I've had aNetGalleyaccount for a couple of years now (prompted by a friend who told me about it) but never actually used it to request any books, until this past week.
If you've never heard of NetGalley, it's a site that helps authors & publishers provide digital review copies in advance of publication to readers and industry professionals who can help get the word out by reviewing and recommending their books. In a nutshell, you can read books for free, ahead of anyone else, in exchange for promising to post reviews to your Goodreads account, blog, etc. The larger your audience and the more reviews you post, the better your chances of getting access to the books you want.
Who doesn't love the idea of free books, right? I set up a profile and got it approved. But every time I browsed through the site, I got overwhelmed. So I hadn't requested any -- until last week, when I got an email from NetGalley promoting Ashley Audrain's new book, "The Whispers," available to the first 200 members requesting it. I still haven't read "The Push" (which I got as a cheap e-book a while back), but thought this one sounded interesting and hit the "request" link. Amazingly enough, I was granted access.
Now, supposedly there is a way to download a copy to my Kobo e-reader -- but I still haven't been able to figure out just how to do it. (I may need to get my sister's techie boyfriend involved...). From what I can tell, I have to download Adobe Digital Editions to my laptop, download the book there and then transfer it from my laptop to my e-reader -- but when I try to download ADE, I get a message that "This app is not available for your device." ??? (It's a two-year old HP laptop, using Windows 10, so I'm not sure what the issue is?)
I did download the NetGalley app to my cellphone, and it's available there -- but yikes, the teeny tiny (unchangeable) type...! (And there's a number on the book cover that says "51 days left" -- I didn't realize I was under a deadline...! I assume the book will disappear from the app after that??)
Anyone else use NetGalley?
(A version of this post also appeared under "Right now," also posted this morning -- but I thought it might be buried there, so I decided to use it as my #MM post today too. :) )
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
*(an occasional (mostly monthly) meme, alternating from time to time with "The Current"). (Explanation of how this started & my inspirations in my first "Right now" post, here. Also my first "The Current" post, here.)
Pandemic diary/update: April marked 37 months (3 years plus, entering the 4th (!) year) of the COVID-19 pandemic. (And no, it's NOT "over"...!)
"Why aren’t we hearing about COVID waves anymore? Because COVID is at ‘a high tide’ — and staying there," the Toronto Star reported recently. Subheading: "The first Omicron wave has left us numb to the continuing presence of the virus. But hospitals are dealing with a “steady stream” that’s hurting the system."
"COVID hospitalizations in Canada are about six times higher today than they were at the lowest point of the pandemic... while COVID hospitalizations this year and last have proven less erratic, they have remained at significant levels," the article says. One nurse quoted in the article says, “It’s no longer a tidal wave. It is a steady stream.”
Back in March, the National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI) released its recommendations on spring booster shots. Given the previous "six months since your last shot" guidance, I figured we were due for our next shots in early May. HOWEVER -- unlike previous rounds of covid vaccines, this round is being targeted at those considered most at-risk -- i.e., seniors or those with compromised immune systems, etc. The vaccine clinic attached to our family doctor's office sent out emails announcing bookings are available for those 65+ and high-risk individuals. Dh (recently turned 66) is eligible -- I (a mere youngster of 62) am not. :( (I am considering trying to book an appointment for myself when I book his soon, just to see what happens...!)
On the personal pandemic front: We remain covid-free (knocking wood, loudly...) -- and while we have ventured out more often lately, we're still being very careful (more so than most people we know). We still mask in stores and other public places and when we're around Little Great-Niece (for now, at her parents' request), albeit we usually don't in smaller/family settings.
On top of dh's solo trips to the supermarket for groceries (about once a week), for occasional takeout lunches & dinners, and to see/help out his brother, we:
Saw Little Great-Nephew 3 times: we stayed with him for most of the day on April 4th when his grandparents went to a lengthy medical appointment, again on the 18th, and also for a shorter time on the 25th.
