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Does anyone have any favorite books from 2020?
Mine are (in the order I read them):
A PLAGUE OF GIANTS – Kevin Hearne
THE SUN DOWN MOTEL – Simone St. James
MY LADY JANE – Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
A LONGER FALL – Charlaine Harris
PEACE TALKS – Jim Butcher
The STILLHOUSE LAKE Series – Rachel Caine
A DEADLY EDUCATION – Naomi Novik
CLOCKWORK BOYS – T. Kingfisher -
Charlaine’s, of course, and Naomi Novik’s was another favorite.The new books by Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews (EMERALD BLAZE), and Ben Aaronovitch (FALSE VALUE). I worked my way through Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden Universe space opera series. Dana Stabenow’s most recent Kate Shugak.
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Ilona Andrews, Blood Heir. Great to visit with Julie and Derek! 🙂
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Hi, after a long time! (Almost) my whole family got the virus, due to a child who passed it to my grandson, who unknowingly shared it with Hal and myself, and his mother and father, before he showed any symptoms. Then our daughter, a school teacher and coach, caught it from one of her kids . . . which was bound to happen. Our Christmas was pretty unpleasant, overall, but we were able to get together to celebrate later in December, and we’re well on the road to recovery now. I’ll be writing a new Book and Blog soon — as you can imagine, the books have piled up!
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
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Oh my gooooodneeeessss!! I’m so glad you all have come through on the other side!! In a weird way, you have nothing to fear now! You all have faced it down!
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That’s very much the way I feel, Rebecca19! I have antibodies!
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
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WOW! The pandimic is still spreading like wildfire in Florida. I have been fortunate to avoid it so far. I have had my first shot of the vaccine so I am anxiously waiting for the second in about 3 weeks. Fingers and toes crossed! 🙂
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Big Mama- So glad you’re half way there!!
I thought I’d share the link to a very interesting episode of my favorite podcast (“Talking Tudors”). You can find it on itunes. It’s Episode 90 and entitled “Early Modern Women & Book Ownership with Martine van Elk”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-90-early-modern-women-book-ownership-martine/id1413504428?i=1000497867172Dr.van Elk mentions Margaret Lucas Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (1623 – 15 December 1673) who wrote science fiction and utopian fiction! After I listened to the podcast, I really enjoyed googling more about her. She seems ahead of her time!
I can’t believe it has only been a year since I met Ms C in Birmingham on her book signing tour.I drove from Atlanta with my flamenco teacher (who is like a second mom to me. It was such a fun road trip together!) It feels like ten years ago–this year has been interminable…but here we are! We’ve popped through the other side!
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It does feel like an extra-long year, doesn’t it? I hope time goes back to normal when the virus is under control. I don’t believe it can be eradicated. So glad you had a good time on your trip to Birmingham, and it is always a pleasure to hear from you on this forum.
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
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The pleasure is mine. I am in good company and I’m grateful for the kindred spirits here 🙂
As we wait for “The Russian Cage” at the end of February and talk about fav books in 2020, I’ll add I’ve been into a lot of historical fiction lately. But my worlds converged with “Le Temps Viendra” by Sarah Morris–mixing the historical Anne Boleyn with a time traveling modern day heroine.
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Oh no! So sorry your whole family got sick, Ms. Harris, but glad you are all feeling better now.
BigMama – So glad you are halfway to being fully vaccinated.I really need to read more Kate Daniels. I’ve read the first several, but I know I’m quite a few books behind…
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I’ve enjoyed all the Kate Daniels books, but I love the Hidden Legacy books even more. I’ll read anything Ilona Andrews writes.
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
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I also love the Innkeeper books. I hope we get a novella at least in that series this year!
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In keeping with all things “off topic,” this is a bit random, but I looked for this poem for about 7 hours today, deep in the bowels of my Macbook air. My younger son had to do a “free verse” poem for school and I wanted to share some of mine. Imagine my devastation when I believed them all lost. I cried when I found them. I said to my older son, later, “I found the poems!”
“I know, I heard you mom” (hug) ” ‘I found the poems! I found the poems!'” (mimicking my voice through his laughter) “I’m happy for you mom. I love you.”
Meanwhile,’not sure what was better: finding the poems or having my fourteen year old’s imitation of me, his laughter and hug. Here is one of “the poems!”“Sea Glass”
by R. MonetI think he probably walked the beach slowly,
But not exactly methodically;
Maybe darting,
Then bent over each find like a sandpiper once still,
Spying his dinner;
Dark eye again poised.He gave them to his sister,
(that much I do know).
They turned her hair indigo;
Hand splayed out like the inner pearl of oyster shells,
Dappled with gems of green and blue. -
I can appreciate your happiness at finding work you thought you’d lost. Lovely poem.
Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris
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What a lovely poem! I’m so glad it was not lost! How great to be able to share with your son and he can present your work as a part of his assignment. That is truly special.
