Marj > Recent Status Updates

I'm slowly continuing this one. It has Roach's usual depth and humor, but --as with so many things-- the interaction between humans and animals veers towards the tragic in several chapters. I've reached a point where I need to pause this, not because it's poorly written or uninteresting or unimportant, but because it's sad and there's already so much of that in the world right now.

“‘Bears are more bite bite bite... It’s a big mess.”

7 pages in and I’m remembering why I have devoured everything Mary Roach writes.

Am trying to savor this, so I’ve paused halfway through, but chapter 2 (Richard) made me laugh so hard I felt sick. I then made my husband read it and he laughed until he gave himself a headache.

One day I hope to be able to channel the confidence/brashness of Kiva Lagos (as needed— definitely not all the fucking time).

Still in the prologue and already loving it.

There have been some truly creepy/unsettling parts, but I just hit a moment that made me stop what I’m working on and pause the audiobook... because even sitting by a bright window in my kitchen can’t quite keep me from feeling anxious and a little bit ill.

Themes of isolation and madness are feeling ... more-than-a-little applicable right now.

I am delighted by how much of this book focuses on a MC who is trying to be brave for her dog.

I adore the characters in this book. One day I aspire to be as wonderful as Foxy.

Thank you to the author for making it clear that the dog lives from the start. I know horror stories induce some anxiety, but I’d rather not worry about pets surviving, especially Bongo, the charming, but not-especially-bright, hound.

“...as long as they were in control, atrocity would always be excused in the name of convenience and greed.”

11/22/2019: TW: animal death and poor librarian ethics

12/7/2019: Oh man, I had to skip about 20 minutes of a very dry, academic explanation made by a single character. Mostly this makes an excellent audiobook (all the accents!), but I'm wondering if this is one of the times when it fell a bit flat. Less than 8 hours left!

This one is hard for me to read. It’s excellent, just.... hard.

TW: animal death and poor librarian ethics

I didn’t get enough sleep and am listening while getting reading for work when this line happened...

“Forgive me the explanation Ninth, I know you’ve been keeping track of the keys...”
“Ahaha!” Thought Gideon. She hadn’t.

I’ve only recently started the audiobook, but so far it is excellent— similar to Becky Chambers in tone.

This is excellent so far, BUT I keep wanting to yell at people for their cavalier handling of venomous species.

Remarkable Recoveries is my favorite section thus far. I never would have guessed it might be possible to survive an injury so severe that your top two vertebra fuse and cough up part the damaged chunk of your spine.

I’m giving up on this one. I’ve struggled to make myself finish listening, but I’m only a little over an hour into the audio book. I don’t have another 7+ hours in me.

It’s probably fine, but it’s not as gripping as the previous two and- in all honesty- I was kind of ok with where things ended in book 2.

An hour into the audiobook and I kind of hate it so far... the story is fine, but it’s really bleak.

And changing to a new voice actress for Eva was a poor choice— especially since her accent has completely changed (Puerto Rican to New York), but there’s no real reason that explains that change...
I’m sticking with it for now.

“I wished I could take her to the library and hand her over to the librarians. ‘Please teach her about everything,’ I’d say.”

Ann Bonnie is glorious!!!!

"High above, the star kraken Ya-Sathoth
Contemplates taking the name 'Renee'
Between summons to destroy worlds
By jilted necromancers who should know better."
From "The Dream Highway of Ms. Mannivongsa

I absolutely fucking love Lady Kiva.

Paused due to technical difficulties with downloadable audiobook. :/

"Teach her to reject likeability... We have a world full of women who are unable to exhale fully because they have for so long been conditioned to fold them selves into shapes to make themselves likable."

"Teach her to reject likeability... We have a world full of women who are unable to exhale fully because they have for so long been conditioned to fold them selves into shapes to make themselves likable."

"There must be more than male benevolence as the basis for a woman's well-being."