Book Bullets from the Dark Side - Darth Heather 2024

oops, I realized that I hadn't started a new thread for this year. Where have I been?

Mostly following all your threads; a lot of you have some stuff going on, and I am interested in keeping up with it all even if I don't often have any remarks worth adding. Also some of you put so much effort into writing wonderful book reviews, and I get caught up in reading all of them.

So, I've been lurking around but haven't put any time into my own thread. Its time to change that!

Significant reads of January: none. Really, I read a bunch of soft stuff, which was entertaining but not worth reviewing or recommending.

Significant reads of February:
Starter Villain by John Scalzi, which was a book bullet from someone not on LT but was the same friend who recommended Redshirts. I have seen several of you list this as a recent read, and I'm glad to see it making the rounds and getting appreciated!

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - another one that has been making the rounds. This was a gift from my brother, who is known for exceptional taste :) I thought the premise was fascinating, although there was one small thing that bothered me: I didn't love the author's choice to write the dog character as though he has superhuman thoughts and ideas. It was cute, but IMO a little too cute to fit such a serious story. It was a small enough niggle that it didn't keep me from enjoying the book though

>1 Darth-Heather: Happy new thread!

Interesting! I loved the dog character. Most of the rest of the book had such fantastical elements that a brilliant dog didn't seem to stick out as the only thing that was unrealistic to me.

Happy new thread. It is reassuring to know you are lurking…I think.
:-)

Happy new thread! It's good to see you again!

Happy new thread! It's nice to see :)

Starter Villain was really entertaining, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Glad to see you again!

Unfortunately recent weeks have had very few reads worth mentioning - no really bad ones, but quite a lot of mediocre meh.
The ones worth recommending, though, are quite good!

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel is very well done; the seemingly loose threads are skillfully managed to a satisfactory ending.

Love Will Tear Us Apart is the third installment in the Stranger Times series, where some of the ongoing themes are developing into bigger impacts. I look forward to the fourth one, currently languishing on my TBR list.

Unsouled, Soulsmith, and Blackflame by Will Wight are the first three in a lengthy series that I just can't tear myself away from. These are billed as 'progression lit' which means that the premise revolves around the way that the main character starts off with little of the magical skills that denote status in his society, but gradually works towards developing and upgrading his skillset. Wen Shi Lindon is well beyond the age where children in his clan usually start to show an aptitude toward a magical leaning of one of the four main types, and is treated as an outcast. He devises a way to try to get on a learning path, and embarks on a grand adventure with clever twists and interesting characters. I am impressed by this author's inventiveness, and can't wait to get to the next installment.

>7 Darth-Heather:
I am glad to hear you are enjoying the Stranger Times books.

By the way, in line with a few pictures I sent last year I have a few snaps from this week of the vines in the local vineyard starting to sprout.

>7 Darth-Heather: I'm happy to hear another person say that Will Wight series is so good. (He gave away the first seven books a few years back and I snagged them all.)

>8 pgmcc: Have you read the fourth Stranger Times? Does it seem like there will be more to come?

Oh yes, the grapes! They are so pretty when the greenery comes out. Do share your photos if you get a chance! Are you still travelling or have you returned home now?

>9 clamairy: I think there are twelve in the complete Cradle series; I can't even imagine where he's going to take this. I'm only through with three and so far a TON of things have happened. His writing style is very good, and I would recommend these to anyone who enjoys fantasy. The characters are very engaging, and each volume has added a few new main ones.

The same friend who recommended this series also recommended The Elder Empire series by the same author, but I think I'm going to get through this series first before I confuse myself trying to keep track of too many threads. Insufficient powers of concentration I guess! :)

>10 Darth-Heather:


I hope these give you a feel for the vines as they start their season.

We return home at the end of July, so I should be able to catch the grapes at different stages if you are interested.

>11 pgmcc: aww, their little ruffly leaves are so cute!

the sunrise shot is a perfect composition, I hope you are pleased with it!

I am always interested in any nature photography, please do share if you get others that you like.

>12 Darth-Heather:
Thank you. Yes, the sunset shot came out well.

>10 Darth-Heather:
The grapes made me forget to answer your first question. It was probably the grape juice that did it. :-)

Yes, I have read the fourth Stranger Times book and I would say it is clear there will be more. The fourth book is very entertaining and i will say no more about it lest I spoil your fun as you delve into its mysteries. Have fun.

Skysworn by Will Wight is the fourth installment in the Cradle series, and it has become a compulsion; I just can't stop flying through this series. There are a total of 9 books so I am only not quite halfway through but so many things happen in each book that I can't imagine where it will go next.

