The Dastardly Dungeon of Deliciously Devious Drinks

greendragon said:

Makes perfect sense...

I completed my peacock necklace while at the art show this weekend... if anyone wants to see...

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Gorgeous work!

Ugh. Drama at home + stomach illness means no going to work today. I'm caregiving and can feel myself wearing down, even for someone I love.

On the better side of things, another Name author said they'd read the space opera ARC. And I've been refining my agent list for the revised fantasy mms. I might still hold out for #SFFpit in a month, even though the mms did poorly on previous Twitter pitch contests.

Woohoo on author news, filigree! Not so much on worn down caregiver. Trust me, I understand

Hugs Filigree. Caregiving is exhausting.

Speaking of which, husband might have to have surgery on both hands. He has what's called trigger finger. The tendons in his hand/fingers have become inflamed and as a result, are holding on to calcification proteins. It causes the joints to literally lock up. It's painful but treatable with either shots or surgery. He's had several months of PT and while it's gotten better (especially after he changed departments and isn't having to pull of clamps) it's not made measurable improvements in the past month. So the company nurse is getting approval from HR to see a specialist. We will see from there what needs to be done.

and soft smibble piles for those who need them.


Aaarg, my back. My room has been fully cleaned, dusted, and organized. Also tossed out some old kid stuff behind one of my dressers that had been there for yeeeeeaaaars and had soooo much dust. *coughs a dust cloud* Tomorrow will be vacuuming, and eventually carpet washing.

*sets phone down thinking she submitted post* *watches entire movie while pitting cherries and accidentally squirting wall calendar with juice on the process* *picks phone up and realizes she did not submit post*

Um... well... I watched Hidden Figures for the first time and it was really good. However I'll have to watch it again at some point because I missed large chunks of it due to the dog having diarrhea, once outside (in the rain) because i saw the signs in time to set the bowl of cherries down and get him outside, and once in the floor because I did not see the signs in time to get him outside. (Yet like a good dog owner I still took him out in the rain again.) The cause of this would be him eating some stuffing out of his bed while we were gone the other day. I do wish it wasn't dog instinct that if their tummy is bothering them they must eat *anything* to help them barf it up. Outdoor dogs eat grass but indoor dogs eat...whatever else is convenient. And it gives them diarrhea a day later. Woohoo. Extra hoo. Beagle is going to the vet in the morning to be sure everything's okay just in case but it usually passes on it's own when he does this. At least it didn't happen at 4 a.m. in the floor of my bedroom like with previous incidents.

I'm tired and going to bed now.

Kitty is out of the study. Puppies and kitty haven't quite made friends, but they're keeping a safe distance. No excessive growling or hissing. They might just come to a working peace by tomorrow if this pace continues.

Cantina! I'm looking for SF/F book recommendations (preferably available on Kindle) with poetic/lyrical writing. I don't mean that the words are organised like a poem - rather, that the writing itself is simply a joy to read. Kind of like "purple prose", but done really well instead of painfully. I don't really care what the plot or setting is (SF/F in general is fine), but yeah - definitely looking for something that is pure joy to read, regardless of plot and characters.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Guy Gavriel Kay, especially Under Heaven, but that's kind of his style you're describing. Robin McKinley also regularly does that.

Cool! Thanks. I'll write those names down before I forget them.

I dunno about lyrical-ness, but I find sarcastic authors such as Adrienne Kress (Alex and the Ironic Gentleman), Derek Landy (Skullduggery Pleasant), and Catherine Fisher (Incarceron) to be "pure joy to read".

Elizabeth Bear's stuff has a strong and engaging voice that I find very difficult to put down because it just sucks me right in.

Tired this morning, Cantina. Ribs are suddenly more ouchy than they were. >_< Made the sleeping uncomfortable and may have contributed to a super-creepy/tense dream that went on for what seemed like forever.

Working on some things. Getting close to a month out from LibertyCon so I've got a lot to get organized on multiple fronts. And today is Monkey's last day of school so expecting the next week or so will be a little hectic as we adopt a summer routine.