Also saw Little Great-Nephew -- and Little Great-Niece, and both sets of their parents (the nephews and their wives) -- at BIL & SIL's for dinner on Good Friday. (It feels like a long time ago now...!)
Headed downtown on the subway for the first time in 3+ years (!) to (FINALLY!) see "Hamilton"!
Went to the supermarket together -- on the Thursday before the Easter long weekend, no less! -- and to ToysRUs on an errand for BIL.
Returned to our old community on Easter Saturday for haircuts and to pick up some favourite food items that we can't get locally, and stopped by the cemetery with some Easter/springtime decorations for Katie's niche.
When we got back home, we picked up BIL & SIL, and headed over to dh & BIL's aunt's condo for coffee with her and her daughters and son-in-law (dh & BIL's cousins).
After that, we stopped by Walmart briefly and then at the supermarket for some takeout for diner, which we ate at BIL & SIL's.
Attended a funeral home visitation for dh's cousin's mother-in-law on Easter Monday, and stopped at the bookstore on the way home for a quick browse.
Returned to the bookstore on April 27th to shop for birthday cards for the nieces-in-law and a Mother's Day card for my mom.
Attended ANOTHER funeral home visitation for the MIL of ANOTHER one of dh's cousins on Sunday afternoon (April 30th).
Celebrated dh's aunt's birthday later the same day with her daughter and her family (dh's cousin), as well as BIL & SIL.
Had coffee with BIL & SIL once, and stopped by briefly after supper another evening.
Shopped at the drugstore twice (both times on a Thursday = Seniors Day! = 20% off all regular-priced items).
25 years agoin April (1998), I was basking in excited congratulations from family, friends and finally co-workers, as I revealed my pregnancy -- but still dealing with spotting, including a trip to the emergency room at the hospital, where I had my first ultrasound (and my first experience with the infamous dildocam!) -- and learned that I had something called a "bicornuate uterus." I relived my pregnancy & loss experiences in a series on this blog in 2008, 10 years after the fact... here are the April-related posts:
This brings me to 17 books read to date in 2023, 38% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. :) I am currently (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal.
Current read(s):
"Sarah's Cottage" by D.E. Stevenson, for my DES group (a sequel to "Sarah Morris Remembers," which we read late last year... reviews here and here). As requested by our UK members, our chapter-by-chapter discussion will begin after the Coronation hoopla ends this weekend! (lol)
"Living the Life Unexpected" by Jody Day. Re-reading (for the 5th time, I think!) and discussing one chapter per month (for the second time) with a group of other childless women within the private online Gateway/Lighthouse Women community. If & when I/we complete the full 12 chapters, I'll count it as a(nother) re-read. (We covered Chapter 3 in mid-April... Chapter 4 coming up). (My most recent review -- with links to previous reviews -- here.)
Coming up: Most of my book groups have their next reads plotted out for a few months in advance -- and listing them here helps me keep track of what I should be reading next. ;)
For my D.E. Stevenson group: We just agreed on a new list of upcoming books to discuss which should keep us busy through 2024, and maybe even into 2025! (A couple of the books are ones we covered when I first joined the group back in 2014 -- you know you've been around for a while when....!)
For my Gateway/Lighthouse Women NoMo Book Club: I've just volunteered to be one of a new team of co-hosts (! -- like I need one more thing on my plate right now?? -- oh well! Sometimes you have to pitch in if you want things to happen...! ;) ) Next selection(s) TBA...
For the Notes from Three Pines (Louise Penny mysteries) Readalong: The next book for discussion has not been announced, but it's logical to assume that it's book #3, "The Cruellest Month" (which I read this month). The first two books were covered in mid-February and mid-March, and I'd assumed we'd be discussing this one in mid-April, but so far, no word on this one...??
Also:
"Funny Girl" by Nick Hornby. I see a TV adaptation (inexplicably retitled "Funny Woman") will be starting on one of the channels we get in mid-May, so I'm going to TRY to read the book before then. I've read & enjoyed several Hornby novels before.
