Randomness

Women Authors

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are normal. I’m procrastinating on everything. Dogs are settling into a rhythm. Dad’s got a project going (he’s fixing the ceiling in the spare room). Life is usual. Anyway, it seems that March is both Women’s History month and National Reading month, so I thought I would share a list of women authors that I enjoy reading. It was difficult to narrow it down, because I apparently read mostly women authors. I don’t know how that happened. Oh well. Here are five women authors I read in no particular order. I didn’t include people I know on this list. Maybe I’ll do a list of friends next week.

1. Rainbow Rowell. I honestly don’t know why I keep reading her stuff. She tells the same basic story over and over again, just in different settings, but somehow I enjoy it every time. I really only noticed it when I read a collection of short stories by her. As long as I space out her work, I always enjoy it, though.

2. Vivien Chien. I love her noodle shop mystery series. It’s fun and there’s food and the characters are interesting. I always look forward to a new one being released.

3. Shea Ernshaw. I enjoy her writing so much that I keep buying her books even though the stories themselves are always disappointing. Her first book was actually pretty rape-y if you thought about it too much. The rest of her books that I’ve read are just predictable. But her writing is wonderful.

4. Sherry Harris. I haven’t read her garage sale mysteries yet, but I love her sea glass saloon mysteries. The setting and characters are fun. It’s a great little escape if you like cozy mysteries. And her writing makes for smooth, quick reads.

5. Holly Black. The whole enemies to lovers thing is one of my favorite tropes. Some of hers are a little problematic for some people. Especially since her “enemies” tend to be bullies. I don’t mind that. The stories are fun and I enjoy her writing. And I like the characters even though a lot of them are jerks.

Who are some of your favorite women authors? As always, feel free to share your thoughts and comments here or on my social media pages!

Happy Flowers and Chocolates Day

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Did you do whatever you needed to do to prepare for Valentine’s Day? Or Single’s Awareness Day? Or conception day for many near the cusp of Scorpio and Sagittarius? Whatever you want to call it. Just Wednesday is fine for me. I’m ready. Because I’m doing nothing. I have chocolates that Dad bought me for Christmas. I thought about buying myself flowers, but they just wilt, so I don’t know why they’re so popular. Like… having nature’s corpses rotting on my desk isn’t as great as it sounds. But I’m rambling. I guess I should figure out something to ramble about for the rest of this post. I don’t think I could stretch flower corpses that far unless I write a story about them. So, I suppose I’ll make a list of gifts to give your writerly peoples on this weird day.

1. Skulls work. Bones in general. At least for horror writers. Or mystery/thriller/crime writers. Dark fantasy. Fantasy in general, actually. I’m not saying other types of writers wouldn’t appreciate bones, but it’s something you’d have to gauge for yourself. Know your writer.

2. Books, movies, etc. Picture it. You and your writer sitting in the same room, just reading. You don’t even have to read the same thing. You’ve given your writer a book with their favorite cliché and you’ve shared some food and now, you’re just existing together. This works with other activities as well as reading. Puzzles. Crafts. Video games. Endless possibilities.

3. Weird chocolates that fit their genre. I’m sure any kink writer would appreciate an edible anus. Writers with a penchant for body horror, maybe. I don’t know. I’m just throwing it out there that you can get chocolate shaped like anything on the Interwebz. It doesn’t have to be the standard heart shaped boxes to show you care.

4. If they’re into booze, Writers’ Tears is a thing that exists. There are different versions besides copper pot. Appropriate for any genre. If whiskey isn’t their thing, go Google writer themed drinks. And if your writer isn’t into alcohol, get them some nice coffee or tea or hot chocolate or whatever they drink. Everyone likes a nice beverage.

Just some ideas. Get your writer decaying corpses if that’s what they enjoy. Whatever floats their boat. Or your boat if you’re a writer pampering yourself. What kind of Valentine’s Day gifts do you prefer to receive and/or give? Feel free to leave your thoughts or questions or whatever here or on my social media pages!

