Some Thoughts on Fiction

Powell's in Portland, August 2015

Reena's Xplorations Challenge this week gives us some questions to ponder regarding fiction. First, she asks what constitutes fiction in the post-truth era, and I'm probably going to disagree with most of the other responders when I say I don't think our era is less truthful than any other era. Regular people have always lied, or at least insisted upon their version of the truth, as have politicians and their entourages, and whatever media existed at the time. What we see now however is more of a mass production and dissemination of lies because of the way "news" can reach so many of us almost instantly. There is also so much media available in so many forms. Back in the day, we had to wait for some wanderer to wend his way to our village to give his version of a thing that happened months ago at court. Now, within five minutes the whole world knows what a President said at a conference. Or, we think we know, depending on our source and whatever meme we saw on social media.

How thin or distinct are the lines between fact and fiction? 

In writing, as opposed to political "news," the lines are somewhat clearer between fact and fiction. Somewhat. Recently, I read a non-fiction book about bats, and I think it's safe to assume that all the bat information I learned was factual. The author was specific about what was known and what wasn't. (I will have a Thursday Thirteen post on bats coming soon.) Historical books can definitely be biased towards a particular viewpoint. Biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs are in the non-fiction section, but those are all someone's version of what happened. Self-help books are considered non-fiction as are books about food, travel, economics, and religion. Hah! Poetry is its own category. 

My favorite types of books fall into the fiction category, but even here things can get muddled. Some fiction is based on true stories. Some characters are closely based on people the author actually knows. Some writers use real-world locations and events in their fiction, while others create imaginary cities and scenarios. Science fiction and fantasy writers sometimes create whole new worlds and types of creatures in their stories.

Do the disclaimers that all characters are fictional really mean anything?

No. All characters, even the nonhuman ones, come from bits of the author's experience, whether direct or from something s/he read. No one writes in a vacuum. Since most real people aren't that interesting on the page, the best fictional characters are a mix of traits that the author has observed or read about. Even monsters, dragons, aliens, gods, etc., are a mishmash of human qualities. We create them all in our own image because what else is there? Funnily enough, the most fictional of fictional characters are probably the dreaded stock characters that a lazy writer grabs from the cardboard stash: the corrupt cop, the schoolyard bully, the cozy grandmother, etc. Real people are usually more nuanced.

Do you follow a formula when writing fiction, or just let it all flow freely?

For a while, I was writing spicy romantic fiction (novels and short stories), and that was all formulaic. I quit writing it and unpublished what I had when I became the stock cozy grandmother. No one wants to stumble across their nana’s erotica. Yuck. My later fiction is more free flowing. Hell, I didn't even know how Ghosted was going to end when I started it. Generally, I begin with a title or an idea that I think is funny and go from there. Sometimes I get bogged down in banter and have to delete a bunch of it to make room for action. Good short stories and flash fiction are actually harder to write than novels because there's no room to indulge yourself with prolonged banter, physical descriptions, and pointless meandering. The pointless meandering is my favorite.

Speaking of that, I had this enormous post written with my thoughts on various genres blah blah, but I have now scooped all that into a new post because I had actually missed addressing Reena's questions. 

Summer Reading Bingo 4

Reading challenge bingo card

Welcome to my summer bingo book series, where I post five short reviews at a time. I'm giving myself the whole summer to finish the bingo card, not just the month of June. This is my fourth set of reviews; you can find the first set here, the second one here, and the third one here.

1. Author born in June. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. This will be a short review because I don’t want to spoil any plot points for potential readers and/ or movie-goers. (I plan to see the movie soon via DVD with a group of friends.) This is an amazingly complex and detailed novel about a last-ditch space mission to save life on Earth. Sadly, most of the math, physics, and engineering were over my head, so I skimmed a lot of that. The story did get a little bogged down with this techy stuff in some places, but overall the quality of imagination and research that went into producing this novel has my profound respect. Four stars.

2. Beach on the cover. Beach Wedding by Michael Ledwidge. Fun, fast read with a few twists, but the story was mostly predictable. I didn’t care for the short chapters with weird breaks. The MC didn’t seem too smart for a cop, but I guess they aren’t all geniuses. Three stars.

3. RomCom. No Match Found by Martha Keyes. First, the cover is all wrong: Vivian is the CEO, not a secretary standing in front of her boss’s desk. Second, the trope of a main character running a dating site seems a bit… dated. I mean, we all hate dating sites by now and know they’re full of liars and scammers, right? But this book was published this year. Third, the premise for the couple being thrown together is as flimsy as the heiress in the rain who simply must take shelter with the impoverished duke in the abandoned cabin. Anyway. There were lots of things I loved about No Match Found, which explains my four-star rating. 