A few recently purchased titles (mostly in digital format, mostly discounted ($5-10 or less) or purchased with points):
Also of note on the reading front: I've had a NetGalley account for a couple of years now (prompted by a friend who told me about it) but never actually used it to request any books, until this past week. I got an email promoting Ashley Audrain's new book, "The Whispers," available to the first 200 members requesting it. Amazingly enough, I was granted access. Supposedly there is a way to download a copy to my Kobo e-reader, but I still haven't been able to figure out just how to do it. (I may need to get my sister's techie boyfriend involved...). From what I can tell, I have to download Adobe Digital Editions to my laptop, download the book there and then transfer it from my laptop to my e-reader -- but when I try to download ADE, I get a message that "This app is not available for your device." I did download the NetGalley app to my cellphone, and it's available there but yikes, the teeny tiny (unchangeable) type...!
Anyone else use NetGalley?
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Watching: We've recently been watching "Lucky Hank" with Bob Odenkirk. I must confess, we never watched "Breaking Bad" or "Better Call Saul" (I know, I know...!), but he's been awesome in everything else I've ever seen him in. It's a very black comedy about academia and midlife crisis, almost painful to watch at times -- but it's really good. (Set in Pennsylvania, but filmed in/around Vancouver?!)
We also watched a four-part CNN documentary this past month about the Heaven's Gate cult, which committed mass suicide in 1997. I've always found the footage of the cult members and (especially) their leader rather creepy to watch (and that hasn't changed), but I've always found the subject of cults and how people get caught up in them fascinating, and overall, it's an interesting program. (One of the people interviewed was Steve Hassan, an ex-Moonie who wrote a book that I read & reviewed here a few years ago related to cults and to the -- *cough!* -- current political situation in America. ;) )
And... for all that I don't generally watch a lot of sports, I've been watching the NHL Stanley Cup (hockey) playoffs, which began mid-month. (I AM, after all, Canadian! lol)(More accurately: dh has been watching. I've been glancing up from my book or laptop now & then.) I generally don't get too interested in the playoffs until/unless one of "my" teams is in it, and/or until the later rounds. But... the long, lamented, local Toronto Maple Leafs, who last won the Stanley Cup in 1967 (and no, that is NOT a typo -- it was 56 years ago and dh was 10 years old, and he remembers it well!)... actually WON their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Saturday night!! The last time they made it past the first round was 19 years ago, in 2004 (!). (It's been 30 years since a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.) Alas, my beloved Winnipeg Jets have already been eliminated in the first round by the Las Vegas Golden Knights. :( I will be thoroughly sick of hockey by the time this all wraps up, sometime in mid/late June (!! -- it never went this long when I was growing up...)... but for now.... ;)
So far as I know, this will not affect the "Heardle Decades" knock-off versions of the game, which are powered by Soundcloud and not Spotify. I've always done much better on those versions anyway (especially the 60s & 70s!).
Current Heardle/Decades stats as of April 30th:
Heardle (original/all decades, which will be shut down after May 4th): 24.4% correct (66/270, 19 on the first guess), down from last month. These will be my final stats from this game. Maximum streak: 3.
Heardle 60s: 79.8% (178/223, 85 on first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 14.
Heardle 70s: 68.5% (159/232, 84 on the first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 13.
Heardle 80s: 38.2% (29/76, 15 on the first guess), up from last month. Max. streak: 4.
Heardle 90s: 32.1% (70/218, 20 on the first guess), down slightly this month. Max. streak: 4.
Eating/Drinking: Dh's aunt's Italian Easter bread (cuculi). Yum!
Takeout dinners on Saturday nights this month included wood-oven pizza, teriyaki rice bowls, soup, and -- for the first time since October 2021! -- our favourite chicken fingers/strips and fries from Jack Astor's (bar & grill/casual dining chain), lol. (I'd sworn off them because of my gallstone issues, but since I no longer have a gallbladder...!).