It makes me remember how thrilled I was that some of my work was chosen to be included in The Sookie Stackhouse Companion. We all worked so hard on it and I am really proud of the final product. 🙂 -
Thank you Ms. C and Big Mama. The poem is based on a day my sister took her teenage children on an outing to the beach. My nephew loves collecting sea glass. They sent a picture of my niece holding it and she looked enchanted, like a mermaid.
I knew everyone here would understand my relief and the shared words (and belief in mermaids;) )
And I love my Sookie Stackhouse Companion; double fun to know I have something you contributed to, Big Mama!:)
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Just sat down with some hot chocolate and Susan Hill’s “The Mist in the Mirror” :)))
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well, I now am supposedly immune to the virus! I got my second shot a week ago yesterday and am just now getting over it! I had absolutely no effect from the first shot and thought, ” WOW! This is going to be easy!” 🙂 HAH! Hubby and I got felled by the second shot! Just like having a really bad case of flu. We are ok now, however, and I am really glad its done. With my health issues I was a VERY bad bet if I got the virus so I’m glad I at least have a bit better prognosis. Our area began to have a whammy of new cases of covid just before we got the first shot. I think that may be why our county got the vaccine so quickly. Florida has so many elderly and we are being given the priority for the shots. Since my husband and I are both over 70 years old we were at the head of the list. We had actually been told we would have to wait when I called to get an appointment for the first shot. I was told that even though I called immediately once I found out the vaccine was available, all the medication had already been promised. I was told it would probably be a couple of months before they got more. Fortunately for us, we got a call a couple of days later that they had gotten additional vaccine and would do the shots the next day! I am really relieved-I do have some ammunity now but will be at full protection by next Tuesday.
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Really glad you got your vaccine, BigMama. I have natural immunity right now since I actually had the virus, but of course we’ll have to get the vaccine in sixty days or so. I hope we don’t have to struggle to get an appointment.
Charlaine HarrisCharlaine Harris
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That’s great news BigMama! Sorry the second shot made you feel sick, but glad you are better now. My mother gets her first shot today (in a couple of hours) and we are thrilled because we’ve been very worried about her.
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Is there a newsletter or something I can subscribe to that will send to my email information about new books or even an email when new blog posts are published? Even if one of these threads was updated for this info that I could subscribe to so I got an alert.
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Collette, I am sure there is, because I can get responses to my own posts. You can ask Sarah, the website maven.
Charlaine
Charlaine Harris
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Do any of the original club members ever meet at conventions or have gathering like we once did. I would love to see some of the ‘old guard’ again. 🙂
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We should set up a Zoom meet-up! I have a work trip next week to Anaheim, but get back June 1st. Would a weeknight or weekend work better for everyone?
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Anyone up for this idea?
Charlaine
Charlaine Harris
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I was not part of the fan club “old guard” but I have been around the board (the old one and now this one) for quite a while and I’d love to attend a Zoom meet-up if one happens. Depending on the day, either weeknight or weekend can work for me.
One silver lining of this pandemic was discovering Zoom and the possibility to meet-up with people all over the world. Through other online boards, I’ve done that and “met” people I’d only communicated with on boards similar to this and it’s been great fun.
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Like all of you, I am sure, I am in shock over what happened in Uvalde. I have a grandson the age of the children who were murdered. I have a cousin living in Uvalde. Most of all, I am a citizen and a human being. There comes a time (and in my opinion, it’s long past) where we should value the lives of our citizens over the dubious right of Americans to buy assault rifles. People who say their rifles would have to be pried from their cold dead hands are not thinking of the cold dead hands of Americans who have died from senseless slaughter.
Charlaine
Charlaine Harris
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Agreed. When my dad was in high school in the 50s, he used to ride his bike to rifle team practice with his .22 strapped across his handlebars. He was only stopped once, by a cop who checked that the gun was safely secured. Back then, assault rifles were not an option for civilians, because Bonnie and Clyde were still relatively recent memory, and everyone understood that weapons of war don’t belong in everyone’s possession. The law was clear.
My dad and all my brothers were NRA instructors; I learned to shoot when I was 7, and passed my Safe Hunter course in the very early 70s. Back then the NRA was a respectable organization focused on gun safety, education, and sports. Then, in the mid 70s, the NRA decided to hire a lobbyist. IIRC it was 1977 when the lobbyist packed the national meeting with rabid wingnuts and successfully staged a coup.
Lobbyists know they’re out of a job if their issue is ever resolved. So the lobbyists who now operate the NRA for their own personal benefit have zero motivation to allow anything close to good faith negotiation. Their income depends upon keeping the issue unresolved, by fanning the flames of paranoia in their members. The “slippery slope” fallacy is their bread and butter, and you will pry it from their cold, dead, slippery fingers.
It’s really incumbent upon responsible gun owners to be part of this national conversation. We outnumber the wingnuts; we have to get louder than we have been.
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