It's Monday.......and brrrrr, It's so Cold!

I live in California - the part of California that is in the beginning of Northern California.  In other words, though we're Northern California, we're spared the extreme temperatures.  We live 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean, 60ish miles from San Francisco and have our own little microclimates mixture going on within our city.  One part of the city is always warmer than another part, etc.  And while most of the country is suffering from exteme temperatures - the ice cold, the snow, the month long heatwaves, we're blessed with mostly temperate weather.  That doesn't mean we don't get hit with heat waves and cold weather. We do, they just don't usually last very long, and cold for us is usually from 40 degrees to 50ish.   AND our winter season usually contains a random week here and there of warmer weather - enough to fool some plants into flowering.  In fact, we usually have warm or comfortably cool to warm days all the way through November.  

  These past few days, however, we've been below 30 during the mornings, with it barely climbing above 35 for the day.  The nights have been a lot colder -  a lot of our plants were frost burned because neither my husband or I were well enough to cover them with sheets on our first cold night.  I'm hoping they will make a come back, but when the leaves are that weird texture and strange green color, there's not much hope.  Maybe some of the root will have survived, though.

Cold....  Brrrrrrrr!  I know we all get used to the weather we grow up in, but I don't know how anyone in the colder regions can take all that cold.

The past few weeks, though I've felt better, I've been so sleepy on Sundays that I've been forgetting to participate in It's Monday, What Are You Reading?  Though my reading hasn't picked up by much, I have been able to read.

Oh yeah - It's Monday, Hosted by Sheila of Book Journey - but then everyone probably knows this by now, right?

I have finished.....

Man Made Boy

written by Jon Skovron

a twist on the old Frankenstein tale, featuring the teen age-ish son of Frankenstien's Monster and Bride.  Lots of appearances by many monsters of legends and myths...La Llorona, The Invisible Man, Jekyll & Hyde's granddaughter....  It's an interesting novel. oh and here's a good twist - Boy is a computer tech whiz monster/kid.  I need to review it soon.

I am currently reading....

Dream London

by Tony Ballantyne

London is changing in a mysterious and dangerous way....sometimes constantly and overnight (if that makes sense)  Women are losing their rights and achievements of the past hundred or so years, history is being re-written, even math is changing....  It's too complicated to explain, you need to read it.  I'm almost finished with it, and it's been quite a read.

Hell Bent

by Devon Monk

this takes off after the Allie Beckstrom series finale, and focuses on Shame (main character) and his reluctant soul complement, Terric.  Their's is an awkward and yet longing relationship.  One is straight and such a bad boy, the other is gay and a goody-two shoes...rather, he follows rules.

And someone is hunting soul complements.....

Well, this is all I have for now.  Lots of good books sitting around my house, waiting for me to read, and me wasting time on the computer, or watching sitcoms and sleeping (in between working)...  that's my life right now.  :)

Perdition by Ann Aguirre - review

Perdition
Ann Aguirre
Dred Chronicles #1
SciFi/2013

***** (five out of six)


cover - I don't see any of the tattoos described in the book, or the braids in her hair- though I do see a few of the beads mentioned...  Still.  Let's make the cover resemble the characters please.  On the other hand, it is kind of a cool cover.  She looks badass, and she does use her chains....  


I have been in an awful reading slump, and besides the Steampunk Trails mag, haven't been able to finish a book.  The last book I did finish took me over four weeks to read.   Perdition is the first book in over two months that I've been able to read in a matter of days.  I started it two days ago, and finished reading it last night.  (Yeay!!!!!)  seriously, I thought I was never going to finish reading another book (que dramatica)

So.  Based on my absolute love for the Sirantha Jax series, I picked this up because it's set in the same universe.  I thought it was going to feature a woman that Jax had met while she was in prison, but I was wrong.  Perdition is set at least forty years (turns?) in the future, and while the woman is different from who I thought, there is a character from the past Jax years.  Jael, who I had a hard time remembering....He turned on Sirantha and co. way back on Ithiss Tor  and he's still alive because he's hard to kill, for reasons you will discover if you read this.

Basic story - Dred is the Queen Dread or Dread Queen of ....yes, Queensland.  She's been assisted to the dubious throne by Tam, a spymaster who is serving time on Perdition.  Perdition is a prison ship that is inescapable - if one is sentenced to Perdition, you're basically sentenced to life imprisonment and to die there.  She's a hard woman, who has murdered and is serving her time.