I loved both Viv and Grant. They were quirky but not annoyingly so. Despite both of them being attractive physically, it was clear that they had a hard time in romantic relationships because of their emotional baggage. Grant had some issues, which he apparently overcame when he fell for Viv (we can’t know what’s going on in his mind because we never get his POV), but Viv had a lot more. It was harder for her to get past her mental blocks regarding love, and she struggled with self-doubt and self-esteem issues. It wasn’t weird that her life’s work was matchmaking, since she loved data, algorithms, spreadsheets, etc. That all helped to keep her barriers up as well.

I stand by my mantra that romance novels should be written in third person. This one might have been a 5-star for me if we could have had a bit more distance from Viv and some scenes from Grant’s POV. Even so, I liked it a lot, particularly the second half. The ending was great! Regarding the lack of sex scenes, that made it better for me. There was plenty of spice, chemistry, sexy banter, etc., and I didn’t need to see them do the deed. I’m tired of reading the explicit scenes anyway, as they’re so similar book to book.

4. Sports themed. Reckless by Elsie Silver. Meh. This romance was a whole lot of longing looks and lip-licking lust plus a big scoop of contrived silliness to keep the main characters apart, such as the BS with Theo giving his phone to his manager. (He’s a rodeo rider, which is the sports tie-in.) There was no real plot or drama other than Theo having to constantly soothe Winter’s ruffled feelings. I did like the fact that she was a doctor and a few years older than he was, though he often acted more mature. I am not a fan of grumpy x sunshine whether it’s the man or the woman being negative throughout most of the story. Bickering isn’t sexy. Two stars. 

5. Favorite color on cover. Six Days by Dani Atkins. (The cover is turquoise.) At first, I loved this book and truly could not put it down. Since I read so much, I am always looking for something different and interesting, and this story hinted that something big was coming. I was excited by all the clues left scattered around. My imagination went wild with possibilities! And then came the most banal resolution ever. I'm not going to spoil it, but ugh. Seriously. What a total disappointment, both in the twist that wasn't and also in the switch from compelling first person narration by Gemma to someone else. My rating immediately plummeted from a 4-5 down to a 2-3. Three is generous, which is what I gave.

The fifth and final bingo post will be coming soon! I don't have any romance novels planned for my remaining squares, so TG for that. I am heartily sick of them (especially ones written in first person). Regency era romances are an exception, but even those need to have an actual plot, not just a sarcastic duke and a klutzy governess or vice versa. PLOT PLOT PLOT!

Challenge Accepted and Completed

Powell's in Portland, August 2015

In December, the leader of our online book club posted a genre challenge. I sort of forgot about it, and she posted a reminder last week. As I perused the list, I realized that I actually had satisfied each one, except for young adult, a genre I generally hate. I browsed the Kindle Unlimited YA offerings the other day until I found a novella that didn't sound too bad. Now, I'm finished with the books and will post a brief review of each. (I read all these and more this year.)

1. Contemporary Fiction. I read (and watched) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, which I discussed in some detail last week in this post. I gave the book 3 stars on Goodreads.

2. Historical Fiction. I finished up my lengthy Victoria Holt (aka Philippa Carr) binge with Daughters of England. Though this book was last in the series, it wasn't last chronologically, and I still enjoyed it a lot. Holt expertly weaves history with fiction to create believable plots and characters. The stories are inseparable from the history, as political events drive beliefs and behavior (same as now, even if we are unaware in the moment). I am used to Holt's abrupt endings, though I find that they are discordant with her meticulous storytelling otherwise. Four stars. 

3. Fantasy. The Gunslinger by Stephen King satisfied this genre. I found the novel to be ambitious, as it was clearly a setup for the next in series (good example of why I am not fond of series where each book does not stand alone, as Holt's do), but it only works well if you go on with the series, which I did not. I tried ~ I began The Drawing of the Three ~ but it was so gory and gross that I DNF. I gave Gunslinger 3 stars regardless for King's high quality writing. I don't have to enjoy plot and/or characters to appreciate his wordsmithery.

4. Science Fiction. Another Stephen King novel goes here: 11.22.63. I watched the miniseries first and mostly enjoyed it (discussed at the end of this post), and then at Roy's recommendation I read the book. I absolutely loved it! The descriptions were so lush with detail that I really did feel like I was back in the 1950s and early '60s. The butterfly effect was fully in play too, with several iterations of "what if," and I am always up for that sort of thought experiment. I highly recommend this epic novel (800+ pages, so set aside some time). This book received a 5-star rating from me.

