Home again despite nationwide cancellations, and lots of books
Back at home again, at last.
We were really nervous about how the journey back would go. There is exactly ONE commercial flight in and out of North Bend, OR this time of year, via SFO (in summer there's also one in and out via Denver), and the connection to our cross-country flight was about 40 mins if everything was on time. Every day we were checking flightaware.com to see how the daily equivalent of each flight was faring, given the thousands of Omicron-related cancellations going on. The flight out of OR was cancelled a couple of times, and delayed a couple of times (which would have meant missing our cross-country flight, except for the one time THAT flight was ALSO delayed). The cross-country flight was also cancelled once. So, yeah, we were crossing all fingers and toes. Thankfully, our flight left OR on time - actually a smidge early, and although we had to briefly circle before landing at SFO, and our arrival gate moved a little further away from the next departing gate, we had plenty of time to make it. And - belief it or not, our luggage made it, too. The cross-country flight was unbelievably empty - like ... maybe 20% full? Maybe? I haven't seen a flight that empty since, like, 1988, when my dad and I flew to NL to see my Oma. I am astonished they didn't cancel us, but grateful. As Will pointed out, maybe they just really needed the plane to be at Newark the following morning for its next flight. We landed at 12:30a local time last night/this morning, and were walking in the front door before 2a. Yes, it was a late night, but given jetlag, we weren't really even that wiped. So, huzzah, it all went totally smoothly.
Today, the flight out of OR was cancelled again. Dodged a bullet there!
When we left OR, the following rooms were completed: kitchen, hall, master bedroom, master half-bath. This meant, in each case: walls and ceiling wiped, Frog tape applied, 2 coats of Kilz to seal off smoke smell and soot marks, 2 coats of paint on ceiling (which had to be done first) and walls, Frog tape removed. Still needs doing: the two other bedrooms and the hall bathroom, but the bedrooms can be done with just a quick swipe for cleaning and then only ONE coat of Kilz, because they were largely closed off and suffered the least smoke/soot damage. The garage will also need some Kilz and paint to cover up rat urine damage.
Not as much as we would have wanted to get done, but we didn't have the neighbor woman helping us this time, so for just two people on our own, I guess it's ok. Will also set up some security cameras and replaced some light fixtures, we both dealt with the gutters and lopping off some branches overhanging the long driveway, etc.
We fell in love with the little whipsnake in our driveway, which showed up just about every day to hang out on the gravel and ignore us with the fervent hope that we were ignoring it. When one of us would have to move a vehicle, we'd often have the other person stand over Snakey so nobody would drive over it. Is it sad that I miss him/her? S/He was just so cute!
Since arriving back home we've both unpacked, I did laundry, did a TINY bit of putting Christmas decorations away, paid some bills and dealt with some other bureaucracy, took Two to/from work and made dinner.
Books I have finished:
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado (audiobook). Darling "Never been kissed" sort of story. Charlie (the girl) is unapologetic about her size, but at the same time feels weird about pursuing "fat fashion" in front of her gorgeous skinny best friend, and her white mom, who lost a lot of weight recently, keeps fat-shaming her daughter. (Just like Starfish. Interesting to read two books in a row with fat-shaming moms who do things in the guise of "helping" their daughters.) Charlie has never had a boyfriend, been kissed, held hands, or anything, but loves to write romance fiction stories. Another great story about recognizing that you don't have to be skinny to deserve love, and that you don't automatically come in second just because your pan best friend is asked out by everybody. While I loved how the author casually threw in a lot of representation - black pan friend, Korean-American boy with lesbian moms, gay quarterback, etc - I admit I was baffled that this book was considered for a Pura BelPre Award (for Latina/o authors whose work celebrates Latina/o characters and cultures) because while Charlie's late dad was Puerto Rican, he always spoke English with her and now he's dead so Charlie just lives with her white mom and lives a pretty white life, albeit she identifies as brown. Still, aside from one baby shower and a couple of mentions of rice and beans, there's very little mention of Hispanic culture anywhere, so I admit I was a bit disappointed by the book on that front. If I ignore that, though, it was a really sweet story, and really nicely narrated for the audio version.
