May 25, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: LGBT+ Book Quotes

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Pride month is just around the corner. Since all in-person events for Toronto’s Pride events have been cancelled again this year thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, I decided to start the celebration a little early here instead. May it be safe for us to celebrate in person next year!

 

“The single best thing about coming out of the closet is that nobody can insult you by telling you what you’ve just told them.”
― Rachel Maddow

 

“Race, gender, religion, sexuality, we are all people and that’s it. We’re all people. We’re all equal.”
― Connor Franta

 

“But this is your life, and it will stretch out before you, and you are the only person who can make it whatever you want it to be.”
― Christina Lauren, Autoboyography

 

“Rainbows are gay space lasers. That’s why they’re not straight.”
― Oliver Markus Malloy, Introvert Comics: Inside The Mind of an Introvert

 

“Being different is what makes us fun, remember?”
― Maulik Pancholy, The Best at It

White piece of cloth that has a rainbow and the phrase "love is love" painted on it.

 

“But you can have more than one family. You can choose your family.”
― Phil Stamper, As Far As You’ll Take Me

 

“She’s happy with who she is. Maybe it’s not the heteronormative dream that she grew up wishing for, but… knowing who you are and loving yourself is so much better than that, I think.”
― Alice Oseman, Loveless

 

“We all have our own unique place in the infinite gender universe.”
― Ashley Mardell, The ABC’s of LGBT+

 

“The joy of discovery is one of the biggest pleasures you’ll ever know.”
― Samra Habib, We Have Always Been Here: A Queer Muslim Memoir

 

“In conversation with one of his friends, the openly gay Dr. William Hirsch, Fred Rogers himself concluded that if sexuality was measured on a scale of one to ten: ‘Well, you know, I must be right smack in the middle. Because I have found women attractive, and I have found men attractive.”
― Maxwell King, The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

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May 20, 2021 · 1:00 am

First, Do No Harm: A Review of Restore

Book cover for Restore Stories of Singularity #1 by Susan Kay Quinn. Image on cover is of a white robot staring off into the distance. Title: Restore – Stories of Singularity #1

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: May 2, 2015

Genre: Science Fiction 

Length: 42 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 2.5 Stars

Blurb:

Restorative Human Medical Care Unit 7435, sentience level fifty, is happiness level five out of ten to serve and heal the human master it loves. But Unit 7435 finds there is a price to be paid for love… and for failing in its primary mission. 

Restore  is a standalone short story that takes place in the world of the Singularity novels. 

Start the novel series with The Legacy Human (Singularity 1).

Review:

Content warning: Terminal illness. I will be not discussing this in my review.

A happy medical care unit is a productive medical care unit.

I liked the fact that Restorative Human Medicine Care Unit 7435 had such a distinct personality. This wasn’t something I was expecting to find, especially based on my first impression of this bot who originally came across as someone who followed strict protocols with no room from deviation. This changed once 7435 decided to identify as female for the day and began receiving commands that were in direct opposition to her programming. (Medical care units in this universe can alter their gender presentation and preferred pronoun based on what makes their patient most comfortable)

With that being said, I struggled with the thin plot. It was difficult to remain interested when so little was happening, especially since 7435 had such a limited understanding of anything other than the various types of psychological and physical medical care she was programmed to provide to her patients. She was an interesting protagonist for sure, but developing a well-rounded storyline from someone whose perspective is naturally so limited is tough.

The world building was otherwise well done. My curiosity was piqued by the differences between legacy and ascender humans in this universe. The narrator knew just enough about this topic to keep me wondering why humanity decided to branch off in these ways and what other ways the two groups might be distinct from each other that a medical bot wouldn’t necessarily be aware of.

I’d recommend Restore to anyone who is a big fan of stories about artificial intelligence. 

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May 19, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Recent Topics I’ve Googled

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Cartoon character holding a magnifying glass and peering through itI love this topic! Here are some things I’ve recently googled and why I looked them up online.

Do pigeons recognize individual humans? 

As you all know, I like to say good morning or good evening to the pigeons who live in my neighbourhood when I pass by them.

I sometimes wonder if they recognize the friendly human who greets them so often.

