Jane Lindskold's Blog, page 51
July 24, 2020
FF: Ebbing
Persephone Recommends
As Jim gets better, Roary the kitten recovers from a complex neuter, and elderly Kwahe’e holds his ground, I feel my stress levels ebbing. And, as a bonus, we had rain!
One of the books on this week’s list is an indirect recommendation from an FF reader, who recommended Skyward. I never would have tried it without her, so thank you!
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.
Recently Completed:
The Estate of the Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham. A jump to a later part of the series. I love her quirky characters.
In Progress:
Starsight by Brandon Sanderson. Sequel to Skyward. Space opera that isn’t military SF, even though military action is an element. Very character driven.
The Age of Faith by Will Durant. Audiobook. Non-fiction. The Crusades. Pure depression.
Also:
I’m also spending a lot of time doing my first pass read-through of SK4. So far, I’m enjoying! This is not a lack of modesty on my part. If I can’t enjoy what I wrote, how can I expect anyone else to do so?
July 22, 2020
Adapting To the Heat
The Garden’s Bounty
This year we lucked into ping tura eggplant, originally from Taiwan, that handles heat and arid conditions far better than the usual. The plants weren’t cheap, but their productivity is high, and the flavor is good, without the bitterness often associated with eggplant. In fact, they’re quite sweet. While the “Black Beauty” types we bought when we couldn’t find our usual ichiban have produced two fruit among three plants, the ping tura are so prolific that I picked three fruit off of just one plant.
One thing we’ve been exploring as our summer temperatures have mounted over the last decade (our summer high so far is 113 F) is finding plants that will not only tolerate the heat but will thrive in it.
One of our first discoveries was the liana bean (sometimes called yard-long or asparagus bean). They’re a climbing type, fast growing, and provide the bonus of a very pretty large lavender flower. Two years ago, we found a variety called “red noodle” that is also very colorful. Lianas are the only climbing bean we now plant. We also plant some bush beans. For the eat-fresh variety, we have come to like Contenders or, when we can find the seeds, Matador, both of which handle heat fairly well. (Although not as well as the lianas.)
A couple of years ago, I was researching desert ecosystems for the roleplaying game I was running. (I write the adventures just like I do stories, complete with research; this one was called “The Desert of Nightmares.”) In a book published by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona, I came across a reference to tepary beans. I was intrigued, because they apparently love high heat, and low water. There was one section of our garden bed where anything planted there died, probably due to reflected heat and lack of shade. Why not give these a try?
After some experimentation, I’ve settled on “blue speckled” as my favorites. If you look in the second photo, the tepary beans are planted in the middle row (tomatoes to the left, lianas going up the net to the right). Impressive, yes? Even more impressive is that they haven’t been directly watered for a month… All the water they’ve had is from a few tiny sprinkles.
Tepary beans aren’t meant to be eaten fresh, but they dry well and triple in volume after being soaked and cooked. Since we regularly make both bean soup and humus, they will get used. Added bonus: nitrogen fixing in the soil. Added bonus: all that foliage shades our very sandy, heat-retaining soil, making for a cooler environment for the tomatoes.
Next on my list… I’d like a more heat-resistant tomato, preferably one resistant to curly-top virus, which is common here, but not in enough other places for breeders to routinely breed resistant varieties. Bonus would be a type similar to a roma that can be cooked as well as enjoyed fresh.
I’m also thinking about looking into some different squash, especially summer squash types, since even hardy green zucchini is feeling the heat.
But for this year, ping tura eggplant is my hero! I must remember to reward it with a good dose of compost tea!
[image error]
Teparies Down the Middle
July 17, 2020
FF: More Mellow?
Dandy and Coco Contemplate Eating a Good Book
Update from Wednesday. Jim is slowly getting his stamina back, but there’s still a lot of resting going on. I completely approve, especially since his resting meant he finished a novel that I’ll be reading after I finish my current read!
New med is helping sick elder cat, so while the start of the week was stressful, I’m beginning to feel more less stressed.
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.
I’m always interested in hearing what you’re reading, too!
Recently Completed:
Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham. Back to classic British mystery. Enjoyed.
In Progress:
The Age of Faith by Will Durant. Audiobook. Non-fiction. Looking at how secular and sacred entered into uneasy alliances in the political arena.
The Estate of the Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham. A jump to a later part of the series. I love her quirky characters.
Also:
Dipping into July magazine arrivals.
July 15, 2020
Life’s Been… And a New Story, Too!
Persphone: One of Jim’s Caregivers
Since the beginning of July, my ultra-quiet, writing-focused life has had more than a few disruptions.
I’ll spare you the ups and downs of sick pets, temperatures of over 105 that started cooking the garden, and the advent of squash bugs. Instead, I’ll focus in on the event that was the straw that nearly broke this camel’s back.
On Monday, July 6, Jim went into the hospital to be treated for a severe urinary tract infection complicated by extremely low sodium.
It’s never great to have one’s partner in the hospital but, because of restrictions due to Covid-19, I couldn’t go into the Urgent Care clinic with him. I’d taken him the previous Sunday, when he started feeling unwell, and since he was running a fever, even he couldn’t go in. On Monday, when he went back, he wasn’t running a fever… Then.
(Yes, he’s been tested for Covid-19, and came up negative. That pretty much means that, as of that testing, I was negative, too.)
We didn’t learn until Tuesday that I could visit him at the hospital. Visitors were restricted to one per day. Not one at a time. One per day. New Mexico has been very careful, and I am grateful for this.
