Happy 2025!

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2025 is kind to you and isn’t anywhere near as dystopian as I think it’s going to be. Actually, the future is looking more bizarro with a dystopian subplot and I’m not entirely sure if that’s better or worse. But I’m not here to rant or share my fears. It’s a new year! Time for things to begin afresh. I’m going to try to focus on things that I can control, which isn’t much. I’ll keep my goals simple this year. That’s what this post is going to be about. As always, feel free to share your goals or thoughts or questions here in the comments or on my social media pages (which I’ve made some changes to, so see my social media goals for more info)!

Writing Goals: I wrote a couple of short stories in 2024, but not much else. This year, I’m planning to finish a cozy mystery novel that I started and gave up on because of a lack of will to write. I read through what I have and I really like it, so it’s not like I was stuck or anything. There’s even an outline with it. I’m going to set a deadline of July 18th (Dad’s birthday) to finish the first draft. Feel free to prod me occasionally for updates on how it’s going. No short stories unless I see a call for submissions that conjures an irresistible idea right away. I’m just going to focus on this book and see how it goes.

Social Media Goals: Leave X in favor of Bluesky. Ever since Musk implemented algorithm changes to prioritize paid accounts and bury free ones, I’ve gone from daily interactions to one a month if I’m lucky. It’s not worth my time anymore. I’m going to give Bluesky a shot as one of the sites (along with Facebook and Instagram) that I post to every day except Sunday. I’ll still check X occasionally and probably post major updates there (book releases and such) if they should occur, but it will be mostly inactive. This starts today.

Reading Goals: I read 38 books in 2024. I’m sticking with a goal of 35 books for 2025. It gives me room to read a couple of super long books if I want or just to go slow on some shorter books. I’m not looking to push myself or read a book a week or anything, so this works for me.

Thoughts on KNIFE SKILLS FOR BEGINNERS

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Happy holidays or just happy Wednesday to those who don’t! It’s the last Wednesday of December (and the year!), so that means it’s book review time! This month, I decided to go with a new cozy mystery book (there’s potential for a series, but it’s unclear if that’s the plan). Knife Skills for Beginners by Orlando Murrin was released yesterday (the 24th) 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!

Knife Skills for Beginners follows Paul Delamare, a chef who recently lost his husband and is currently in “avoid all things” mode. When an old friend (Christian) recruits him to help out at a cooking school, Paul hems and haws, but eventually gives in. What’s the worst that could happen? Being in the frame for his friend’s decapitation is apparently one of those worst case scenarios. Rather than go down for murder, Paul decides to try to solve things on his own, but the deeper he gets, the more he regrets his impulsive choices. Especially deciding to take the job in the first place.

The plot is pretty standard, but it’s one of those books that throws every trope into the story and just kind of hopes it works out. It doesn’t. Everything is muddled together and convoluted and I’m still not entirely sure about what happened. Christian’s broken arm, for instance. Was it from a fall or was it broken on purpose or what? We get a few scenarios about what might have happened, but no clear answer in the end. The whole plotline with Paul’s stepson was useless. It didn’t move the plot forward and there was no resolution of it in the end. His introduction could have waited until he was going to play an active part in the story (maybe the next book). The two tiny things he did could have been accomplished a number of ways without muddying the actual plot of the book. It was an overly complicated story when it shouldn’t have been, so it was disappointing.

As far as the characters go, they aren’t great. Paul is basically a caricature of a gay man. He’s borderline absurd. I wanted to like him, but he didn’t feel real. The other characters were flat and lacked personality. They all sounded and behaved the same, so I had difficulty keeping track of who was doing what. The only reason I could keep track of the murderer was because it’s exactly who you should expect it to be if you’ve read any cozy mysteries at all. Yes, there’s a twist you’ll see coming as well, but only because it’s a typical one, not because the character was fleshed out and subtly hinted at.

There’s also a lot of continuity errors that muddle things even more. I normally don’t mention minor errors (typos, dropped words, extra words, etc.) because ARCs aren’t the final, polished versions, but these were glaring errors that would take another round of decent edits to fix. The final fight scene made no sense half the time. It was pretty clear that the author decided to take certain scenes in different directions, then forgot to go back and weave everything together. I hope these are fixed before the final release, but I’ve rarely seen it this poorly edited in an ARC that wasn’t from a self-publishing author, so I have doubts.