Disney and Defrost Instead of Netflix and Chill

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Texas has been a tad nippy lately, so I’ve mostly been lazy and watching TV with Dad. We’ve watched a few movies. I have nothing to ramble about and no desire to make a long post, so here are some random thoughts about random movies.

1. Treasure Planet. I made Dad watch it with me on my birthday. I’ve seen it before, but it’s still one of my favorites.

2. Inside Out. It was okay. Cute. A little long. I don’t really understand why it was so popular, but it was a decent waste of time.

3. Avatar. We both saw it when it came out and remembered absolutely nothing about it. Again, an okay movie, but far too long and honestly had a lot of plot holes. It was pretty. But I could totally picture a group of people spit balling ideas and someone saying “FernGully, but in space!” and James Cameron just running with it. Anyway, now we can watch the second one.

Now, I’m off to finish the shepherd’s pie and watch more TV. It’s Tuesday and still below freezing. Hopefully it’s warmer when you read this.

I’m Old… 38 Things…

~ shawnaborman ~ 7 Comments

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? It’s that time of year again. That time where I get older and everyone seems to notice for a few days, then I just go back to quietly aging every second until next year when everyone notices again. Yay! Actually, my birthday isn’t until Friday, so I seriously considered skipping this post this year. I’m lazy and coming up with 38 random things about myself is… well… it’s a lot. But I’ll try. Let’s see how far I can get.

1. Let’s just jump right in with an unpopular opinion. I don’t like fudge. If I wanted to eat a cube of sugar, I’d eat a sugar cube.

2. I’m currently obsessed with the song Afraid of the Dark by Chef’Special and have no idea way. It’s not even a very good song.

3. I’m not a big tea drinker, but I like looking at fancy tea sets.

4. It’s currently January 9th and I’ve written four days this year, not including blog posts. I’m not writing a lot, but at least it’s something.

5. In those four days, I’ve almost completed a short story. One more day should do it, plus a day to read through and flesh it out. Should be done before my birthday. It might not be good, but at least it will exist.

6. I find myself actually wanting to write the past few days. It’s weird.

7. My favorite colors are purple (heavier on the blue than red), teal, and silver.

8. I’m reading The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec for fun.

9. I’m also reading Clover Hendry’s Day Off by Beth Morrey to review at the end of the month.

10. I’m getting shepherd’s pie for my birthday dinner. Be jealous.

11. I’d rather be watching TV than doing this. Actually, I’d rather be doing just about anything else.

12. Enza sent me some stuff from MarieBelle chocolates and the brownies came in a lovely blue tin. I think I was more excited about that than the goodies. I love tins and I don’t know why.

13. I still don’t like pumpkin spice. I try it every year thinking maybe I’ll magically love it, but it’s always just meh.

14. I bought a nice sweater in November and still haven’t worn it. No reason to. But I bought it anyway.

15. I cry when I’m angry, but not really when I’m sad. It’s annoying and that just makes me cry more.

16. It has taken me over an hour just to get this far on this list. Needless to say, finding things to say about myself is not my forte.

17. I’m craving hot chocolate. I have hot chocolate. I just keep forgetting to ask Dad to make it.

18. It’s weird when people ask for my opinion like I’m supposed to know what I’m doing. I assure you, I have no idea. I’m just faking it.

19. I randomly think of the drunk chick who belted out happy birthday at me in a club bathroom then promised to slit the throat of anyone who said I was anything less than beautiful.

20. So many random drunk people stories. I don’t miss going to clubs and being surrounded by them.

21. I do miss going to anime conventions though.

22. I love pupusas.

23. My minion made me a skull and she’s sitting on my desk and her name is Hel.

24. Candy Corn is just wax with sugar in it.

25. I’m tired. All the time. Until it’s time to sleep, then I’m wide awake for the next three hours reliving something stupid I said or did five years ago.

26. I never kept a journal for more than a few days and I don’t understand how people do it. Nothing interesting enough ever happens to me on a daily basis to keep a list.

