Faeries, Swords and Devils.

One major reason for my recent, unintended absence, was that the reading bug finally got me again. For all of 2023, I only read 10 books. Since the first of this year, I have read 11 and I’m currently working on two. One thicc boi for at home and one in my tote for lunch time at work.

Here’s a roundup of the few I’ve read recently:

For most of this novella, there wasn’t much that set it apart from other fantasy novels, but I was still enjoying myself. With the route it was taking, I didn’t expect the turn that it took towards the end. I thought it would follow a middle of the road path straight until the end and leave you wondering if the second book was worth the effort. But with that twist, I will read book two. I’m not running out to the store to get it anytime soon though, it wasn’t THAT good. Perfect size for work travel.

This book has some sentimental value. It is the last book in the last batch of books that my grandfather bought me before he passed away. That was 9 years ago. Somehow, subliminally, I saved one of the best for last. ZOMBIES. It’s been a minute since I last picked up a zombie novel. They are not all created the same. This one however, had enough twists to the world that my interest was piqued immediately. The zombie plague broke out 20 years ago and humanity has been dealing with it ever since. Not on the fringes barely being able to squeeze out an existence, but with cities and government still intact. The internet still exists, so communication is key. How have they not rid the undead pestilence yet when technology is so prevalent? Every human carries a virus payload within them, the virus can at times spontaneously overload your body and cause immediate transition. (Getting bit is still the main lethal spread.) We follow our main characters, journalists who run a blog (more trustworthy than the actual news, news failed to provide actual help as the outbreak happened) as they follow the presidential campaign across the country. It mixes adventure, flirting with death, politics and zombies into a deliciously morbid blend. I did not see the end coming.

Most of the time, I was burning through this series. It has taken me by surprise how much I have loved it. I was sketchy about trying the first book years ago, but a good friend convinced me, despite my reservations that it was worth it. She wasn’t wrong. Then, Moth bought me the second book and it sat on my shelf for about a year. Talking to the same friend who recommended it, she informed me that the second book was better than the first and she said, “Just do it.” I did. Before I was finished with it, I ran out and bought the third because there was so much detail that I knew I didn’t want to forget anything if I left off for a while. I got to the middle of the third book and Mr. C&M was ordering the last two for me so I wouldn’t have to fret. This series has unexpectedly launched into my top 10 series list. I still wouldn’t read Maas’ original assassin series as that does not appeal to me, but I will definitely keep up on her adult books. Now I anxiously await the next installment.

The blank says, “Beware of pit bulls. They will steal your heart.” And it is truth.

Mr. C&M also set up a new reading spot for me (and Ridley). This big recliner is right next to my bookshelf, the lamp is directly behind me, and I have a coaster for a drink. Ridley is my reading partner in crime, and we have sat together for many hours getting lost in different worlds. ❤

What are you reading right now?

Eat Your Carrots!

In the random workings of my mind, one day I decided that perhaps, I would attempt to make homemade dog food. My reasoning? Canned dog food has gone through the roof as of late. The cheap stuff is $2/can and the more expensive, quality stuff upwards of $5/can. My dogs eat 2/3 of a can per day. Why do they need canned food? They really don’t. It all began with Ozzy YEARS ago. He had to be medicated so much when we got him, we had to hide the meds in canned food to get it down him. Then, add to the fact that my brain decided that it would be really boring to eat the same thing for every meal, and you have my situation 15 years later.

Anyway, I digress. I began researching some homemade dog food recipes online and decided to give it a shot. I am not replacing my dry food but supplementing with homemade. There are MANY recipes on the internet, and this is the first one that I am trying.

In case you want to try this yourself; here are the measurements of the ingredients: 1.5 cups brown rice, 3 pounds ground turkey, 3 cups spinach (chopped), 2 cups carrots (shredded), 1 zucchini (shredded) and 1/2 cup peas (canned or frozen). All cooked up and put together.

It cost $14.40 and made around 4 quarts of food. (I know this because I froze some.) My final verdict on whether this saves me money, won’t come for a minute. I’ll do the math when I run out of food. But in the meantime, the dogs are losing their minds over it:

I’m adding fruits to it at least once a day as well. Strawberries were a hit. They both like banana and I think we’ll try blueberries soon. This was the thing that I was most excited to try over the weekend.

In other C&M news!

I finished two books since my first book of the year:

This was a lunch time book. It was entertaining and incredibly easy to read when you only have 20-30 minutes to do so. It was light-hearted, despite some dark content but there was nothing revolutionary here since I watched the HBO special once upon a time.

I finally picked up book 2 in this steampunk series that I started a few years back. I had a good time and was invested in the main characters (and some of the side characters too). I love the imagination that comes out in steampunk novels. This is a series that I think I will continue although I’m not racing out to find book 3.