Jael is an incoming prisoner - who has abilities and issues.  He's been sentenced to Perdition to keep him out of the way and accessible - though I don't know how accessible one can be on a prison ship where prisoners and supplies are simply dropped off, seemingly automatically.  Anyway, he's recruited by Dred.  On Perdition when prisoners are dropped off they are recruited by one of many sectors of prisoners, some are way worse than others.

Perdition - while populated with crazed murderers, political prisoners and many characters - none of whom are nice people - still reads a bit like a romance story.  Two people meet, bad backgrounds, baggage and history that makes them wary of others must learn to trust each other and accept love.... sound familiar?  yes.  A romance with (thankfully) a very different background and none of those misunderstood faux-criminals.  All these people have really done bad things.  Still....Romance.  with a bit of a romance formula.  

Even so, the story was intresting, the background and setting interesting and the characters were very interesting.

So - even though I feel like I could have picked up a romance and gotten the same basic plot, the details are what made it good enough for me to end up reading this one straight through.  So, good book, even though it was basically a romance with a SciFi criminal twist.

Even though Dred is the Dread Queen of Queensland, it's a constant struggle to hold on to control - takes a lot of planning, watching and discipline.  One of the problems Dred faces is two other sectors have decided to attack her's for more territory.  So a mini war must be waged, and Dred has to decide who to trust, who to ally with and which moves to make.  This is what makes for a good story.

Dialog was good, narration was interesting - Aguirre knows how to write a story.  Only thing....(and this is a minor complaint) I was expecting a voice kind of like Jax's - present first person, but Perdition is written in regular third person - still a good book.

Well - it's Monday, again...

I am very happy to be able to say that things are getting a bit better - my newest job has a possibility of a promotion to field assistant and though things are still very weird at my other work, at least I can try to tune some of it out by thinking of other things.

My fingers are crossed on the newest job and promotion.

This weekend alone I ended up earning 290 dollars, and though that really isn't a whole lot - it's almost as much as I bring home in an entire month of working lunch duty.

It's all relative.

Here we are again - for me, it's I'm back (possibly temporarily again).  My posting has been very spotty lately which goes hand in hand with my reading.  My reading has suffered terribly with the mix of things going on in my life - some good, some horrible, and some wonderful.
Hosted by Sheila of Book Journey - we are sharing what we've been reading.  Mr Linky is at her site to link up to (of course)

Once again, I finished not ONE novel.  Not a one.  I did manage to finish an anthology magazine - 
Steampunk Trail's #1, edited by J.A. Campbell.

That is the only thing that I can honestly say I finished reading.  It's good - lots of good steampunk stories to fit any taste and some illustrations as a bonus.  

I have recently bought a few books, and I also received one from a publisher - and I'm working on reading it (my apologies for not reading it straight through, though I did receive it after the publishing date, so I don't feel like it was a rush read)

   

Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron 

YA monster romance (wink)

think of frankenstein and his bride MAKING a son.

and then he turns into a teen....

    

Perdition - the first of the Dred Chronicles set in the universe of Jax (oh....remember Jax?  I miss her stories).

This one is written in third person as opposed to the first person present tense of Jax's stories.  (I miss that voice!)

I'm pretty sure Dred is a character Jax met when she was in that huge prison awaiting trial....

By - of course - Ann Aguirre, an author that seems to nail one of the types of SciFi I enjoy reading.

Another book beginning a new series from a great writer is Hell Bent by Devon Monk.  Written as a continuation of the magic story of Seattle, in Allie Becktrom's Seattle, this new series features two characters from the first series - Shame and Terric.  Interesting combo of characters, and interesting situations...

I've managed to come across a book I've had around here for a few years.  Jaye Wells' The Mage In Black.  I decided to try to read this second in a series, though I wasn't super excited about the first.  Many times, the second book is better though...although there are times, the reverse is true... hmmmm..  nah - I'm pretty sure it'll be interesting.  :)

I would like to try her newest series - Dirty Magic.  Sounds interesting.

There's another book I bought, it's SciFi - but I can't find it (of course) and cannot remember the name...it starts with an E, and I think there's an N or S in it also....and an O.....and an I.....  (oh boy)  Can't even remember the author's name, but it's set in Scotland.  How's that for SciFi?  dont' come across many SciFi set in Scotland, at least not here in the states.  :)

Well - it's getting late.  I've worked 36 hours in the last 48 (is that right?  that's crazed!), and I'm actually tired before four a.m.  for once.    I get to work both jobs tomorrow, and we're going for a drive, my client and I.  He likes to ride in my car, which he calls his car...  "my car".  how cute.

