Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 131

April 19, 2022: Finally! Progress!

Well, I’ve finally made some headway on that feature I planned to write…back in 2020.  After innumerable non-starts and false starts, I actually sat down and made the magic happen.  About 30 pages in and I have a fairly detailed game plan for what lies ahead.  The plan is to have a draft ready to go top of June.  To be honest, I’ll probably be done in early May but will need a good three weeks to come up with a title.

Today’s Yes/No

Deep-fried Cadbury Creme Eggs? Yes/No
Deep-fried Cadbury Creme Eggs are the Easter treat we didn't know we needed https://t.co/0q9LpNggvy

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 19, 2022

Meanwhile, on the home front…

The post April 19, 2022: Finally! Progress! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 18, 2022: Baron’s Book Club Blab Blog! Four new books reviewed!

A few more new books for your consideration…

Two Lumps of Sugar for Mr. Anxiety by Eli Wilde (release date: March 28, 2022)

When Jed’s mum dies, his world is turned upside down and his anxiety finds a new source of unease to feed upon. After the funeral, he leaves his job in England to start work in India. His anxiety only gets worse in his new role until he finds a new friend. A friend only he can see.

Aftab has a head shaped like an egg and small, dark eyes at the side of his face rather than the front. His nose is long and slim, beneath which is a narrow mouth, slightly wider than his nose. Perfectly bald, he has no facial hair or eyebrows either. Despite his mouth never moving, he speaks in the voice of Stephen Fry.

Jed’s new friend helps him sleep by using a vacuum cleaner to stop the anaconda sliding down Jed’s throat at night. And he makes him smile by playing jokes on people at work. He warns Jed, too, that something is wrong in his life. Something Jed can never make right.

My thoughts: This one is a little…weird.  On the one hand, it deals with the issue of mental health in unique and insightful ways.  On the other hand, the manifestation of our protagonist’s anxiety taking the form of an adorable little monster is so bizarre that it’s often distracting and difficult to reconcile with the book’s heavier themes.   Still, the book is a fascinating psychological portrait of a man struggling with depression, highly effective in its depiction of a precarious psychological state held together by strength of will and  denial.  It all pays off in an ending that proves genuinely, and surprisingly, tragic.

4/5

***

The Finalists by David Bell (release date: July 5, 2022)

On a beautiful spring day, six college students with nothing in common besides a desperate inability to pay for school gather to compete for the prestigious Hyde Fellowship.

Milo–The front-runner.
Natalia–The brain.
James–The rule follower.
Sydney–The athlete.
Duffy–The cowboy.
Emily–The social justice warrior.

The six of them must surrender their devices when they enter Hyde House, an aging Victorian structure that sits in a secluded part of campus.

Once inside, the doors lock behind them. The students are not allowed to leave until they spend eight hours with a college administrator who will do almost anything to keep the school afloat and Nicholas Hyde, the privileged and notoriously irresponsible heir to the Hyde family fortune. If the students leave before time is up, they’ll be immediately disqualified.

But when one of the six finalists drops dead, the other students fear they’re being picked off one by one. With a violent protest raging outside and no way to escape, the survivors viciously turn on each other.

My thoughts: Many books require a suspension of disbelief in order to be truly enjoyed, a squint-eyed reading of the logic underpinning the premise or character motivations. This is one of those books.  The set-up really doesn’t make any sense.  Some of the character actions and reactions even less so.  It’s all in service of a great hook that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.  While the concept is intriguing, the execution feels very rushed.  Stock characters, a tiresome dialogue-heavy narrative, and dollops of heavy-handed social commentary made this one a very tough read.

It left me utterly baffled, so I checked out some of the other reviews and noted that more than a few readers are fans of the author but were left cold by this latest novel.  Not sure what happened here, but this one is a major miss.

1/5

*

Black Bear Lake by Leslie Liautaud (release date: September 13, 2022)

Adam Craig still has nightmares about the last summer he spent on the shores of northern Wisconsin’s Black Bear Lake.

