Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are fine. I’m just tired and lazy. I thought about reviewing the restaurant we went to last week, but I didn’t think to take pictures and we mostly ordered from the specials menu, so I can’t just borrow pictures off Google. Maybe next time we go. But the next three blog posts are book reviews, so I won’t be slacking again for at least a few weeks. I really should go read those books. Well, finish reading them. So, here’s your short post of excuses for why I’m not blogging this week. Come back next week for an actual post (I never skip book reviews).
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are okay. It’s currently Monday (the 2nd) because Dad has a check up tomorrow, so we’ll be spending most of Tuesday in Rockwall and I won’t have a chance to ramble at you if I wait until then. Anyway, I have decaf choco-cherry coffee from Texas Coffee Traders and lots to read, so I’m probably going to keep this brief. Maybe. All I really want to do is get a list of things I’m planning to do this month down, so you can all be disappointed in me when I fail. Here it is…
1. Writing. I finished a short story last week, but actually writing felt nice, so I’m going to try to keep up with it. I have a novel that I want to finish (I’m only a chapter into it). It’s something I had barely started when I hit the “what’s the point?” funk I’ve been in. I’ll try starting it up again and see if I can get anywhere.
2. Reading. I’m a little behind in my review books because I somehow ended up with a book for September 18th, 25th, and October 2nd. So, I’m currently reading those three plus a book to listen to while I’m in bed. It doesn’t help that I’m not exactly enamored with two of them (wait for the reviews). But I’ll use the rest of this week to catch up on them and focus on writing starting next week. Hopefully.
3. Slushing. I’ve mostly been keeping up with my first reader responsibilities. I try to get through 20+ stories a week. I don’t think I’m behind. But there are still a lot to go. Everyone is working hard to get through the submissions in a timely manner. We’ll get it done.
4. Peopling. I haven’t been on top of answering my messages (from friends, anyway). I read everything, but sometimes I forget to answer for a few days. If I start writing again, that will probably just get worse. Sorry. But I’ll try to do better.
Those are the things I need to work on in September. What are your plans for the month? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts and comments here or on my social media pages!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? Things here are about the same as usual. But it’s the last Wednesday of August, so there’s no time to complain about life. It’s book review time! This month, I decided to go with an old fashioned cozy mystery. The House on Graveyard Lane by Martin Edwards was released yesterday (August 27th) from Poisoned Pen Press. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Before I get started, I also have to say that there was no indication on NetGalley that this was the fourth installment of an ongoing series, so just remember that I’m judging this book on its own merits. Things might have been different if I’d read the previous books. Let’s do the thing.
The House on Graveyard Lane primarily follows Rachel Savernake as she tries to figure out why surreal artist Damaris Gethin killed herself in front of a select group of people. Jacob Flint, a crime reporter, is also interested in the case, but he has his own case to follow involving the beautiful Kiki de Villiers until the story is mysteriously quashed by the powers that be. Set in 1930s London, it’s a mystery for fans of historical fiction as well as whodunits.
The plot is deceiving. The blurb on the back and the initial setup indicate that the main mystery will be solving Damaris Gethin’s suicide, but that really takes a backseat to everything else going on in the book. They wrap it up like two thirds of the way through in one or two paragraphs that are just offhand remarks in a conversation about the other stuff that’s going on. It’s really annoying. And even the main issues in the book are arbitrarily wrapped up. There’s a “clue finder” at the end with a bunch of stuff the reader was supposed to pick up on as proof of the outcomes, but it’s all vague stuff. Yes, I picked up on everything mentioned, but none of it was solid. Everything was guesswork that only came together because the villain was too stupid to keep their trap shut. Don’t confess and there’s literally a hundred other explanations for the so-called evidence. It’s just unsatisfying all around.
None of the characters are particularly likeable. Mostly because they all turn out to be some kind of bad guy. But even Rachel and her crew are not great. She’s a nosy rich person who thinks she should be allowed to do whatever she wants without consequences. Her “servants” aren’t really fleshed out in this book, but they have potential to be good characters. Maybe they are in the other books. I don’t know. And Jacob Flint turns into a whiny little bitch at the first sign of trouble despite acting like he’s tough. There’s no nice way of putting that. Maybe the other books give all the main characters more likeable qualities, but this one leaves everyone a bit thin. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have to actually like characters, but I do have to be able to see beyond the stereotype they’re filling to make them interesting. I can’t do it here.