This series is often recommended by fans of LitRPG/Gamelit, so I expected it to be more along those lines but it is really more fantasy but with characters who are trying to improve their various skill sets in order to meet challenges.
I will likely get into the next installment soon, once I catch my breath from this one!

>15 Darth-Heather: I’ve heard that type of fantasy called progression fantasy where the main characters progress by improving their skills and gaining power in each book. Like others, I got the first three books of the Cradle series when the author offered them up either for free or deeply discounted during the Covid shutdown in 2020, but haven’t read them yet.

>15 Darth-Heather: I love that series :) There are 12 books total in Cradle btw.

>16 ludmillalotaria: I've heard it called progression too, but sometimes the term seems to be used inconsistently so I'm not always sure I have it right. I'm at least glad there's a way to differentiate this type of worldbuilding from a more game-style LitRPG. Whatever it's called, this is the best representation of it that I have encountered so far!

>17 Narilka: ooh, I've got longer to go than I thought! I also have Wight's Elder Empire books but I wanted to go through one series at a time. I'm totally in love with Orthos.

This month has been complicated, and I'm very tired.
The company I work for is being sold, and the new owners do not plan to keep our facility open. Our clients will be transferred to their other labs, which is fine - after 18 years here I was planning to move on soon. I have a lot to do in wrapping up systems and equipment and workloads, all without telling the staff what is happening.

After I finished my BS degree in November I had intended to move along, but the owner convinced me to stay while he worked on getting a buyer or investor. He has owned this company for 4 years and has mismanaged just about everything and made such a mess of things that there is no choice left. We have been steadily losing staff, that the owner has not replaced. That means I have picked up several additional workloads.

In the past 6 months I have made a lot of sacrifices to keep this place running and in salable condition, including passing on two job offers, cancelled my vacation plans in May, missed out on numerous events with family and friends, and today - missing out on the plans I had with my husband for our 25th wedding anniversary.

The sale date has been postponed for negotiation reasons several times - this was supposed to be finished in April. I'm hard pressed to keep going but am hoping there will be an end in sight someday soon.

Once the closing happens and I can finish off everything here, I intend to take some time off to decompress before I start the job search. I plan to spend quality time with my books and gaming and catching up with the people in my life - can't wait! My TBR has grown while I spent most of my time on work, and it's turn will have to come before my library gets overwhelmed...

>19 Darth-Heather: Sounds overwhelming. I hope you will find the time to celebrate your Anniversary in a way that satisfies. Our 40th passed without much tada due to medical issues and although neither of us are big on events, I still feel slightly that we missed something. Anyway, Happy Anniversary!

>19 Darth-Heather: Time off to decompress will be good. I did that between my last two jobs and was much better off for it. Here's hoping the wait isn't too long.

>19 Darth-Heather: I am sorry to hear about the situation at your company, it sounds stressful. Taking some time off is a wonderful thing. Happy Anniversary!

>19 Darth-Heather:
Sorry to hear about your work situation. You have given a lot to that business and it does not appear to be giving back in fair return. Good luck with your period of relaxation and your subsequent job hunt.

I shall continue to keep an eye on the development of the local grapes and will post periodic updates.

>20 MrsLee: we at least found time to go for dinner at a favorite Thai restaurant. I would have liked to spend the day with my husband, though, so it was a bit of a drag to spend it with my coworkers.

>21 Narilka: I was hoping to decompress once I finished school, so it's been a long wait. I am kinda brain-fried now and not sure I will be much use to a new company until I can spend some time relaxing. I hope decompressing doesn't take a long time tho.

>22 Alexandra_book_life: thank you! We had hoped to go back to Alaska for our 25th, and revisit some of the places we went on our honeymoon, so that's still something to look forward to; with any luck we can do that next year.

>23 pgmcc: thank you! Grapes are such an interesting cultivation. I remember a few years ago there were drastic wildfires in the area of California where vineyards are, and many of the vineyard owners were dismayed to find that their grapes picked up a 'smoky' flavor. They are very delicate I guess.

>24 Darth-Heather:
...many of the vineyard owners were dismayed to find that their grapes picked up a 'smoky' flavor.

If they had good marketing and PR team they would have sold that as a unique feature of their rare vintage. "Bonfire of the Vintages".

>25 pgmcc: ah, I love it! They should hire you to do their marketing schemes... although then you might have to disclose your secret location and that just wouldn't do.

In happier news, I have started the fifth Crone Wars installment - Rise of the Crones - and am enjoying it quite a lot so far. This series has been a lot of fun and I hope it will continue.