The Chicago stock trader thinks he has it under control — until fallout from that explosive August in 1983 threatens his marriage. So Adam returns to remember that month-long family reunion, where he was busy wrestling with overwhelming hormones, dealing with a parent’s failing health, and watching his cousin Dannie’s desperate cries for help. At 14, Adam’s fear and anger were constantly threatening to pull him under while the current running through his family flowed inevitably toward tragedy.

It was too much to bear back then. But will reliving those painful memories hurt or help Adam as his adult life teeters on the edge of collapse?

My thoughts: Wow.  This one packs an emotional wallop.  Our protagonist, Adam, is struggling in his marriage, emotionally burdened by events from his past.  He ends up making a trip back to Black Bear Lake, the site of a momentous family reunion  decades earlier, whose tragic ramifications have haunted him ever since.  The bulk of the novel is a flashback to that summer of 1983, a beautifully written story whose characters come alive on the page in ways elusive to most authors.  There’s a warmth and honesty to young Adam that draws you into his journey, his extended family, and makes you care about them.  On the surface, it seems like a simple task, getting the reader to fully invest in your characters, something every book seeks to accomplish but, as a voracious reader who averages about 100 books a year, I find that few fully succeed.  Black Bear Lake is a rare exception.  One of 2022’s best.5/5*The Book of Sand by Mo Hayder (release date: July 19, 2022)

Sand. A hostile world of burning sun.

Outlines of several once-busy cities shimmer on the horizon. Now empty of inhabitants, their buildings lie in ruins.

In the distance a group of people–a family–walks toward us.

Ahead lies shelter: a “shuck” the family call home and which they know they must reach before the light fails, as to be out after dark is to invite danger and almost certain death.

To survive in this alien world of shifting sand, they must find an object hidden in or near water. But other families want it too. And they are willing to fight to the death to make it theirs.

It is beginning to rain in Fairfax County, Virginia, when McKenzie Strathie wakes up. An ordinary teenage girl living an ordinary life–except that the previous night she found a sand-lizard in her bed, and now she’s beginning to question everything around her, especially who she really is …

My thoughts: This book is purportedly the first in a fantasy series.  Written by writer Mo Hayder (under the pen name Theo Clare),  it is being published posthumously following the author’s passing in 2021.  It’s a story that shifts between two worlds – one, a dystopian desert world not all that removed from our own, where a nomadic family unit searches for an elusive object; the other, our world, where a young girl, McKenzie, begins to experience strange occurrences that would seem to suggest some sort of bleed between the two realities.  What is going on?  Unfortunately, since it was planned as the initial installment to a longer series, we don’t really get much in the way of answers.  It’s very interesting set-up, but ultimately feels unfinished and so, as a unique read, I found it unsatisfying.3/5*So, what have YOU been reading?

The post April 18, 2022: Baron’s Book Club Blab Blog! Four new books reviewed! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 17, 2022: Suji Sunday!

Our recent outing…

The post April 17, 2022: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 16, 2022: Meanwhile on the home front…

My conversation with Akemi today:

Me: Batman is a good guy.

Akemi: He’s a bad guy.

Me: No.  He’s a hero.

Akemi: Then  why is he called Bad Man?

Me: He’s not called Bad Man.  He’s called Batman.  He named himself after the bat.

Akemi: Say his name.

Me: Batman.  Not Bad Man.

Akemi: Sounds the same to me.  (Then, after some thought…)  But I guess it explains why his costume makes him look like a bat.

Gary Jones: “Now let her know about his sidekick, “Robbing.””

To be fair, she doesn’t have much interest in superheroes, neither “the guy with the hammer” (Thor), “the guy with the frisbee” (Captain America), or Shrek (the Hulk).

But she IS a big fan of both Mr. Freeze and Harley Quinn because their origin stories are basically love stories.

P.S.  For years, she thought THIS was Dr. Who…

Today’s Yes/No…

Spam-studden Korean Corndogs? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/RxnmLfIvBR

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 16, 2022

Speaking of no’s…

Meanwhile, on the home front…

 

 

The post April 16, 2022: Meanwhile on the home front… appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Stargate: Atlantis Virtual Season 6!