We had dinner with the nephews & their families at their parents (BIL & SIL)'s house on Good Friday. The menu included salmon, roasted potatos & veggies. We picked up a fruit plate and apple pie at the supermarket for dessert.
For Easter dinner for two (and tons of leftovers for the days afterward!), we picked up a small pre-cooked ham from the supermarket, which we warmed up in the oven. (Not quite as good as the hams my parents cook from scratch when we're there, but not bad either!) To go with it, we had some mixed veggies, and I made scalloped potatoes for the first time by myself (I've helped my mom do it in the past) -- they turned out very well! And we bought an apple pie for ourselves too, which we warmed up for dessert (also lots of leftovers for the next few days, lol). :)
Buying (besides books, lol): I took advantage of an Easter sale and purchased two Ancestry DNA kits for my mother & me (which JUST arrived). (Dh & my dad weren't interested, and my sister is dead set against doing it.) They're on their way here. My mother has been wanting to do hers for a while now (ever since some friends and one of her cousins did theirs) and nagging me about it. ;) Genealogy is one of my big interests, but I've been a little reluctant about getting into the DNA thing -- one big reason being that I know I have at least one first cousin out there who was surrendered for adoption 50-ish years ago by one of my relatives. Don't get me wrong, the more the merrier when it comes to cousins -- but I have no idea what the birth parent's other children know about this other sibling, and I feel like it would be just my luck that s/he would pop up out of the woodwork, and then I would be in a very awkward position. But I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there...! (And since this was my mother's idea, maybe I'll insist that SHE gets to make any awkward phone calls...! lol)
Any hints/advice to offer on getting the most out of this experience?
Towards the end of the month, I got spring fever and ordered a couple of new T-shirts (that I didn't really NEED..!) from Cleo and Old Navy. :)
Wearing: We had a mid-month warm spell that lasted several days and had me shedding my long sleeves, long pants and socks & slippers for capri leggings, short sleeves and bare feet. (Then the temperatures dipped, and it was back to long sleeves and socks, lol.)
Noticing: There have been a lot of birds (or at least one or two very busy ones!) swooping up past our windows lately, often with things in their beaks (and sometimes perching on the rails of our balcony). I suspect they're building a nest on one of the balconies nearby, or perhaps the penthouse suite terrace. (I said to one of them through the window, "You're welcome to stop here, but don't get any ideas about moving in!" lol) Fun to watch! and another sign of spring! :)
Another sign of spring: the fine green mist that suddenly appeared on the trees mid-month, as the leaves started budding out. (Which has also brought another round of dh's seasonal allergies -- not quite so nice...!)
Enjoying: The wonderful connections I've made through blogging and elsewhere online. :)
Wondering: What Little Great-Nephew was whispering to himself while sitting on the potty when we were babysitting him recently?? lol I could hear him whispering to himself, but couldn't make out what he was saying. It was so cute -- I like to think he was giving himself a pep talk! lol (He's been doing really well with the potty lately!)
(Sorry for the proud auntie digression -- I know potty training is one of the last subjects you'd expect to encounter on a blog about childless living! lol -- but yes, poop still happens -- and sometimes childless aunties are the ones who have to clean it up! lol)
Wanting: The Leafs to finally win that Cup!! (And then the Jets!) (A girl can dream... lol....)
Trying: To stay on top of my emails and delete or file them more regularly. (I had almost 10,000 emails in my inbox recently...!)
Worrying: About BIL's health issues, and the impact it's having on the rest of the family, including dh, SIL & the nephews. :(
Hoping: For a good outcome for him...
Waiting: To see how this all plays out over the next several weeks/months (and whether I'm going to be able to get home this summer to see my parents & sister...!).
Prioritizing: Supporting them all right now through this difficult time (even if it means our own stuff gets put on the back burner...).
Appreciating: Our own relative good health, even more these days (knocking wood...!).
Loving: Cozy evenings at home, curled up on the sofa with my laptop or a good book -- especially Friday nights, when the laundry is all done, the house is freshly cleaned and we're both tired but looking forward to the weekend. Dh reminds me now & then that "every day is the weekend when you're retired!" and there's some truth to that -- but on the other hand, most of the other people in our lives are still working, and there's still something about the weekend that I appreciate!