5. Mystery/Thriller. I grabbed The Date by T.H. Murdock last week from the Amazon First Reads pile, and I'm glad I did. I gobbled up the whole novel in one day because it was that compelling. Murdock expertly layered in the suspense, shifting suspicion from one character to another, until the reader was completely hooked. I literally couldn't put it down until I knew whodunit. Another 4-star winner.

6. Romance. Love at the Lake by Julie Milo fit this category as well as one in another challenge. I gave it 3 stars for attempting to tackle the weighty subjects of dyslexia and adoption in an otherwise fluffy novel, but it didn't do either all that well because so much time was devoted to the fluff. I'm not one of those who hates "pure" romance novels (without any mystery or other element), but I need more of a plot than high school angst over whether or not a boy/girl likes the other boy/girl. Note: the characters were 23 years old, but still acted like teens.

7. Nonfiction. At a library sale, I found a "coffee table book" titled Love of Goldens by Todd R. Berger and had to get it for my daughter and son-in-law, who have a golden retriever (Rory). I love goldens too now! I gave this book 5 stars for the wonderful photos and adorable vignettes.

8. Biography/Memoir. I finished Peter Gethers' Norton the cat trilogy with his second book (read out of order), titled A Cat Abroad. While this middle section of Norton's life was enjoyable enough to get a 4-star rating from me, it wasn't as compelling as books one and three. The first book was our introduction to baby Norton and how he impacted the author's life, and the third and last one was exquisitely sad as we had to say goodbye to our sweet kitty friend. Abroad was exactly as titled ~ Peter takes his kitty on all sorts of trips, which were fun adventures, with vivid and descriptive writing, but I couldn't appreciate all the French language jokes, and it was not as emotionally gripping overall.

9. Literary Fiction. I read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans for my online book club, and it fits this genre. This book began in the most tedious way by flinging a boatload of characters at the reader (18 in the first 16 pages!) that were impossible to keep track of until later in the story. I kept going however and eventually became intrigued by the threads tying all these people to the main character. I also liked that the MC was cranky and unlikeable, but she was still interesting to read about. Three stars for this.

10. Young Adult. Incantation by Alice Hoffman is categorized as YA, so I chose it because I liked her writing in the past. What can I say about this book? It was about a family of Jews in Spain around the time of the Inquisition. Absolutely awful, yet fabulous writing. I'm glad it had fewer than 100 pages because idk if I could have read more about this terrible time. I gave it 5 stars, and I think it's important to be reminded about how evil humans are to one another, since we can become numb to the news. I haven't created labels for young adult or magical realism, but I think historical fiction plus fantasy will do for this novella.

11. Horror. In general, I avoid horror novels and movies, except when there is a promise of a solid story along with the gore/scariness. The Fourth Wife by Linda Hamilton delivered. I found this story to be fresh and intriguing, and I was fascinated by the relationships among the sister-wives. It was "gothic" in a way and full of creepy ghosts, despite being set in a 19th century house in Utah, not a crumbling old English mansion. Four stars.

12. Poetry or Short Stories. Odd category mix, as these are two very different genres. I read Poems for the Lost Because I'm Lost Too by Exurb1a, and I found the writing highly relatable even though the author is a young guy in Eastern Europe. His themes of existential angst, isolation, and meaninglessness resonated with how I have felt off and on over all the years of my life. He went off into the weeds a bit with his forays into the supernatural, and I skimmed those sections, but overall... yeah. Liked it! Four stars.

As a side note, I am not being hypocritical with my high ratings of most of these challenge books after complaining repeatedly that people rate books too highly ~ I read many books recently that merited 2 or 3 stars, but I focused on the better ones for these mini-reviews. For example, in the poetry category, I gave 2 stars to another book of verse, but why mention it when I can recommend Poems for the Lost?

Maybe in Another Life

Photo taken by me

 

I was gifted Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid for my birthday last month. It had been on my list for a while because I loved TJR's Daisy and the Six (not the TV series however) and also Malibu Rising. Both books received a 5-star rating from me. I also enjoyed Evidence of the Affair, but I gave that novella only 3 stars. Three stars isn't a bad rating at all ~ it means you liked the book in general, but it had flaws. Four stars means you loved it, and 5 stars means it was utterly mind-blowing and you'd read it again. Most of my ratings are between 2 and 4 stars. (Two means it was "just OK.") If a book is so bad I'm going to award only one star, I usually don't even finish it. 

As I've ranted mentioned before, I feel the star rating system is skewed because so many readers are giving books 5 stars if they merely liked them. I'm not a purist ~ it's fine to overrate your friends' books ~ but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about people flinging 5 stars at ordinary mass-produced romances, thrillers, etc., and thus making the ratings meaningless. So annoying. Oh well, I guess there are larger problems in the world…

Anyway. Back to Maybe in Another Life. 

Warning: my review contains spoilers!

