FF: Getting Back

Coco Is Shorter Than Even a Goblin

Jim and I went to Arizona for the Christmas weekend.  On the road, we listened to an audiobook of Return of the King, starting where we left off this summer, as the Riders were heading for Minas Tirith.  We’re nearly to the end, and the Shire is being scourged.   If we get a little more time on the road, we’ll finish it.

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Completed:

When in Rome by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Over time, Ngaio Marsh gently expanded his protagonist’s beat from homicide to uncovering espionage (especially during stories set in WWII), and later to investigating the narcotic trade.

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher.   I needed both to laugh and to be absorbed in the plot.  T. Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) is one of the rare writers who can do both for me.

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher.  Novella.  My only “complaint” about this is that it could have been longer. 

In Progress:

Aurora Borealis Bridge by Jane Lindskold.  Mass market paperback proofs.  I’m giving this some of my usual “fun reading” time for a variety of reasons, including, honestly, that I’m enjoying it.

DreamForge Anvil, issue ten.  Perfect for before bed, since the stories, while often complex, are strongly character driven.

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold.  Audiobook.  I read this one a long time ago, long enough that all I remember is enjoying.  Bujold is an excellent example of an SF writer who starts with an idea, and then examines the idea with an emphasis on its implications for three-dimensional characters.

Also:

The latest issue of Archeology, and assorted short articles.

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Jingle All the Way

Jingles in the Holiday Forest

Wishing you and yours a very happy winter holiday, however you celebrate it, even if you don’t!

I’ll be back with more to say in the New Year.

FF: What I Hear…

Persephone Claims Sarkis

It’s rather odd when I think about it, but the lovely cookies featured in this week’s WW were baked to a background of classic mystery…

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Completed:

Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Village mystery with an acknowledged nod to Agatha Christie.  Putting on a play as a fundraiser to buy a piano for a village community center becomes the setting for high drama and murder.

Spinsters in Jeopardy by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Cults, drugs, kidnappings…

Death on the Air and Other Stories by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Actually, a mixed fiction and non-fiction collection, which some excellent essays.

Surfeit of Lampreys and A Man Lay Dead.  Audiobook.  BBC dramatization.  I had very mixed feelings about the adaptation.

In Progress:

When in Rome by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Over time, Ngaio Marsh gently expanded his protagonist’s beat from homicide to uncovering espionage (especially during stories set in WWII), and later to investigating the narcotic trade.

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher.   I needed both to laugh and to be absorbed in the plot.  T. Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) is one of the rare writers who can do both for me.

Also:

The latest issue of Archeology.

Cookies!

Decorations by Jim

Every year, Jim and I bake a lot of cookies.  Some become gifts, some are served to guests.  Some get eaten just by us.  Yeah, it’s a lot of work, but we enjoy.

In addition to the sugar cookies pictured above, we do pecan-maple slices, meringues, butter balls, sesame balls (almost a savory), press gun butter cookies, Linzer tarts (this year with homemade cactus pear jelly), gingerbread (very spicy), hermits, and a simple fudge. 

The sugar cookies are particular fun.  I like making cut-out cookies.  Jim likes decorating them.

We have a lot of cutters, so it never gets dull.  The photo offers a small selection of this year’s sugar cookies for your enjoyment.

Enjoy!

FF: Hands-Free Reading

Mei-Ling Listens

My hands are very busy right now, so most of my absorbing of stories has been via audio.  Oh, and that reminds me!  A New Clan, the fourth Star Kingdom novel, in the series I’ve been writing with David Weber, is now available as an audiobook from Audible.

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Completed:

Into the Vortex by Charles E. Gannon.  ARC.  Sequel to This Broken World.  Not a standalone, although the opening does provide reminders for those who have read the first book.  This book has more of an SF feel than did the previous installment. 

Last Ditch by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Set late in the series, with most of the book focusing on Rick Alleyne, son of Troy and Roderick, a would-be young writer.

In Progress:

Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Village mystery with an acknowledged nod to Agatha Christie.  Putting on a play as a fundraiser to buy a piano for a village community center becomes the setting for high drama and murder.

Also:

A variety of short fiction.

And the latest issue of Archeology.

Odd Decorations

Dandy and Coco with Holiday Pals

Every family that decorates for the holidays has it: the odd decoration that may raise the eyebrows of visitors, but is much beloved by the household.

Maybe it’s something made by a kid at school.  Maybe it’s a gift from a loved friend.  Maybe it’s a family heirloom.  Whatever it might be, it belongs.

For me and Jim, even in a household with more than its share of odd decorations, probably the oddest is the ensemble known as The Twelve Guinea Pigs of Christmas.