Feeling: Glad that winter (finally!) seems to be over...! (albeit the weather is still a tad grey & chilly...!) Impatient for nicer weather to arrive. Anxious about BIL. :(
I've been hearing the buzz for a while now about a new book: "Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother" by Peggy O'Donnell Heffington. I'm always up for a good read about childlessness (and it's been a while since my last one), so I downloaded an e-copy the same day it was published this month, and started reading.
As the subtitle suggests, this book takes an historical perspective on the subject -- but it's far from dry or boring. It covers a broad range of reasons why, throughout history, women have not had children (as set out in the table of contents): environmental/ecological reasons, simply not wanting children, not being able to have children (infertility), prioritizing other things (career), and so on.
There were some fascinating stories and examples here of women without children -- some I knew about and others I did not. There were some great points throughout, well made. I was especially fascinated by the chapters on environmental reasons and the childfree by choice movement, and by some of the complex alliances and rivalries among the various associated factions and groups described. The chapter on "because we can't" (infertility) was very well done.
And then... My one reservation about the book comes in the conclusion. The author makes a valid case that a huge reason why fewer people are having children is that modern society makes parenthood a very difficult proposition. She ends with a plea for compassion, community and greater understanding between parents and those without children:
The years I spent writing this book have softened me, especially towards the mothers and parents in my life. I originally wanted to write about the value and accomplishments of women without children in part because I wanted us to get more credit. I was someone who would get annoyed, even angry, at the things that fall onto people without kids, women in particular, especially, at work.... Not having children, I'll admit to thinking, bitterly and more than once, doesn't mean I'm not busy, or tired, or that I don't have anything important to do. But as I researched and wrote, as I watched parents around me struggle, I realized this kind of thinking is not just ungenerous and unkind, though it certainly is both of those thing. It is also dangerous...
While I agree with her that meaningful support for parents is sadly lacking (especially in the United States), and that there's a huge need for greater compassion and community all round, I couldn't help but feel just a little let down. While she threw in a couple of sentences about how parents need to care about their neighbours and let us have "a real role in the responsibilities and joys that come with having children," and that people with children need to stop telling their childless friends "You'll never understand" -- the message I got was still very much that those of us without children need to support the parents in our lives (which many of us do already) -- the flipside, maybe not so much. I admire her generosity of spirit, but I must admit that it's not something I always find easy to imitate or accept, because in my personal experience (as well as those of others I know), there's often a lack of reciprocity when it comes to relationships with parents. And it's hard to always be the ones doing -- and expected to do -- all the giving.
I was left feeling rather deflated, after an otherwise exhilarating trip through childless/free history -- and for that reason, I could not give this book a 5-star rating.
Nevertheless, it's a great book, so far as it goes, and worth a read if you have any interest in this subject!
Excerpts from this book have appeared in several publications, and Heffington recently wrote an opinion piece for The Globe & Mail: "Policies that make it easier to be a parent won’t actually help people become parents." It's more about parenting and the lack of supportive policies such as affordable day care and parental leave than about childlessness -- and it makes the point that even countries with supportive policies (or at least MORE supportive policies than in the U.S., such as Canada, France and Sweden) have declining fertility rates. But towards the end, there's this thought (which I definitely do agree with!):
It’s time to stop thinking about falling fertility and people without children as a problem. As the sociologist Philip Cohen suggested in The New York Times in 2021, rather than trying to “fix” our fertility rate, there is a better, possibly more effective option that is also definitely more morally sound: “create conditions that allow people to control their fertility, and have children if they want to.” What if we stopped asking how to get more people to have more babies, and instead started asking how we could truly value and care for the ones we are having – and the ones we already have?
There's another recently published book on life without children: "Women Without Kids" by Ruby Warrington. It will be interesting to see how it compares to this one...!