The writing is fine as far as rhythm and pacing goes. It’s a quick read despite the convolutedness of it. As per food themed cozies, there are some working recipes (stuff you’re supposed to actually be able to make), but none of them were particularly tasty sounding. I just didn’t get into it the way I was hoping to.

Ultimately, I didn’t care for Knife Skills for Beginners. I had no idea the author was a famous chef (I don’t watch cooking competition shows), but it wouldn’t have helped even if I did. It’s a mediocre book at best and I probably won’t pick up any future books if this is a series.

starstarstar outlinestar outlinestar outline

Overall, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. One and a half, really. If you just devour all things food cozy mystery, pick it up. Otherwise, it’s not going to hurt to give it a miss.

Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Are you ready for whatever holiday you celebrate? We’re not doing anything special. So, I suppose we’re ready! Anyway, I was going through my Facebook memories and came across one of those stupid old games where you put your iTunes or whatever on shuffle and whatever song comes on is the answer to the question. It gets weird sometimes, but I always thought they were fun, so I’m doing it here. I’m using my liked songs on Spotify and skipping songs that aren’t mostly English because I’m too lazy to look up translations. Here we go…

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW STRANGE IT SOUNDS.
4. Explain why this song makes sense.

IF SOMEONE SAYS ‘ARE YOU OKAY?’ YOU SAY
“Fantastic, That’s You” by Louis Armstrong
Who cares about me? You’re fantastic and that’s all I care about.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
“We’re Gonna Be Okay” by Thomas Nicholas Band and Bowling for Soup
Me and the voices in my head are okay, I guess.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
“A Spoonful of Sugar” from Mary Poppins
Do I really like them on the sweet side?

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
“Strangers in the Night” by Frank Sinatra
I promise I’m not looking for love or whatever. Maybe I just want to go dancing.

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
“A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke
Keep surviving, I guess.

WHAT’S YOUR MOTTO?
“Walkin’ in the Rain” by Jay and the Americans
Keep walking in the rain and wishing on the stars above. I don’t know.

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
“No Scrubs” by TLC
Apparently they think I have standards and I’m okay with that. Or maybe I’m a scrub and they don’t want me?

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
“Radical Self-Love” by IAMX
I mean… Mom always said I only cared about myself. I guess. I have no idea.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
“Keep on Smilin'” by Wet Willie
Keep on smilin’ through the rain, laughing at the pain. Yup. I remind myself about that a lot.

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
“Think for Yourself” by the Beatles.
Figure it out yourself.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
“High” by James Blunt
Will you be my shoulder when I’m grey and older?

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
“Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen
We make the rockin’ world go ’round?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
“No Time” by the Guess Who
I’m on my way to better things? I doubt it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
“Joey” by Concrete Blonde
Don’t get crazy…

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
“Pain” by Jimmy Eat World
It’s a lie, a kiss with open eyes.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
“Step Up” by Drowning Pool
If you must choose Drowning Pool, I’d rather you let the bodies hit the floor, but whatever.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
“I Alone” by Live
I guess tempting people is a hobby?

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
“I have but One Heart” by Al Martino and Carlo Savina
Monogamy? Only loving one person? I suppose that could be scary.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
“Play the Game” by Queen
I just lost the game. Damn you, Queen!

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
“I’m Not in Love” by 10cc
If the song is anything to go by, apparently I want to be in deep denial.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
“Drive” by the Cars
Apparently I think they need someone to drive them home. It ain’t me, babe. Different song, I know.

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
“Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart” by Stone Temple Pilots
I’m not dead and I’m not for sale.

Year End Goals

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Not much going on besides end of year stuff. There’s not really much to ramble about. I’ve been trying to think of ways to get this blog more active. I don’t read fast enough to do a review every week. If you have ideas, feel free to share them. But for now, I think I’ll just ramble about my plans for the next couple of weeks. It’s nothing exciting. Just trying to get motivated for next year. So, here’s what my December looks like in no particular order.