I'm in a....weird space.

I love this cat pic, because the kitty looks absolutely certifiably insane.  That special sweet but deadly insane, where she could be purring one second and then scratching your eyeball the next.....but aren't most cats like that?  I think that's why some of like them.  We might like living on the edge....  (just sayin'...)

Anyway - it's been a while.  I can't seem to keep up with things - and even though I quit the one job that should have made things easier, (and it did for a while) the insanity started back up.  Things were said and even though I can deny until I choke on it, the answer is.... "it's her truth".   Yeah.  What about my truth and reality?  And how about my rights as an employee?

pretty soon, I can say this to my other job.... or something close-maybe I can think it in my head as I'm telling them I no longer need their little job.

But - just when I was really feeling the worst, in my new job, I've already been recommended for a promotion - to field assistant.  Wow.  So I'm not completely worthless and horrible.  I know I really am not a bad person, but my self esteem has really taken a hit.

But this new job maybe something that I should jump towards - take the plunge.  I'm nervous about it - because it involves meeting people, and keeping an eye on numerous clients and their personal assistants, med pick ups, etc - but my immediate supervisor seems to think I can do it.

One of the downsides is also an upside.  It's a downside, because I'll see my grandchildren less.  But it's an upside, because it's forty hours a week - forty flexible hours.

and - it takes me away from the utter dysfunciton of my other job.  Do - within weeks I'll be in a totally different headspace, and hopefully -doing well at the new job.

Thankful to the universe, god, luck, my friend for looking out for me - etc.  Whatever the combination of fate and friendship allowed me to end up in a place where people think I'm a worthwhile employee.

One of the other downsides - I'm going to miss seeing my grandchildren at lunch, and even working with those pesky hormonal eighth graders during lunch.  I never thought I would actually enjoy working with eighth graders, but I treat them like younger adults, and they seem to respond to that - listening to me when I need them to mellow out, and respecting me (haha, at least to my face) when I show I respect their space.  They were even saying they were going to miss me, and how many times do you hear a teen boy say that to an older graying (haha - just about completely gray haired) yard supervisor?  Shows that when you show respect to a teen, they will reward you with a little respect themselves.  And it's been fun being around them.  So I learned something in the last few years of working with the seventh and eighth graders.

I was actually dreading them when we switched to a k-8th school, and the first few years, we had some very crazed middle school students, but the last few years things have just gotten a bit better each year.  with the students.  With a couple of the staff, it's become a living hell - but it's almost over with.

I just don't understand why the principal doesn't see the insanity and dysfunction in the person she picked to work with us.  She's blind to it.  Other people see it - but ....

Since I quit the afterschool job, all the grief I was receiving has been transferred to the other woman that was working with us.  it's like they have a mission to get rid of anyone over fifty, and they're doing  a good job of it.  Causing stress, lying about her, twisting truths and events to make her look bad, blaming things on her that were their deal.  All the things they pulled on me.  I told her she should quit.  It might be a win for the crazed duo, but she'll feel much freer to be out of that situation.  

I felt better until they started in on me at lunch time.  (they work under my supervision at lunch)

Anyway - I didn't mean to go off on a meandering raving about work post.

But I've been going through some awful shit that no one should have to go through, with some support, but none from the head honcho.  It's amazing to me, and completely mystifying how one or two people can wage a scheme of slander, and purposely ruin one person's reputation...and for what?

payback?  I didn't do anything- only thing I can think of is I told my immediate supervisor in the day care, that it wasn't a good idea to leave children unattended outside for any length of time, even a few minutes.  This is something he did on a regular basis.  I did it in the nicest way possible, telling him he could send a student in to get one of us to go out and cover, if he needed to come inside.  Guess he couldn't take it.

The trouble started shortly after that - insiduous at first, but getting worse and worse.  Then by the time the second person started in on me, when nothing else seemed to be working, I finally quit.

After a couple of months of listening to this woman be rude to me in front of students and actually tell me I didn't do my job right, and speaking to me in a rude tone, then walking off whenever I tried to talk to her, she turned the tables on me and made a complaint to the principal that I bullied her, and all the other staff (I don't) and that I pick on her kids (I don't) and that I'm always rude to her and etc.