This was Book #17 read to date in 2023 (and Book #4 finished in April), bringing me to 38% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule. :) You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."
I've been wanting to write this post for a while now, but struggling to figure out just how much I can write without telling stories and revealing too many details that are not really mine to share. And yet it's also very much my/our story too, because we are also affected, in multiple ways. And I wanted to write about it here because, in some ways, the things dh & I are feeling are intertwined with/exacerbated by our childlessness.
I've mentioned/hinted in various posts that my brother-in-law -- dh's younger brother and only sibling -- has been experiencing some serious health problems over the past year & a half. His condition has deteriorated significantly since the new year began -- and he's not going to get better unless and until he has a major surgical procedure, which may or may not work (and we don't like to think about "may not"). There is a waiting list involved -- so we don't know when or how this is all going to unfold. (That's about as specific as I think I can get here.) It's been impossible for him to continue working, so earlier this year, he went on disability (and thankfully, his company has been extremely supportive).
Almost exactly 10 years ago this month, dh lost his job, and wound up taking early retirement. (The same thing happened to me a little more than a year later.) And 7 years ago this month, we sold the house where we'd been living for the past 26 years (where we thought we'd be raising our family) and downsized to the condo where we now live, 10 minutes away from dh's brother and his family (and closer to a few other extended family members too). There were several reasons why we made the decision to move, and to move when and where we did, but one of the main ones was that dh wanted to be closer to his brother and our nephews. He pointed out that they would be better able to support us and help us out as we age from there vs where we'd been living (true) -- and while I'm still not wild about this community itself, I do love our condo, and it has been nice to be near family, especially as our two nephews got married and started their own families.
We helped out with organizing their weddings & showers, etc., bought them stuff they needed for their new homes and new babies, have hunted down and delivered baby formula and children's Tylenol when there have been shortages, etc. For the past two years, SIL has been the main caregiver for their grandson (our Little Great-Nephew) while the parents are at work (while juggling her own part-time job), and we've gone over there at least once a week to spend time with him (and get him out of her hair for a while, lol) and stayed with him when she had appointments, etc. We've been there for all of them in many other ways over the past 7 years too.
Since BIL's health problems emerged, we've been called on to help out more than ever. Dh speaks with his brother on the phone at least once a day, and has been doing his best to cheer him up and keep up his spirits. More than once, he's dropped everything, got in the car and gone over to see BIL when he's been feeling down or wants his help with a specific task or just wants his big brother there to talk to. Even on days when BIL is feeling relatively good (and maybe especially on those days!), he's calling two, three, four, five times a day: he's not used to just sitting around the house, and he is BORED. (Plus, I think he gets a kick out of bugging his brother, lol. Even now that they're both in their 60s...!)(Covid lockdown periods were a nightmare for him.)
Dh has been taking BIL to some of his appointments, and we've been staying with LGN when my SIL goes with him. He usually has at least one appointment during the week, often more, and sometimes they're gone for almost the entire day. We adore LGN, and he's really no trouble at all (and he will be starting pre-school in the fall, so we won't be seeing as much of him after that :( ) -- but he IS a very active 3-year-old! (lol) and we ARE in our 60s, and NOT used to being around small children for that long!
Anyway -- I'm finding it a little ironic/funny that although we moved here with the idea that they could support us as we aged -- part of our "ageing without children" strategy -- and they HAVE been there for us, especially when we first moved here and were finding our way around, etc. -- WE are the ones who have been supporting them! They are very, very appreciative, and they are really, really good about including us in things -- and I'm pretty sure that someday, they will do the same for us -- but right now the balance is definitely in their favour. Funny/strange how life works out sometimes...!
But -- (confession time) -- I'm also just a wee bit... irritated? sometimes: I sense there's an underlying assumption that, well, OF COURSE we will do [whatever needs to be done -- and of course we will...!], because hey! we're retired AND we're childless!! -- it's not like we have anything better to do, right?? (These are my feelings, not dh's.) I especially find myself shaking my head when BIL calls on dh to help him with things like yardwork and moving furniture, etc., because he (BIL) "doesn't want to bother" his sons/our nephews -- both of whom are bigger, stronger and 30+ years younger than my husband!
