Author: Sharon

Books read in 2026

53  Liberty’s Prison, Randall Liberty, Christine Graf (e)(bkclb)
52  Daggerbound, (Swordheart #2), T. Kingfisher (e)
51  A Gentleman of Modest Ambitions (Lord Julian #12), Grace Burrowes (e)
50  Swordheart, T. Kingfisher (re-read) (e)
49  Carousel Seas (Archers Beach #3), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
48  Carousel Sun (Archers Beach #2), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
47  Carousel Tides (Archers Beach #1), Sharon Lee, narrated by Elizabeth Rogers
46  Diviner’s Bow (The Redlands #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
45  Ribbon Dance (The Redlands #2), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
44  Kin Right (Korval in Exile #7 AND Tinsori Light #3), Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (unedited manuscript)
43  Salvage Right (Korval in Exile #6 AND Tinsori Light #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
42  Trader’s Leap (Korval in Exile #5 AND The Redlands #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
41  Accepting the Lance (Theo Waitley #7 AND Korval in Exile #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
40  Neogenesis (Theo Waitley #6 AND Korval in Exile #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
39  The Gathering Edge (Theo Waitley #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
38  Alliance of Equals (Korval in Exile #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
37  Dragon in Exile, (Liaden Universe® beginning the Korval In Exile arc), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
36  Sourdough, Robin Sloan (e) (bookclub)
35  Necessity’s Child (standalone in the Liaden Universe®), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens.
34  Dragon Ship (Theo Waitley #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
33  Ghost Ship (Theo Waitley #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
32  Saltation (Theo Waitley #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
31  Fledgling (Theo Waitley #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
30  The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Joe Jameson
29  A Gentleman Far from Home (Lord Julian 11) Grace Burrowes (e)
28  Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Natalie Simpson
27  Cotillion, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Raj Ghatak
26  Platform Decay, (Murderbot) Martha Wells (e)
25  A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (e) (bookclub)
24  Fair Trade (Jethri Gobelyn #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Eileen Stevens
23  Ribbon Dance (Liaden Universe #26), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, narrated by Alex Picard
22  Trade Secret (Liaden Universe #17), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller (e)
21  Sea Wrack and Changewind, Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard
20  When the Wolves are Silent (Sebastian St. Cyr #21), C.S. Harris (e)
19  An Heir of Distinction (Bad Heir Days #5), Grace Burrowes (e)
18   Longeye (Fey Duology #2), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
17   Duainfey (Fey Duology #1), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller***
16  *Crystal Dragon (Liaden Universe® #10), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
15  *Crystal Soldier (Liaden Universe® #9), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
14  Seeking Persephone (Lancaster Family #1), Sarah M. Eden (e)
13   Theo of Golden, Allen Levi (e) book club
12  *Balance of Trade (Liaden Universe® #8), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
11  *Scout’s Progress (Liaden Universe® #6), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
10  *Local Custom, (Liaden Universe® #5), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
9   *I Dare (Liaden Universe® #7), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller**
8   Cuckoo’s Egg, C J Cherryh, (audio first time)
7   *Plan B, (Liaden Universe® #4), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
6   Getting Rid of Bradley, Jennifer Crusie (audio first time)
5   *Carpe Diem (Liaden Universe® #3), Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
4   *Conflict of Honors (Liaden Universe® #2), Sharon Lee & Steve    Miller
3   *Agent of Change (Liaden Universe® #1), Sharon Lee & Steve                 Miller
2   A Gentleman in Possession of Secrets (Lord Julian #10), Grace             Burrowes (e)
1   Spilling the Tea in Gretna Green, Linzi Day (e)

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*I’m doing a straight-through series read in publication order

**I screwed up and moved right on to I Dare from Plan B, therefore deviating from publication order.  I will now amend myself and go back to pick up Local Custom.

***I’ll be re-issuing Duainfey and Longeye as an e-omnibus later this year, and so I need to read them!

Proceeding in a Tuesdayish Direction

Tuesday. Trash and recycling set out and collected. The recycling bin is back in the garage. Breakfast was leftover leftover soup. Lunch will be … something.

Eleven hundred new words today, bringing the WIP to something approaching 53,490 words.

I was craven yesterday and did not attempt the Anthropic mess, so I have something to look forward to.

