Francesca Forrest's Blog, page 142

nature spirits and geodes

In the past in Timor-Leste, and perhaps still now (I didn't have the ability or opportunity to talk to anyone about these sorts of things, during my visit there), it was said that geodes are often homes to nature spirits. Such geodes are called foho matan--stone eyes.

If a person finds a geode in the wilderness, they can expect a nature spirit to visit them in a dream and offer them a special relationship--benefits and blessings in return for service. If the arrangement suits the person, then...

Finished Ancillary Justice

Now I have to breathe deep and recover myself. And sometime in the next few days, write a paean review (yeah . . . review).

more live-draw-blogging Ancillary Justice

It's not really spoilers because it won't mean anything if you haven't read the book, but all the same, maaaaaybe you don't want to click through if you haven't read it. It's just one name, contextless, but still.




(when I say I think of Anwar Sadat, I only mean that visually the name makes me think that. In fact I don't think of the character as being even remotely Sadat-like.)

The ghost next door

Little Springtime is studying in Hokkaido this year. Her best buddies among the other international students are from China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Russia. With her Thai friends, she's seen some Thai movies, and in our New Year's conversation, I learned this . . .

LS: Ever since I found out about the Thai belief that if you look between your legs, you can see ghosts, I've been afraid I might do it accidentally and see the ghost in the next room.

[LS is living in a dorm]

Me: What ghost?

LS: Oh,...

Nooooooo!

Sometimes something just so TERRIBLE and so PAINFUL happens in a book, you know? And you kind of recognize it had to happen, or some variety of it had to, but it HURTS SO BAD when it does, all the same. Especially the particulars of it. And if the whole thing unfolded as you were reading in the kitchen, waiting for supper to be ready? Then there is much weeping during that supper. Behold. The sketch below is not an exaggeration. Ask anyone who was present.

In other news, Ann Leckie's Ancillary...

Aaaaaarrrrt!!

As I was saying a couple of entries back, yesterday I went with dudeshoes to see some art at the Worcester Art Museum. The most intriguing exhibit--notwithstanding the self-parodic explanatory plaques accompanying each piece--was an exhibit titled "You Are Here," sort of an exploration of the human body and identity through bits and pieces. Facets, maybe. Elements.

I had two favorite pieces. One was creepy--and funny--and creepy. It was "Treats," by Rona Pondick:



Lots of little tiny . . . not q...

Also, an interview

Thank you, sartorias . ♥

"On the Borders of Worlds: Interview with Francesca Forrest"

magical thinking--no: magic, actually

Most people engage in magical thinking now and then, but I've been *riding* it recently, and what a ride it is. Signs and wonders, all the way down.

A Tale of Twofold Magic

Some time ago, I went on Bandcamp to see what I could find that was tagged "Pen Pal." It would be cute, I thought, and good for my Pen Pal playlist, to have some music actually by a band called Pen Pal (or Penpal; I'm not particular). And, there were several different bands and songs, but nothing hit the spot, except for on...

Child protagonists for adults

Here’s a proposition: a story can have a child protagonist without necessarily being for children. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, for example, unfolds through the thoughts and experiences of a nine-year-old, but the story is not for nine-year-olds. Same with, say, Romeo and Juliet. The protagonists may be mid-teens, but I’ll bet Shakespeare wasn’t setting out to write a drama solely for the under-twenty crowd. Romeo and Juliet, like To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn, has migrat...

Google longform poem: "Why Didn't You Stay"

The ninja girl alerted me to google poetics--poems made with the help of google autofill.

I loved this one, "Why Didn't You Stay," by Deanna Day.