Yes, it turns out they can recognize individuals.

Isn’t that neat?

 

Signs of a migraine attack

Best ice pack for migraine 

I’ve had occasional but horrid headaches for years. It was during a conversation with a relative who has the same issue recently that I realized my headaches might actually be migraines.

This is something I plan to discuss in detail with my family doctor the next time I have a checkup. In the meantime, I’ve been researching steps I can take to help reduce their frequency, predict when they’re about to happen, and numb the pain without opioids.

(This is in no way a judgement of people who need them, by the way. I’m simply cautious about taking any new medications for a laundry list of reasons that would derail the purpose of this post).

 

How did Victorians make ice cream?

On a more cheerful note, I recently watched a long video called How the Victorians Made Their Exquisite Ice Cream and was curious to learn more about the process as well as what flavours were popular in the 1800s. Imagine spending 5 hours making cucumber ice cream! I think I’ll stick to mint chocolate chip, but kudos to previous generations for trying everything under the sun.

 

Is Harry Potter cheugy? 

I learned about this teen/Generation Z slang term from a recent comedic music video.

Cheugy refers to things that are off-trend and out of date. Some sites say that owning Harry Potter merchandise and/or being too into the franchise in general is cheugy now because that’s only for “old” folks. I can’t stop giggling at that idea.

 

 

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May 18, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Titles That Are Complete Sentences

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Smartphone near an empty notebook and pen. All items are sitting on a white and grey striped blanket. What a creative topic for this week! I’d never thought about book titles that also happen to be complete sentences before.

How easy did you find this prompt? Once I got into the groove of it, I compiled this list pretty easily.

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

3. All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy

4. Please Don’t Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr

5. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menéndez

6. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

7. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

8. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

9. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

10. Please Look After Mom  by Shin Kyung-sook

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May 13, 2021 · 1:00 am

Bedroom Battle: A Review of The Teddy Bear’s War

The Teddy Bear's War by Alex Cross book cover. Image on cover is a drawing of a teddy bear holding a sword. Title: The Teddy Bear’s War

Author: Alex Cross

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: January 17, 2021

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 9 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Every little kid is afraid of the dark in some way. The unknown scares us all to some extent. John is no exception. Is there a monster under the bed? A ghost in the closet? Or something else…something we don’t even have a name for? Luckily for John, he has someone looking out for him. When the thing in John’s closet goes bump in the night, it has to go through a Teddy Bear first.

Review:

Bedtime is anything but restful for this bear.

Teddy Bear was an incredibly brave toy. While John slept, he was responsible for protecting the boy from anything that might cause him harm. The reasons why Teddy Bear had taken on this role and what would happen if he failed were fascinating and well developed. I can’t go into more detail about them than that for spoiler reasons, but I was thrilled with how the author explained it all.

I also adored this story’s explanations for where nightmares come from and why they can be so terrifying, especially for kids. Not only did they make perfect sense for the plot, they made me wish that our world worked this way as well.

While I enjoyed every word of this story, the ending was particularly meaningful. It resolved all of the most important plot points while also leaving plenty of room for a sequel if the author ever decides to write one. I loved getting to know these characters and would be first in line to revisit them if we ever get a chance to see what John and Teddy Bear get up to as John grows older and Teddy Bear grows even wiser than he already is.

I can’t recommend The Teddy Bear’s War highly enough! It made my heart sing.

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May 12, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: My Favourite Indulgence

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Shar pei dog getting a face massage. This entire post could be summed up into one word: massages.

There is nothing I enjoy more than getting a gentle massage from someone who has a lot of experience giving them.

It’s one of the most relaxing things I can possibly imagine. I carry tension in my back and shoulders that sometimes translates into pain, so it’s glorious to have all of those knots gently loosened and sorted out.

Years ago, there was a massage studio somewhat close to my house that offered back massages at a pretty reasonable rate.

They’ve since closed, but I will be keeping an eye out for future massage opportunities once this pandemic has ended and it’s safe to get them again.

(And, no, that isn’t my dog in the photo in today’s post. I simply wanted to share a photo related to massage that was G-rated for anyone who reads this at work. Some of the massage photos on stock photo sites can be a little risqué!)