Tonight is needlework, and I’ll have to stop at the grocery on my way home — or perhaps I’ll do that tomorrow, since I have to be out early to a doctor’s appointment, anyway.

It occurs to me that it might be beneficial to find if there’s a sauna someplace near at hand. It might help with the ongoing aches and pains. I should also try to locate a reputable massage therapist. This is not a new thought, but every time I have it, I get overwhelmed by the “reputable” part. Well.

Oh. And I really do need to get a flu shot.

The cats are giving me a little more freedom today, so I’m guessing whatever it was that concerned them yesterday has passed off, so that’s good.

How’s everybody doing today?

Cats inna meeting:

 

Saturday in retrospect

There had been a question about the differences between dragons.

Herewith, a link
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So, this morning’s work was heavy on research, naming sectors, and also clan houses, which are the wages of the speedy writing days when Past Me didn’t want to stop wiggling my fingers, so when the name of the sector wherein we would find the system occupied by the planet Delium, Past Me just typed HERE, and kept on going.  Did she care, I ask you, for the work and chaos she left for Future (now Present) Me?

She did not.

I’m also Very Sleepy, and am weighing the benefit of taking a nap instead of coping with lunch, either the prepping, or the eating of it.

It’s a lovely, coolish, breezy day. I have the sliders open in Steve’s office and I can hear the trees dancing…
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So, a short nap, followed by a blueberry smoothie. I’ll have to do a little better for the late meal.

Right now, though, I need to do some chores and pay the bills obscuring my desk, including the property tax, which didn’t go up nearly as much as I had expected it to do (this is not a complaint).
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Kind of a brief, messy day, but I’m done now. The bills are paid and waiting to go out in Tuesday’s mail, so there is that.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

Lazy afternoon, with wine and dragon

Well. That was fun, actually.

I fear I bought a dragon.

And a mini rosemary sourdough loaf.

And soap (lavender honey oat).

And pocket warmers.

And a catnip-stuffed tarot card (“The Moon”) for the cats to fight over.

Also, I wrote a poem.

And now I want to sit on the deck with a nice glass of red wine.

Which is what I believe I will do.

Behold, the water dragon.

For those keeping track at home, according to the Chinese zodiac I am a water dragon.

I needed money ’cause I had none

Friday. Though Google swears otherwise, it’s raining. No, really. It is. I don’t say that it won’t quit raining, later, and the day star emerge from its cloudy boudoir to burn off the fog, but right now, it’s raining.

I have an invitation from Boskone to attend as a panelist in February, which I’ve been angsting over for the last week, trying to pummel myself into going and — I just can’t. I mean, I went down to Baltimore, because Steve would have had it so. BaltiCon after all had been our home con, not to mention that I personally owed a life-debt. But the thought of packing for a con, traveling, and arriving in order to perform inadequately on panels — even doing a reading, and I love to read to people — makes me want to simultaneously curl up into a ball and scream.

So, I’m guessing that answers that, and I had best just send my regrets.

Sarah will be by in an hour to clean. I fully expect to finish my in-depth reading of the first half of the WIP this morning and begin making Adjustments to the file. I’ve decided to pull the questionable sections for now and just concentrate on the main line, since that’s what I know, and keep on writing until I either reach the end of what I know, or the end of the book. Then I can piece in these other things. And it certainly won’t be the first time I/we built a book that way.

I am still planning to go to the Block Party this evening. I figure to go downtown earlyish, get a desert at Holy Cannoli and dawdle over a book until the festivities begin.

I had almost forgotten that today is the start of a Long Weekend, freelancers not always indulging in Long Weekends.

Who has plans?

And, once more, “I Fought the Law,” this time from the Bobby Fuller Four.

Eh, what is UP, Doc?

“Coyote vs Acme” was brilliant, up to and including the choice to use the Clash’s cover of “I fought the law.” If you can grab a couple hours to go see it, do that. I was particularly pleased to be reminded of the fact that Wile E. Coyote is not only obsessed, but that he is an inventor of no small scope.

I was one of ten people in the theater for the 4:30 showing. The crowd before me consisted of . . . one.

Honest to ghu, Warner Brothers, why did you select this one to be suppressed? Oh. Wait. “Subsidiary of Acme Corporation.”