Revised and updated!

Those #StargateAtlantis season 6 stories we never got to tell. #Stargate #Atlantis #SGA pic.twitter.com/LF6fYaKe05

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 8, 2022

Episodes 601-602 (two-part opener)…

…as well as an unexpected foe in the form of a future version of Todd the wraith. With the help of present-day Todd, however, our heroes manage to turn the tables on the enemy and resume their journey to the Pegasus galaxy.#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SG!

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 8, 2022

Episode 603…

They revive the kids who explain they were enroute to a planet to be reunited with their parents, colonists who had completed work on a new satellite community…2/
#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 8, 2022

…, as a game of intergalactic cat and mouse ensues, the team begins to suspect that their young passengers may not be as innocent and harmless as they appear.4/4#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 8, 2022

Episode 604…

Progeny, The Real World, Phanthoms, Echoes, Lifeline, Ghost in the Machine – Carl Binder was the king of ghost AND replicator stories. No doubt he would have written one for the show's sixth season. And it would have been brilliant.#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SG1 https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 8, 2022

Episode 605…

Classic Stargate was an idea Martin Gero pitched, a story that would take place in the early years of the Atlantis expedition, sort of a flashback to an adventure we’d never seen. Loved the idea. #Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 9, 2022

Episode 606…

Carter Roshomon was a story idea that didn’t make the cut in season 4 and ended up in the season 5 pile despite the fact that Carter was no longer the base commander. It was originally envisioned as our spin on Kurosawa’s 1950 classic 1/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 9, 2022

What happened and what was she being accused of? Guess we’ll never know. Since it didn’t make the cut in season 5, I moved it into the potential season 6 episode discussion list. 3/end#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 9, 2022

Episode 607…

Carl Binder wanted to do a story told from the POV of a red shirt, one of those ubiquitous no-names we lose over the course of an op who is mourned then quickly forgotten in the episode tag when the team is yukking it up in the cafeteria… 1/ #Stargate #StargateAtlantis #SGA https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 9, 2022

Of course, Stargate teams have a standing “No man left behind” policy and it isn’t long before Sheppard and co. mount a rescue op…3/end#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 9, 2022

Episode 608…

Inspired by the 1950 thriller, Sheppard D.O.A. would have seen John racing against time to find out how he was infected with a deadly toxin and, ultimately, who was responsible and why. And also, maybe, find an antidote. #Stargate #Atlantis #SGA #StargateAtlantis https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Episode 609…

They return to Atlantis to find they’ve been given up for dead and replaced. As they attempt to settle in to their new positions (and work with their replacements) the alien race indirectly responsible for their predicament pays Atlantis a visit…#Stargate #Atlantis #SGA 2/End

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Episodes 610-611 (midseason two-parter)…

The mid-season two-parter would have seen Sheppard's team return to Atlantis following an op, only to discover it has been taken over by wraith hybrids. But not just any wraith hybrids. 1/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 11, 2022

Sheppard, McKay, Ronin and Teyla soon find themselves on the run, from their former friends, and a determined Michael out for revenge. 3/End#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 11, 2022

Episode 612…

Compounding the problem is the fact that they are trapped in a small chamber, in direct line of the stargate, meaning the next time the gate kawooshes, they risk total annihilation. 2/#Stargate #Atlantis #SGA #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 12, 2022

Episode 613…

…five years into the past (where one version of the team struggles to acquire the puddle jumper and undo the damage done without affecting the timeline)… 2/ #Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 12, 2022

…and the present (where McKay continues to tweak his experiment) with developments in each timeline influencing events in the other enroute to a mindbending climax. 4/End#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 12, 2022

Episode 614…

Hexed
While visiting an alien community, Sheppard is cursed by a kooky local. At first, our heroes laugh off the incident – until Sheppard runs into a spate of bad luck. VERY bad luck.
Shep whumpers rejoice!#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis #SGA https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 12, 2022

Episode 615…

So I reimagined a version where a mishap with a zpm triggers a subspace burst that disperses time fractals throughout Atlantis. And within these varying shards of warped spacetime, the rules of physics no longer apply… 2/END#Stargate #SGA #StargateAtlantis #Atlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 13, 2022

