Ron > Recent Status Updates

Restarting

This book’s definitely taking a different path from what i was expecting. Kaikeyi’s not leading a rebellion, though she is leading change in her kingdom and others nearby. It’s a bit like “A Spell for Chameleon” where the protag’s lack of magic (or in this case, the gods’ indifference to her) is itself a power. As I’m writing this I also realize that Kaikeyi hasn’t used her power in quite some time.

One thing I wasn’t expecting to find in this story is possible aro-ace representation. About the only mention of romance, physical intimacy, or even attraction is Kaikeyi pondering her disinterest in those topics. There’s even a half-demon nobleman who pops into her life at key moments, and no mention of a spark.

For the last couple of months I’ve had trouble sitting down and reading, so I thought I’d get back to a genre that’s served me well in the past: young woman develops magical powers and smashes the patriarchy.

You know things are rough when she agrees to hang out with an ex-boyfriend.

There it is, the old “my character pins your character up against a wall and kisses the breath out of her.” Smooth.

While the mains have been Out to each other for a while, there’s a scene here where they finally acknowledge out loud that if Harper hadn’t moved away they could have had a relationship. Which naturally prompts a round of “what ifs” in Ollie, who’s still In except to her closest friends. How might that affirmation of her feelings and identity at age 12 have altered the rest of her teens?

“Here in Clintville, embracing what I want is so much easier.” I have a hunch we’re not just talking about trade school anymore.

It’s been a while since I’ve played D&D; is it common to implement a safe word?

The book’s progressing into the main action. Our protagonist has met the rest of their D&D group and they’re starting session one. (Aside from character introductions, session zero was either skipped or handled off-page; the first words of chapter 6 are “session one”.)

Two chapters in and we already have wlw pining and “a baby bi” (her words) wondering if it would be better to stick to guys until she moves out of her small town.

Anyway, I found this on a Libro.fm sale and it sounded good. The author’s written Firefly tie-in novels and a story in the “From Another Point of View” series, so the nerd representation should at least be well-informed.

Seven minutes in and there’s already a reference to Arthur Fonzarelli. The Fonz.

Morgoth’s on a bit of a losing streak. His orcs keep getting routed, and even his shiny new dragon couldn’t hang.

This bit was disorienting at first because I didn’t realize it was concurrent with Morgoth’s imprisonment and before the destruction of the Trees. Also, did the light of the Trees not reach Beleriand? Seems like the Sindar were in the dark the whole time and didn’t register the end of the Trees. Anyway, we’re stopping here with humans entering the picture and the Valar finally about to mobilize.

Feanor reeeally wants his gems back.

This is great stuff, and I’ve listened to enough “Nerd of the Rings” to know there’s more coming, but it takes so long.

Elves are awake. I’ve always assumed, but never been able to confirm, that Cirdan was among them. As accomplished as he is in his own right, he’s most noteworthy for his acts of service, so I think there’d be a certain beauty in him being among the first and the last.

Okay, the lamps didn’t work out, but we have trees now. Problem solved, once and for all.

This one comes with a a receipt. I bought this at 6:11 in the morning on April 7th, 2013 at the Powell’s Books in the Portland, Oregon airport. (I was en route to Las Vegas for a behavioral health conference. Loved the conference, only saw the Strip, didn’t like it.) It’s the UK edition for some reason and it was marked down to $9.98. So I bought the book and apparently went to McDonalds for coffee right after.

I’ve been simultaneously reading listening to this, but it’s starting to drag so I’ve switched to just the ebook.

Updated just before reading this line: “Sabrina Sidney is the subject of one of the strangest experiments in pedagogical history. Wax is dripped onto her bare skin, guns are pointed at her, and she’s made to throw perfectly good clothes on the fire, all to see if it is possible to mould someone into the perfect wife. And it’s done without anyone telling her what it’s for or even that she’s being tested.”

This is fun in a Hitchhiker’s Guide sort of way. Not a terribly strong plot, more of an excuse for a boring guy to be put in weird situations with goofball aliens.

Is there anything that says “blossoming love” more than delivering ultimatums, refusing to hear their side of things, and insisting they push past their objections and risk their life for your convenience?

After a long day of traveling they finally found a hotel with an available room. But wouldn’t you know it, there’s only one bed.

Two quirks of this book:
1) They do the thing where someone explains a plan that won’t be revealed until later, which is fine, but without anything to mark the time. Several minutes of exposition are shrunk to “she explained her plan,” which goes by so quickly it feels like I missed a plot point.
2) Either the book or the narrator butchers military time. 9:55 am is not “oh nine fifty-five hundred hours.”

The leads have met and… exchanged pleasantries. Now it’s on to business as they negotiate working together to retrieve a mythical artifact that’ll allow them to go to the past and fix their lives. Again it feels like the exposition to get there was more than necessary, but since this is Book 1 of a series maybe we’re setting up a cosmology for later.

Got the component stories in a Humble Bundle. They’re quick I’ll count the three as one book. Anyway, Gabby seems like a fun companion, especially at this point in Ten’s life (shortly after losing Donna). She’s kind and smart but also young and sheltered enough that he gets to play Professor. And she hit him with a baseball bat when they first met, which is usually a good sign.