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May 11, 2021 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Mountains on Their Covers

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

A mountain half bathed in evening sunlight. It is reflected in a perfectly-still lake at the foot of the mountain. Mountains are one of my favourite natural settings to find on book covers. They’re so majestic and breathtaking!

I spent part of my childhood living right next to a large mountain range, so they also bring up happy memories from those years.

There’s nothing like being nestled right next to the mountains.  You get so much snow in the winter, and the summers are nice and mild as well.

Here are ten beautiful covers that include mountains on them.

This list turned out to have more North American mountains on it than I was originally intending to include. If you know of beautiful book covers about mountain ranges in other parts of the world, I’d love to hear about them.

The Mountains That Remade America- How Sierra Nevada Geology Impacts Modern Life by Craig H Jones book cover. Image on cover shows a mountain in Nevada that's right next to a highway

1. The Mountains That Remade America: How Sierra Nevada Geology Impacts Modern Life
by Craig H Jones

The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti book cover. Image on cover is a photo of snow-covered mountains.

2. The Eight Mountains by Paolo Cognetti

Everest- Mountain without Mercy by Broughton Coburn book cover. Image on cover shows sun setting on Mount Everest.

3. Everest: Mountain without Mercy by Broughton Coburn

Annapurna- The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak by Maurice Herzog book cover. Image on cover shows sun setting on Annapurna mountain peak.

4. Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8,000-Meter Peak by Maurice Herzog

Uluru- Australia's Aboriginal Heart by Caroline Arnold book cover. Image on cover shows Mount Uluru in all of it's red, dusty glory.

5. Uluru: Australia’s Aboriginal Heart by Caroline Arnold

Walking in the Caucasus - Georgia by Peter Nasmyth book cover. Image on cover shows mountain covered in clouds and snow peeking above a thick forest of pine trees.

6. Walking in the Caucasus – Georgia by Peter Nasmyth

Adirondacks- Views of An American Wilderness by Carl E. Heilman II book cover. Image on cover is panoramic shot from a mountaintop to the lush forest and lake below.

7. Adirondacks: Views of An American Wilderness by Carl E. Heilman II

If Mountains Die- A New Mexico Memoir by John Nichols book cover. Image on cover shows stormy clouds passing over mountains bathed in red evening light.

8. If Mountains Die: A New Mexico Memoir by John Nichols\

Hannibal's March- Alps and Elephants by Gavin de Beer book cover. Image on cover is a painting of the Alps in spring when some snow still remains on them.

9. Hannibal’s March: Alps and Elephants by Gavin de Beer

The Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner book cover. Image on cover is of a mountain stream filled with water rushing over the many rocks in it.

10. The Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner

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May 10, 2021 · 1:00 am

A Photo Essay Update on Damaged Toronto Trees

Last year I shared photos from one of the parks in Toronto once a month to show my readers what our landscape looks like throughout the year. This is an update to two trees in that series that were badly damaged in a winter storm in early 2020.

Click on February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December, and January to read the earlier posts and see what the park is like throughout the year.

Welcome back to this photo essay series! This post will be shorter than previous instalments in it since I’m only focusing on the two damaged trees that some readers requested an update on after the winter of 2020-2021 ended.

Photo of a damaged tree whose branches are curving downward.

Let’s begin with the tree that lost a third of its leaves in that storm last year.

Look at how nearly all of its branches continue to bend down. You rarely see anything like that here.

 

A large branch that has fallen off of a sick tree.

A week or two ago, I noticed a branch that was taller than me lying on the ground next to it. I suspect that it fell off during a recent storm due to the lack of cut marks on it and the way the bark was peeled off, but I can’t say for certain.

A large bare tree branch lying on the ground.

On a more recent visit, I saw this. I thought it was the same branch but also couldn’t confirm it.

A possibly rotting trunk of a tree.

The trunk looks like it’s beginning to split open, and something appears to be growing inside of it. Maybe it’s mould or a fungus of some sort?

I worry about the survival of this tree as well as the possibility of someone getting hurt if a large branch falls on them while they’re standing near it.

Closeup of a tree that lost half of it's branches.