Our betta Ace died unexpectedly Saturday night. I had cleaned his tank, came back a few hours later and he had passed. I’m not sure what happened. I don’t know if it was something I did, or the stress just took him. He was the least healthy fish rescue that I’ve had yet. I won’t lie and pretend that I’m not upset. Many people will (and have) said that it’s just a fish but to me, bettas are not your average fish. I will take solace in the fact that he had a very good 6-8 months with me that were not guaranteed when he came so close to dying in a cup at the store. RIP.

So, a mixed bag since my last post folks! How was your week? What was the best thing that happened? (Doesn’t matter if it’s a little or big thing, it just had to make you happy.)

New Year. New Adventures. New Books. New Plants.

There is nothing quite like the promise a new year brings. If nothing else, you get to wash away the mental dirt of the past year and hope for new and better things. As such, I’m marching into 2024 feeling refreshed with many ideas of how to not only survive but thrive.

My first read of the year was an easy, fluffy, fantasy read. I sat down with my mug cake (chocolate with peanut butter chips, ala Reese’s) and hammered out half of the book in one sitting. Which was pretty simple, as the font is larger and 1.5 space. A former murderous orc decides to open up a coffee shop, coffee being unheard of in the city she chooses, and tries to make an honest living. An adorable coterie of characters joins her one by one. 5 out of 5 stars for me, making it a solid way to start off reading this year. (I only read 10 books in 2023, an all-time low. I accomplished zero of my bookish resolutions.)

One of my few resolutions for this year is doing more creative activities. I did succeed at starting that ambition towards the end of 2023 and I’m riding that high into this year. I’ve picked up a couple of old things I used do but that dropped off with the progression of life. I’ve started a sketch book again. I mean to get back to photography and keep trying new craft projects.

For Christmas, my aunt bought me this plant journal. (Check out my post Plantsteria for my rocket launch into that hobby.) I’ve started filling it out a little bit and I’m super excited about it. There is a section to attach pictures, but I have decided to draw the plants with color pencils. Moth is being a dear and giving me some of her old Prismacolor pencils to dabble with in the near future. I also received FOUR plant propagation stations from my aunt and husband. There may be a plant side hustle in my future or at the very least, a crap ton more plants in my house. But with this journal, I can keep track of the information needed on every plant I own and my successes and failures at making more of them.

One of the many cool presents I received from the indispensable Miss Moth, was two hand painted pots for plants. The Trick ‘r Treat one on the left being the first one that I transplanted my rattlesnake plant into. She was overdue for a new, slightly bigger pot. I think she’ll be happy here in the light of the aquarium, with her spider plant buddy and air plant neighbors. That’s seven plants in one spot if that gives you any idea about the rest of my house. :3 (Edgar strutting his stuff in the background.)

What does all of this mean for this blog in the next year? Anything and everything, my friends. I will be posting whatever random thing brings me joy and as the year progresses, probably some frustration posts as well. Overall, I am trying to remain positive and take things as they come. The last two years have been rough and I’m ready for that to turn around if only by the power of my determination.

Do you have any grands plans for your future?

I wish everyone nothing but wellness and joy in the times to come. ❤

Reading in 2023

I don’t know what my deal is this year, but I have completely dropped off when it comes to reading. Usually, setting my yearly goal at 20 books is undershooting it so that I’m not putting unneeded pressure on myself to read. As of today’s date, I have read 8 books this year. One of those was a comic book. Perhaps reading like mad for years on end finally caught up to me. Whatever the reason, I’m not sweating it. Winter is around the corner and that is one of my favorite seasons to stay cuddled in, reading.

Of these 8, I think Death’s Acre was my favorite. I love science and forensic science is just fascinating to me.

What is your favorite book that you’ve read so far this year?

Death’s Acre – Book Review

Publishing Date: October 27, 2003

Publishing Co.: Berkley

Pages: 320

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I vividly remember when all the CSI shows hit the scene. They were practically the only thing anyone was watching and everyone had their favorite city. People were absolutely fascinated by the science behind solving crimes. (Plenty still are, I think a few of those shows are still around.) So, I shouldn’t be surprised that this book was originally published in that same time frame. If people really wanted to learn about forensics, books can teach even more than television.

Narrowing down the very broad scope of forensics, Dr. Bill Bass is an anthropologist. He studies the bones and gleans the truth as best he can with what is left behind. Unidentified bodies are given race, sex and a rough age estimate. This can help in missing people cases and also in murder cases. Dr. Bass was consistently busy assisting police, doing research and teaching students.

But, as any good scientist, the more he learned the more questions he produced. Forensics is a fairly new science so there are certain things that just had not been studied yet. Like, how EXACTLY does a human corpse decompose? How long does it take depending on weather conditions? Do insects increase the decay rate? How can the surrounding environment help time stamp a victim’s death?