I did enjoy the writing and the throwback to old timey English mysteries. For what it was, the pacing was fine. If the story had been what it promised to be and the ending had been stronger, I probably would have liked it a lot.
Ultimately though, I’m not a fan of The House on Graveyard Lane. There was just too much that was unsatisfying about it. I’m not even interested in trying the other books in the series.
Overall, I gave it 2 out of 5 stars. If you’ve read the other books in the series and enjoyed them, you might really like this book. I don’t know. But if you’re going in blind like I did, this is perfectly skippable.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this wonderful Wednesday? I’m tired and taking another day off. I suck. I know. I had a meeting and some people are coming over later and I haven’t eaten yet. The excuses could keep coming, but the truth is, I just don’t want to write anything right now. I’m going to slush, then be social, and fit food in there somewhere. I’ll be back next week with a book review.
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? It’s August in Texas, so it’s hot and muggy and generally gross outside. I’ve been spending my time inside, as usual. Reading, slushing (the place I’m a first reader at opened the submission floodgates recently, so yeah), and even writing a bit. Funness. Anyway, it’s hot and I kind of want ice cream, but I won’t get any because Dad shouldn’t have it. Okay, I might order a small one I can eat in one sitting if we order from a restaurant, but no pints or anything. So, I thought I’d just share my top 5 favorite flavors with you while I think about them, then go back to ignoring ice cream’s existence.
1. Coffee. Just plain coffee ice cream. No chocolate chunks. No espresso beans. A smooth, creamy, rich coffee ice cream. It’s the best and I haven’t had it in forever. I also like it mixed into a milkshake with my second favorite flavor.
2. Cookies and Cream. It was my favorite as a kid and I still love it. Alone or with coffee ice cream. Yum. I’m not picky.
3. Vanilla. Yes, I prefer vanilla over chocolate. It’s more versatile if I want to add something to it (fruit, liqueurs, whatever). Plus, if it’s a good brand, vanilla has a more complex flavor and I like that. It’s just better all around.
4. Salted caramel. I like caramel in general. As with coffee ice cream, I’d rather it not have chocolate chunks or toffee or whatever other surprises companies want to throw in there. Just caramel with a little salt.
5. Chocolate, I guess. I don’t really have a strong preference for any other flavors. I like raspberry, but not enough to give it it’s own spot on my list. Same with mint chocolate chip. Peanut butter is too hit or miss. So, I suppose a basic chocolate is good enough.
What are your favorite ice cream flavors? As always, feel free to share your thoughts or comments or questions here or on my social media pages!
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely first Wednesday of August? It’s summer in north Texas, so things are toasty. It’s actually Tuesday and I’m preparing to stay up all night so I can have a phone meeting at 10:30 in the morning on Wednesday. Why, you ask. Because it’s easier than going to bed early, but still laying awake until 4am, just to get up at 8am to be in my chair and prepared to make the call at 10:30am. Yeah. Getting up is a whole 2-hour process. So, I hate anything before about 2pm. But I do love the nighttime. I’m usually pretty productive. But it’s also boring because all my friends have day jobs or kids or whatever and no longer lurk online all night with me. Ah well. I have stuff to do.
The plan includes, but isn’t limited to the following:
1. Catching up on reading. I’m a little behind on a couple of my review books. I somehow ended up with 4 books to review between now and Oct. 2nd. I should be reading the one for the end of this month and the one for mid-September, but I haven’t started the second one yet. I’m only two days behind, though. It’ll be easy enough to catch up tonight.
2. Do a couple of things for Dad. One involves his watch and the other involves signing him up for something. These things should be relatively quick.
3. At least read through a short story I started back in June. I should even try to work on it. This will depend on how long reading takes and whether or not I can find the motivation.
4. Mindless games. Especially when the first wave of tiredness hits around 4am. It usually takes about an hour to shake it off. Mindless games are great for this time.