I didn’t like the main character, which isn’t necessarily an insurmountable impediment to loving a book if the plot and other story elements are great, but they aren’t. We are following two distinct storylines, which diverge after 29 year old Hannah does or does not hook up with her old high school boyfriend when she moves back to LA after flitting around various cities/ jobs. In the first scenario, Hannah and Ethan have a blissful few weeks together until Hannah realizes she’s preggo, but not with Ethan’s baby ~ she’d been carelessly hooking up with a married man in NYC. There’s not one moment where Hannah thinks hmm I am such a flighty and irresponsible person, so perhaps I should terminate this pregnancy or at least consider giving the baby up for adoption. Instead, she’s all in immediately, even after the NY man nopes out of helping. Did I mention that Hannah has no job, no car, and no apartment? That’s OK: other people step in to help her because she’s so wonderful. Those wonderful Hannah moments occurred off-screen, as far as I can tell. 

In the second scenario, Hannah chooses not to go home with Ethan and gets hit by a car. She wakes up in the hospital after three days in a coma, only to discover that she’s lost a pregnancy she hadn’t known about. Ethan shows up to visit, but he had taken another girl home from the bar that night after Hannah turned him down, and Hannah knows this, so she is meh about him. She falls for her hunky night nurse Henry instead, and gets him in trouble with his supervisor. I feel bad for all of Hannah’s physical problems, but she’s so selfish! The plot isn’t captivating enough to make up for her shortcomings. And do we have to keep hearing about her love for cinnamon buns on every freaking page?! Not to mention her obsession with having her hair up in a “high bun.” Buns buns buns! (Same thing in the other storyline.) Hannah quickly recovers from the accident, with everyone helping her just like in the alternate universe. Blah blah.

The reason I awarded 3 stars to this book instead of 2 is due to all the philosophical musings in the narrative and sometimes in the dialog. That’s what kept my interest. It was also interesting that TJR didn’t write the exact same endings to both situations. Some events stayed on track in both, and others were wildly different. I liked this, since I don’t believe in “fate” other than what you create for yourself through the choices you make… and some stuff is totally out of your control. 

I didn’t love or hate this book because not everything has to be extreme, and I would give another TJR novel a shot.

~*~

This review is for John Holton’s Writer’s Workshop. 

No Cheat Codes

1000 piece panda puzzle

I have come full circle in the puzzle arena. When I first realized that some of the newer jigsaw puzzles have "cheat codes" printed on the reverse side of the pieces, I vowed never to use them. I knew that it would take all the fun out of struggling to find pieces, declaring that some must be missing, announcing that the puzzle is defective, moaning that nothing goes anywhere, and finally finishing triumphantly. But then one time I used the codes... just a little bit. The next time I used them more, and finally I said eff it, flipped all the pieces over, sorted them by code, and did the puzzle fast. I did that a couple more times, even though the end result left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. Yet once I began to cheat, I couldn't stop myself. It was an addiction, a sickness, a mindless compulsion. I was proud that I could complete a 1000 piece puzzle, by myself, in two nights. Yes, yes, it was a hollow victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Then came the panda puzzle: 1000 pieces of black bamboo stalks over a multi-colored background and a panda face. It looked really hard, something I might have avoided in the olden days, but I could just use the codes, right? Wrong! The panda puzzle doesn't have codes. The reverse side of the pieces are totally blank. I couldn't back down. Man vs puzzle! Or woman as the case may be. I put the edges together and sorted some of the colors, though that was really hard, wah. I found one of his eyeballs, put a bit of his face together, and managed to connect some other mini blobs here and there. My friend Lisa came over to help on Saturday, but we mostly snacked and chatted. It's now on the third night of the panda puzzle, and I am very dismayed at my lack of progress.

Otherwise, I had a lovely Mother's Day. I drove up to Los Angeles see my daughter and grands. Sharon and I exchanged similar gifts: we bought each other yummy scented candles! I played games and colored with the kiddos, which was really nice, as I hadn't seen them for a while. The drive home sucked though, as my GPS indicated there was something happening that was lengthening the trip time, but it didn't say what or offer an alternative. Since the freeway looked clear, I kept going but stayed in the rightmost lane in case I wanted to exit quickly. In Huntington Beach, traffic suddenly stopped, and now the GPS said there were multiple crashes ahead. Multiple! I got off on Beach Blvd, at which point the trip time dropped by 10 minutes. Hello! Why didn't you tell me to get off? I had to use my brain, which was so annoying. 

I began reading Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid when I couldn't sleep last week, and it's pretty good so far (one of those alternate timeline type gimmicks). I generally like and sometimes love TJR's writing, so I will probably continue on with this, even though the main character hasn't impressed me much after 50 pages. On Goodreads, this book is tagged as a romance novel.

