, I’ve started getting into Peaky Blinders, which has been pretty fun though kind of emotionally exhausting in an anti-hero centered drama sort of way. Coco also had me bawling in the theater when I watched it with Little Sis.
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Thanks for the reminder! I had Ursula Le Guin on the list in the back of my mind and I’d forgotten.
Man, those twistedpaths pictures make me want to go back to the bay area! (I only went what, 4 times this past year? Sadly I think that was an aberration, and next year will be back to all East Coast conferences.)
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They even make me want to venture out a little more 🙂 I didn’t realize you were here 4 times last year, hope we served up the good weather!
There were conferences at Berkeley and Stanford. I tend to bring rain whenever I go. Which I guess is good for you guys.
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Oh, Coco. We watched this the other weekend – SOO good! Tears all around, just quietly.
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So many “kids” movies are really good for everyone these days.