5. X-Men cartoons. Maybe. I keep telling myself to watch the new one, but I haven’t yet. I also want to rewatch the old ones. Or maybe I’ll rewatch Gargoyles. Or The Weekenders if I can find it. Or maybe I’ll just skip TV. It’s not important.
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are usual. But I realized this is my 500th post. That’s a lot of rambling about nothing! So, before anything else, thanks for reading my randomness. Whether you’re new here or have been around since the beginning, I appreciate it. Now, onto the book review! That’s right. It’s the last Wednesday of July. Can you believe it? Anyway, this month, I decided to go with a YA horror mystery mishmash. Something I would’ve devoured as a kid. Nostalgia. You know the kind of stuff. Our Wicked Histories by Amy Goldsmith seemed to fill the requirements. It was released yesterday (July 30th) from Delacorte 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 the thing!
Our Wicked Histories follows Meg as she tries to salvage her friendships and reclaim her place at a prestigious art school after she’s suspended and on the verge of being kicked out permanently. Luckily for her, her bestie and one half of the Wren twins, Lottie, invites her to a party at the Wren’s ancestral estate with a plan to help Meg make amends. But the estate is dark and dank and creepy. And according to rumors, it may or may not be plagued by a certain spirit intent on revenge. What has Meg gotten herself into? When bodies start showing up, she begins to question whether the school and her so-called friends are worth all the drama and death. But she’s stuck in the middle of nowhere with no means of escape.
As far as the plot goes, young me probably would’ve loved it. It’s pretty standard horror mystery fare. If you’re familiar with this type of book, it’s not hard to guess the killer or the motivation behind the murders. Two storylines unfold at once, the present with the murders and all that, plus the event that put the present events into motion. It’s pretty easy to follow once you realize what’s going on. Personally, I preferred the past plotline. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what was going on there either, but it wasn’t as blatantly obvious. The horror part of the story is nice until the end. It ends up feeling like it was just something thrown in so Meg didn’t have to save herself. However, this wasn’t written for post-MFA brain, it was written for high school brain. High school brain me wouldn’t have cared that she guessed everything. She would have enjoyed it.
The characters were all pretty unlikable. It’s your basic poor scholarship student trying to fit in with the uber rich kids scenario. All the rich kids are douchenozzles (even the ones who aren’t supposed to be) and Meg is annoyingly clingy. Typical teenager stuff. The only one who has any potential redeemable qualities gets stuck in the gay bestie stereotype and isn’t fleshed out at all. For adult me, it was eye roll inducing. Teen me wouldn’t have really cared. She would have been annoyed that none of the characters were relatable, but she still would’ve enjoyed it for what it is.
As far as the writing goes, it was a smooth and pretty quick read. Teen me probably would’ve gotten through it in a couple of days. It takes adult me way longer because I can’t read a book without studying it anymore. Ugh. Thanks, English professors.
Ultimately, Our Wicked Histories was okay. I enjoyed it enough to satisfy my weird nostalgia mood. It wasn’t great and it wasn’t bad. I’ll check out other stuff by Amy Goldsmith if I run across anything.
Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. If you enjoy this type of story, by all means try it out. If you have a teenager who’s into the genre, let them check it out. There are mentions of sex that happens off the page, but nothing explicit. In case you need a warning about that.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are annoying, but fine. It’s late on Tuesday because I spent too much time on the phone with Medicaid. Again. Then, I avoided productivity in favor of watching TV with Dad. Shame on me, I know. I’m mostly just having trouble mustering up energy to do anything. I wake up tired. I stay tired despite having my usual amounts of caffeine. Sleep has been normal (just meh). Everything is just meh. Anyway, since I don’t have anything to ramble about, I thought I’d go on a rant. Don’t worry. Next week is the book review, so it’ll be a regular post.
I don’t remember if I’ve talked about it here, but Medicaid decided to force me to sign up for something called Star+Plus back at the end of May. I looked into it and everything I read said I couldn’t be on that program because I’m also on a program called CLASS, plus I’m on Medicare. So, I asked my CLASS case manager and she assured me I could be on Star+Plus, but not on the waiver program version of it. I took her at her word and didn’t think much about it.