The other day, I began a "romantasy" novel on my Kindle titled Dire Bound by Sable Sorenson. It's for my online book club, as I would almost never choose a book like this on my own. I really don't enjoy the genre at all, nor do I enjoy graphic descriptions of violence and sex (what they now call "spice"). I guess there are exceptions for a well written story with interesting characters, but this doesn't seem to be one of those, so I think I will toss it in the DNF pile. Life is too short to slog on through books I am not enjoying!

Stephen King, on the other hand, has intrigued me with The Gunslinger, which is the first novel in his Dark Tower series, though it's very dark and violent. I picked up the rest of the series from the library yesterday. I'm not sure if I will read all the books though ~ book two (The Drawing of the Three) needs to be better than The Gunslinger for me to continue on to the third. It's a big time commitment as most of the novels in the series are ridiculously long. He's coming out with a new book in October (Other Worlds Than These) that's part of a different series, but he says we should read it because it "puts a cap on the Talisman novels and serves as the final Dark Tower book." Does this mean that I will have to read The Talisman and its sequel Black House? I suppose it does. Sigh…

That's a lot of reading! Anyone want to bet on which I will finish first: panda puzzle, TJR novel, or the second Dark Tower book? 

Antisocial Butterfly

For an antisocial introverted hermit, I’ve sure been going out and partying a lot! And when I say partying, I mean decorating themed cookies with my book club and hanging with some fellow old folks to talk about grandkids and such. It’s Day Three of this whirlwind of activity, and tonight I am playing online board games with a third group of peeps. Craziness. 

I had a bit of a sad yesterday when I realized that I no longer have any of my old blogs archived. Not sure what happened there, but my new philosophy is to deal with things as they are and not moan and groan about how I wish they would be. Well… maybe a just a little M&G, depending on the sitch. I still have some stuff from my old WP public blog available via the Wayback Machine, which used to annoy me because I never gave them permission to keep my writing available after I delete it, but since it’s too bothersome to get it taken down, I will use it for my own purposes instead.

Good news! I finished the insanely difficult 1000-piece puzzle I began over a week ago (had some help the first day), and now I’m ready for a puzzle break. I think I’ll try sketching something. I printed a swan outline for a guide, so hopefully it turns out decently.

It’s been a struggle in the migraine department with the heat and the wind. Crossing my fingers that tomorrow is better. Oh, I finished Stephen King’s epic time-travel novel 11.22.63, to which I awarded five stars on Goodreads (plus added it to my favorites list). I highly recommend it! Yes, it’s over 800 pages, but it’s so worth the time. I think it was Roy who encouraged me to read the book after I mentioned that I enjoyed the miniseries. Thanks Roy!

K.I.S.S.

The older I get, the more I appreciate simplicity. I’m sure I am not unique in this preference. For example, Target just sent me an email telling me how happy they are to have me as a longtime customer. This would be the very same Target whose outside credit agency has rejected my new bank account about a dozen times, so I am forced into paying by phone. Since you can’t reply to the email, I decided to write a scathing letter about how badly I have been treated by both Target customer service and their stupid credit agency. I had fantasies about my extremely well-written (but very mean) letter going viral. People would finally appreciate my savage wit and intellect! I’d become famous!

Then I thought, nah, I will just continue not shopping at Target, which has been working well for a while now.

Regarding social media, the more FB annoys me, the easier it becomes to K.I.S.S. and avoid it. Lately, I’ve been checking my book club for updates, perusing the first dozen posts in my feed, and skedaddling out. If it weren’t for my book club, I would spend even less time there. 

I find Substack too difficult to navigate, so even though I have a couple pieces posted there, I never go unless I receive a link to an article that seems interesting.

Instagram actually pays attention to what I enjoy, so now my feed is filled with photos from zoos and kitty accounts. Ads for puzzles and “healthy” cookie dough may appear, and that’s okay. Funny that IG used to be my least favorite site! Words, man, I am here for words, I used to insist. Hah. Words are so irritating. Show me a red panda and keep your political jabber to yourself.

That said, I follow a few politicians and celebs there. I plan to read Valerie Bertinelli’s new book at some point (though I won’t pay the full hardback price). A few months ago, I donated to Gavin Mewsom (keeping this typo, sorry), so he sent me his book (for “free”). I will read that soon. I am currently, and by accident, reading two time travel books, including the 800 page novel 11.22.63 by Stephen King, which isn’t simple at all, but it’s damn good. (Update: just finished the non-King book and will review it soon on Goodreads.)

I refuse to read books I dislike, which means I don’t read all the selections every month for my online book club. My local, in-person club generally chooses books that I enjoy, so that’s cool. I joined an unofficial book club at work, but it’s via a comedian on YouTube, so I probably will pass on some of the selections. They’re very male-centric. 