>19 Darth-Heather: I noticed you had not been posting very much. I was hoping it was because you were busy with good things. Soon you will have plenty of free time on your hands and the last year will just be a memory. I hope you managed to celebrate your 25th anniversary in style.

>19 Darth-Heather: You've certainly been carrying a load. It sounds as if a non-working period to decompress is a particularly wise plan to adopt. Breathe. (And breathe lots of fresh open air, if you can find it. Make a point of it.) Lots of (((Hugs))). Life goes up and down. You'll be due for some positive outcomes.

>19 Darth-Heather: Sorry to hear about your work situation. That's a terrible position to have worked so hard to keep things going, just to have the folks above you undo the work. I hope you get some time to relax and find a better situation.

It's been three weeks but the sale was finalized today, so we can finally start to move on. I plan to keep my staff for a week or so, to finish all of the work we have in house. I will be here through the end of August, finishing everything up and preparing the building for it's new owners. After that I will be FINALLY FREE! It's been a long painful process.

There will definitely be a nice cold beer in my plans for the evening.

>30 Darth-Heather: The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel! Congrats!

>30 Darth-Heather: Free at last! Congratulations!

Enjoy that beer :)

>30 Darth-Heather: Almost there :)

>30 Darth-Heather: Enjoy having reached that big benchmark and grab that beer as well-deserved. The next few weeks may be a bit hectic as well, but you've gotten over an initial hurdle.

>30 Darth-Heather: Congrats! That is a big change, try to relax and enjoy it.

Just catching up on your thread. Sorry the spring was so icky. Congrats on the sale! Enjoy that beer. :)

>30 Darth-Heather: Congratulations! It's a great thing to see freedom on the horizon. I hope the wrapping-up process goes smoothly and that your staff find new positions quickly.

Update on the work situation:
As of this week I am the last employee. I have until the end of the month to complete the shutdown, including finding new homes for a lot of equipment. At least it's quiet.

So far I have three job offers, but I haven't applied anywhere yet or produced a resume, so there may be more out there that I want to consider, once I am free to pursue opportunities. Hopefully the right fit will come along soon.

Last weekend I was able to attend the annual family reunion at my uncle's cabin in the Great North Woods of NH, which is always fun and helps me find my equilibrium.

Now I can finally make time to relax, work a reduced schedule, and move on to a new career. whew - it's been a long road!

thanks for all your kind thoughts, it really helps.

>38 Darth-Heather:
Great to hear you have offers before you apply. You can puck and choose.
Well done.

>39 pgmcc: thanks! I'm a little anxious about it though. One of the options is a remote-work position and I'm not sure how I feel about working from home. I am concerned about getting too isolated by not interacting with humans very much. I'm hoping to chat with people who have done it and find out about their experience.

>38 Darth-Heather: This is good news!

>38 Darth-Heather: Awesome. And luckily you don't have to rush into a new position that you might regret afterwards.

>40 Darth-Heather:
I worked remotely for three years running up to my retirement. It suited me, but does not suit everyone. I had lots of online video meetings which helped. Also, a friend organised an online book club with monthly Teams meetings. That is still running.
To help my work group I organised monthly quizzes with the role of setting and asking the questions rotating around the members of the team.
I think it is import ant to work at creating that sort of non-work interaction to avoid isolation. Also do a few informal online chats. You are not bumping into tgese people at the water cooler but everyone still needs water.

>38 Darth-Heather: Great news! Almost there :)

>40 Darth-Heather: FWIW, I worked from home for about a decade before I retired. There weren't many days when I felt completely isolated as the work tended to involve many phone calls and Zoom sessions. If the work itself is interesting to you on an intellectual basis, then the work-from-home situation likely won't be a problem. You'll be immersed in getting the work done and be grateful for the lack of useless interruptions.

>40 Darth-Heather: I'm working from home right now and I'm not sure I've noticed a huge difference. Do I miss wandering over to one of my co-worker's offices and quickly discussing a problem in person? Yes. Do I have enough people interaction during the day via meetings, chats and such? Yes, too much!

Well, it's finally done. After a lot of struggle, two full 30-yard dumpsters, some tears and a lot of sweat and bruises, the lab I worked for is officially closed and the building is empty. I am exhausted but have some fun plans for the weekend and hope to get some mental distance from it all.

Today is the annual state fair - there are several, but we like this one in particular. It's not as large and expensive as some, and has all the stuff I like at an agricultural fair. Giant pumpkins! Kids 4-H exhibits! Sheep and goats and cows and chickens! There's a demolition derby in the evening that turns out to be surprisingly entertaining so now we get tickets to that each year too.