Aggy, *hugs tea*

Oh, yeah yeah! Second Elizabeth Bear! I love her Eternal Sky series. Megan Whalen Turner also has a poetic voice to some degree.

I second Robin Mckinley and especially Megan Whalen Turner. I've actually read them and liked them both and dude, seriously, you MUST read Turner' s "The Queen' s Thief" series! You must!

E.F.B. said:

I second Robin Mckinley and especially Megan Whalen Turner. I've actually read them and liked them both and dude, seriously, you MUST read Turner' s "The Queen' s Thief" series! You must!

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YES. READ THE QUEEN'S THIEF.

cAPS lOCK off now: that series is number two on my all-time favorites list, second only to Diane Duane's Young Wizards.

Religion0 said:

Megan Whalen Turner also has a poetic voice to some degree.

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E.F.B. said:

you MUST read Turner' s "The Queen' s Thief" series! You must!

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Yzjdriel said:

YES. READ THE QUEEN'S THIEF.

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Yes. First book series I ever bought because I felt studying the writing was a worthwhile investment. I'm writing down the other recs you've guys are making because you clearly know a good read when you read one.

Cliff Face said:

Cantina! I'm looking for SF/F book recommendations (preferably available on Kindle) with poetic/lyrical writing. I don't mean that the words are organised like a poem - rather, that the writing itself is simply a joy to read. Kind of like "purple prose", but done really well instead of painfully. I don't really care what the plot or setting is (SF/F in general is fine), but yeah - definitely looking for something that is pure joy to read, regardless of plot and characters.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

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You might check The Goblin Emperor if you haven't already. It's been a couple years now since I read it, and while I can't really recall how well it fits with lyrical writing, it popped straight into my head. The names are a little ponderous, but it's great for setting and character, and it's not heavy on grim or violence.

Mary Love said:

Yes. First book series I ever bought because I felt studying the writing was a worthwhile investment. I'm writing down the other recs you've guys are making because you clearly know a good read when you read one.

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While we're on the subject of recs, in a very close third are The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede.

Oh my god, I can't believe I forgot Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Some lovely writing and a fun fairy tale in a quick read.

Since MrJJ and I both just read it, we watched the movie on Netflix. Bleah and urgh. Good thing I didn't see that first or else I might have skipped the book. Though the chorus of dead brother ghosts was pretty well done.

JJ Litke said:

Oh my god, I can't believe I forgot Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Some lovely writing and a fun fairy tale in a quick read.

Since MrJJ and I both just read it, we watched the movie on Netflix. Bleah and urgh. Good thing I didn't see that first or else I might have skipped the book. Though the chorus of dead brother ghosts was pretty well done.

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Never read the book then watch the movie. It's almost guaranteed disappointment.

Maggie Maxwell said:

Never read the book then watch the movie. It's almost guaranteed disappointment.

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Well I definitely don't want to do it the other way around.

I knew it'd be bad, but MrJJ really wanted to see it. He didn't seem to dislike it as much as I did.

JJ Litke said:

Well I definitely don't want to do it the other way around.

I knew it'd be bad, but MrJJ really wanted to see it. He didn't seem to dislike it as much as I did.

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Usually, just reading the book is enough.

Unless, as I'm reminded by a lurking alien zebra, it's The Princess Bride. Or the Last Unicorn.

What, me lurk? Never!

But, um, with my lurking ... I feel like the only person in the world who was kind of meh about The Queen's Thief.

*backs out of the thread before the starts*

Maggie Maxwell said:

Usually, just reading the book is enough.

Unless, as I'm reminded by a lurking alien zebra, it's The Princess Bride. Or the Last Unicorn.

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Or Howl's Moving Castle. The movie cut SO much out of the book that it somehow wrapped right around to being wonderful again.

shortstorymachinist said:

Or Howl's Moving Castle. The movie cut SO much out of the book that it somehow wrapped right around to being wonderful again.

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That's because Miyazaki can do no wrong.

Maggie Maxwell said:

That's because Miyazaki can do no wrong.

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QFT. I wish he'd done Earthsea instead of...was it his son who did that one?