I still like to engage in creative hobbies, but painting is so time intensive and messy. My friend Lisa gave me a sketchbook, and I am going to begin drawing instead of painting. Maybe I’ll engage in a little watercolor too. A whole world of possibilities opened up when Lisa said it’s not “cheating” to print out pictures from the internet and use them for inspiration or even copying outright ~ that’s what I basically did with those acrylic tutorials anyway. Real artists use models and photos all the time! Idk why I thought drawing/ sketching should come straight from my imagination. Silly.

How ironic is this looooong post? Maybe I should write a whole series on simplicity… or a novel!

Let’s keep it simple

Nobody wants War and Peace

Shiny things abound 

Generation Jones

I am not a fan of labels and have never really felt part of any labeled group, even ones I’ve paid to join. I guess it's human nature to try to find a group of folks to identify with, and by default other groups are "not us." This makes us feel safe from the scary things, or something. The modern mania to categorize people is, imo, mostly a marketing tactic to help advertise more strategically. I try to ignore labels, although some years ago it was brought to my attention that I am part of “Generation Jones,” which is apparently a cohort between Boomers and Generation X. I forgot about this until the other weekend when a group of friends began discussing it. 

If you were born between 1954 and 1965, like me, you may also be part of Generation Jones, especially if you don’t feel a connection to the Baby Boomers or to the younger folks in Gen X. Cultural commentator Jonathan Pontell coined the term “to describe a group with a unique set of cultural and economic experiences.” The name refers to “jonesing” (craving) and “keeping up with the Joneses,” as we supposedly yearn for the affluence of the Boomers and lament our unfulfilled promises. Many of us were "latchkey kids," coming home to empty houses when our mothers returned to work. We existed in the gap between Beatlemania and Nirvana, subsisting on punk rock, MTV, and Star Wars. Woodstock wasn't our thing, but we do recall Watergate and gas lines. We're more pessimistic and cynical than both Boomers and X'ers. 

Blah blah blah. Some of these items resonate with me (latchkey), and some don't (Star Wars). A lot of it is simply personal taste ~ I don't really like punk rock; I love the Doors and the Stones, which my dad listened to as well. I even love Sinatra and Elvis. What does that imply about which group I should be stuffed into? Nothing. I attribute my lack of wealth to a divorce, not to any mysterious cultural forces. I do feel somewhat unfulfilled as far as a career, but that was entirely my own fault, or not even "fault." I needed more time to process certain emotional issues in my teens and 20s and could not leap onto the college to career train at the optimal moment. As far as being pessimistic and cynical, I have no way to objectively judge if I am more or less so than people of different generations. Sometimes writers just make shit up because they have to get an article in by a deadline or want to say something edgy for attention. Not saying this is that. I don't know.

Anyway. I had a great lunch at Belmont Brewing Company in Long Beach the other day and learned that "flatbread" can be like a pizza! I had no idea; I've always ignored flatbreads on the menu due to the term itself sounding unappealing. Flat bread. Who wants that? But I ordered a veggie one due to curiosity plus nothing else struck my fancy, and it was absolutely delicious. I could only eat half, and the leftovers were yummy too. 

This weekend I binge-watched 11.22.63, the Netflix miniseries based on the Stephen King novel. I had never read the book, but I vaguely knew it was about a teacher traveling back in time to try to stop the JFK assassination. James Franco starred as Jake Epping and did a great job. I did have some problems with logistics; for example, at one point Jake's mentor told him that if Jake returned to the current year, everything he had changed in the past would be undone and go back to "normal." But then the movie ignored that whole concept, and Jake did return, twice, and that didn't happen. There were a couple other glitches as well, plus at various points the story became tedious and overly complicated. Like why not just kill Oswald or prevent him from leaving his house on that date? Instead, they (Jake plus his sidekick who was also in on the plan) dove into this whole mishmash about trying to see if Oswald was working for someone else, rented a place near him to spy on him, got involved with other characters, etc. In any case, the current day turns out worse if JFK lives, so that was interesting, and I would have liked to have heard more about it. The novel is considered one of King's best, blending science fiction and historical fiction, so I may have to add it to my ever-growing TBR pile. 

Some Stuff I Watched

I guess I am out of my paranoid mood and ready to fling opinions into public again like birdseed in the desert. It’s amusing to me how I used to say so much without giving a fig for privacy. My own, that is. But you can’t always be totally open about yourself without involving others, since most of our stories aren’t solo experiences. Luckily, I haven’t had drama of that type for many years, but I constantly see drama unfold on social media from the casual expression of opinion on whatever topic, so that sometimes gives me pause.

