It’s the end of the week! Mine’s been a doozy and I can hardly believe it’s drawing to a close, but in kind of a good way, more on which, hopefully, anon.
In the meantime, though, I wanted to share a quick announcement: my latest column is up at the New York Times Book Review (in print on Sunday), and in it I cover Elizabeth Knox’ The Absolute Book and Everina Maxwell’s Winter’s Orbit. I enjoyed both very much in completely opposite ways, and hope you find something there to enjoy too!
I’d love it if you’d share any announcements you have — good things? Things you’re looking forward to? Things of any size that you’ve accomplished and that bring you joy? If nothing comes to mind, I’d love to know what you’re reading.
Please enjoy this photo of Devon providing an accurate portrait of my state of mind at week’s end.
Perhaps major accomplishment so far is reading 11 books in January, although 10 of them are light novels. Light novels are a guilty pleasure for me, and read the translations (so far 10) of "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime". It's more along the lines of wish fulfillment of competency porn for me. :)
My only announcement is that I am now Chief Scientist at my company :) It's a more strategic role, which seems to suit me well. I am still easing into it, but very excited to be doing some more open-ended research after a very intense year of meeting super tight deadlines!
I finally got to reading Hild, which I had bought when you highlighted your review of it in the fall, and am now making myself obnoxious recommending it to everyone in turn. It was exactly the immersive world I needed in this long hard month. Thank you for the suggestion!
Glad to hear the week was good-ish. Mine was crazy with work and other adult life responsibilities (about to have a board meeting, ugh :( ) But I guess it's official in that unofficial, who-cares way: first-first draft is done. Looking forward to (nah, that's not how I'm feeling) endless revisions, which have already started. Someone's doing them. Not me :P DVCon this weekend, yay! Oh, and also, snow!
Hoping the week of woe is behind you and doesn’t tendril out into the next month? Mine was low grade anxious but overall anticlimactic. I thought I had a bunch of work for work and it turned out less onerous than expected.
I fixed our dryer. That’s my monthly accomplishment for January, since it took 8 hours. It no longer squeals and creaks and bangs when doing it’s singular job. It’s got new felts and a greasy bearing and vent leaks are closed so it keeps the lint inside. Also fixed the furnace. Which was much easier in contrast.
I’m looking forward to the maybe-blizzard Sunday as our first substantial snow of the season. Fingers crossed... and then my replacement laptop on Monday, as the current one is dying.
Amal! I read a book this week!! I forgot how to read words last year and it's been a long struggle to relearn but last week I read the new Steven Universe artbook, which is full of feels btw, and that helped reactivate the pathways and yesterday and today I read the Dark Lord of Derkholm, and maybe I can put words in my brain again now, that would be nice.
I just found out about a theater thing I'll be able to participate in but am not supposed to announce yet, so in place of that, I'd like to share a story.
Two days ago, my husband and I noticed that the neighbors had placed a giant, intact lion pinata out by the curb for the trash pickup. Because I have no shame, I marched across the street in my pajamas and carried said pinata back home. Today, as a treat during at-home learning, my little family of three took turns smashing the heck out of the pinata with a baseball bat, just for fun.
Also, you have the best commenters. I love seeing what other people have to say in your threads.
Accomplishment: this is hardly my accomplishment anymore, other than that I managed to wait this long without exploding like an overripe balloon, but—PHILOSOPHY THROUGH SCIENCE FICTION STORIES is finally released, and out in the world. It's an anthology of new SF, with comments/essays surrounding. It has stories by Ken Liu, Sofia Samatar, Aliette de Bodard, among others, and I'm thrilled to have something there as well. We did a virtual release last week, and Andrew Hiller (VP23) turned out to cheer me on.
We did not find a piñata, but it's snowing, the first real snow of the winter here in Maryland, and my kiddos are literally bouncing up an down with joy! Sledding commences right after breakfast—
Oh, lovely! Winter's Orbit is so soon now, that's exciting - I can't wait to see how it's changed since first I read it :D
I suppose my looking-forward-to has been a long time coming - I'm excited to see Climbing Lightly Through Forests launch on Tuesday. I've been trying to be restrained on sneaking peaks at my contributors' copy before I have the book in hand, but I was weak and read the first two poems yesterday, and they made me tear up all over again at Ursula's passing. In a good way, I suppose - remembering all the places Earthsea and her poetry took me, the things Tenar meant to me, as a child and as an adult. Very much anticipating holding it, and seeing what RB and Lisa have made.
I read your review and I am now trying to decide whether I am interested in reading Winter's Orbit -- I read it as Course of Honour & found it very stressful for neurotype trauma reasons but I am also so very curious how the published version is the same or different.
I finished a cross stitch project, which is exciting! It is pretty small and silly and intended as a gift for a friend, and it is all done but a tiny bit of backstitch which I might just sit and do right now so it's for real finished-finished & I can be purely pleased without any "but" with which to discount myself. I think I'll pull that out now.
And the 'accomplishment' I am the most cautiously optimistic about, in a very excited but careful way, is that after a creative dry patch that lasted many years & felt like it might last the rest of my life, I am finding myself slowly able to engage with ideas and creativity again. I'm not really able to actually sit down and write, but I keep jotting notes and feeling like some day I might be able to and I am attempting to honor that as the UNIMAGINABLY HUGE positive step it is in its own right!
Wishing you the best, Amal!