Goodbye Paradise by Sabrina Bowen (audiobook). This was one of the free Audible books offered in the m/m category, and was narrated by two different people, representing each of the two main characters (and their respective POVs). Two 20-ish boys escape the backwards hyper-conservative cult in Paradise, Wyoming and manage to hitchhike (via a really kind Black truck driver named - I kid you not - "George Washington" which feels it just plays RIGHT into racial stereotypes but ... ok) to MA, where another escapee - a woman - has offered space for anyone else who manages to run away. The two boys have already confessed their feelings by the time they arrive, but are still nervously exploring the idea that they CAN have a relationship now that they've escaped, and are likewise learning how to live in the modern world. A great story about found family. However, I discovered that it's awkward listening to explicit sex read aloud in "aw shucks" voices just as much as posh British voices. :P
A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles (audiobook). This is actually the third in the triology, but I started listening to the second one (A Seditious Affair) and decided it wasn't for me. The two characters are into Dom/Sub with some bondage and, tbh, it's just not my thing. On the other hand, the first book provided the needed framework for the series, and that meant I didn't have any trouble understanding the references to events that must have taken place in the second book, given what I already knew of those characters. Anyway, in AGP, a lord (Richard) and his valet (David) are in love with each other, which they discover fairly early on, but the lord refuses to participate. As "master" he feels he would unfairly wield all the power in the relationship, and that the valet would feel obliged to go along with anything, whether he wanted to or not. Meanwhile, David is just FINE with staying his valet while enjoying sexytimes on the side, and can speak his own mind just fine, thankyouverymuch. Richard freaks out and fires David on the spot, but then immediately wants him back - not just because he loves David, but also because David possesses a huge range of odd - and sometimes illegal - skills which he has, up until now, used repeatedly to get Richard's friends (from the prior two books) out of tricky situations without anyone else (besides Richard and his friends) knowing anything had happened at all. And there is a very big, very ruinous disaster looming over multiple heads that they desperately need David for, and David knows it. He grudgingly comes back to work his magic, while Richard puts his foot in his mouth a few more times before he and David finally figure out their HEA. Same narrator for the whole series, and by now I was used to hearing sex read aloud in a posh voice. ;-) Anyway, while I wanted to strangle Richard several times, I otherwise really enjoyed this conclusion to the series, and seeing how some of the characters from prior books turned out.
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu. Like Starfish and possibly The Last Cuentista, this is more of an upper middle-grade reader, rather than YA. Ironically, years ago I bought another book by this same author (The Real Boy) that I thought Two would like, but he wasn't interested, so we never read it. Anyway, when I read the blurb, I thought this was going to be sort of like the Unwanted series (by Lisa McMann) in which it seems like kids are being dragged away to a "bad" school or destination, only to find it's secretly teaching the students magic. Nope, it's not that kind of school at all. In an extremely misogynistic society, only boys get to be evaluated as potential sorcerers, who have the highest social standing in the land (aside from the King). After a big social blunder, the main character, a 12-year-old girl named Marya, gets shipped off to reform finishing school, essentially, where the girls are given 6 years of lessons in proper eating, enunciating, conversing, walking, etc for a well-behaved young lady. Not only does Marya chafe at the constrictive and ridiculous rules, she senses that she's being gaslit but can't figure out how. Eventually she figures it out, and after a briefly threatening scene that didn't really make a lot of sense, the bad guys are punished and it turns out - shocker! - some girls can do magic as well!
Honestly, I wasn't that gripped by the book. It all felt just so ... cut and dried. And, like, a character that was bitchy and stern suddenly becomes understanding and supportive once shit goes down, as if she'd never been bitchy before. The only thing I really loved was the invented code of symbols that weavers and needlepoint artists put into their work to send hidden messages to others.
I feel like this might have the potential to become an interesting trilogy, to see how the girls progress in learning magic (or not), what becomes of the Dread threat, and what's going on with some of the characters we met back home, but I don't see any signs at this time that the author plans to continue.