I worry about my sister-in-law, who is closest to the situation and who has been through a lot of loss and stress over the past several years. And I worry about my husband, and how this is affecting him too. At one point recently, he said to me glumly, "I'm going to be the last one left" -- meaning, the lone survivor from his family of origin. :( I know that, whatever happens to BIL, people will rally around my SIL and our nephews. (They're already doing it.) But I'm worried that dh, and his own very real need for support, will be overlooked. (I kind of feel like it's being overlooked now.) Everyone in the extended family adores BIL and has been expressing their concern and support for him & SIL (and sometimes calling dh for updates, rather than bothering SIL). Dh has said -- only half jokingly -- that if it was him in the same situation, people would be saying, "Well, it's been nice knowing you..." (!) Like many men, he doesn't have a very extensive social network -- his brother is his best friend (besides me). He grew up close to several of his cousins, but he's one of the oldest in the extended family, and of course most of them are still working and busy with their kids and their own aging parents and in-laws, etc.
I'm really glad we're here and able to help out as much as we've been doing. And if there's one thing I've learned over the past 25 years, it's to expect the unexpected -- that life rarely unfolds exactly the way we think it will.
But I can't help but thinking that (much like the pandemic!) this is really NOT what I pictured I'd be doing in retirement...!
(I always did like this video... although I recognize that Alanis's definition of "ironic" here is not entirely correct...!)
(Stealing/"borrowing" an old topic from Mali! :) -- a slight variation on my usual "annoying things" posts...)
Days (like today) when the sun doesn't shine. :(
Coconut. (Was it Mel who once asked whether we're fans? I'm afraid I'm not...! Although I will tolerate it as part of the base for nanaimo bars...)
Nuts in cookies.
Mushrooms. (I like mushroom flavouring -- e.g., cream of mushroom soup in casseroles, etc. -- but I dislike actual mushrooms (especially the canned ones!) -- there's something about the squishy texture (shudder)...!)
Rap/hiphop music.
Horror movies.
Most drivers hereabouts (lol).
Feeling tired (even though I got a fairly decent night's sleep). :p
Cleaning the shower cubicle (albeit I do like the results, very much!).
Scented products. (I do like wearing perfume occasionally, albeit I don't do it very often these days, because so many people are scent-sensitive. And I do like using using certain essential oil blends in my diffuser. But generally, I try to avoid strong scents in my personal care, laundry & cleaning products.)
Breaking in new shoes.
Having my bangs grow to the point where they're constantly in my eyes. :p
Certain politicians. ;)
Not being able to come up with something better for this week's #MM. ;)
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
Annoying thing/blogging note: Writing a recent book review, I suddenly realized I hadn't changed the little blurb I put at the end of each book review from "Goodreads 2022 Reading Challenge" to 2023. (Everything else within the blurb that referred to the year said "2023.") Oops. It only took me four full months to realize this...! (Insert red-faced emoji here.)
I went back and updated all my reviews to date this year (thankfully, just 16 so far!). Better late than never, I guess....!
Next week (April 23rd to 29th) is National Infertility Awareness Week in the U.S. and in Canada (where it's now apparently called National Fertility Awareness Week) -- something I will admit I don't pay much attention to these days. I don't follow many infertility blogs these days (many of the ones I used to follow no longer exist) and most of the social media accounts I follow have more of a childless/free perspective than ones still focused on trying to conceive. But it does still pop up as a subject there too!
I wasn’t sure joining the world of the childfree by choice was going to provide me comfort. Would these women, so certain that parenting was not for them, understand why it was what I had always wanted? Perhaps I, too, had internalised the idea that women without kids were cold and lacking in compassion, which could not be further from the truth. The “unsung sisterhood” has got my back.