Perhaps major accomplishment so far is reading 11 books in January, although 10 of them are light novels. Light novels are a guilty pleasure for me, and read the translations (so far 10) of "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime". It's more along the lines of wish fulfillment of competency porn for me. :)
Congrats on the column Amal!!
My only announcement is that I am now Chief Scientist at my company :) It's a more strategic role, which seems to suit me well. I am still easing into it, but very excited to be doing some more open-ended research after a very intense year of meeting super tight deadlines!
I finally got to reading Hild, which I had bought when you highlighted your review of it in the fall, and am now making myself obnoxious recommending it to everyone in turn. It was exactly the immersive world I needed in this long hard month. Thank you for the suggestion!
Glad to hear the week was good-ish. Mine was crazy with work and other adult life responsibilities (about to have a board meeting, ugh :( ) But I guess it's official in that unofficial, who-cares way: first-first draft is done. Looking forward to (nah, that's not how I'm feeling) endless revisions, which have already started. Someone's doing them. Not me :P DVCon this weekend, yay! Oh, and also, snow!
Hoping the week of woe is behind you and doesn’t tendril out into the next month? Mine was low grade anxious but overall anticlimactic. I thought I had a bunch of work for work and it turned out less onerous than expected.
I fixed our dryer. That’s my monthly accomplishment for January, since it took 8 hours. It no longer squeals and creaks and bangs when doing it’s singular job. It’s got new felts and a greasy bearing and vent leaks are closed so it keeps the lint inside. Also fixed the furnace. Which was much easier in contrast.
I’m looking forward to the maybe-blizzard Sunday as our first substantial snow of the season. Fingers crossed... and then my replacement laptop on Monday, as the current one is dying.
Amal! I read a book this week!! I forgot how to read words last year and it's been a long struggle to relearn but last week I read the new Steven Universe artbook, which is full of feels btw, and that helped reactivate the pathways and yesterday and today I read the Dark Lord of Derkholm, and maybe I can put words in my brain again now, that would be nice.
An announcement/accomplishment: my novel Can't Find My Way Home will be published later this year by Aqueduct Press!
I just found out about a theater thing I'll be able to participate in but am not supposed to announce yet, so in place of that, I'd like to share a story.
Two days ago, my husband and I noticed that the neighbors had placed a giant, intact lion pinata out by the curb for the trash pickup. Because I have no shame, I marched across the street in my pajamas and carried said pinata back home. Today, as a treat during at-home learning, my little family of three took turns smashing the heck out of the pinata with a baseball bat, just for fun.
Also, you have the best commenters. I love seeing what other people have to say in your threads.
Take care!
Hi Amal! Good to hear you’re keeping well.
The big announcements for me are;
My short story collection is available for preorder. I’m so excited about this. As well as various stories over the years it contains six brand new tales https://undertowpublications.com/shop/pre-order-to-drown-in-dark-water
I have a story coming up in Analog Science & Fact which is another of my organic server stories.
I’ve also just sold a story to Not One of Us which is an occult romance inspired by folklore about witchcraft, and the song Jolene.
On a personal level I’ve got my Chess.com rating up from 570 last week to 651. Still very much a beginner but pleased with that rating climb.
Glad to hear you're doing well, Amal!
Accomplishment: this is hardly my accomplishment anymore, other than that I managed to wait this long without exploding like an overripe balloon, but—PHILOSOPHY THROUGH SCIENCE FICTION STORIES is finally released, and out in the world. It's an anthology of new SF, with comments/essays surrounding. It has stories by Ken Liu, Sofia Samatar, Aliette de Bodard, among others, and I'm thrilled to have something there as well. We did a virtual release last week, and Andrew Hiller (VP23) turned out to cheer me on.
We did not find a piñata, but it's snowing, the first real snow of the winter here in Maryland, and my kiddos are literally bouncing up an down with joy! Sledding commences right after breakfast—
My announcement is that I adore you (and your cats). 💗
Oh, lovely! Winter's Orbit is so soon now, that's exciting - I can't wait to see how it's changed since first I read it :D
I suppose my looking-forward-to has been a long time coming - I'm excited to see Climbing Lightly Through Forests launch on Tuesday. I've been trying to be restrained on sneaking peaks at my contributors' copy before I have the book in hand, but I was weak and read the first two poems yesterday, and they made me tear up all over again at Ursula's passing. In a good way, I suppose - remembering all the places Earthsea and her poetry took me, the things Tenar meant to me, as a child and as an adult. Very much anticipating holding it, and seeing what RB and Lisa have made.
Hi Amal! Hi Devon!
I read your review and I am now trying to decide whether I am interested in reading Winter's Orbit -- I read it as Course of Honour & found it very stressful for neurotype trauma reasons but I am also so very curious how the published version is the same or different.
I finished a cross stitch project, which is exciting! It is pretty small and silly and intended as a gift for a friend, and it is all done but a tiny bit of backstitch which I might just sit and do right now so it's for real finished-finished & I can be purely pleased without any "but" with which to discount myself. I think I'll pull that out now.
And the 'accomplishment' I am the most cautiously optimistic about, in a very excited but careful way, is that after a creative dry patch that lasted many years & felt like it might last the rest of my life, I am finding myself slowly able to engage with ideas and creativity again. I'm not really able to actually sit down and write, but I keep jotting notes and feeling like some day I might be able to and I am attempting to honor that as the UNIMAGINABLY HUGE positive step it is in its own right!