K.A. Ashcomb's Blog, page 46
June 25, 2020
Short Story: A Man with a Suitcase
He popped into existence in the middle of the jungle. The green leaves curled over him, and the undergrowth rustled to its own accord. He lowered his suitcase on the ground to straighten his tie and smooth his suit. Everything was up to the standards. Now he could carry on. He knelt, and with one slick move, he opened the suitcase. There he reached for his notebook, pen, and folding ruler. He corrected his posture, looked around to make sure all who was present weren’t the gossiping, stories inv...
June 22, 2020
Book Review: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
The full title is The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World. First, I state I cannot give an unbiased review of this book. I have been studying for two months straight to use nature as a therapeutic environment and instrument. I have dwelt deeper on the belly of nature and how it influences our mental and physical health. So a book about trees and how they behave and connect with each other, how they sprung offspring, and how they influence ...
Book Review: Thud! by Terry Pratchett
Pratchett tackles racism and nested hatred with this book, and I applauded for his quick humor and thought of what comes to the matter. He is so right about how silly it all is, that we divide people through visual markers, and consider us as us and others as them. That we will do all in our power to keep it such and continue the mutually destructive existence. Considering recent events, the question our hero, Vimes, asks, “Who watches the watchers,” is important. The power police officers hold ...
June 18, 2020
Short Story: Eternal Life
You know cats have nine lives, but in my darkest moment, I wonder, do they add after another. Here the kittens lay next to me, dreaming their dreams as a human would. Their paws rhythmically pressing in the air and their little noses shaking when it is time. Here I lay awake fully informed of the running out heartbeats and the one valid law of the universe: everything decays. Yet, my mind is a solver, refusing to accept a broken puzzle. A solution shows itself through physics, chemistry, and mat...
June 15, 2020
Book Review: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
When I was looking for philosophical fantasy, I got recommended this book. At first, I was questioning where was the philosophy I was promised, but I stopped looking for it and stopped hurrying through the story, and I found it. While the message and the criticism towards environmental, political, and racial issues aren’t hidden, it is easy to get caught with the mysterious narrative and ignore what is staring you right in the face. The narrative style and the second-person use are the only crit...
June 14, 2020
Book Review: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
If you had asked at the beginning of my Discworld’s reread journey, what is my favorite Discworld novel (if there can be one) Going Postal wouldn’t have been my top pick. Now I think this is one of the best-written stories Pratchett has written. It is coherent (which was lacking at the earlier books), it has great well-rounded characters with a strong backstory (which has occasionally been missing with other books,) and it has good tension from start to finish. And Ankh-Morpork and Vetinari are ...
June 11, 2020
Short Story: Man Who Thought He Was an Octopus
He corrected his knitted cap, pushing the tentacles out of his face. He knew he shouldn’t wear the hat—that the neighborhood kids laughed and bullied him because of it, but it was the only way he felt closer to his true-self. Appearance made of yarn was the best he had been able to do in sixty-seven years. Despite all the doctors he had gone to see, he still was an octopus in the wrong body. He let go of the last tentacle he had been fondling without thinking to notice a woman across the street ...
June 9, 2020
My Top 3 Books in May
Hi!
How are you doing? Did you have a bookish month or where you tied with everything else?
I had a slow read month compared to others, but things picked up towards May’s end. Now I have my tomcat sleeping on my lap, and I can’t complain about life, the universe, or anything really. Cats make things just better.
This time around picking the top 3 was easy, but choosing the order not so much. I battled with the first and second place because both books are something I would recommend eve...
Book Review: The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller
The Philosopher’s Flight is a unique book with a multilayered story and exciting new magical system, empirical philosophy, especially sigilry. Sigils are way one can fly and perform jumps from one place to another. Flying and transporting is in the central part of the book, and that might sound dull, but it is far from it. Tom Miller knows how to spin a tale. The layers don’t stop there. This is also a book about sexism, war, about politics and science vs. back watered customs. There are so many...
June 8, 2020
Book Review: A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
The Tiffany Aching series is just excellent. Pratchett really outdoes himself with every new addition into the series. He knows how to write a light yet serious and entertaining story. This time around, Tiffany has to grow and how to be her in the world where there are other people with judgmental thoughts and jealousy, competition, and nastiness. It is so easy to lose oneself in such an environment and forget who you are while trying to be better than others or like them. And I think such a the...