1. Benefits stuff. I just had my yearly meeting to assure the state I’m still cripple and need the benefits I receive. The nurse is supposed to come out on Friday so they can do even more paperwork assuring the state that I am indeed still cripple. After which, I’ll keep pestering my case worker until my plan is approved so we don’t end up in the same clusterfuck that was 2024. But that’s a rant I don’t want to get started on. Deep breath. Big smile. Scream into the void. That’s it. Everything is fine. Moving on.

2. Reading. I have one more book to finish for reviewing this year. I’m a little more than halfway through it. I’m also reading one “for fun” book. I would like to finish it before the end of the year, but I’m not going to rush it. It’s supposed to be fun. And I’ve already passed my book goal for 2024, so yay me. I’ve read 37 so far, which means I’ll at least end the year at 38. For me, that’s great.

3. Open the files. Starting in January, I want to get back to writing a novel. Before then, I need to read over what I’ve already written (only one chapter) and study my notes. Yes, this one has notes! There are character names/descriptions and a broad strokes plot outline with key points planned out. I just need to refresh my memory and decide if I want to tweak anything before I let the characters destroy my lovely little mystery with their own ideas.

That’s it, really. There’s also a vet appointment for Sophia (yearly check up) and we need to schedule one for January for Bonnie, but that’s it. (Mardi doesn’t go until April for anyone wondering about her.) What do you need to do before January? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts or questions or whatever here or on my social media pages!

A Look Inside Settler’s Table

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are okay. Thanksgiving was nice. We had all the yummy food and a lot of people came over. It was a good day. But a few days before turkey day, Dad and I tried a place called Settler’s Table. It’s on Collins in Sunnyvale. Anyway, I don’t really have anything else to ramble about, so I figured I’d do a food review. We got delivery, so I can’t comment on accessibility or service for this one, but the food is really the important part for any restaurant. Any pictures are borrowed from Google because I wasn’t actually planning on reviewing this place.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Appetizer: Horny Toads. They’re deep fried pimento cheese balls with a jalapeño glaze. The melty cheese and crispy crust were actually really good, but the glaze was cloyingly sweet. I only made it through one and half before I gave up. First bite was good, but it just got worse with every bite after that.

Entrees: I got Dad the Naked Burger (a burger on a salad instead of a bun). I ordered medium rare hoping it would at least still be juicy even if they overcooked it a bit. Calling it a hockey puck is being generous. The salad was nothing special either. I got the rig-a-tuna. It was supposed to be herbed rigatoni with tuna and other things I really like. The flavor was pretty good, but the dish was super dry. I was kind of expecting pesto or at least some kind of oil dressing to combine all the dry ingredients together into a cohesive dish. Nope. It was all dry. Even the stuff that usually has some moisture (canned tuna, sundried tomatoes, etc.) felt like it had been drained and blotted dry. It was all just very sad.

Dessert: I got a slice of peanut butter pie. I was looking forward to it because I haven’t found a good peanut butter pie since Denny’s got rid of theirs. I still haven’t found one. It was kind of gritty and had pockets of sweetness vs. pockets of saltiness, like the filling hadn’t been mixed well. It was disappointing.

Price: about the same as everywhere else. If the food had been good, it would’ve been a decent price really, but as is, it wasn’t worth it.

My rating:
M

Note: I actually really wanted to like this place. It’s close by and has outdoor seating and would’ve been a nice place to go for a late lunch once in a while. I’m not just being a dick. The food just wasn’t good.

Thoughts on A TRINKET FOR THE TAKING

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? If you celebrate, are you ready for Turkey Day? Dad’s making a whole spread this year. As I’m writing this, it currently smells really good in our house. Be jealous. But anyway, it’s the last Wednesday of November, so it’s book review time! This month, I went with something more on the fantasy side. It’s a mystery, but with a pretty detailed magical system and some extra world building even though it’s mostly just a real world setting. A Trinket for the Taking by Victoria Laurie was released on Tuesday the 26th by 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!