In happier news, the tree that originally lost half of its branches and a good chunk of its trunk is not showing any signs of mould (or whatever that stringy stuff was) growing in it. The wound on its drunk appears to be dry. There are no deep cracks in the wood, and all of it’s branches are as straight as the branches on healthy trees nearby. Landscape shot of a tree that lost half of it's branches in a storm in 2020. It's just beginning to bud again.

And to think I originally assumed this tree had been killed in that storm! Nature is full of surprises.

Side view of tree that lost half of it's branches in a 2020 storm. The branches that still remain are just beginning to sprout many new leaves.

 

May it stick around for many years to come.

I’ll continue to keep an eye on these trees and will provide another update in this series if either one of them experiences a dramatic change in health for the better or the worse. My hope is that any future update in this series will only contain good news, but we’ll have to see what happens.

If you’ve ever seen trees in your area go through similar injuries, I’d love to hear about your experiences there.

My reduction in blogging time will continue on for now. As much as I miss interacting with all of you more often, I’m enjoying the quieter schedule and using that writing time to focus on my speculative fiction.

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May 6, 2021 · 1:00 am

A Quiet Life: A Review of The Retirement

The Retirement by Keith Minnion book cover. Image on cover is of multiple gravestones crowded into a graveyard together. Title: The Retirement

Author: Keith Minnion

Publisher: White Noise Press

Publication Date: January 4, 2021

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: 9 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 3 Stars

Blurb:

Charles Midwich, a recent retiree, decides to move to a new state, a new town, an entirely new life and lifestyle. What he finds once he gets there, and settles in, is nothing like what he ever expected.

Review:

What is your idea of the perfect retirement plan?

Mr. Minnion’s beautiful writing style sucked me into the plot immediately. He knew exactly when to describe one moment in detail and when to leave other details up to the reader’s imagination. I enjoyed switching between his descriptions of the scenes and characters and coming up with my own theories about the things he only mentioned briefly.

Unfortunately, the author gave far too many clues about what was happening to Charles as this character adjusted to retirement. I had a hunch about the ending from reading the blurb, and I was certain I was right by the time I finished the first scene. It would have been nice to be challenged more here.

With that being said, there was something about Charles I really liked. He was a conscientious man who thought through every decision he made carefully. I also appreciated how calm and polite he was no matter if he was ordering honey fig scones at the local bakery or taking a quiet stroll through the cemetery. This was one character I’d love to eat scones with, so don’t be frightened off by the horror tag if this isn’t a genre you normally read.

The Retirement was short, thoughtful, and worth checking out.

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May 5, 2021 · 1:00 am

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Fictional Characters I’d Love to Meet and Why

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Two people hugging sideways as they stand on the side of a cliff at sunset and look at the peaceful forest below them.This was one of those topics I could discuss for hours. If any of us ever meet in person, ask me this question if you want to see me poke my head out of my shell! (I’m often a little quiet and shy at first with new people).

Character: Anne Shirley from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables series

Why: I adore it when talkative, extroverted people make the first gesture of friendship, especially when they’re as personable as Anne. Our personalities couldn’t be more different from each other, but our shared love of books and baked goods would give us all sorts of things to discuss.

 

Character: Sankofa­­ from Nnedi Okorafor’s Remote Control. (My review is here).

Why: She’s the sort of character who needs friends who move slowly and are highly respectful of her boundaries. I’m excellent at both of those things. It would be cool to have a chance to ask her about how her powers work and what she plans to do next in her life.

 

Character: Yetu from Rivers Solomon’s The Deep (My review is here).

Why: Our personalities are so similar! We’re both quiet, easygoing folks who enjoy learning new things and exploring. There’s definitely something to be said for companionable silence sometimes. Maybe she could teach me some new swimming strokes, too.

 

Character: The hobbits and the Entwives from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series.

Why: Honestly, who wouldn’t want to have a dinner party with hobbits? They’re peace-loving, jolly, and kind folks who are also fantastic cooks. I’d want to meet the Entwives because I’ve wondered what really happened to them ever since I read this series. In my opinion, they survived and eventually reunited with their husbands, sons, brothers, and other male relatives.

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