Ron > Recent Status Updates

Chapter Five, wherein Alex has some processing to do and Nora is spectacularly chaotic and unfiltered.

Chapter Four, wherein we finally meet Pez, and Alex starts the new year by learning something about himself.

A few pages into Chapter Four and we get another curious pronunciation: “[David] Bowie” rhyming with “Howie”. It’s supposed to rhyme with “Zoe”. To be fair David himself let it slide in interviews. I suppose that’s something you learn to live with when you come from such an accent-rich country.

Chapter Three, wherein the narrator pronounces it “JIF” and Alex visits a mentor. That was an interesting scene because at least in Senator Luna’s office Alex seemed Out, highlighting the fact that we’ve yet to establish how Alex understands himself. Is he normally into guys? Does he know that? We’re not entirely clear.

Chapter Two, in which the gents are forced into close proximity and Alex learns Henry’s actually kind of a nice guy.

Chapter one, wherein we meet the First Family and learn how much Alex is intrigued by Prince Henry… but only because Henry’s so smug and spoiled, obviously. Nothing else.

Gloriella

Back to where I left off. Dorian’s in a huff, Elena’s on vacation, Kaltain’s losing her marbles, and I’m still holding out for Chaol/Archer yaoi.

Restarting. I read up to chapter 8 last year, but then got called in for jury duty and got too busy to read much of anything.

The fifth and last story, “Timebox Altared”, revisits the concept of the third story, a place where one can experience time differently. Four children find a monument in the woods and build a room where they can see the future that might be. To me it’s about the value of representation and imagination; to create the future you must first imagine it and believe you and people like you are capable of building it.

Story four, “Save Changes”. If you had an artifact that would reverse time, but only once and you don’t know for how long, how would you use it?

With such short stories there’s not often time to reach a conflict or provide resolution, so what really shines in stories 3 & 4 has been the worldbuilding. The story ends and the empire hasn’t crumbled, so you’re left with plenty of questions to mull over.

Third story, “Timebox”, sets up an interesting premise, a pantry that’s removed from time. You go in, do whatever for however long, and come back exactly when you left. And then the story ends, a bit ambiguously and with some interesting relationship implications but without much exploration of what a place like that could do, personally or systemically, for better or for worse.

Through the second story, “Nevermind”. A little more down to earth, about a women’s commune outside the State’s control. It still highlights the challenge with a book like this where memory is so important: we don’t always know when we’ve slipped into the past, or when that past is fragmented and nonsensical because their mind has been altered. Times like those you just have to read for the vibes.

Done with the title story. Like most SF&F it’s a bit disorienting at first, you just have to have faith that the world and its technology or magic will eventually make sense. But this was really well done and has some interesting discussion points like freedom vs. security, or the gift that is the ability to forget. And while it makes its own leanings clear it doesn’t claim to have The Answer.

I like Bahni Turpin as a narrator, but the florid prose here gives me the impression that Turpin’s reading it blind. That’s probably true of most audiobooks, but it *shows* here.

When you know how a sentence will end you might read the beginning differently. When you can feel how a scene is developing before the shift is stated outright, you might read a line differently. That’s not really happening here.

About 1/3 of the way through the title story. The Panopticon has progressed beyond surveillance cameras and drones to a stage where it skims citizens’ memories, storing them in a central library. From there the memories can be preserved, but also modified or destroyed depending on what the Standards bureau deems appropriate for society.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tanaya Winder

Jeremy Lin, America Ferrera. This second essay by Ferrera is more about what was lost when her family left Honduras. As great as her life in the US has been and everything it’s allowed her to do, the move also distanced her from her heritage. She tells this through a work trip to Honduras where for the first time she learns about her extended family, who they were and what they stood for.

Michele Kwan, Geena Rocero, Frank Waln, Auli’i Cravalho

Diane Guerrero, Joy Cho, Liza Koshi, Kumail Nanjiani

Carmen Perez’s essay came off a little too polished and humble-braggy, like she was doing a job interview. Issa Rae’s was much more personal, embracing her own flaws and shortcomings.

Finished The Silmarillion per se, next up are the Akallabeth and a chapter about the Rings of Power.

Turin Turambar

Through Beren and Luthien

I don’t particularly like this book yet, but it’s scandalous enough to be entertaining.

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.