The only good way to answer these questions is to examine decaying human remains. And thus, the Body Farm was created. (It has a technical name, but Body Farm is cooler.) Using donated cadavers, Bass and his students began creating scenarios and studying the results. From those studies, sprung other studies developed by his students and forensics was pushed even further.

This is 50 percent about the Body Farm and how it came to be, and 50 percent an autobiography of Dr. Bass. My only minor complaint was the constant reminder of how the science worked, sometimes not very far apart. It did nothing to dampen my appreciation of this book. You definitely need a morbid curiosity for this one, which luckily, I have an abundance of.

First Book Haul of 2023

Even when money is tight, sometimes you just gotta treat yo self.

As a mood reader, the one thing I did not have in my collection to quench a thirst if it popped up, was any non-fiction. I’ve always liked learning and even though I’m in school currently, my brain still wants more.

This is my second ever order from Bookoutlet.com. Their prices are pretty incredible. I bought 7 books for $38. (That tops what I spend in all of 2022 on books but who cares?! Books!)

The tantalizing box!

True crime, non-fiction, mystery, dogs. The range is good with this lot. I’ve already started Death’s Acre so expect a review of that in the near future.

What treasures did you get in your latest book haul??

Blackbirds (Miriam Black, #1) – Book Review

Published Date: April 22, 2012

Publishing Co.: Angry Robot

Pages: 381

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

If you touch Miriam Black, skin to skin, for even a second, she can see your death. The exact year, day, hour and manner of how you die. Just the one vision, one time, but she never forgets. Miriam doesn’t try to change fate. She tried that once upon a time and it doesn’t work. She hangs around like a vulture, waiting for you to die. Then, she takes the earthly things you don’t need any longer; money, credit cards, etc. She crowns herself a scavenger and she accepts her lot in life.

Until she foresees a death that is a direct result from the person knowing her. Finally, something shakes her from her complacency. She doesn’t like the idea of someone dying because they know her, but she can’t change fate, right?

Miriam isn’t a very likable character. I can enjoy a good anti-hero, but she just doesn’t have very many redeeming qualities, at least until the end. The actual villains were quite good. Creepy, intimidating. Running from them made sense.

There were a few very Stephen King elements to this book. I should have written them down when I thought of it, but I was too confident in my memory. I do remember that it was so glaringly similar that it almost felt like a complete duplication.

Currently, I am undecided whether I will continue this series.

2023 Bookish Resolutions

Before I make any reading resolutions for the new year, let’s see how I did in 2022:

1. Continue/complete series: I created a master list for this goal and only read 1 book series from the list. I did continue/complete 4 series that were not on the master list. I would consider this a semi-successful goal. Some progress is better than no progress.
2. No spending limit on books: Despite giving myself free reign to spend as much as I want on books, I spent $19.67.
3. Mood read for the entire year. I can check this one off with 100% confidence!

2023 Resolutions:

1. Continue/complete series. I’m going to copy the master list into the new year and give it another run. It’s nice having a focus point, even if I don’t necessarily stick to it very well.
2. No spending limit again! It’s interesting when I give myself no limits and then I’m still frugal as hell.
3. Read more comic books. I really neglected comics in 2022 (I read none) and want to change that in 2023.

Do have any bookish resolutions for the new year??

Rogue Protocol (Murderbot Diaries #3) – Book Review

Published Date: August 7, 2018

Publishing Co.: Tor.com

Pages: 150

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I’m just zipping through this little robot space opera, and I am doing so happily.

Another planet, more dumb humans almost getting themselves killed and a robot still questing for answers.

Murderbot is onto its next clue in bringing down GrayCris. The organization that tried to kill their first group of humans in order to hide their illegal activity, harvesting ancient alien remains. Murderbot wants to find as much evidence as possible to send back to the first human that recognized and respected their free will (I don’t remember their name) so that they can win their legal case and be safe from a dangerous organization.

It’s never as easy as Murderbot hopes.

Artificial Condition (Murderbot Diaries #2) – Book Review

Published Date: May 8, 2018

Publishing Co.: Tor.com

Pages: 149

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Murderbot begins an adventure of self-discovery.

Did they really go crazy and kill a bunch of humans and then have their memory of the event erased by the corporation that made them?

To find the answer, they must hack security systems and bribe other robots to get to another planet. Once they arrive at said planet, security forces anyone to have a reason why they want access to the surface. Murderbot takes a contract as a security consultant to get there.

It wouldn’t be a good story is the humans didn’t cause trouble for Murderbot’s mission. Will Murderbot’s secret be exposed in an effort to keep the humans from being killed?

Tune in for this week’s episode of Days of Our Robot Lives to find out.