Episode 616…

Revenge
Sheppard and his team must mount on op to save Todd after he is captured by rivals. Re-assuming her role as a wraith queen, Teyla leads the team aboard a hive ship in order to track down and rescue their unlikely ally.#Stargate #Atlantis #SGA https://t.co/eZQX9el9WS

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 13, 2022

Episode 617 (Payback)…

Revenge
Following devastating attacks on three other teams, Sheppard and co's off-world investigation takes a surprising turn when they are attacked by a puddle jumper. On the run on an alien world, they are pursued… 1/#Stargate #Atlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 13, 2022

…and, ultimately, find out the surprising source of his all-too familiar resources. #Stargate #Atlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 13, 2022

Episode 618…

There, they discover Atlantis's sister city is in the hands of a group of rogue Genii led by none other than @RobertJohnDavi's Acatus Kolya who we learn survived the events of "Irresponsible" thanks to a modified personal shield emitter. 2/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 14, 2022

The mirror location of the Ancient zpm factory hidden on Atlantis. 4/ End#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 14, 2022

Episode 619…

An exploration of one such seemingly long-abandoned chamber yields a shocking discovery: none other than Elizabeth Weir who has been kept "on ice" since her capture by the Asurans. 2/ #Stargate #Atlantis #SGA pic.twitter.com/1m1HIC9fla

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 14, 2022

They arrive just in time to see the Ancient city rise up out of the ground and ascend, up into the sky and the stars beyond. Our heroes are already aware of it's destination: Atlantis. 4/End #Stargate #Atlantis #SGA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 14, 2022

Episode 620 (series finale)…

The Stargate Atlantis Season Finale
Sheppard's team return to Atlantis with a dire warning, only to be informed that long range scanners have picked up the sister city. And it's headed straight for them. 1/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis https://t.co/eZQX9e3yyi

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 15, 2022

We are treated to some classic character-centered moments as the city readies for what will be their biggest battle, against a better equipped, better prepared opponent. Finally, it is time! 3/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 15, 2022

And when the sister city appears, Atlantis launches its jumpers and drones. Their opponent responds in kind. The most epic battle in Stargate history is joined. 5/ #Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 15, 2022

But they're on the clock and running out of time, facing down enemy soldiers and drone strike as they desperately seek to set up the Asuran weapon as close to critical systems as possible. 7/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 15, 2022

A fleet of hive ships drop out of FTL and concentrate their fire on the enemy ship. It's Todd. He and his fleet take the pressure off Atlantis, buying Sheppard and his team enough time to… 9/#Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 15, 2022

Atlantis returns to the planet's surface. Sheppard thanks Todd. Wraith and human achieve an "understanding". And peace finally returns to the Pegasus Galaxy. 11/End of show. #Stargate #Atlantis #StargateAtlantis

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 15, 2022

So, which of these episodes would have looked forward to most?

The post Stargate: Atlantis Virtual Season 6! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 14, 2022: The Early Weekend Approacheth!

Remember this whiteboard AU season 6 of Stargate: Atlantis?

I posted shortly after the cancellation and offered up quick summaries of each episode.  Since then, I’ve been going through my old hard drive in search of Stargate files and came across some of the notes I took on the-episodes-that-never-came-to-be back in the day.  And, over the last week or so, I’ve been posting more detailed, corrected versions o these synopses on twitter.  Tonight, after I post the synopsis for the summary, I’ll have all 20 virtual SGA season 6 episodes.  So for tomorrow’s blog entry, I’ll assemble them and post here for easy reference.   Time Travel!  Shep whump!  The surprising return of some old favorites.  And an EPIC virtual series finale!