The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris (audiobook). This is going to be part of the Coretta Scott King Award week (Black authors celebrating Black culture), and although I initially was going to read Blackout for a lighter topic, I noticed none of the Blackout reviews mentioned Blackness in their raves. Which, you know, seems like it should be part of the point. (I mean, it's clear from the blurb that the characters are Black. But if that's not coming through for the reader....) Anyway, I decided to take a chance on this book, which DID mention Black boy joy/emotions/perspective. Alex and Isaiah are 16 and 12 respectively, living with their rich aunt in a fancy-ass community near Chicago after their parents died in a car accident 4 years ago. Told from Alex's perspective, ever since the accident he's been haunted by the ability to see the immediate future of anything - or anyone - he touches. While he can tell his brain to cancel the vision as soon as it happens, the longer he lets the vision run, the further in time he sees. He has no chance to prevent whatever happens - no matter what he does, it will happen anyway. When a vision shows him that Isaiah will die soon, Alex panics, and decides to do whatever he can to bond with his brother in whatever time they have left. It gets a bit boring to have Alex constantly repeating things like, "I pick up my cell phone, cancel the vision of me unlocking it, and unlock it" but otherwise, it's an interesting premise: if you could see the future, WOULD YOU WANT TO? When Alex works to bond with Isaiah, his little brother finally opens up to reveal he's been suffering through a different "talent" himself. Together the boys try to figure out a way to make their powers/curses stop. Along the way, Alex struggles with his too-needy boss at the ice cream shop where he works, and with his otherwise-amazing girlfriend, who does not understand why he's acting so weird.
Although, as with They Both Die at the End you know how this story is going to end, I admit Isaiah does not die the way I thought he might - so that was an interesting twist. Along the way there's talk of what it means to be a man, especially a black man, the pressure to avoid getting arrested or shot at just for existing as a Black person (especially a male), and the importance of family, of making every moment count. The end of the book is heartbreaking, as you might expect, but cathartic, too. And it's a love letter to the way music can bring people together. I'm glad I read it. Well, listened to it. You know what I mean.
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. I took a break from school-related YA reading to read this book, which I bought as a Kindle DotD awhile back and have been DYING to read. Inhaled it in 1.5 days, mostly because I slept poorly on Tues night and then spent all day on planes. If you follow my IG you will have seen my review already, which goes like this: You guys. YOU GUYS. The Charm Offensive is sweet and heartfelt and full of two people who GET each other when things are stressful and they're not functioning well. There's asexual/demisexual representation, neurodiversive rep, anxiety, depression and TALKING about mental health, consent, and support from friends and family, even a nonbinary therapist, and so SO much heart. And anyone who has ever seen an episode of The Bachelor/ette will get an extra burst of enjoyment. I'd heard good things about this book and they're totally deserved. Alison Cochrun knocked it out of the park.
This might be my new Red, White and Royal Blue, as far as Giving Me All The Feels goes. I was stupidly snuggly with Will during the last part of our flight, after I'd finished it. I also couldn't wait to get my cell signal back so I could go back and look at Venessa Kelly's gorgeous artwork of one of the scenes, now that I knew where the scene was, who the characters were, and its significance.
So, now it's the 13th of January and I've read 11 books already, thanks to audiobooks and a lot of painting. I'm trying to read as much as I can NOW, because my semester starts on Tues and ... yikes!
Incidentally, the high school library gig was supposed to start this coming Tues, and when I hadn't heard anything yet, I assumed they must have gone with another candidate. Eh, it's fine. But when I texted the outgoing librarian with my assumption, she said, nope, they still haven't picked anyone yet. This is frustrating because I might have to withdraw from one class if I *do* get hired and, honestly, right now I kind of want to say, "It's fine, hire someone else" but I'm afraid if I say that, they never WILL hire me to be a librarian for the elementary school in a few years. Ermph. I don't know what to do.
Ok, I should probably get to bed and try to get back on Eastern time again. (It's 9p PST right now. Am I sleepy? Of course not!) On the other hand, after two weeks on an air mattress - even a nice air mattress - I am so SO glad to be back in my own bed again!