I finally watched Somewhere in Time (1980), which was sad and romantic, but the time travel “science” was so ridiculous that I couldn’t take it seriously. In a way, it reminded me of Blake Crouch’s novel Recursion, in which the “science” was infinitely more complex but also ultimately absurd. Both stories set up a loop of impossible events repeating without resolution. I also had a hard time believing that a successful writer would throw his current life away on a whim to find a woman in an old photo. Jane Seymour was incredibly beautiful though, so perhaps that was enough motivation. Christopher Reeve’s appearance struck me as fake, as if his face had been molded from plastic like a Ken doll. I know that isn’t true, but there was something very odd about him, and I had trouble getting into the story because of that as well. I watched it on Prime.

I also watched Death Becomes Her (1992), starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. This had a crazy plot, centered around vain celebs and an anti-aging potion, along with bizarre special effects, like something out of a campy horror film. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t what I saw; I generally enjoy both actresses and was disappointed overall in the movie, despite a few funny moments. This was on Netflix.

Nobody Saw Us Leave is a new Netflix limited series (only five episodes) based upon a true story about two wealthy Jewish families in 1960s Mexico. The families are friends because of mutual business interests, and one of their sons marries another one’s daughter. It’s not quite an arranged marriage per se, but it’s clear the couple is not in love. After having two children, the wife begins an affair, and the man she falls in love with is her brother-in-law (her husband’s sister’s husband). After her husband discovers the affair, he informs his sister, and both are more humiliated than heartbroken. They probably would have done nothing more than sulk about this, but their father decides that his son must abduct his own children and leave the country. It’s not entirely clear why the father insists upon this, even as the situation becomes more complicated when the other family hires an ex Mossad agent to successfully track them down, but the story is compelling regardless. I probably missed some nuances because the dialogue was translated and dubbed, and some scenes were out of chronological order, but still I recommend it. The book (written by the daughter who was kidnapped) hasn’t been translated ~ if it ever is, I would read it. 

Nobody Wants This (rabbi and non-religious woman, both with cuckoo families, especially hers, fall in love) has returned for its second season on Netflix, and I binge-watched the entire season this weekend. It isn’t as crazy as it sounds because each episode is sitcom length and dissolves quickly in my mind like cotton candy. I find the whole show to be basically sans substance even though it’s purportedly about major life issues. Then again, so is The Connors (also a show I’ve been watching on Netflix, though not bingeing), which has received less attention but is much better. I find Kristen Bell pleasant to look at, but her character Joanne is unbearably stupid (until maybe the last couple episodes of S2, where she finally displays some insight). Also, I get annoyed with shows that portray a Jewish mother as pushy and obnoxious, but to be fair a lot of on-screen moms are portrayed this way because Hollywood writers find this tired old trope to be endlessly hilarious, apparently. The scenes with Seth Rogen as an unconventional rabbi were the funniest overall. 

There’s one thread I pulled out of the show that I both relate to and find interesting: the idea that we have in our minds of not necessarily the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend, but the concept of ourselves in a relationship. So, we repeat behaviors because we see ourselves as a person who does such and such thing without regard to the actual unique human being we are supposed to be getting to know. For example, a man always buys roses for his girlfriend’s birthday, oblivious to the fact that his new one is allergic, even though she has mentioned it. A woman always bakes cookies for her boyfriends, but her new guy is diabetic. These are extreme examples, but you see what I mean. People get stuck on a path of actions that don’t mesh with their current situation, yet they have trouble adapting to their new reality.

Anyway. I am looking forward to seeing the new biopic of Bruce Springsteen, which has just hit the theaters.

Passed My Bloggaversary

Or is it blogiversary? Anyway, I restarted this blog on August 12, 2024 with my review of It Ends With Us (the movie). Next week is my 24th anniversary at my workplace. I think I will bring muffins in on Tuesday when most coworkers show up (many work from home on other days). I've started to finally understand that maintaining and nurturing friendships and connections beyond my immediate family is a good thing and not something to be so wary of. I was repeatedly hurt by friends dipping and dates ghosting in the past and became very guarded. It's normal to go through bad experiences, but it's important to persevere (imo). The more I read about aging and brain health, the more I get that connections are crucial. It's not enough to simply do puzzles alone to keep the mind sharp. People need people ~ even introverts like me ~ for their emotional well being.

To be clear, I am talking about friendship not datingship. That ship has sailed.