A Trinket for the Taking follows Dovey Van Dalen as she sets out to celebrate her 200th birthday in style. Unfortunately, work gets in the way when a super powerful and deadly trinket (magical device) goes missing. She’s tasked with finding it before the unbound (non-magical) world gets suspicious. It doesn’t help that the thief seems to be targeting a prominent unbound family. And to complicate matters further, she keeps running into a ridiculously attractive FBI agent and she can’t seem to escape him. Nor does she really want to, which is a whole problem within itself. Can Dovey figure out the case and retrieve the trinket before it’s too late?

The plot was pretty good. Entertaining. Standard combination of mystery and fantasy. Magical item must be found before death and destruction ensue. Oops, too late. Magical person teams up with plucky non-magical sidekick. Weirdness happens. Last minute saving of the day. Happily ever after… until the next book. But the pacing was off. The first two thirds of the book was loaded down with world building and character histories and it dragged. A lot. Especially when the same info was repeated two or three times. And because of all this excess information, the last third of the book felt super rushed since it didn’t have any. Don’t get me wrong. A lot of the information was necessary. It just could have been incorporated more strategically. But the three scenes when her hedgehog helps her pick an outfit are completely unnecessary. The first one was cute and by all means keep one scene for fun. But three? During which nothing important is conveyed? No. Either utilize the other two scenes to pass on relevant and new information or cut them. Otherwise, it makes the story drag. Aside from that, there were also a couple of deus ex machina things that made me roll my eyes. One of them made it apparent that a particular character was thrown in as an afterthought just for that moment instead of utilizing any of the existing characters. And the hedgehog in the pocket thing was random and not really necessary when the reader was already told that she had what it gave her. If it had been a surprise, it would’ve been cool, but she literally brought the thing with her in case she needed it. No hedgehog needed.

As for the characters, there were a lot and so many of them did nothing. For instance, there’s a perv at the elevator within the first couple of pages. He literally does nothing but ogle Dovey, then let her take the elevator by herself. And he never shows back up. It was weird. A lot of the characters could have been combined into a one or two. Mostly they do one thing then disappear. It’s annoying. But I mostly liked the main characters. Dovey is interesting. I don’t understand why she randomly falls in love at first sight. It’s creepy. But otherwise I like her. Gib is fun. Ursula could’ve been utilized more. And Elric is just a gross old dude. But overall, I enjoyed most of the characters.

The writing itself was fun. Despite the pacing issues and iffy characters, I read the book pretty quickly and didn’t dread picking it up after a break.

Ultimately, A Trinket for the Taking was entertaining while I was reading it, but not particularly memorable. I will pick up the next book if I see it, but I probably won’t go looking for it.

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Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. A solid three. If you’re into magical mysteries, it’s worth checking out.

Can’t Do It Yet

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m not good. I’ve tried my damnedest to think of something fun or happy to ramble about, but I can’t do it. It’s been a week and I’m still just a ball of fear and rage. If you don’t understand why a cripple who is dependent on Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security in order to simply survive is terrified and angry, then you don’t understand the repercussions of the far right agenda and I’m not in a place to calmly explain it to you right now. So! I’m going to go play mindless games while I can, read while books are still a thing we have access to, and maybe even listen to loud music until they ban that too. Am I exaggerating? Maybe. Anyway, I’ll try to be in a better place next week. For now, a pretty picture by Yuumei.

A Look Inside Pho Garden

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I haven’t seen any news about the end of the US yet, but it’s only 6:30pm on Tuesday as I’m writing this. Fingers crossed things go well. And by well, I mean anything but orange. Anyway, we spent most of the day in Rockwall so I could see the ENT. While we were out that way, we decided to stop for pho! It’s been a long time since we had it and it was our first time at this place. It’s called Pho Garden and is in the plaza at Rockwall (a strip mall) near the 24-Hour Fitness. You can find the address on their website above. I didn’t think about pictures, so everything here is borrowed from Google.

First, a reminder of my rating system:

MMMMM = Everything is magnificent!
MMMM = Great, but something is off.
MMM = Pretty good, but a couple of things could be better.
MM = The bad’s starting to outweigh the good.
M = Definitely more cons than pros.
… = I couldn’t find anything nice to say.