Fast forward to July 1st when the program is supposed to activate. Some stuff has occurred that has me questioning things, so I do another search about Star+Plus. I find one super hidden thing that says people on CLASS can be on the program, but everything else says I’m not eligible for it. Add on the fact that I try to activate an online account with the insurance company that handles Star+Plus and keep getting told that I don’t exist, and I start getting antsy. Being the paranoid person I am, I contact Medicaid multiple times over the next week and a half to ask what’s going on and why my account isn’t working and how come they tried to put me on this program when I’m already on this other program, etc. For days, I get passed around to different departments and told conflicting things until someone finally escalates my case.
I feel like a Karen when I have to deal with the government and I’m not sorry about it. I’m always polite, though.
When someone finally calls at 8:30 in the morning, I don’t answer. I call back and get swapped around a couple of times until someone can tell me the woman who called just wanted me to know she was investigating my case and would call me when she knew more. Why she couldn’t just tell me that in the message, I don’t know. So, I wait and I check my YourTexasBenefits account every single day. On Thursday (Dad’s birthday), all mention of Star+Plus is removed from my account. Yay, right? I figure I’ll be getting a call that everything is straightened out and I’m back on traditional Medicaid.
Still hadn’t heard anything yesterday, so I called to get an update. I get passed around a couple of times because it’s the government and they refuse to give you a direct line to the department you need. But I end up on the phone with someone in the wrong department but who actually seems to know what she’s talking about. She confirmed I was right all along and that being on CLASS and Medicare precludes me from being on Star+Plus. Everything in her system indicates that I’m back on traditional Medicaid. She made a note that all mention of Star+Plus was removed from my YourTexasBenefits account. And she got in touch with the escalation unit for me. Supposedly, they’re still waiting for some kind of confirmation from Medicaid that I’m back on traditional Medicaid and that’s why they haven’t been in touch.
So, this has all been a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. Because government. And I’m still waiting to officially be told I’m back on traditional Medicaid. Such fun. Ugh.
Hello, hello! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? This is your yearly reminder that Dad is getting old. His birthday is tomorrow (July 18th)! If you have his number, you know what to do. Otherwise, leave your birthday love here or on my social media pages and I will pass them on! The plan thus far is dinner from Sunday Morning Catfish. Fried porkchop, catfish nuggets, shrimp. Mmm! You already know Dad’s the bestest. So, happy (early) birthday, old man! Love you!
Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? Things here are okay, I guess. We had a nice little BBQ with the Minion, his wifey, the family, and the new neighbors across the street on Saturday. Other than that, things keep going wrong for Dad and I’m dealing with government bullsheet surrounding my benefits. Because of that, I forgot July is Disability Pride Month. I’m not feeling very pride-y. Every time I finally feel like my benefits are settled and I’m coasting along, the government decides to “improve” something that screws everything up. And it doesn’t help that I have to fight for everything I need. I’m dreading the upcoming election. If Cheeto gets in and that Project 2025 gains traction, everyone is going to be screwed except maybe super rich white folks. So, even though I’m not a fan, fingers crossed for Biden and the status quo! But I’m starting to ramble. This is your yearly reminder that Disability Pride Month exists. Disabled people are worthy of all the same things “able” people are. We are not burdens or drains on society or dirty little secrets. We are human beings. And, according to WHO, approximately 1 in 6 people are significantly disabled and that number is rising. Yay for fun facts!
Anyway, I decided to share an explanation of the Disability Pride flag. I might have done this before, but I’m too lazy to check my previous post.
Ann Magill’s original idea contained bold colors and a zigzag design, but after complaints from individuals with sensory issues (the design triggered migraines and created a strobing effect when scrolling), she revamped the idea with straight lines and muted colors that were grouped differently to avoid the negative effects. Here are some of the meanings behind the flag:
Black: The black background symbolizes the mourning of disabled people who have been victimized by ableism or lost to disability-fueled violence, abuse/negligence, and death.
Diagonal stripes: The stripes cut through the darkness (i.e., barriers).
Multi-colored: The disability pride flag includes all six standard international flag colors to indicate that the disability is a global thing.
Green: Sensory disabilities (blindness, deafness, lack of smell, lack of taste, etc.).
Shawna's Blog of Doom 