Sadly, on the way from the arts center to my car, I (felt I) had to cut through Main Street Provisions in order to shake the gentleman following me. Once in my car, I was importuned by a person with a sad tale of homelessness and hunger, which, if true, was worthy of my donation to the common weal, and, if false, said donation was a reasonable reward for a part well-realized.

Which reminds me that, if I’m going to be downtown in the evenings as a regular thing, I really do need to buy some general-issue gift cards to pay my toll with.

It really is a brilliant movie, though. Trust me.

Just remember: There are a limited number of signs.

Just for fun:  The Clash, “I Fought the Law“

Thursday pre-movie

Proof of life photos here

Taking a smol break to rest my brain, and do PT homework.

So, I have a ticket to see “Frozen” (the play) at the Waterville Opera House in November. Still waffling on the Tommy Dorsey Christmas concert.

I think I have A Plan for being able to attend tomorrow afternoon’s block party (read park) downtown.

The play I saw on Sunday was called “Unabashedly” which was appearing for the first time anywhere, ever, in Waterville, Maine. Someone asked if I had liked the play, and! I’m not sure? I was confused at first when we’re introduced to two men who are living together, and for most of the play I thought they were a couple. This was kind of a good thing because it looked like the play was going in the direction of one of those two men — Dave, coincidentally an alcoholic, sober for 6 months — falling in love with a newly hired (female) coworker, and I was interested in if we were going to be talking about one of the established couple being bi and how the three of them were going to resolve their feelings. Turns out that the two guys weren’t gay, only friends.

The play was being sold on the “relatable characters.” Having once been vilified over a matter of days regarding my lack of empathy for Thomas Covenant, I admit freely that I know nothing about which characters are “relatable,” “true,” or “realistic.” I was, personally, annoyed by the characters in the play. Yes, all of them. But that is, I hasten to assure everyone, Just Me.

I also know nothing about plays, which often seem to me to be leaving most of the story out. So speaks the novelist.

That said, I thought this one was a bit thin, even by the rules of its own genre. About three-quarters through the first act, I actually thought I was just going to leave, though I did decide stay to the end, and I left feeling good. I felt good because the play had delivered a Happy Ending, which is always satisfying, even when the Happy Ending is a cliche, and you could see it coming a mile away, after you got unconfused about the relationship of the two initial characters.

So — more than you wanted to know about did I like the play.

I am looking forward to seeing “Coyote v Acme” this afternoon, but before that!

I need to do some more work.

What are you looking forward to, today?

Ain’t I rough enough?

What on earth has the woman been doing?

Puttering, mostly. A little writing on an Extremely Side Project, reading, embroidering, playing with cats, in particular helping Firefly to celebrate her sixth birthday.

I saw a play on Sunday, went to physical therapy today, got up at 11:30 Sunday night to wander through the house, trying to find the random beeping which was Discovered to Be! the CO2 monitor in the Goblin Room, which, according to the notation on its side, had been installed in April 2014, and had therefore run its 10 years through, and more, so I couldn’t even be mad at it. I got it down and silenced without recourse to a hammer. Next day, I found the “extra” CO2/smoke alarm and installed it, so I’m not only covered for the next 10 years, but Quite Impressed with my skills as a handyperson.

I printed out the WIP to date and have been reading through it, because I suspect I’ve got something in the wrong place, and I’d better catch it now before I go half a book in the wrong direction.

In an astonishing reversal, something I ordered on August 22 decided, after cooling its heels in New Jersey for a few days, to go back to Texas, instead.

The cats are well, though Rook did me the Very Great Favor of waking me at 5 o’clock this morning. But that meant I got to read more pages than I would otherwise have done before I had to leave for PT.

I think that this time unplugged has been, how is it said? — “good for me?” — and I’m going to make an effort to limit the time I spend wandering through social media, as I’ve already limited my wandering through the news sites.

I have a ticket to view “Coyote v Acme,” tomorrow afternoon. Waterville is hosting a ‘block party’ on Friday afternoon/evening, which looks like it might be fun, stipulating there’s a parking space to be had any closer than Fairfield.

And that? Is my news.

What’s yours?

Today’s blog post brought to you by The Rolling Stones, “Beast of Burden”  — for no other reason that it’s one of my Stay In the Car and Sing Along Until It’s Done songs.