I binge-watched The Hunting Wives on Netflix this week and enjoyed it a lot, though it got a bit kooky and farfetched by the end. Still, it was something different, plus I always love Malin Anderson (the sister in 27 Dresses), who had a lead role. The best thing about the show (limited series of 8 episodes) is that it seems at first to be tilted toward making the gun-toting, pro-life, wealthy Republican women appear more sympathetic than the awkwardly liberal Boston newcomer, but just wait... Spoiler: it is an epic takedown! Kudos to Mary Cobb, who wrote the novel, and to Rebecca Perry Cutter, who wrote the series. There's loads of nudity, sex (including graphic FF sex), violence, swearing, drinking, drugs, politics, and SMOKING. So, basically a fun time all around. I'm not sure if I want to deal with a second season however (supposedly on the way). One seems like plenty.

I read Kate White's mystery novel A Body to Die For, which is a fun romp through an upstate New York spa in beautiful autumn. It almost made me long for the change of seasons. Almost! Bailey Weggins, a crime journalist, intends to visit her beloved aunt at the spa she runs, but instead becomes embroiled in a murder investigation. She's also juggling a romance back in the city. We have all kinds of interesting characters to get to know, as well as a very handsome detective, and loads of twisty turns. Four stars. I may read some more books in this series, when I make further progress in getting through my enormous TBR pile.

I gave five stars to William Penrose's A Stranger to Earth. I don't read much science fiction, but this one really hooked me. It wasn't so much about aliens and space travel as it was about our human selves and how inhumanely we often treat each other. It was also frequently hilarious. Bill is a longtime FB friend, and he casually mentioned his book a little bit ago, which made me curious enough to go grab it for my Kindle. I'm glad I did!

Going forward, I think I'm only going to review the books I enjoy a lot, unless there is some particular point of interest to discuss in a book I find mediocre or worse. 

Looking forward to a birthday party tomorrow and some family time on Sunday. 

Everything Feels Weird Now

Gatsby died on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Rest in peace, sweetest kitty.

He had been declining rapidly, partly because his appetite was so low (even with the stimulant) and partly because his kidneys were failing since last summer. He had quit tolerating the supplement ~ he threw up every time I tried to give him that (a liquid) or his quarter-pill of blood pressure meds. Mostly, he just slept in a box of soft scarves in my closet, no zooming around or grabbing my bookmarks like he used to up until a month or so ago... not much interest in anything. His muscle mass had been decreasing along with his weight. Still, he didn't seem to be suffering and enjoyed affection, etc. But Friday he had eaten nothing and wouldn't touch any food Saturday morning (not even people-tuna), so I called for an emergency exam because I didn't want to wait until Monday. I also didn't want to find him dead in my closet. The idea of humane euthanasia had been floated, so my daughter and son-in-law drove up to help me.

After the exam, the doctor and I decided that letting him pass peacefully right then would be the best way forward rather than trying more invasive treatment options and ending up back there in a few days or a week anyway. Heartbreaking though. He was my little buddy for all these years.

The house feels empty without him. Quiet. Lonely. I used to talk to Gatsby all the time. And he talked back! I feel disconnected from myself. Every minute of the day I think about him, just like after my mom passed. That grief never left, but it did eventually recede to further back in my mind. I guess this will too. Eventually. I think about getting another cat, but I am not sure I want to. It's too soon to make any sort of big decision regarding another 10+ year commitment. I'm just trying to let my emotions settle. It's really tough not having a kitty in my life though. 

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I reread a sci-fi novel, Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, for my online book club. I had given it four stars a few years ago, and my good opinion did not change with the second read. A scientist discovers how he can travel back in time and exist in one of the multiple alternate universes that had branched off from a path he had taken/not taken. Complications ensue! I really dig the concept that you have to "kill" your alternate selves if you want to be happy in the life you choose. Otherwise, you spend your time angsting over what might have been, the success you might have had, the love you might have found, etc. Highly recommend.

I also read The Darkest Sin by Anne Sheridan, a dark romance/thriller that starred a beautiful kidnapped woman and a murderous mafia hunk. I liked it and gave it three stars. Of course, it was preposterous, but that's a given with these types of books. The author did a great job describing the chemistry between the main characters, and I always enjoy a deep dive into the underworld (in a book). The book would have benefitted from editing however ~ it was hilarious how often Sheridan repeated "sail" as a verb, even on the same page. She was very fond of saying "his gaze sailed over my body," which is weird enough when used once. Loads of sex and violence in this one; it’ll be a rollicking discussion in a couple weeks with the club.

Two more Victoria Holt novels are now crossed off my TBR list. One was The Shivering Sands, to which I gave four stars. Interesting heroine and lots of twisty turns in the plot. Fun read! The other book was Snare of Serpents, and while that one was also twisty, it was more predictable, and I didn't find the heroine as compelling as in other Holt books, so I gave it only three stars. For the record, Holt often repeats phrases, but they're innocuous ones, so they sail right past.

That's it. Just trying to get through this depression.