Category: Blog

Books read in 2026

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)

________
*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!

Mid-week ketchup

What went before — Tuesday: Saw Disclosure Day.

I have … mixed feelings.

On the one hand — looks pretty, gets on its bike and rides, and — granting that I have no idea what it means — the actors did a good job. And a plea for empathy is always in order, especially now, when empathy — Well. Paraphrasing Gabriel in Good Omens 2: If we have empathy, how will we know who won?

There are two Steven Spielberg movies that have been benchmarks of their kind for me, since forever: one was ET, the other was Close Encounters.

I really liked ET even knowing at the time that the storyteller entertained a vastly more positive view of humanity than I did.

Close Encounters? Made me nuts on so many levels.

Disclosure Day sits in the middle — ET‘s earnest belief that innocence and goodwill shall triump; and Close Encounters’ Imma scrape every nerve you have and leave you shaking with rage.

There was some good storytelling, and some o-so-stupid storytelling born of sheer wishful thinking on the part of the storyteller.

On the plus side, a bit of the movie was set in Sykesville Maryland, which happens to be in my old neighborhood. “Silver Spring 20 miles.”

Gotta go get something to eat.
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Man, the car’s GPS hates Bath. I dunno, maybe it gets its brains scrambled by all the noise and metal and whatnot at the Iron Works.

I’m somewhat chagrined to find that, after a lifetime of people asking me if my blood pressure was always this low? It’s now high enough to require drugs — lisinopril, which Steve took, though a lesser dose, because it was treating a different condition.

I did have a very pleasant drive coming and going, down Rte 197 and thoseways along rivers and past lakes, through a pretty day with a blue sky. I did stop at the Maine Maritime Museum and took a stroll around the grounds to both soothe my temper (ref uneasy relationship between GPS and Bath), and enjoy the day before driving home.

Chores have been done, and I’m getting ready to knock off for the day.

And tomorrow — I write.

How’s everybody doing?

Marchin’ Monday

What went before:  So, Sunday afternoon. I’m a bit late getting lunch, which I guess will be hummus and crackers, because — easy, and late.

The WIP now stands at +/-8,230 words, which might make some arithmatically gifted persons to suppose that I had written 2,500 words today. While I grant the appearance, the fact is that I only edited two pieces of Steve’s work to fit them into the frame I’m building. Still, progress is progress, and it’s looking like — ow!

Sigh.

Tali likes to sit under the lip of my stand up desk and nip my elbow occasionally, to keep me on my toes. I think that one was a little harder than she had intended.

Continuing — progress is, indeed, progress, and — fingers crossed — it’s looking like the WIP will be breaking 10,000 words this week, by hook or by crook.

So! Lunch, then correspondence, including filling out my “paperwork” for Wednesday’s doctor’s visit.

No, the fun never does stop. Why do you ask?

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Monday. Raining like a raining fool when I got up, now sullen and damp.

Wrote a couple hundred new words, to kick an existing scene into a shape that will align with the next scene upcoming. Outlined the next two scenes so I can hit the keyboard typing on Thursday, which will be my next writing day.

Out to bookclub in 90 minutes or so, then back home to bookkeeping and getting the trash and recycling into the garage so it can acclimate itself before it’s moved to the curb tomorrow morning.

. . .brief pause while I go outside to Speak Sternly to the groundhog, who is as big as a baby black bear, stoopid rodent.

I finished reading (listening to) Ghost Ship yesterday and am into Dragon Ship. I hadn’t recalled that Joyita appeared so quickly, and I’m reminded again about Cresthaller, which I really ought to rectify. In my spare time.

The listening to the books is working out amazingly well. Lately, my vision is too blurry by the end of the day, when I typically read for pleasure, to even focus on an ebook (I had to give up paper books a couple years ago, because I couldn’t focus on the page), and — bonus! I can “read” and do something else, or just sit resting my eyes. I suppose I ought to try listening to a new-to-me book at some point, to see if that exercise is as pleasant, else I’m going to have to find another way to read. Always exciting, life.

So! How’s the beginning of the week looking from your side of the world?

Here’s how Firefly’s Monday is going so far:

Books read in 2026

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)

________
*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!

Let’s do the Time Warp, again

I’m reminded this morning of our salad days when we traveled to cons and gave away pins and talked to all kinds of people.

This happened either at a Boskone or at a Boston Worldcon.  The same con where Robert Silverberg told me not to stand behind a vendor table to sell books.  Oh, and the hotel was connected to a mall and there was the Marche, a kind of upscale and very well-behaved Lexington Market.