I denied this, but was told it was "her truth".

how do you fight that?

You can't.

I can't play head games like that.  I don't know how to work things like that, and I don't choose to.

All this for what?  a seven hour a week job, I am paid three dollars an hour more than the other lunch supervisors, but it's only SEVEN hours a week.

Obviously one of them wants the job.

Well, now they can have it.

I just hope MY grandchildren don't suffer.  Maybe after I quit, I should just come out everyday and have lunch with them.

yeah.

that's what I'm going to do.

Just to be safe.

I'll be pleasant.  

But I'll stick around their table.

This is something I never expected to have to go through - especially since I was planning on retiring as soon as I could.  And all I wanted was to have a last year or three of pleasant work - all they had to do was be pleasant for a year or so - and I would have been gone anyway.

I just don't get when people deliberately go after one person.

Bullying doesn't just happen in childhood - it goes on and on through out life.

And it can really affect people - it just about ruined me.

Thank god for those who care - though.

I was lucky that a former employee of mine landed a position where she could get me hired on.

And now we're both moving up a bit.

Thank god (or gods, or Mother nature, or the universe, etc)

Rant over for now -

next time I post, hopefully it'll be about books.

Haven't been able to read much - but I did buy myself some new books.

:)

Steampunk Trails issue #1 - review

Reading an anthology, or magazine, or short story collection straight through is a new adventure for me.  My usual practice is to buy an anthology based on the one or two contributing authors that I follow, read their contributions, and then take anywhere from a year to even three years to finish reading the rest of the stories.  In the last year, I've had the pleasure and challenge (my brain does NOT want to focus) of receiving and reading a collection in under a month (or to be honest, in a month or two - still way faster than my norm).  And it's been fun, because with each of the recent collections, I've found myself enjoying all the pieces - some way more than others, but all of them have been fun to read and experience.

This was J.A. Campbell's debut as editor (and she did a damn good job!) of a magazine, or anthology.  She has been a contributor to anthologies, but with Steampunk Trails, she is the editor - putting together a compilation of some very interesting fiction from some very good writers.

Steampunk Trails eventually will have follow up issues, and there is a new blog dedicated to the new magazine venture. 

On the blog, there is also a page for submissions...if you are a writer, go over there and check it out, keep a look out for submission call outs, when they open up - especially if you're interested in writing steampunk.  Who knows? you might end up in an issue of Steampunk Trails.

 Magazine, anthology - I tend to go back an forth on the terminology, but it's all about the short stories in a genre - steampunk.

A complete list of the authors is given on Amazon and you can also view on

Oh!  wow.  What a fun collection of stories. Full of steampunk goodness. From the mosquitos (shudder) to the strange happenings in a harbor/bay, to the town that was taken over by the Company (and the woman fighting this) to the submarine used for a section of the underground "railway"  to the Assassin who adopts a....well, you have to read it.

J.A. Campbell has put together a very interesting, engaging and entertaining collection of stories that will have a little something for everyone's tastes.  Each writer featured wrote a story that featured good dialog, fun plots, and some twisted action.  Twisted is good, twisted is interesting. I love twisted stories. One of my new favorites was also featured - Karl, the dinosaur sheriff; a feature titled Carl's Corner  Karl's Korner  Karl's Corner (!) where a dinosaur gives his opinion on the subject of the day, in this case how dragons taste, who would win in a showdown and dragons in steampunk.  (Karl's Korner was also in Science Fiction Trails #10)  I would have had more fun in science if there was a version of Karl telling his perceptions of things - it would have made listening to lectures so much more interesting.

One of the special treats in this issue were the illustrations - there were drawings peppered throughout the issue, which I enjoyed.  It's always fun to get a feel via art of the story's characters, or a scene from the story.  If you're old enough to remember, you might feel a bit nostalgic along with me for those books published in the first half of the 20th century (sounds so long ago, when I put it like that) when books used to have at least 10 pages of illustrations throughout the novel - most of them black and white, but some of them were in color; always added to the experience of the story.  Reading this issue and seeing the illustrations in it made me feel a little nostalgic for those books I used to read way back then....

Anthologies and story magazines are becoming a favored read of mine - it's good to be able to grab something to read and to read a short story that's full of "flavor".  I'm looking forward to more issues of Steampunk Trails, which I'm sure will contain lots of good reading by many good authors.

oh - one last thing....  Steam powered ROBOTS, people. Steam powered robots.  