Caught Suji desperately trying to delete this link from my news feed…
Plant-based pet food? Vegan diet healthiest for dogs, study suggests https://t.co/svvc5cyPXW

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 14, 2022

Good cholesterol may keep some from developing Alzheimers

Doing my part…

Today’s Yes/No…

Dodger Dog Pizza? Yes/Nohttps://t.co/rn5RwcNVU8

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 14, 2022

The post April 14, 2022: The Early Weekend Approacheth! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 13, 2022: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Captain Carter #2 – cover art by Marc Aspinall

Eternals #11 – cover art by David Mack

Bettie Page: The Alien Agenda #2 – cover art by Josh Burns

Immortal Red Sonja #1 – cover art by Jae Lee

Batwoman/Catwoman #1 – cover art by Clay Mann

Suicide Squad: Blaze #2 – cover art by Aaron Campbell

The Joker #14 – cover art by Belén Ortega

The Junction – cover art by Norm Konyu

Patriotika United #3 – cover art by Shikarii

Bakemonogatari vol 14 – cover art by Oh!Great

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post April 13, 2022: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

The Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022!

Counting down the Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022…

Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022
9. Voyager – #KIHYUN #기현
Monsta X's Kihyun impresses in his solo debut.#KpopTop10 pic.twitter.com/H52bOAX5pj

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022
7. Who – #Moonbin #Sanha
Fellow #Astro members Moonbin and Sanha follow 2020's In-Out with a 6-track EP. Ghost Town is also great. #KpopTop10 pic.twitter.com/58tTXArWN4

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022
5. Fall in Love – #Jihan #ParkSoeun #지한 #박소은
A song from an OST makes the Top 5? Absolutely. #KpopTop10 pic.twitter.com/cE99NcVzAA

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022
3. Esper – #KWONEUNBI #권은비
One of the things I love most about putting these lists together is discovering new (to me) talent. Like Kwon Eun-bi. #KpopTop10 pic.twitter.com/G6sMBPON2n

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022
1. Tomboy – #GIDLE #여자아이들
Was there any doubt? My favorite (G)I-dle song. The only thing that could possibly make it better would be the addition of Soojin. #KpopTop10 pic.twitter.com/xzmq331mqx

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) April 10, 2022

Agree?  Disagree?  What did I miss?  And what were YOUR favorites?

The post The Top 10 Kpop Songs of March, 2022! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 11, 2022: Baron’s Book Club Blab Blog!

Three more new and upcoming releases for your consideration…

No Second Chances by Rio Youers (released February 22, 2022)

Luke Kingsley’s glory days are behind him. A star on the rise, his life and career imploded after his soul singer wife, Lisa Hayes, disappeared without a trace, silencing a very public and tumultuous marriage. Most people, especially an avenging PI, think Luke got away with murder. The last thing he expects is to be pulled back from the brink by a starstruck stranger.

Wannabe actress Kitty Rae has chased her dreams all the way from Kentucky to Hollywood. Saving a washed-up actor’s life wasn’t one of them, but she believes in Luke—as much as she believes her own career is just one lucky break away. For now, she works for Johan Fly, a charismatic, wealthy, and seriously unbalanced drug dealer to the rich and famous. When Johan discovers that Kitty has been skimming the product, he vows to make her pay.

As Luke steps up to help Kitty, he uncovers a web of violence and corruption, as well as a single, enticing clue about his wife’s disappearance. Barreling across the Mojave Desert, Luke and Kitty set off to find the long-lost Lisa. But Johan, hungry for vengeance, is hot on their trail. There’s no limit to what he will do to find them. And in a world where fortune favors the ruthless, there’s also no limit to what Luke and Kitty will have to do to survive.

My thoughts: This one gets off to a rip-roarin’ start with the introduction of our three main players.  There’s the fiercely independent Kitty Rae, a young girl with attitude who still dreams of making it big in Hollywood even though she spends more time making drug drops than auditioning for roles.  There’s washed-up former acting legend Luke Kingsley whose career tanked following the mysterious disappearance of his wife.  And then there’s Johan Fly, aka “The Viking”, a drug dealer with panache and an affinity for big-ass axes.  When Kitty runs afoul of the Viking, Luke steps up to take on the role he was destined to play: that of the hero.  But, unfortunately for Luke and Kitty, life isn’t like a CBS primetime drama.