Accessibility: The nearest handicap parking space has one of those tiny loading zones that even able-bodied people have to squeeze through, so we had to block traffic a bit while I unloaded. It happens. Whatever. But going into the restaurant was the worst part. It’s one of those annoying double door things where you have to go in, turn, and go in another door. It’s a tiny space. In all honesty, I wouldn’t have even tried the place if I knew it had that kind of entrance. You literally need two people just to help you get inside. Once you make it inside, it’s great. Plenty of room to maneuver between tables. The tables are on the high side of normal, so I had no problem getting underneath. Nothing to block my footrests or bang my knees on. Perfect.

Service: It was great. Everyone talked to me like I was a normal human being. That’s pretty much all it takes to get on our good side. They kept everything full for the most part and made sure we had everything we needed and were super nice in general.

Appetizer: We got the spring rolls with shrimp. They were pretty good. The peanut sauce had a chocolaty flavor that was weird but not unpleasant.

Pho: Dad got the pho garden which had steak, brisket, meatballs, and tripe. He really enjoyed it. Loaded it up with chili oil. Yum. And I got the seafood pho which was shrimp, fish balls, and krab (imitation crab). It was really good too.

Price: It’s in line with everything else nowadays. About $45 pre-tip for two people, so not that bad.

My rating:
MMMM

Thoughts on THE DEBUTANTES

~ shawnaborman ~ Leave a comment

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are normal. Nothing really to complain about that anyone would care about. Anyway, it’s the last Wednesday of October, so you know what that means. Book review time! This month, I went with a more traditional YA thriller mystery type thing. The Debutantes by Olivia Worley was released on the 29th (Tuesday) from St. Martin’s Press. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s do it!

The Debutantes follows Vivian, Piper, April and Lily as they each struggle to come to terms with their places in life, the mistakes they’ve made, and the traditions they’ve inherited from the elite of New Orleans. The Les Masques Ball is the event of the year where teenage girls are paraded in front of their parents and the rest of the city’s elite. The Queen and her Maids. This year is no exception, despite the fact that last year’s queen died. When a protest takes place at the event, tensions run high. But when Lily, this year’s queen, goes missing, the adults are oddly unconcerned. A text from Lily to Vivian, Piper, and April urges the trio to discover the truth behind her disappearance. And what does it have to do with the death of the previous queen?

The plot ends up being super convoluted. There’s the secret society type club that everyone knows about. Then, there’s a secret society within the not-so-secret society that’s just for the white dudes. It’s basically a bunch of dudes in power that do weird stuff in front of barely legal girls and who also help each other cover shit up when one of them does something illegal. Yeah. It’s not a great club. Anyway, the plot consists of kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, harassment, blackmail, etc. It’s not bad, it’s just too much. And the ending is one of those unsatisfying ones where some people get off without any repercussions because they’re rich and no one will talk about their involvement. I know that’s how it would happen in real life, but I don’t read books to see what would happen in real life. I want the spoiled little rich girls who claim they hate their lives to actually rat out the people in power. They only do a half-assed job of it though, so only two people get their comeuppances. Boo.

The characters were all pretty unrelatable. The parts of their personalities that should be relatable feel forced and unnatural. The stuff that feels natural is the rich girl privilege. Which is fine. Lean into it. Don’t force the other stuff. Lily obviously doesn’t hate her position of power, so stop telling me she does. She’s manipulative and gross. Let her be herself. Vivian’s weird lust for Wyatt doesn’t even exist except to forward an unnecessary plotline. Either weave it throughout the book or leave it out. Piper just feels like a caricature. April is probably the best character and honestly, this should have been her story. Get rid of Lily and just make it about April figuring out what happened to Margot. But I’m sure younger people who are still learning about people will like most of these characters.

The writing isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. The book starts out too slow then rushes through the ending. I enjoyed the descriptions. That’s about it.

Ultimately, The Debutantes wasn’t my cup of tea. A lot of my issues with the book are just me problems. I won’t go looking for other books by Worley, but if I stumble across one that sounds interesting, I’d probably pick it up.

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Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. Two and a half, really. If you like convoluted YA thrillers, check it out. Otherwise, it’s just kind of meh.