October has come and gone and it’s time for book reviews again. Looks like the themes in this month’s reads are great short stories and novels with cliff hangers! I’ll also throw in a link to my Twitter review of the newly released Dune movie. Book reviews after the jump.
Continue reading “What I Read – October 2021”Category: Book Reviews
What I Read: September 2021
I had hoped that my life would calm down this month to allow me to read more. So of course our three-year-old van up and died at the beginning of the month. As of this writing, it’s still in the shop, though it appears that the part that broke is still under warranty. *sigh*
Anyway, several fun reads this month. Though it might appear that there’s very little SF, I have taken up reading Daily Science Fiction‘s flash fiction story every morning. (Most recent favorite: “Dinners Like We Used to Have” by Kelly Sandoval. It’s exactly the kind of human, intimate SF that I love.) Book reviews below the cut!
Continue reading “What I Read: September 2021”4 Writing Lessons from an Astronaut
Here’s what the life of astronaut Chris Hadfield can teach writers.
This week I had a chance to re-listen to a favorite of mine, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield. One of my book clubs chose to read this one at my suggestion, and I’m so glad they did. Chris Hadfield is the astronaut you might recognize from his viral music video from the ISS or any of his great educational YouTube videos on the everyday life of astronauts. I find Chris’s writing delightful, his life fascinating, and his insights to life spot on.
This time through, I read the book with an eye towards how his advice could apply to a writing career. As you probably know, I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for over a decade. Now that my youngest child is in kindergarten, I’ve started to think more often about what I want to be when I grow up. I know I want to do something with words, but nailing that dream down can be hard.
This is where Hadfield’s advice comes in. Here’s what the life of an astronaut can teach writers:
Continue reading “4 Writing Lessons from an Astronaut”What I Read: August 2021
Ah, the kids are back in school and so life is back to calm, right? Except that it’s 2021 and things are . . . interesting in Utah schools, pandemic-wise. My reading suffered this month from the amount of time I devoted to political activism, doom-scrolling, and existential dread. On top of that, all of the SF books I read this month were just ok. I guess you can’t find a favorite every month, but I’m feeling a bit like I struck out. However, one of my nonfiction reads has become not only a favorite, but a book I’m trying to pawn off on all the people I know. So I guess it’s not all bad. I’m hoping my reading pace picks up in the fall.
Continue reading “What I Read: August 2021”What I Read: July 2021
Some things come in waves, and this month was a tsunami. So much has been going on that overwhelmed my reading life this month, not the least of which was the rise of the delta variant and preparing to send the kids back to school in it. I also had a few duds on my reading list this month that I didn’t end up finishing. With that caveat, this is what I got through.
Continue reading “What I Read: July 2021”