I really loved the first two thirds of this book, mostly for these characters, but also because of the humor that runs through this novel.  One of my favorite scenes in the book involves Luke going undercover as detective Colton Stone, one of his former onscreen characters in a bid to convince the baddies that their target, Kitty, has, in fact, been killed.  It’s a brilliant scene, funny and clever.  But soon after, the wheels come off when Luke’s investigation into his wife’s disappearance – the most uninteresting and, frankly, implausible part of the novel – leads him to a surprising discovery…and the most unlikely development that (What are the chances?) there may be a connection to the Viking here.

3/5

***

Biomass Rewind by Terry Person (release date: March 7, 2022)

BIOMASS REWIND follows a group of “made” humans manufactured and trained by a sapient ship to colonize a new Earth-like planet. Once on the surface, the squad must evade gruesome death at the claws, leaves and wings of the hostile native wildlife–if they don’t end up killing each other first. But when they find evidence that they aren’t the first humans to walk the planet, their mission becomes suspect. If this is not their first visit to “Beauty”, then what is their ship’s motive, and how could they survive what other versions of themselves could not?

My thoughts: By far the most thought-provoking of this week’s reads is this sci-fi first (?) contact thriller involving a team of clones sent to colonize an alien world that, perhaps, their previous incarnations may have visited in the past.  The aspects of the story related to cloning and memory are fascinating; the elements concerning their attempts to deal with a seemingly aggressive native species less so.  There’s not much depth to the characters so when they are under threat or, in some instances, killed, it’s hard to care without that emotional investment.

A fairly standard sci-fi story, in the service of some really great ideas.

3/5

***

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (released January 11, 2022)

When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren’t really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?

My thoughts: Chloe Davis’s father was arrested for the murder of six teenage girls.  20 years later, when other girls start to disappear, Chloe wonders if it’s the work of a copycat killer?  Those of you who can’t stand suspense will be in luck because it’s fairly evident who the real serial killer is very early on.  I had my suspicions 50 pages in, then pretty solid confirmation on page 117 of my digital copy (Yes, I took note).  From there, it was 400 or so pages of obvious red herrings and ludicrous coincidences manufactured to set up false jeopardy before the not-so shocking truth is revealed.  Oof.

Apparently, Emma Watson has already snapped up the film & television rights.  Expect more of a Girl on the Train than The Silence of the Lambs.

3/5

***

And what have you been reading?

The post April 11, 2022: Baron’s Book Club Blab Blog! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

April 10, 2022: Suji Sunday!

Akemi is always the first one up.  Suji and I have a little lie-in, eventually waking up a half hour or so later.  I massage her ears and hips for a while after which we both get out of bed – and it’s time for breakfast!  For Suji anyway.  We’ve been livestreaming the grand event daily on Instagram so, if you’re lucky enough to get a notification, tune in for the two minute chow-down.  With breakfast out of the way, we head out for our walk.

The whole walk revolves around treats.  She gets a treat when she gets into the stroller.  Another treat when she gets in the elevator.  Another treat when she hits the lobby and is greeted by the concierge and the building’s custodial crew.  Another treat when she’s transferred from the stroller to her wheelchair.  And subsequent treats at various stations along the route – park, bench, crossing the street, etc.

The best treat, of course, comes after her morning pee which is a bit of a to-do.  Since she can’t pee on her own, we have to express Suji’s bladder – which usually involves me hoisting her up off my right hip, supporting her with my left hand, the using my right to apply pressure to her belly.  Her back legs spring up and – success!

For the second half our walk, we hit busy King Street, walking by the various restaurants (all closed at this early hour), Forno Cultura (a  Italian cafe & bakery that IS open early and whose occasional staff member will come out to greet Suji), and Starbucks.  Given the choice, she’d go with the strawberry.

So endeth the walk.  Another treat when she transfers back from her wheelchair to the stroller.  One more in the lobby.  Another in the elevator.  And one final treat once we’re back inside, after I’ve taken off her booties and wiped her down.

Join us next time.  Suji loves the company.  Especially if you bring treats!

The post April 10, 2022: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.