Not adoption/loss/infertility/childless-related, but an article that made me go, "Oh, hell YES!!" when I read the headline (bringing out my inner curmudgeon -- "now, back in MY day, kids..." -- lol): "Welcome to Wedding Sprawl."
Subheading: "Proposal parties. Extended bachelor and bachelorette weekends. Multiple honeymoons. Modern marriage celebrations can feel endless."
I think the same could be said for babies: it's not just baby showers any more, it's gender reveal parties, ultrasound photos and regular pregnancy updates on social media, "babymoons" (pre-birth vacations), "sprinkles" (mini-showers for subsequent children), post-birth "meet the baby" parties, christenings and huge, elaborate birthday parties (especially the first one)...
His website hasn't been updated in eons -- but Alan Bradley, now 85 years old and the author of one of my favourite mystery series of books, announced on Facebook this weekend that he will be producing two more Flavia de Luce novels over the next two years -- the first to be published in fall 2024 (title: "What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust") and the second in fall 2025!!!
Longtime readers here may recall that I ADORE Flavia (who is 11 years old at the start of the series, and a budding chemist/detective with a special interest in poison, lol). All 10 Flavia novels to date (with the exception of the first, "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," from 2009) are reviewed on this blog.
The tenth Flavia novel, "The Golden Tresses of the Dead," was published in 2019. It was the last one Bradley was contracted to write -- although at the time, he didn't rule out more to come. (Understandably, though, after 10 novels in 10 years, he was looking forward to a break!)
In response to the question "Do you have any insider news on the Flavia tv series that you are free to share?" -- which I first heard about at least 10 years ago, with British director Sam Mendes connected to the project -- he responded, tantalizingly, "soon..." (SQUEEEEEE....)
I decided I had amassed enough Flavia-related posts on this blog to give Flavia her own label, lol. Here it is!
My D.E. Stevenson group recently completed our chapter-by-chapter reading and discussion of "The Empty World" (alternate title: "A World in Spell"), first published in 1936. I read the book on my own, in advance of our discussions, earlier in the year, and reviewed it here.
While DES is known as "the mistress of the light novel" (see the blurb on the cover image, left), and while there are elements of her trademark romances here, "The Empty World" is also an apocalyptic/dystopian/speculative/science fiction novel, set 37 years in the future, in 1973.
The plot: British author Jane Forrest and her secretary Maisie are en route from New York to England aboard a trans-Atlantic airliner, when a sudden, violent thunderstorm knocks the plane off course. With no radio contact or radar to guide them, they eventually land in Renfrew, Scotland, where they are greeted by complete silence. No people, no birds, no animals. Buildings are vacant and the roads are littered with empty cars and buses. The 13 passengers and 9 crew members are, it seems, the last surviving people left on earth. (Or are they?)
As I mentioned in my earlier review, it's an intriguing premise -- and there are some interesting thoughts about technology, power, human behaviour, morality, etc. -- but there are some gaping plot holes (DES obviously didn't think through all the details or implications of the world she created), and the execution sometimes leaves something to be desired. While the story is supposed to be set in 1973, there's a lot here that still seems very 1936.
Several of our group members found the initial chapters bleak and off-putting and, early on, there was some discussion about whether we should abandon the book altogether and choose another one. Some wondered whether reading it now, in a world where nuclear weapons exist and global tensions are higher than they have been since the end of the Cold War, made it an even more difficult read than it would have been in 1936. Of course, even in 1936, Hitler was already beginning to flex his muscles in Europe, so who's to say?
Anyway, I'm very glad we continued, because we sure had some interesting discussions as we worked our way through the story! It's not Stevenson's best work, but she gets points for effort and originality, and for trying something a little different, outside of her usual norm.
My original Goodreads rating of 3 stars stands.
Not sure what our next Stevenson novel will be, but I'm looking forward to it! :)
This was Book #16 read to date in 2023 (and Book #3 finished in April), bringing me to 36% of my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 45 books. I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 3 books ahead of schedule. :) You can find reviews of all my books read to date in 2023 tagged as "2023 books."
