Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m probably feeling blah and vegging out, because I usually feel like crap for a day or so after the Covid and Flu vaccines (it’s currently the 16th and we’re heading out to get them soon). But I don’t have any real things to post about, so here are some quick, random updates.
1. Still waiting to find out if I’m still cripple enough for Medicaid. I have no idea what’s taking so long, but when I call to check on everything, they keep telling me it’s under review. And all I can do is wait and be polite and remain calm. Whatever.
2. We have tomatoes and jalapeños and even got our first strawberries! No pics because I didn’t think about it. It’s okay to be jealous though.
3. I’m so tired of seeing that name that’s currently everywhere. Had never even heard of him before this. Everything I’ve seen and heard since is disgusting. He wasn’t a good person. Every time he opened his mouth something ridiculous or horrible came out of it. He thought deaths due to gun violence were acceptable. Now, he’s just another statistic. I feel bad for his kids, but that’s the extent of my empathy (something else he had dumbass thoughts on). Stop idolizing people like him. It’s gross.
4. Raspberry Pepsi is yummy. I don’t know if it actually exists anywhere, but all you need is a Pepsi and raspberry syrup (like the syrups you put in coffee). It’s better doing it that way anyway, because you can adjust how much syrup you add based on your tastes. Pepsi with maraschino cherry juice is also good.
Anyway, I’ll be back next week with the usual book review.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m still waiting to hear from Medicaid about whether I’m still cripple and poor enough. Otherwise, I’m just super tired. So, today’s post is just a list of books I actually enjoyed reading this summer (June through August) in no particular order.
1. Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. It was quick and fun. I figured it out pretty quick, but still enjoyed the story.
2. The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson. You can see why here.
3. Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao. It was a bit different from what I usually read and I found it really enjoyable. A bit sad, but ultimately a happy-ish ending.
4. When the Tides Held the Moon by Vanessa Vida Kelley. Super predictable, but fun. The representation in this book is fairly stereotyped, so if you’re sensitive to stuff like that, be aware. Otherwise, it’s a fun merperson story.
5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune. Yes, yes, just yes. Go read it and the sequel. I love them both.
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m fine, just annoyed. On Friday, the Medicaid people sent one of their fearmongering letters saying they never received my renewal application (the one that was sent July 17th that they confirmed they got when I called on August 4th just to make sure they got it) and if I didn’t submit everything within 5 days, I’d be booted off. Five days and it’s a freaking 3 day weekend. So, I called on Friday and was told they had everything except the signature page, please just send that ASAP. Sent it right away. Called Tuesday to confirm they received it. They did. Everything is under review and now I get to keep waiting. They don’t have any ridiculous deadlines with serious threats to get back to me, though. Like, why can’t I get a response in 5 days or they lose their insurance? Anyway. It’s late, so I figured I’d give you a brief review of The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World by J. R. Dawson since I finished it! Why a quick one? Because I’m biased and therefore don’t give full reviews on books by friends.
Plot: it’s a take on Orpheus, but it’s kind of like there are three very different versions of the myth happening at once. Charlie and Sam, Nera and Charlie, and the Keeper and the thing in the dark. All three storylines have echoes of Orpheus and Eurydice in them, which is cool. Plus, there are doggies! So many puppers to cuddle. That alone makes this a great book in my opinion.
Characters: love, love, love Nera. Especially at the end when she has grown strong enough to put her own needs first instead of trying to cater to everyone else. Charlie is a lot, but given what she’s been through, that’s to be expected. All of the older people suck, but I think they’re supposed to. If they were well-adjusted individuals with healthy coping strategies, chances are Nera and Charlie would have those traits, then there wouldn’t be a story. The doggos are still the bestest part of the book!
Writing: the flow is really nice and I love how the remnants sections break things up. They provide a respite from the heaviness that comes with stories about grief and loss.
Overall, I gave The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World 5 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommend it if you’re into Greek mythology, enjoy stories about the journey through grief, or just REALLY like dogs like me.