Anyhow, Jim came home on Wednesday, mid-afternoon. He’s not well, but he’s getting better. However, for now, I’m without someone to run the errands at a time where there are more errands to be run. This has a ripple effect down the line, up to and including hitting my immersing myself into polishing the manuscript of SK4, the yet-untitled fourth book in the Star Kingdom series I’m writing with David Weber. Not only do I have less time, I’m really, really wrung out.
The situation would be worse, but I had fantastic support from various friends who helped with getting Roary the kitten to the vet for his booster shots, picking up groceries, delivering packages to the post office, and suchlike.
On a more cheerful note, I have a new short story out! “The Problem with Magic Rings” appears in DreamForge, issue 6. It features the same characters as in “A Familiar’s Predicament,” which was featured in the anthology Sword and Sorceress 33 back in 2018.
Although the illustration makes “The Problem With Magic Rings” look like a kid’s story, it has more in common with adventure tales and sword and sorcery, such as Fritz Leiber’s stories about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, where a sprinkling of the outrageous enlivens clashing swords and creative spells. The narrator is a very tiny dragon…
You can learn more about subscribing to DreamForge here. They’ve just revised the website, so you can see what else is featured in issue six, as well as in prior issues.
Enjoy!
[image error]
Our Bold Band
July 10, 2020
FF: Up In The Air
Roary Curls Up With A Good Book
It’s been a heck of a week, with very little time for reading, but happily a new-to-me book arrived just in time. For those of you who’ve expressed concern, thank you. I’ll see what’s up next week and maybe report on the WW, but too much is up in the air.
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.
Recently Completed:
The Magician of Hoad by Margaret Mahy. A thoughtful fantasy that takes the main characters over many years, from childhood into full adulthood. Some might find parts “slow,” but I enjoyed very, very much. I’m glad we bought this one based on liking the author’s work in the past, because I know I will re-read.
In Progress:
The Age of Faith by Will Durant. Audiobook. Non-fiction. In the Dark Ages.
Mystery Mile by Margery Allingham. Back to classic British mystery.
Also:
Stopped on the short fiction read. Maybe I just picked the wrong stories, but nothing really grabbed me.
July 8, 2020
Wrangling Chaos
His Majesty, Quail
Let’s just say that last week (or even ten days) has not gone according to anyone’s vaguest idea of a plan.
So I’m going to give you a picture of a quail, then go try and wrangle chaos factors.
Later!
July 3, 2020
Bright Moment
I finished a rough draft of SK4 today. About a 102,000 words. MUCH polishing to do.
(SK4 is shorthand for the yet-untitled fourth Star Kingdom/Stephanie Harrington book I’m writing with David Weber.)
So… Tired… But happy!
FF: This Is A Blank
Kwahe’e Is Never Unpleasant
I’ve been writing like a mad fiend, which does cut into my reading time… But the weekend is coming!
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.
Recently Completed:
The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan. Audiobook. Trials of Apollo, four. Quite good, although I felt as if Riordan lost some of his usual grip on mythic elements and use of humor in non-humorous settings. Nonetheless, I enjoyed.
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers. As with her prior novel, a story in which timing is a key element.
In Progress:
For once, this is blank because I probably won’t have time until Saturday to figure out what I’m reading next.
I think I need a break from classic mystery.
Also:
Earlier in the year, I subscribed to a couple of short fiction magazines, in addition to DreamForge, which I read pretty much as soon as I get my copy. I’ve been dipping into these.
July 1, 2020
Very Brief, Very Long
At Fourteen Weeks Roary Is Getting Very Long
I wrote about forty pages between Monday and Friday of last week, then took the weekend off to organize my thoughts while I let my aching fingers rest. Now I’m eager to write the concluding parts of the rough, rough draft of the yet untitled fourth book in the Star Kingdom series that I’m currently writing with David Weber.
If you’re feeling like a longer visit with me, I suggest you look at the interview that’s just been published on the Krypton Radio site. Ivan Majstorovic’s questions were quite interesting, and far from formulaic. In the course of our rambling discussion, we touched on a wide variety of topics, including getting kids to read, literary versus popular fiction, collaboration, and a bit about my time with Roger Zelazny.
So, enjoy. Now, I’m off to the planet Sphinx.
June 26, 2020
FF: Growing Up
Roary: Still Growing Up
Sometimes I mention that I’m reading a book not yet in print, and that I’ll tell you when it’s available. That’s the case with Growing Up Meathead by James B. Zimmerman. See under “Also” for more about this thoughtful not-just-for-kids book.
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.
Recently Completed:
Trickster’s Queen by Tamora Pierce. Audiobook. Sequel to Trickster’s Choice. Not a lightweight read, despite an overload of cute monsters. I cried several times…
Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers. Also published as The Dawson Pedigree.
In Progress:
The Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan. Audiobook. Trials of Apollo, four.
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers. As with her prior novel, a story in which timing is a key element.
Also:
Growing Up Meathead is a series of interconnected short stories based on the author’s own experiences as a boy figuring out what sort of person he wants to be. “Meathead” is a well-earned nickname because, if there’s a dumb choice to make, Jimmy will make it.
Jimmy’s not a bad kid, a mad kid, nor is this one of those “problem” books that turned me off to so much in the “kids’ book” category, since every kid seemed to be dealing with Big Issues like drug abuse, gangs, or sexual abuse. This is a book about being a kid: about dealing with peer pressure, about having a logic system with priorities completely alien to an adult mind.
The illustrations are by the author and, as the cover shows, don’t glamorize either Jimmy nor his life. A bonus for me was that Jimmy is growing up in the same part of Maryland where I spent my summers! (No, I didn’t know him then.)