Tomorrow I'm taking my memory-impaired father to the dentist. Fun times for everyone! :-P
We were really nervous about how the journey back would go. There is exactly ONE commercial flight in and out of North Bend, OR this time of year, via SFO (in summer there's also one in and out via Denver), and the connection to our cross-country flight was about 40 mins if everything was on time. Every day we were checking flightaware.com to see how the daily equivalent of each flight was faring, given the thousands of Omicron-related cancellations going on. The flight out of OR was cancelled a couple of times, and delayed a couple of times (which would have meant missing our cross-country flight, except for the one time THAT flight was ALSO delayed). The cross-country flight was also cancelled once. So, yeah, we were crossing all fingers and toes. Thankfully, our flight left OR on time - actually a smidge early, and although we had to briefly circle before landing at SFO, and our arrival gate moved a little further away from the next departing gate, we had plenty of time to make it. And - belief it or not, our luggage made it, too. The cross-country flight was unbelievably empty - like ... maybe 20% full? Maybe? I haven't seen a flight that empty since, like, 1988, when my dad and I flew to NL to see my Oma. I am astonished they didn't cancel us, but grateful. As Will pointed out, maybe they just really needed the plane to be at Newark the following morning for its next flight. We landed at 12:30a local time last night/this morning, and were walking in the front door before 2a. Yes, it was a late night, but given jetlag, we weren't really even that wiped. So, huzzah, it all went totally smoothly.
Today, the flight out of OR was cancelled again. Dodged a bullet there!
When we left OR, the following rooms were completed: kitchen, hall, master bedroom, master half-bath. This meant, in each case: walls and ceiling wiped, Frog tape applied, 2 coats of Kilz to seal off smoke smell and soot marks, 2 coats of paint on ceiling (which had to be done first) and walls, Frog tape removed. Still needs doing: the two other bedrooms and the hall bathroom, but the bedrooms can be done with just a quick swipe for cleaning and then only ONE coat of Kilz, because they were largely closed off and suffered the least smoke/soot damage. The garage will also need some Kilz and paint to cover up rat urine damage.
Not as much as we would have wanted to get done, but we didn't have the neighbor woman helping us this time, so for just two people on our own, I guess it's ok. Will also set up some security cameras and replaced some light fixtures, we both dealt with the gutters and lopping off some branches overhanging the long driveway, etc.
We fell in love with the little whipsnake in our driveway, which showed up just about every day to hang out on the gravel and ignore us with the fervent hope that we were ignoring it. When one of us would have to move a vehicle, we'd often have the other person stand over Snakey so nobody would drive over it. Is it sad that I miss him/her? S/He was just so cute!
Since arriving back home we've both unpacked, I did laundry, did a TINY bit of putting Christmas decorations away, paid some bills and dealt with some other bureaucracy, took Two to/from work and made dinner.
Books I have finished:
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado (audiobook). Darling "Never been kissed" sort of story. Charlie (the girl) is unapologetic about her size, but at the same time feels weird about pursuing "fat fashion" in front of her gorgeous skinny best friend, and her white mom, who lost a lot of weight recently, keeps fat-shaming her daughter. (Just like Starfish. Interesting to read two books in a row with fat-shaming moms who do things in the guise of "helping" their daughters.) Charlie has never had a boyfriend, been kissed, held hands, or anything, but loves to write romance fiction stories. Another great story about recognizing that you don't have to be skinny to deserve love, and that you don't automatically come in second just because your pan best friend is asked out by everybody. While I loved how the author casually threw in a lot of representation - black pan friend, Korean-American boy with lesbian moms, gay quarterback, etc - I admit I was baffled that this book was considered for a Pura BelPre Award (for Latina/o authors whose work celebrates Latina/o characters and cultures) because while Charlie's late dad was Puerto Rican, he always spoke English with her and now he's dead so Charlie just lives with her white mom and lives a pretty white life, albeit she identifies as brown. Still, aside from one baby shower and a couple of mentions of rice and beans, there's very little mention of Hispanic culture anywhere, so I admit I was a bit disappointed by the book on that front. If I ignore that, though, it was a really sweet story, and really nicely narrated for the audio version.
