Mel (Epic Reading) > Recent Status Updates

Familiar and cozy. Adding snippets of this in where I can in my day reading off my phone. Not my preferred way to read but for a novel of this type and one I know the characters in it works.

There is something ‘sixth sense’ like going on here. I can’t quite pinpoint it but I no longer think our leading lady is a reliable narrator. Something she is seeing or thinks is truth is not quite real I suspect.

This has a typical first person POV in a ‘sketchy’ area and house. I’m intrigued but so far it feels very formulaic…

Your typical haunted house, traumatized single gal trope so far…

Hugo nominated novella.

”People are often frightened by the night, but it is in daylight where the real monsters hide. They wear smiles and they are loved—or else, believed. Those are the most dangerous.”

”Sometimes we need people to hunt the things inside of us that need to die but that we aren’t ready to kill.”

Another Hugo nominee to knock off the list.

Well that’s interesting, what feels like an end of book reveal happening so early…

This took a bit to really get going; but now that it’s the two teens on their own it’s picked up.

Coining is a new tradition to me. It seems a bit counter medical; however creating a bruise does increase blood circulation… I’m going to have to read about it.

Okay… let’s scare me I guess… damn water and caves!

Very surreal…
”For in nothingness, one is liberated at last from the transient and ephemeral, and no desire goes unfulfilled. “

Ugh… I should DNF this… it’s so boring. Never thought a Goddess of Death could be so ordinary, boring, and lack reasonable brain cells.
the dialogue and narrative from our characters feels very juvenile and lame. Not the way I imagine a Goddess who’s lived thousands of years to sound. Especially one who collected souls… where’s her introspective? Where’s her musing? Where’s the dark gothic mood?

This is starting to lag a bit for me… just not engaging or capturing my attention like it did at first…

SIX PEOPLE TO REVISE YOU
By J. R. Dawson
I had already been anticipating Dawson’s upcoming novel this summer. Not only because it’s a queer romance; but because I don’t read a lot of contemporary fiction and it actually sounded good. So I’m not surprised to find a story by them on this year’s Hugo list; even if it’s a short story. A poignant, emotional little story. With a perfect ending.

A goddess who becomes a human equals whiny! I get it she's never had aches, pains, limitations like humans do but goodness am I getting weary of it all. I realize it's about her emotional journey to understand why humans make the decisions they do or act in ways that may seem irrational. I know it will culminate into a lesson learned; but it's just a little bit painful right now.

WIRE MOTHER
By Isabel J. Kim
- Wow!!! This is a powerful statement on AI, digital personas and where we could be headed in the future. And the ending! A huge punch with very few words. For me, this is the likely winner. (But one more to read before I officially decide)

MISSING HELEN
By Tia Tashiro
- A very interesting and clever idea. I often wonder if we didn’t ban cloning so early how might it have shaped our world. Seeing internet, AI, and basic other technologies shape the world around us; and even ourselves its nature to wonder what if? Tia Tashiro certainly makes you wonder about what a copy of yourself might get up to and how you might compare or, more importantly, differ

LASER EYES AIN’T EVERYTHING
By Effie Seiberg
- a sharp strike at ableism and the fight for accessibility. I love the logical argument made in the end. In fact we might need a literal Dr. Croc to start smashing to create change… and that’s not metaphorical smashing that’s overt obvious broken concrete and buildings… Effie Seiberg might be onto something.

IN MY COUNTRY
By Thomas Ha
- There are no kings. Yet there are king like people. This is an amazing commentary, without ever saying so, on the United States future if it stays on its current course. Clever, brilliant, and all around saying one thing without ever saying anything at all.

1) 10 Vision of the Future by Samantha Mills
- Amazing!!! Love the despair parallel to the hope, the suffering side by side with love, and the overall answer that we can’t control our circumstances only how we react and who we do it with.
Now I really need to get to her novel which has been on my TBR for some time.

I’m using this ‘book’ as my placeholder to count the six nominated short stories for the Hugo’s I am reading. Got the nominee package the other day and want to read as many as I can to ensure I vote accordingly.

Hugo nominations award package is in!! I have got A LOT of reading to do by deadline! Thankfully I’ve already read two of the novels up for Best Novel, and one nominee for Novella.
I’ll be camping with my Kobo for next couple weeks making sure I am educated enough to vote!

The character of Death always intrigues me whenever we encounter them. Regardless of how they are portrayed it seems we focus on their job (collecting souls usually) more than anything. I’m intrigued by the premise so far…

I think the weirdness here stems from so little time passing in the present (mere hours) versus the long time passing in the past… all leading up to where we are at in beginning of the book but it just feels awkward in its pacing for me.
That said I loved the Chella ‘battle’ and necromancy use so far.

Audiobook may have helped me get back into this…

This one is not reading as quickly… and I’m not sure why. Maybe the back and forth past to present format…

Slow going…. But I’ve been insanely busy so I’m hoping as things calm down for me I can crack this off.

Volume 5 ended in a cliffhanger!!! So I’m jumping in right now (because I can) to keep the excitement going.