27. Sometimes, I want to pull down the tequila and sip on a shot, but then I wonder why and decide it’s not worth the trouble.

28. I sit and listen to the dogs bark then tell them I don’t believe their stories when they’re done or ask them to tell me more.

29. I haven’t watched anime or read any manga in a long time.

30. My favorite non-food smell is that smell after you cut a piece of wood.

31. My favorite food smell is probably roasting garlic.

32. I like grape soda. There’s nothing quite like that fake grape taste. Certainly not real grapes.

33. I’m thinking about rereading The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings this year. The past few years, I’ve randomly reread series, so maybe it’s time for those books again.

34. In lieu of new TV, Dad and I have watched a bunch of the old Perry Mason (can’t find all of them), all of Columbo, and the original Star Trek. We’re currently working through Star Trek: TNG, Murder She Wrote, and Monk. Plus stuff on BritBox and Acorn TV.

35. I can’t decide if I want to read The Midnight Library or Mexican Gothic as my next fun book.

36. I’m making Dad watch the new Percy Jackson show. I like it so far.

37. I also like orange soda.

38. I randomly want some flan, but it will pass.

New Year, Old Me

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this first Wednesday of the year? Not much going on here. Vet trips and an upcoming doctor appointment. Things are pretty boring, which is good. I’ve failed miserably at goals the last few years, so I only have a couple this year. It’s late in the day and I’m tired, so I figured I’d share those and then go read or watch TV or whatever.

Reading Goals: read 35 books in 2024. I’ve had good luck with this number, so I’m sticking with it. Somehow, I made it through 45 books in 2023. I still don’t know how I did it. But it’s hard for me to even get through 3 books a month, so 35 it is.

Writing Goals: write something. I’m not even going to pretend to make a good goal for this. I don’t care what I write as long as I start writing again. Short stories. A book. Whatever. I don’t even care if I finish anything as long as I write more often than not this year.

It’s not much. They aren’t even good goals. But it’s all I can come up with that doesn’t feel useless or overwhelming. What are your goals for 2024?

Not Doing It

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone this wonderful Wednesday? I should have written this on Monday, but ended up being lazy and watching TV with Dad. Today (Tuesday), we took Sophia to the vet to get her checked out and vaccinated. Now, it’s almost 7pm and I still need to order from Sam’s and catch up on some reading. In other words, I’ll be back next week with the regularly scheduled book review! Here’s a pretty picture by Amy Brown instead.

Meet Sophia and Bonnie!

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are pretty good. Monday evening, we got two new additions to the family! Sophia and Bonnie! So, this is just a quick introduction post before I wander off to buy more dog essentials.

Sophia has the brown head and Bonnie has the black one. They came with their names and respond well to them, so we just trained Dad to remember them instead of changing them. He calls them Sophia Loren and Bonnie Mae.

Sophia is extremely skittish, but she seems to be settling down a bit. Her and Mardi sniff each other and share Dad’s lap and seem like they’ll eventually become friends. She also likes to bark at ghosts in the middle of the night! Bonnie is kind of a bitch so far, no pun intended. She’s pretty food aggressive. Most of the time, she ignores everything until Mardi goes toward the kitchen where the water and food are. She doesn’t seem as bad with Sophia since they grew up together I guess, but still gives her the stink eye. It’s something she’s going to need to be broken of, but so far all the tips I’ve found are for dogs on a feeding schedule. Our dogs have always had access to food at all times, so we’ll have to figure something out. Otherwise, she likes pets and exploring the yard. She’s quiet. Mardi seems scared of Bonnie so far. It’s early days, though. I think once they settle in, they’ll be good puppers. Also, neither of them like the double flap doggie door yet.

Such a camera hound! Welcome Sophia and Bonnie!

The Christmas Spirit

~ shawnaborman ~ 2 Comments

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? It’s that time of year where I try to get into some kind of holiday spirit and fail miserably. Don’t feel like sending out cards again this year. I tried Christmas music and just ended up tuning it out. I’m boring, I know. Dad and I did walk up and down the street to look at the lights our festive neighbors put up. That counts for something, right? Anyway, I have nothing to ramble about or review, so here are random festive songs. Kind of. I guess.