Give this issue a read through - it's worth it. ;0

Teaser Tuesday - it's been a long time...

It's been way too long since I participated in a Teaser Tuesday post - I miss doing these.  I'm a day late on this, but better late than never....(sometimes)

Hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading, we post short teasers (of course, no spoilers should be posted) of books we're currently reading.

from Man Made Boy

by Jon Skovron

page 24

"Humans are pretty complicated," I said.

"No, Boy.  Rain-forest ecosystems are complicated.  Humans are just a mess."

*a teen aged son of Frankenstein - stitched together (of course!), first love, monsters, men.... to quote George Takei...  Oh Myyy!  According to one of the book blurbs, this is a "...mashup of Old World myth and post-modern techno-geek..."   That's good enough for me; and love the cover!

Another read is from the Steampunk Trails first edition 

edited by J.A. Campbell

from a story by Mike Cervantes

The Scarlet Derby and Midnight Jay

page 57

Mary, on the other hand, wielded a parasol.  What was its special function?  Nothing.  It was merely a parasol.  

*in 1898 London, a husband and wife fight evil with the help of chemicals (her husband's) and a parasol.  There's more to the story, but I like my synopsis.  *grin*  You can click on cover for link to buy, click on Mike's name for link to his comic strip, click on Steampunk above for link to amazon and excerpt and click on J.A. Campbell's name above for her website where there is lots of goodies to explore. 

And I leave you with....Vampire Kitty!

It's Monday......and I'm baaaaaack.

 It's Monday, it's been a very rough couple of months, and an even worse couple of past weeks, but things are better now.  Hopefully they'll stay better, but I'm grateful for the improvement that's taken place so far.   I might be able to concentrate a little better on reading and blogging.

Now it's time for the Monday reading posts that many of us have been doing for ages...some more regular than others ;)

Hosted by Sheila of Book Journey, a place to talk about what we've been reading and see what others have been reading.

What I've finished Reading

I'm ashamed (sort of) to admit that in the past month I have finished....  only one novel.  This is absolutely the worst that I've done for reading - 

The one novel I managed to finish was interesting, I just couldn't focus...

Dust

Elizabeth Bear

an extremely interesting mix of SciFi and Fantasy - I believe it's listed under SciFi, but there are very strong fantasy elements incorporated into the novel.  I enjoyed the hell out of it, even if it did take me a long time to read (no fault of the author)  So far, I've enjoyed all of the Bear SciFi novels I've read.  I haven't tried any of her fantasy, but I do have some of her Blood/Iron series. Actually, it's called the Promethean Age and one of these days, I'm going to dive into the series....

in the meantime, I'm currently working on the second of the

Jacob's Ladder series, the sequel to Dust which is called Chill.  I'm enjoying this one also.  Although I have noticed that it's still a bit hard for me to focus, but I'm working on it.

I've been reading another publication - this one is a collection of steampunk stories edited by one of my favorite authors - Julie Campbell, aka J.A. Campbell.  Her first editing publication - of the anthology variety.

Steampunk Trails is a new magazine featuring Steampunk stories.  The first issue is full of goodness, and I've read a few stories so far, but I am being horribly slow at posting things about it - if you like steampunk, though, you should give this a try.  If you don't know if you enjoy steampunk, but you like quirky fiction, then you'll enjoy this.

Julie has not only been writing her own fiction, but she's working on a few websites - being an editor of the above mag and starting up a new e-book publishing co. with a few partners.  Girl is a very hard worker/writer AND she trains a border collie along with a horse.  whew - I wish I had a quarter of her energy or drive.  But she's young, I'm not - so I console myself with that (i.e. use it as an excuse - LOL).  click on her name above and you can explore her blog and fiction.  

I don't have a whole lot else to say - still feeling rough around the edges and I've started a new job.  I picked up an evening shift along with the night shift I've been doing, so now my hours range from mornings and early afternoon at the school to an evening every Monday and a regular Wednesday overnight shift and whatever else I can pick up when someone calls in sick.    So things are actually looking up. :)

....Gone are the dark days that had me down.... (can you guess what song this is from?)

I haven't been blogging much.

Or reading very much.

needless to say, I haven't been reviewing much.

a pretty toxic situation at one of my school jobs has kicked my ass.  hard enough that I ended up quitting the job even though I wasn't sure I had another job lined up.

it was that bad.

