EPBOT Readers discussion

Hello all,

Getting a post out a bit late. I am up in Maine which is where I'm going to watch the eclipse on Monday. It will be the first time I'm with all of my adult kids (at the same time) for nearly a year. I hope you all are well.

I'm still listening to The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. But my walking time alone has gotten rarer lately so it is slow going. That is okay. It is an enjoyable story and I'll just listen when I can.

I DNF'ed Leveled Up Love, one of the free ones I got on the Kindle earlier this year. I was just not feeling it and it is very long, over 600 pages. There was too much gaming detail which was a slog for someone not a gamer. It just wasn't doing it for me.

I started another one of those free ones, Music Man. It is a bit better. I never would have picked it up if it wasn't free but it is okay so far. It has an older, overweight MC which is rare in a romance novel so that is interesting.

That's all I have this week. No finishes.

QOTW:
If you're anywhere in the US, are you planning to travel or see the eclipse?
I may be a lot of reading time in as we plan to drive into the totality zone early and will have hours of sitting around. But we'll all be together to board games may also be what we do. We have no idea what we'll find when we get to the totality zone, like where to park (2 cars because we don't fit in one) . It will be an adventure into very rural Maine.

I tested negative and rejoined the world this week, so that was nice.

Hand in Glove - I found a book set on April 1st to read on that date! It was very much the standard Ngaio Marsh setup, fine but probably not one of her best, but the cook did give the butler an empty eggshell for his breakfast (with the actual egg hidden under the napkin, don't worry), so I was pleased.

First Light: Switching on Stars at the Dawn of Time - This was all right, but it did spend nearly half the book explaining how stars work and the Big Bang and other things I already knew, which I suppose is an inevitable issue if one reads enough books on a topic. There are also apparently still very many unknowns on this subject, and I think a better subtitle would be something like "The Search for the Earliest Stars".

QOTW: I don't think I could handle the anxiety of planning a trip somewhere at an extremely crowded time for an event that could be ruined by a few minutes of clouds. (It would be different if I knew someone who lived there and could put me up, buy food ahead of the crowds, and make it a normal vacation if the main event didn't come off.) I will be staying here in the ~80% zone, working from home and sneaking outside with my colander.

Finished:
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal - 3.5 stars. I liked the characters. The pacing was a little odd but it still kept me reading. I'm willing to read the next one.

Future Tense: How We Made Artificial Intelligence—and How It Will Change Everything by Martha Brockenbrough - 4 stars - for Popsugar's book that came out in a year that ends with "24" (2024). This is a very accessible book on the basics of AI written for teens and young adults. The author goes over the history, what it is and what it isn't, and the dangers and benefits of AI. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a basic breakdown of the current (last few years) state of AI.

Comics/manga:
Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 1
Something's Wrong With Us 19
Spy x Family, Vol. 11
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 10

Currently reading:
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa - for Popsugar's book from an animal's POV

Upcoming/Planned:
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden - not for a challenge (yet).

Mooncakes by Suzanne  Walker - for Popsugar's book by a Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing author

The Diablo's Curse by Gabe Cole Novoa - not for a challenge (yet).

QOTW:
No, not planning to travel anywhere.

Two finishes this week:

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose: the author is a member of the Wampanoag tribe, and the book is a fantasy version of New England during colonial times. The MC is an indigenous girl who bonds with a dragon and ends up in a dragon academy run by the colonials. It had some first-novel flaws, but I really enjoyed it and definitely plan to continue the series when more books are published.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: continuing to read my way through her catalog. I did not like Carrie at first (to be fair, I don't think we are supposed to like her at first) but she grew on me and I was rooting for her by the end. Evelyn Hugo is still my favorite though :)

QOTW: Yes! I took a personal day and pulled my kids out of school to go spend the day up in Vermont. It was more than a little crazy doing the whole thing in one day but we all agreed it was worth it. We were in Waterbury, which on an ordinary day is about a 3 hour drive from our house. It took us 5 hours to get up and more than 8 hours to get home...the highways were INSANE. But the eclipse was absolutely breathtaking. I've wanted to see a total eclipse my whole life so I got to check that off my bucket list! I want to see another one now and I've got my eye on Iceland in August 2026 :)