1. I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas by Gayla Peevey.

2. The Season’s Upon Us by Dropkick Murphys.

3. Snoopy’s Christmas by The Royal Guardsmen.

4. Won’t be Home for Christmas by Blink-182.

A Little Thanksgiving

~ shawnaborman ~ 1 Comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are good. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so happy turkey day to those who celebrate! Happy Thursday to those who don’t! I slacked off and waited until the last minute to write this, so it’s going to be a little short. Just a reminder of the stuff I’m thankful for even if I don’t say it enough.

1. Dad. First and foremost. Always. I’m thankful for everything he does, which is everything. He does literally everything. Thank you isn’t really enough, but it’s Thanksgiving, so thank you! Danke. Arigatou. Gracias. Grazie. Merci. Asante. Spasibo. All the thank yous. Also, we need more pictures of you.

2. The Minion and the besties. Yeah, you guys are all right too. Joel, Jenae, and Danielle. I’m glad you exist at the same time as me and that we somehow ended up meeting. Tell your respective parents that I’m thankful they had sex since you exist because of it!

3. Squeaky toys that make Mardi happy! The pupper gets cuddles as thanks for being our whiny little roommate who entertains us all the time.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts and comments and questions here or on my social media pages!

Self-Help Is Useless

~ shawnaborman ~ 5 Comments

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are good. Quiet. Turkey Day is going to be a small thing. Just family. Are those of you who celebrate ready? Anyway, I still don’t have much to ramble about, but I somehow ended up reading a self-help book and need to word vomit about my hatred of such things. I only did it because the friend I do a kind of book club with wanted to read it for our craft book month. This particular book was Atomic Habits by James Clear, but the following thoughts apply to the other handful of self-help books I’ve had to read over the years (mostly while I was in school).

1. Why are these books so repetitive? Like, my dude… why is your book 300 pages when it could’ve been 75? And every self-help book I’ve read, including the majority of craft books, are the same way. I can understand repeating the important stuff once or twice in different ways in case some people don’t understand the first explanation, but why are you saying the exact same thing 50 times? You don’t even try to explain it a different way. Sure, you use a different scenario, but the explanation of your process is just copy and pasted from the first scenario. I either got it the first time or I’m still confused the fiftieth time. There’s no in between. Please just edit your work.

2. Uh… duh? Every self-help book I’ve read takes something that is absolutely common sense and frames it as something genius. It’s always along the lines of “Today, I’m going to share something with you that changed my life. There’s plenty of science to back it up. For the mere cost of $15 for this ebook, you too can learn this amazing secret!” Then, the book is 300 pages of “I learned to put my socks on before my shoes” and the science is a Wikipedia article. Dude, no. Just no. The habits book… I’ve done just about everything he suggests because duh. Repeating tasks turns them into habits? You don’t say. It’s easier to keep up with habits that are simple and fun? No way. I can increase the difficulty of a habit over time by gradually increasing what I’m doing? Mind blown. Seriously though, tell me something I haven’t learned just by existing in the world.

3. Who are you? If I’ve never heard of you and you quote things like Twitter, Reddit, and Wikipedia at me, I’m definitely going to doubt your authority on any given subject. Looking at you, Clear. Same goes for craft books. If I’ve never heard of you and you start using your own books (none of which I’ve heard of) as examples of how to write, my automatic thought is that you’re just trying to sell your other books. Yes, I’m a jerk. Yes, I expect self-proclaimed authorities on whatever subject to prove themselves. No, I won’t take your word for it. Especially if you’re supposed to be using science to back up your claims. What can I say? I’m a very skeptical person.

I think that’s enough rambling and rant. Self-help books are not my things. I’ll read them if I have to or someone I love really wants to read one together, but otherwise I avoid them. I do know people who enjoy them, though. If you find them useful, more power to you.

What do you think about self-help books? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and questions and comments here or on my social media pages!