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? We have tomatoes (Sweeties and Black Krims)! Yummy. Be jealous. We also have jalapeños that are good too. But mostly yay for tomatoes! Anyway, we’re not here to talk about yummy goodness. It’s the last Wednesday of August, so we’re (you and I, not the royal we) here for the book review. This month, I went for a witchy little romance. Not like an epic, sweeping romantasy. Just a cute sounding little romance with fantasy elements. It’s the first book in the Scottish Charms series. Love’s a Witch by Tricia O’Malley was released yesterday (the 26th) from Gallery Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. So, let’s get to it.
Love’s a Witch follows the MacGregor sisters as they move back home to Briarhaven in Scotland to try to break the curse that’s been on their family for centuries. Sloane, the oldest, is so used to playing mother hen to her sisters that she’s having trouble acknowledging that they’re all young women now. She’s also struggling with the fact that she’s coming into her magic as her 25th birthday looms. Throwing in a pushy hottie hellbent on running them out of town before their curse quite literally destroys everything, and Sloane can’t get much more stressed. Can they stop the curse and save themselves from a nomadic existence? If they do, does Sloane even want to settle down? Maybe with a certain pushy hottie?
The plot. I love the plot. The whole idea of trying to break the curse because they want a place to call home without having to move all the time. There’s enough family drama introduced to keep the future books connected to this one. I didn’t even mind the enemies-to-lovers trope (it’s not my favorite, but I try to give it a chance). It’s interesting and fun, but I have to be honest… the pacing sucks. There’s lots of talk about breaking the curse, but none of the sisters actually do anything about it. All the information just kind of falls into their laps. They don’t do any research or anything. Hell, when they find out the name of the woman who cursed their family, they don’t even bother asking around about her to try to find her descendants. Everything gets done for them, which makes any step forward unsatisfying. Plus, everything is crammed into the end of the book. It’s not balanced at all.
The characters. I’m going to preface this by saying that I don’t have to like the main characters in order to like a book. That being said, I absolutely hated Sloane and Knox. I don’t give a fuck how hot a dude is. If he comes to my house, drags my bags out into the snow, and tells me I have to leave without so much as a “hey, what brings you to town?”, then proceeds to have the townsfolk bully and blackball me and my family when we don’t leave, the dude’s irredeemable. No way I’d talk to him, let alone have sex with him. And his whole background is supposed to make me sympathetic to him, but it only emphasizes the fact that he’s just a giant walking red flag with too much money and zero communication skills. Sloane’s not much better when it comes to communication. And even though she supposedly took care of her sisters, it’s like she still expects everything remotely difficult to be done for her and if it isn’t, she threatens to run away. They’re both annoying and I hate them. Luckily, the side characters were all wonderful and did a lot of heavy lifting in this story.
The writing itself was fine. Nice description and dialogue. The steamy scenes were disappointingly short, but I guess that’s more realistic than most scenes like that.
Ultimately, I was just kind of meh about Love’s a Witch. I enjoyed the plot and side characters enough that I will check out book 2, especially if it switches to Lyra as the main character as I’m guessing it will since she comes into her magic next.
Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Not a must-read, but if you enjoy little witchy romances, it’s an okay read. Hopefully the next one is better.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone this lovely Wednesday? I’m tired and have no good excuse not to blog, but I just don’t want to. So, I’ll be back next week with the end of the month book review!
Hello, hello! How’s everyone this lovely Wednesday? I’m still playing the waiting game. I’m also tired and generally blah, so this is a quick post to let you know that J.R. Dawson did it again! The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World was released at the end of July! I bought a hard copy because it’s so pretty! I also bought the ebook because it’s easier for me to read that way. But I definitely recommend a hard copy because the book cover deserves to be admired as it was meant to be. Anyway, I’m only a quarter of the way through and I’m loving it. I’ll probably end up doing a brief review when I’m done. I’m so happy for J.R. and her books!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely first Wednesday of August? I’m still playing the waiting game for my Medicaid renewal approval. Apparently, they’re also trying to decide if I’m cripple enough for my long term care services (paying Dad to take care of me). That can take 30 to 90 days. Whatever. Anyway, I decided to post pictures of the grow room! There’s still some lettuce and herbs and bok choy that Dad keeps in rotation on the rail system. He’s giving up on the arugula because it refuses to do anything. Not sure if spinach will stay or become a once in a while thing or what. We’re still trying to figure out what and how much to grow so we eat most of it. Dad’s also started some strawberries (not pictured because these pics are a week or two old), so we’re hoping those grow well. We both love berries. In the bucket system with the cages, there are three tomato plants (a Black Krim, a San Marzano Roma, and a Sweetie) and a jalapeño plant. The Sweetie seems to be doing well. The Black Krim has a nice amount of fruit too. The Roma is being weird, so Dad’s going to try a different type if it doesn’t start producing. And the jalapeño is doing well. If only the fruits would start ripening so we can eat them! Can’t wait for a proper tomato sandwich. Mmm…
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are about the same as they’ve been this entire year. That’s about it. But it’s the last Wednesday of July, so that you know what that means. It’s book review time! This month, I decided to try a new cozy mystery series. Murder at the Wham Bam Club by Carolyn Marie Wilkins was released yesterday (the 29th) from Kensington Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!