Goodbye Paradise by Sabrina Bowen (audiobook). This was one of the free Audible books offered in the m/m category, and was narrated by two different people, representing each of the two main characters (and their respective POVs). Two 20-ish boys escape the backwards hyper-conservative cult in Paradise, Wyoming and manage to hitchhike (via a really kind Black truck driver named - I kid you not - "George Washington" which feels it just plays RIGHT into racial stereotypes but ... ok) to MA, where another escapee - a woman - has offered space for anyone else who manages to run away. The two boys have already confessed their feelings by the time they arrive, but are still nervously exploring the idea that they CAN have a relationship now that they've escaped, and are likewise learning how to live in the modern world. A great story about found family. However, I discovered that it's awkward listening to explicit sex read aloud in "aw shucks" voices just as much as posh British voices. :P
A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles (audiobook). This is actually the third in the triology, but I started listening to the second one (A Seditious Affair) and decided it wasn't for me. The two characters are into Dom/Sub with some bondage and, tbh, it's just not my thing. On the other hand, the first book provided the needed framework for the series, and that meant I didn't have any trouble understanding the references to events that must have taken place in the second book, given what I already knew of those characters. Anyway, in AGP, a lord (Richard) and his valet (David) are in love with each other, which they discover fairly early on, but the lord refuses to participate. As "master" he feels he would unfairly wield all the power in the relationship, and that the valet would feel obliged to go along with anything, whether he wanted to or not. Meanwhile, David is just FINE with staying his valet while enjoying sexytimes on the side, and can speak his own mind just fine, thankyouverymuch. Richard freaks out and fires David on the spot, but then immediately wants him back - not just because he loves David, but also because David possesses a huge range of odd - and sometimes illegal - skills which he has, up until now, used repeatedly to get Richard's friends (from the prior two books) out of tricky situations without anyone else (besides Richard and his friends) knowing anything had happened at all. And there is a very big, very ruinous disaster looming over multiple heads that they desperately need David for, and David knows it. He grudgingly comes back to work his magic, while Richard puts his foot in his mouth a few more times before he and David finally figure out their HEA. Same narrator for the whole series, and by now I was used to hearing sex read aloud in a posh voice. ;-) Anyway, while I wanted to strangle Richard several times, I otherwise really enjoyed this conclusion to the series, and seeing how some of the characters from prior books turned out.
The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu. Like Starfish and possibly The Last Cuentista, this is more of an upper middle-grade reader, rather than YA. Ironically, years ago I bought another book by this same author (The Real Boy) that I thought Two would like, but he wasn't interested, so we never read it. Anyway, when I read the blurb, I thought this was going to be sort of like the Unwanted series (by Lisa McMann) in which it seems like kids are being dragged away to a "bad" school or destination, only to find it's secretly teaching the students magic. Nope, it's not that kind of school at all. In an extremely misogynistic society, only boys get to be evaluated as potential sorcerers, who have the highest social standing in the land (aside from the King). After a big social blunder, the main character, a 12-year-old girl named Marya, gets shipped off to reform finishing school, essentially, where the girls are given 6 years of lessons in proper eating, enunciating, conversing, walking, etc for a well-behaved young lady. Not only does Marya chafe at the constrictive and ridiculous rules, she senses that she's being gaslit but can't figure out how. Eventually she figures it out, and after a briefly threatening scene that didn't really make a lot of sense, the bad guys are punished and it turns out - shocker! - some girls can do magic as well!
Honestly, I wasn't that gripped by the book. It all felt just so ... cut and dried. And, like, a character that was bitchy and stern suddenly becomes understanding and supportive once shit goes down, as if she'd never been bitchy before. The only thing I really loved was the invented code of symbols that weavers and needlepoint artists put into their work to send hidden messages to others.
I feel like this might have the potential to become an interesting trilogy, to see how the girls progress in learning magic (or not), what becomes of the Dread threat, and what's going on with some of the characters we met back home, but I don't see any signs at this time that the author plans to continue.
