Okay, Lord of the Black Mountain is going to be slightly stalled due to doomscrolling due to a) the government shut down b) everything related to the shut down c) horrifying levels of second hand embarrassment. Doomscrolling is generally a bad idea! However I could not look away as I kind of depend on services designed to keep me from dying on the street of starvation and depression/anxiety.
(Also, I have been unwell. As in, physically sick. I hate Metformin, thanks!)
I have a general idea of where I’m going with the story! I am some interesting plans for both Caris and Teren, and I figured out some things related to their relative isolation. >_> I am pleased that things are somewhat coming together, but frustrated because getting the words down when so much else is going on is extremely difficult.
I was able to pay my bills, will probably be able to pay rent. Groceries are another matter, particularly since I need to buy dog-groceries as well.
Upcoming book reviews include, Love Galaxy, by Sierra Branham, Wretched Mage by Juliana Pinheiro, Orbital Decay by Martha Wells, Brides in the Dark by Jacob Steven Mohr, and Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer.
I’m about half way through Ode, which is turning out to be pretty amazing. I am slightly less impressed with Wretched Mage! The ending is an out of the blue plot twist/cliffhanger. (That should have been hinted at a little more broadly.) Brides in the Dark is a fairy tale that somehow reminds me of a strange combination of Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, and Sherri S. Tepper. (Only less Malthusian ranting and ableism.) Orbital Decay is another solid entry into the Murderbot Diaries, with some great understated humor. Love Galaxy had a strong beginning, but some of the plot twists were uncomfortable, and the ending genuinely upsetting.
Other books on my reading list: I need to read/listen to Queen Demon. Yes, I’ve reviewed the galley, but I always get more insight from multiple readings. I also managed to wrangle a couple of the latest Penric and Desdemona novellas. (The Adventure of the Ox and Testimony of Mute Things.) I am looking forward to reading them! I am hoping to somehow acquire the next Michigan Fleet Novel when it becomes available. (I am extremely enthused about it’s presence on Royal Road!
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