I realized that things were so bad, I couldn't even enjoy my home life.  I found myself frequently tearing up and thinking of this particularly crazy woman who has made my work life a living hell - in conjunction with one of my supervisors.

So when the head lady called me to tell me that there was a disciplinary action scheduled for me (I can't think of anything I did to deserve a disciplinary action - really)  I let her finish her sentence.  Then I thought for a minute - I thought, what now?  and when will this end?

Then I told her...."NO.  I will not come in for a meeting.  In fact, I won't work for you anymore.  I quit.  You've been on the attack since last year, without ever asking me what was going on.  You've never been supportive and I'm under way too much stress and no job is worth the way you guys make me feel.  I quit."  

she actually had nothing to say to that - just a...."oh.  .....(silence for a minute or two and then...) well, you'll have to put that in writing.

So I gave them a two week notice and spent the last two weeks being ignored by the supervisor, harrassed by the crazy worker (she would tell me at every opportunity that I wasn't working hard enough - I've been working with children since 1996), and relegated to watching the kids outside in 90+ weather with no place to sit down even though my work release paper from the doc says I have to sit every 20 minutes.  So I sat on the play structure, or on a the edge of the enclosure...

I felt so relieved after I quit.... and then I felt a lot of worry about how we were going to pay rent, and how was I going to have insurance NOW?

Thankfully - an old co-worker came through with a job - it's not a lot of pay, but it's more hours in a two day work week than I worked in a five day work week for the day care program.  And no one tells me I'm a shitty worker, or ignores me.

Though at first I was only scheduled for one night a week, things have changed and now I have two regular days scheduled and this week I picked up two extra work days - one of them was a 13 hour day (night).  AND, both of my unemployed sons ended up being hired, so finally we're seeing the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

I feel so much better now.

Just another Monday,...... Wish it were a Friday....

is it just totally lame that on Sunday night I'm wishing it was Friday?  yes.  But I am - wishing it was Friday instead of Sunday night coming on Monday morning. 

ugh.

My grandson.  This morning I was lazing about (okay, really it was the early afternoon), still in bed enjoying a decadent sleep in when I heard my grandson calling out "Can SOMEBODY help me write a story?"

My ears perked up and I said "I will!"

He brings in this huge piece of drawing paper, where he had written some gibberish at the top.  Two lines of gibberish.

Now, he's in Kindergarten - has just started - and while he can write his name with ease, he's just starting to be able to write anything else.  

His attempt:

UOOAINOEDDLA

UAOU10EAOAE

We switched to him dictating and me writing for him;

ready?  here we go...

Beware! A werewolf and zombie are coming to town.  Be quiet, people.  If they hear you, the zombies will eat your brain and the werewolf will eat your meat. (meaning your body, of course) Better not be outside, because you might get aten.  (he means eaten, but said aten) 

If you see a shadow it might be a zombie or werewolf.  Only motorcycles can go out.

Elliott

there must be something magical about motorcycles...of course, most little boys love motorcycles, so in his mind, they must be the magic, all powerful vehicle.  :)  He's been looking for scary stories in the library, and the scariest  we have are books like "there's a monster in my closet", or "there's a monster under my bed".  He's just going to have to start writing his own scary stories, and this is a good start. :)

Normally hosted by Sheila of Book Journey (*g*, she's had a very busy last few weeks), we all peek at each other's websites, seeing what others have been reading, look for new reads, etc.

I had another week of very poor reading.  I did end up concentrating on one book, though I haven't been able to finish it yet.  Lots of life crap interfering with my reading.

What I finished

a big fat nothing.

seriously

zero

Nada!

What I'm reading

Now I can participate! ;)

I am currently reading a trippy SciFi/fantasy mix 

Dust

by Elizabeth Bear

Dust is listed as Sci Fi but easily a mix of Science Fiction and fantasy lore.  It's part of a trilogy, Jacob's Ladder.  I bought the second novel a long time ago - something I end up doing a lot when the books ARE NOT CLEARLY marked as book one or book two.  When reading an Elizabeth Bear book, it's important not to try to understand everything all at once - but to just begin reading and continue reading until you start to understand the little details....

That's it.  I've started a few - as usual, but none of them are hitting my 'keep reading' nerve.  (bet you didn't know there's a nerve that explicitly makes you want to keep reading...)

This lol cat pic was not captioned by me - but I wish I had come up with it....funny as hell, isn't it?  Reminds me of....West Side Story!  :)

Happy Reading every one!