Murder at the Wham Bam Club follows Nola Ann Jackson as she returns to her hometown after the death of her husband. It’s the 1920s and Nola’s a young psychic just learning how to use her gifts. When she’s asked to help find a missing young woman, Nola finds herself dragged into arson, murder, and mysteries. While everyone else would be happy blaming the missing girl, Nola is determined to find out what’s actually going on in her small town. Whether or not she can do it before the police find and charge the missing girl is the question.
The plot is pretty standard. There are some interesting red herrings. I fully admit that I found some of the romances icky. A 16 year old shacking up with and getting married to a bass player of unknown age after one meeting (not even a date). Gross. I get it in the context of the story and its setting, but it still makes me cringe. Most of the relationships in this book have huge red flags. But the mystery part of the book is entertaining and distracting enough that the story is still enjoyable.
The characters are pretty well fleshed out. I like Nola and her aunt. I thought Lilly and Brenda could’ve used more page time because they both feel a little cookie cutter. Jim has potential. It felt like he was going to prove the rumors wrong, but then he just kind of disappears from the book. Hopefully he gets his redemption in later books. I really like Nola’s bosses at the catering company. They provide a levelheadedness to the book that helps bring Nola back to her senses once in a while. Everyone basically has potential to grow (for better or worse) in future books.
As for the writing, I enjoyed it. But the language is pretty true to its time period, so if words like negroes or a school for “colored girls” bothers you, be aware. I still suggest reading it because it’s a fun mystery, though.
Ultimately, I enjoyed Murder at the Wham Bam Club. I’m not sure I’ll add it to my must-buy series, but I’ll definitely give book two a shot whenever it comes out.
Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I do recommend it if you’re into cozy mysteries. Just be aware of the language if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone this wonderful Wednesday? I have nothing to ramble about that will take more than a sentence or two, so here’s a quick update on life, then I’m going to read. 1. Turned everything into Medicaid last Thursday afternoon, so I’m just waiting on them to do whatever they’re going to do. 2. Dad’s tomatoes are growing! 3. Three doctors appointments between now (22nd as I’m writing this) and the 31st. Two for Dad (eye test and quarterly check up) and one for me (video visit with my pulmonologist). Fun. Anyway, I’ll be back next week with the regularly scheduled book review!
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are usual. Medicaid has decided it’s that time of year to prove I’m still worthy. Poor. Cripple. Whatever. So, I spent most of the day filling out a 20 page form. None of the answers has changed except how much Social Security I get, but I still had to trudge through the entire form anyway. Now, I just need to take a picture of my ID and get copies of my bank statements from April through July. Easy enough, right? But no. My bank just overhauled their system and even though everything was supposed to be up and running on Monday, they don’t have online access to any statements but June. Ugh. If that’s not up today, I’ll have to call them and convince them to email the statements to me. Once I get those, I’ll send everything to my CLASS case manager and she’ll fax it to Medicaid on my behalf so they’ll realize I’m on that particular program and hopefully not argue with my eligibility. If they had told me a week ago (before my bank decided to “improve” things and I could have just downloaded the statements) or waited until October, which is when I usually have to renew, I probably wouldn’t be complaining. I just hate having to call people. And I hate redundant forms. I just hate the whole process of being reminded I’m a poor cripple leeching off of society. Anyway, it’s late and I don’t feel like coming up with something nice to ramble about. Here’s a pretty picture by Yuumei instead of a real post.
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