The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris (audiobook). This is going to be part of the Coretta Scott King Award week (Black authors celebrating Black culture), and although I initially was going to read Blackout for a lighter topic, I noticed none of the Blackout reviews mentioned Blackness in their raves. Which, you know, seems like it should be part of the point. (I mean, it's clear from the blurb that the characters are Black. But if that's not coming through for the reader....) Anyway, I decided to take a chance on this book, which DID mention Black boy joy/emotions/perspective. Alex and Isaiah are 16 and 12 respectively, living with their rich aunt in a fancy-ass community near Chicago after their parents died in a car accident 4 years ago. Told from Alex's perspective, ever since the accident he's been haunted by the ability to see the immediate future of anything - or anyone - he touches. While he can tell his brain to cancel the vision as soon as it happens, the longer he lets the vision run, the further in time he sees. He has no chance to prevent whatever happens - no matter what he does, it will happen anyway. When a vision shows him that Isaiah will die soon, Alex panics, and decides to do whatever he can to bond with his brother in whatever time they have left. It gets a bit boring to have Alex constantly repeating things like, "I pick up my cell phone, cancel the vision of me unlocking it, and unlock it" but otherwise, it's an interesting premise: if you could see the future, WOULD YOU WANT TO? When Alex works to bond with Isaiah, his little brother finally opens up to reveal he's been suffering through a different "talent" himself. Together the boys try to figure out a way to make their powers/curses stop. Along the way, Alex struggles with his too-needy boss at the ice cream shop where he works, and with his otherwise-amazing girlfriend, who does not understand why he's acting so weird.
Although, as with They Both Die at the End you know how this story is going to end, I admit Isaiah does not die the way I thought he might - so that was an interesting twist. Along the way there's talk of what it means to be a man, especially a black man, the pressure to avoid getting arrested or shot at just for existing as a Black person (especially a male), and the importance of family, of making every moment count. The end of the book is heartbreaking, as you might expect, but cathartic, too. And it's a love letter to the way music can bring people together. I'm glad I read it. Well, listened to it. You know what I mean.
The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. I took a break from school-related YA reading to read this book, which I bought as a Kindle DotD awhile back and have been DYING to read. Inhaled it in 1.5 days, mostly because I slept poorly on Tues night and then spent all day on planes. If you follow my IG you will have seen my review already, which goes like this: You guys. YOU GUYS. The Charm Offensive is sweet and heartfelt and full of two people who GET each other when things are stressful and they're not functioning well. There's asexual/demisexual representation, neurodiversive rep, anxiety, depression and TALKING about mental health, consent, and support from friends and family, even a nonbinary therapist, and so SO much heart. And anyone who has ever seen an episode of The Bachelor/ette will get an extra burst of enjoyment. I'd heard good things about this book and they're totally deserved. Alison Cochrun knocked it out of the park.
This might be my new Red, White and Royal Blue, as far as Giving Me All The Feels goes. I was stupidly snuggly with Will during the last part of our flight, after I'd finished it. I also couldn't wait to get my cell signal back so I could go back and look at Venessa Kelly's gorgeous artwork of one of the scenes, now that I knew where the scene was, who the characters were, and its significance.
So, now it's the 13th of January and I've read 11 books already, thanks to audiobooks and a lot of painting. I'm trying to read as much as I can NOW, because my semester starts on Tues and ... yikes!
Incidentally, the high school library gig was supposed to start this coming Tues, and when I hadn't heard anything yet, I assumed they must have gone with another candidate. Eh, it's fine. But when I texted the outgoing librarian with my assumption, she said, nope, they still haven't picked anyone yet. This is frustrating because I might have to withdraw from one class if I *do* get hired and, honestly, right now I kind of want to say, "It's fine, hire someone else" but I'm afraid if I say that, they never WILL hire me to be a librarian for the elementary school in a few years. Ermph. I don't know what to do.
Ok, I should probably get to bed and try to get back on Eastern time again. (It's 9p PST right now. Am I sleepy? Of course not!) On the other hand, after two weeks on an air mattress - even a nice air mattress - I am so SO glad to be back in my own bed again!
Tomorrow I'm taking my memory-impaired father to the dentist. Fun times for everyone! :-P