I got the e-book of Seanan McGuire's Laughter in the Academy a while ago; it's a collection of short (some very short) pieces with, if I remember correctly, each one related to a letter of the alphabet. I bring this up because under "K" some aliens arrive and humans have to prove that they (we) can produce something they will consider worthwhile. Our music and literature are negligible to them, so it's getting dangerous. Then an old woman comes up with her granddaughter and a folding chair and pulls out her yarn and knitting needles. The aliens are impressed. And when they leave, each is wearing a nice warm scarf.

Steph that sounds interesting I'll have to look it up.

Today I've been rearranging some , I have a chifforobe (kind of this style [link] but the small door has a mirror on it) and it's been in the art/office room where I forget what is in all the drawers and it takes up a good chunk of wall space. And in the bedroom I got this weird shelf thing that I now think is some kid of standing desk maybe (I dunno found it cheap at the thrift store) because I didn't like what I had and also I would put clothes in the old dresser thing and then forget it,. So I was trying an open shelving approach. It's not good for the bed room,

So the chifforobe is now in the bedroom and the narrower shelf thing is in the office/art room and I have it almost full of stuff and there is room for more storage or something. I have gotten some of my clothes put away. The only issue with the bedroom is that the chifforobe faces the bed, which means the mirrors do and I'll have to see if I can stand seeing that much of myself. It's also kind of big for the space. I am contemplating getting rid of the chifforobe. I really like it but it's not as practical as I would like it to be.

I have things I need to get out in the mail tomorrow. I emailed the lawyer and they are going to call me tomorrow to set up an appointment so I can go just have an in person appointment and kind of go over some things and ask some questions . It's been awhile and I think having a sit down, status of things, and I have questions type of meeting will help me, Maybe.

As for reading.. I've fallen into MCU fanfic again. I just started keeping tabs open instead of my old way of reading which was just going down the results or bookmarks , reading something, and then going back and going to the next thing. I have way too many tabs open.

One of the stories I just finished was Steve Rogers at 100: Celebrating Captain America on Film, [link] I've read it before but it was on someone's bookmarks (which I end up using as rec lists) and had to read it again. Steve and Bucky get introduced to all the various film adaptations of their lives right before a big film festival. This is the summary:

“Heil Hydra,” the enemy agent shouts.

“Heil this, motherfucker,” says Captain America, shooting off a rocket.

Steve and Bucky find out Hollywood has been busy since they went away. A historical survey, i including but not limited to: one set of exploded genitals, a brief interlude in France, Mel Gibson and other masterworks of casting, eight Academy awards, several dinosaurs, and something Tony Stark has ominously dubbed “the masterpiece.” Art included.

It's interesting and kind of meta and Steve and Bucky's reactions to on screen them fighting dinosaurs is hysterical.

just clearing up TBR, mostly.(Actual Mom wants me to stop buying stuff till I clear up what I already have) "Lessons in Chemistry" is pretty good, but it also has a high quirk factor, like that "Bernadette" book from a few years ago. I kind of love that it's so different and yet? wonder why nobody in the whole book, like, grunts over the morning paper, like people, you know? Some true-crime and some politics(While they are still not the same genre...bitter laugh) I like most of it in different ways, but it's been a long time since I read anything and, you know, *had to* know what happens. I miss that. Especially because it's not that my life got really fab.

I’m listening to Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind, which I also need have in paper back, and could swear I had read before. But apparently not.

Ok the 83 year old chosen one sounds great please update with review. Fingers crossed.

I’ve been reading a lot of cozy/soothing fantasy and such. Highly recommend all books by Celia Lake (magic in the 1920s/1930s, but gentle characters and smart/good people, even if some of them are still reeling from WWI or something), and amusingly a book called “Beware of Chicken” by someone named “CasualFarmer” on Kindle. Also “Legends and Lattes” was cute, as were a couple others of that ilk whose names I can’t remember right now…

JZ, if you haven't read the Temeraire series, you must. And it will last you a while.

I’m listening to Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind, which I also need have in paper back, and could swear I had read before. But apparently not.

Emmett is deeply into Rothfuss right now.

JZ, if you haven't read the Temeraire series, you must. And it will last you a while.

I have the first three books in house so she can snarfle those up.

I'm reading Excession by Iain M. Banks (do not forget the "M" or he turns into a dreaded literary author).

I picked this one because I love how he writes AI's particularly the ones in giant spaceships. They're all very sardonic and snarky. Anyway, this particular book is loaded with them, and I'm loving it. I had to go back and re-read the prologue then the back jacket copy to orient myself because he's introducing so many ideas so quickly that if you don't pay attention you get lost.

It's all laid out clearly but I had to go back a couple times. "Oh, she's been pregnant for forty years. Oh, she's not on an island on a planet, she's on an island, on a sea that's inside a space ship. Oh..."

JZ, I'm glad you liked it! Or appreciated it! Because I continue to be entirely realistic about my painting skills, but I did like the idea of leaving a tangible memory. (Am I right about your name, by the way? Greek is a... challenging language.)

I remembered liking the Temeraire novels but hadn't thought about Novik until Cory Doctorow (maybe?) recommended the Scholomance books. A magical school where most of the students are killed before graduation was an attention-grabbing idea.

Banks is on my mental list but intimidating. (It only took Bujold about twenty years to make it to the top of my list.)

I think I read a Banks novel and it didn't grab me and now I'm wondering if I read the right Banks. Possibly not! And this was probably 20 years ago. Or more.

I really like Bujold's Penric and Desdemona novellas, which are in the 5 gods world but earlier. Wait, maybe later than some of them. At a specific time that is not the same as the main run of the 5 gods.

I love pretty much everything by Bujold, but particularly "The Curse of Chalion" and the rest of the world of the five gods books. They're more fantasy than space opera.