I don’t remember what year we got them, but it was one of those when Jim had a field project, so I was handling a lot of our holiday shopping.  One day, I came upon a display of little stuffy toys with Santa hats.  Among them were guinea pigs!  I bought a couple (because guinea pigs get lonely, so just one wouldn’t do), and surprised Jim with them when he got home that week.

For a fellow who, when we started dating, couldn’t understand why I had guinea pigs, Jim was pretty rapidly converted.  He started offering to give them their treats, then check their food and water, and even to clean them.  He has built them several hutches, including one on wheels.

But I didn’t think Jim was so thoroughly converted that he would decide we needed not the two or three little stuffy guinea pigs I’d gotten for us, but twelve.  He searched until he found enough, and now, every holiday season, The Twelve Guinea Pigs of Christmas take up their place atop one of the tall bookcases in our office, where I can see them from my desk and smile.

What is your odd holiday decoration?  If you don’t have one, well, I encourage you to indulge. Even if the budget is tight, you can upcycle something.  Just remember to smile.

The Twelve Guinea Pigs of Christmas

FF: Re-Reading into the Holidays

Roary Considers the Implications of Innocence

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Except for the ARC of a novel that I’ve been looking forward to, I mostly focused on re-reading this week, as a loved story is a good backdrop at a very busy time.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Completed:

The Complete Miss Marple.  Audiobook.  I have listened to some of these short stories, but it’s interesting to hear how the choices made by a different reader cause subtle changes in interpretation.  And, yes, I’ve read all the stories many times. 

In Progress:

Into the Vortex by Charles E. Gannon.  ARC.  Sequel to This Broken World.  Part epic fantasy, part mystery, with flourishes of horror and, as the title suggests, elements of isekai.  Secrets lead only, as is so often the chase, to greater mysteries. 

Last Ditch by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Set late in the series, with most of the book focusing on Rick Alleyne, son of Troy and Roderick, a would-be young writer.

Also:

Jim and I had been rewatching the anime of Cardcaptor Sakura, by the Clamp consortium.  I had a vague memory that the manga ending had been different, and got sucked into re-reading the last story arc, which fills two thick volumes.  My memory was correct.  In case you wonder, I prefer the manga ending!  The second movie catches up with the manga, but took an angle I didn’t find as supported by the material.  Side note: Don’t be fooled by the incredibly cute art.  This is a story about collecting cards the way Moby Dick is a story about hunting whales.

Almost done with the latest issue of Smithsonian. 

Always Something New

Jerusalem artichoke tubers

This last week, I took a break and went out to dig up our Jerusalem artichokes.  We’ve been growing these for a good number of years, having gotten the tubers from my friend, Sally Gwylan.

This year, I was astonished to find the large clump featured in the picture.  Actually, it was even larger when I pulled it out, but a fair number of tubers fell free. 

One of the reasons I enjoy gardening is that there are constant surprises, often good ones.

I enjoy writing for much the same reason.

And, with that in mind, I think I’ll go write.

Jerusalem artichoke plants

FF: Better Short or Long?

Mei-Ling Reads about Lucy Locket

The edition of The Complete Miss Marple I’m listening to includes a short piece by Agatha Christie in which she muses how, although Miss Marple was featured in several novels, she always felt that her talents were best suited to short stories, while Poirot (who was certainly featured in many short stories) needed a novel to show off his particular talents.  Very interesting indeed, and this awareness of how character shapes the tale is probably why Agatha Christie could excel at both long and short form.

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading. 

Completed:

The Frugal Gourmet Celebrates Christmas by Jeff Smith.  About two-thirds anecdotes both about Christmas holiday traditions and Jeff Smith’s family traditions.  The other third is, unsurprisingly, recipes. 

Last Curtain by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Painter Agatha Troy can’t resist the lure of a commission to paint a larger-than-life actor at his home, surrounded by his family, who seem eager to try and top each other as the most peculiar.

Black As He’s Painted by Ngaio Marsh.  Audiobook.  Politically-charged diplomatic murder, with prowl-bys by Lucy Locket, a former stray who finds a home with a retired diplomat. 

In Progress:

Into the Vortex by Charles E. Gannon.  ARC.  Sequel to This Broken World.  Part epic fantasy, part mystery.  Secrets lead only, as is so often the chase, to greater mysteries. 

The Complete Miss Marple.  Audiobook.  I have listened to some of these short stories, but it’s interesting to hear how the choices made by a different reader cause subtle changes in interpretation.  And, yes, I’ve read all the stories many times. 

Also:

Still reading the latest issue of Smithsonian.