Tomorrow is our annual Seafood Dinner with my niece and her husband. She and I each own a lobster pot, so we bring them together and get some lobsters, crab legs, and corn. I'm testing a recipe for peach cobbler; the peaches are very very good this year.

Monday is my annual clean-out-the-game freezer day. We feel it's bad luck to start a new hunting season with last year's venison still in the freezer, so Labor Day usually involves making chili. The other hunters will come by and sample the chili and stand around talking about the big-one-that-got-away...

I hope all of you have some fun plans for the end of the summer too.

>47 Darth-Heather: I hope you will have a wonderful weekend and put some distance between yourself and the whole process. You plans sound fun :)

>47 Darth-Heather: Getting that mental distance on something as emotionally draining as your work situation is a fabulous idea. Enjoy the fair (and most particularly the Demolition Derby). Yell your support for your favorites!

The seafood get-together sounds good as does a day of chili-making. Having a crowd around can be immensely invigorating!

I hope the weekend ends with you feeling tired but in the very best way!!!

I started the new job yesterday, and it seems like a good fit for me although it will take some time to get accustomed to staying on task during the work day while at home; I tend to get distracted by household things (especially feline distractions), but I think once my workload ramps up it will be easier to get absorbed in it.

Also I read The Priory of the Orange Tree which I can't recommend highly enough. The writing is beautiful, and the pacing excellent - there isn't a single slow point through the entire 800+ pages. Also a very satisfying ending. I believe this was a BB from >42 clamairy: - nice shot! I see that there is a prequel, and also the author has written another series - The Bone Series - has anyone read them? I enjoyed her writing so much that I'm thinking of getting them.

>50 Darth-Heather: Oh, I am sure you will find the right balance there. Think of the time you spend with the felines as the time you would have spent commuting.

I cannot take full credit for Priory of the Orange Tree as I myself was hit by BBs from Sakerfalcon and Peace2. I really need to get that prequel! Thank you for the reminder. I haven't read any of her other books.

>50 Darth-Heather: Congrats on the new job! I know what you mean about the distractions, it is too easy to get up for a moment and get distracted by a chore or pet or something.

>50 Darth-Heather: I'm glad the new job has started well. I bet the felines are pleased to have their servant around all day!

I loved Priory and the prequel. I have read the first couple of the Bone books; the world building is overcomplicated (there are many, many different types of psychics, for a start) and some aspects of the story and characters are cliched, but I still found them worthwhile and would carry on with the series if I find the books in the library or on a kindle deal.

>50 Darth-Heather: Once you become immersed in the work, you will probably be just fine. I had similar concerns when I began working from home ten years ago, and it just wasn't the problem I'd anticipated. (Although admittedly, I didn't have cats.)

And I have The Priory of the Orange Tree awaiting me on a bookcase shelf. Thanks for the nudge to give it a whirl. So many people appear to have enjoyed it.

Notable recent reads:

Starling House by Alix Harrow - this is my first of hers but I will definitely seek out more. It is a story about a spooky house and a small town but the monsters aren't what you'd expect. I really enjoyed her way of turning some tropes around.

The only niggle for me was that I had a hard time getting a visual on the ages of the characters. The MC behaves like a teenager, and refers to herself in similar fashion, especially in terms of struggles to get custody of her little brother after their mom dies but then reveals that she is around 27. The little brother is described as a child, but then all of a sudden is applying to college? The MC refers to another character who is older than her as a 'boy'. That was a little confusing.

The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - a delight for Norse mythology fans. It is the story of Loki's first wife, Angrboda, who is a character only mentioned in myths but without a background story of her own; this author gives her a life and a mystery and real feelings as a wife to a complicated man. I loved it.

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel - this is my second of hers, and I have to say I liked Sea of Tranquility just a tiny bit more because of the subject matter, but her writing style is brilliant and her characters truly live in your mind after you are done the book. I appreciate that she wrote a post-apocalyptic story without falling back on the usual mayhem that authors use to make a point; she allows her characters to behave like real people in a bad situation.

it's only halfway through Spooky October and I have some good ones to look forward to.

I usually read The October Country every year, but this year has been nice enough to follow the group read posts instead. It's so interesting to see all the different takes on these stories that i have loved for so long.

>55 Darth-Heather: I enjoyed all three of these books for different reasons. Alix E. Harrow is brilliant, IMHO. (And I'm also enjoying the Group Read of the Bradbury, though I'm now a week behind.)