Against the advice of my elder, I was behind the Meisha Merlin table, selling books and talking trash, and this guy came by and we talked about books. Very pleasant talk, as I recall it. I sold him a book, perhaps. And, since the conversation had been pleasant, I got out of my pocket one of the tree-and-dragon lapel pins and offered it to him.

I should mention that this person was dressed like a Viking. He looked at that seeming silver pin on my palm, and I could see he wanted it. But he hesitated.  Then, he reached to his cloak where there were several pins, detached one, laid it in my palm, and picked up the tree-and-dragon pin.

“I’m a Viking,” he said. “We don’t take gifts, we trade.”

And as I discovered this morning, I still have his trade pin.

Saturday writer

So, that was a day. Eleven hundred fiftyish new words written, bringing the WIP to +/-5700 total words. We’re smokin’! Ahem.

Stir-fry for lunch, fresh batch of hummus made, last load of clothes in the dryer. Getting ready to pour a glass of wine and read a bit before Happy Hour and my own dinner–hummus, I think, since I’ve got fresh.

Tomorrow, with luck, will be another writing day.

Looking ahead to next week, that’s book club on Monday, crafts on Tuesday, and a morning run to Bath to see the doctor on Wednesday. That was a quick turnaround on the appointment, FWIW.

I remind myself that I really want to achieve a whale watch this summer, so I guess I’d best cast around me for a likely cruise.

Rookie has employed Tali as his agent, to inform me that it is now time for Happy Hour, and, indeed, it’s later than I thought it was.

So! Everybody have a good evening; stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

The rain in Maine

Friday. Raining and … sticky. House has been picked up in anticipation of Sarah’s arrival in about an hour. The peonies may have to do without me this year. Ah, well.

Today is My Day 666 of playing Finch. Make of that what you — and the rain has just decided to become a downpour. I do like windows that don’t leak — will. Yes.

I started listening to Ghost Ship last night — yeah, publication order is down the tubes, I’m afraid. I hadn’t recalled how fleeting and yet deeply unsettling Theo’s introduction to Clan Korval had been, not to mention her last interview with her father. I was also amused to note Val Con calling his father on his baloney.

Also, the universe seems to be conspiring to deny Theo any simple small joy (Maiko’s paperwork approach to the achievement of first class, as an instance. “She can requisition her jacket, just like ANY first class pilot.” I think Steve hit the mark fairly there regarding corporate soullessness. Steve being a person who very much believed in celebrating any and very nearly every small achievement. In another life, he’d have been an Aeslin mouse.)

Ah.  I’m also reminded that Ghost Ship is where we saw the split between those readers who had found us during the days when we were publishing Fledgling, then Saltation, a chapter a week to the web, and those who had been with us since Agent of Change.

The “Theo” people were baffled, and somewhat offended, by this “new guy” — Theo’s brother — in whom they were interested not at all, and who seemed to them to be introduced by the whim — and not a good whim — of the authors.  Perspective?  Is everything.

What else? Breakfast was homemade bread with cream cheese and the last of the grapes.

Which reminds me that I have in the last two days lost two packages of sliced cheese to mold — one pack unopened, the other opened, but sealed. I can’t afford to be losing food to mold, and I hope this isn’t because the fridge is thinking about getting done. Because a new fridge absolutely isn’t in the budget. Thermometers have been deployed throughout the interior and the cold setting adjusted to 34F, which is the lowest I’m allowed.

Given the rain and all like that, it appears that today is a writing day, so I’ll be hitting the office as soon as I finish up here.

I did drop a note in the medical portal yesterday, because my once-appallingly-low blood pressure has been running officially high for a couple months now. On the one hand, given It All, high blood pressure shouldn’t be surprising. On the other hand — advertancy. I’m promised an appointment by the medical assistant, and given an instruction to go to ER if Symptoms arrive. Argh. Also, fast work, really on behalf of the medtech.

So! How are you doing at the end of the second week in June?

Cat census at this link

They call us irresponsible; write us off the page

Wal*Mart plays an … interesting mix of music.  Yesterday, I was able to sing along with at least one song as I shopped.

So, last night, I did finish up my puzzle:

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Thursday, dim and damp. Went to bed on time last night after finishing Saltation, but opened the window and just listened to the thunderstorms. More storms called for the day.

As a result of the above, I slept in and am only now getting myself together to eat breakfast, which I do believe will be cottage cheese and grapes. First cup of tea is brewing. After breakfast? Jethri! And maybe after lunch, too, because, as mentioned elsewhere, it’s no sense going to view peonies in the rain. Though that does solve my on-going problem of having to stay out of the sun.

What’s on your to-do list today?

Proof of life:

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Jefferson Starship, “We Built this City” 1985.  <fe>Before music got political</fe>.

Books read in 2026

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)

________
*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!