G's Good Reads of 2016

And now for the blog post you've been waiting for all year...the post with which the year would not be complete...my Good Reads for 2016. As always, these books were not necessarily published this year, I just read them this year. So, in no particular order:

Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey

Several friends of mine had been telling me for months that I needed to start this series. Leviathan Wakes is the first book in the "Expanse" series, which is now up to (I think) six titles. The SyFy channel is making a TV series out of these books; the first season, ten episodes, aired last December thru February. After seeing the series, I knew I had to try the books. Set in the not-too-distant future, humans have colonized a good portion of the Solar System, to include Mars, the asteroid belt, and some of Jupiter's moons. The books deal with social, political, and military conflict between Earth, Mars, and "the Belt", the human colonies spread throughout the asteroid belt--against the backdrop of a shadowy organization conducting experiments that will change humanity forever. I know that sounds rather vague, but there are many layers to this story, and boiling it down to a paragraph is difficult. If you like your science fiction realistic, with shades of political intrigue, social upheaval, military conflict, and a splash of the unknown, I recommend giving this book a try.

The Honor of the Queen, by David Weber

This is the second book in David Weber's highly praised "Honor Harrington" series. The series is set in humanity's far future and centers around Honor Harrington, a starship captain in the Royal Manticoran Navy--the space naval military arm of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. In this book, Honor and her pet treecat, Nimitz (named for the World War Two admiral), have to foil an insidious plot hatched by the People's Republic of Haven against the world of Grayson, which Manticore is courting as an ally. Honor is more than capable of handling whatever the PRH can throw her way...but she is hamstrung by the fact that Grayson society is dominated by men, and they cannot wrap their heads around a female naval officer, let alone a very intelligent, highly proficient female officer in command of an entire battlegroup. Weber's books (as far as I have read them) are heavy on political machinations and (theoretically) realistic starship combat, where relative speeds and physics replace the laser bolts and space dogfighting of other science fiction franchises (like my beloved Star Wars). Honor Harrington herself is modeled on Horatio Hornblower, the British naval captain in the Hornblower series written by C.S. Forester (another very good series of books). So far, the Honor Harrington books are very good, but if you want to get into them I suggest you start with the first book, On Basilisk Station.

World War I: The African Front, by Edward Paice

I've been trying to focus more on World War I history over the past few years, as we are in the middle of the hundredth anniversary of that conflict. In doing so, I'm always on the lookout for books that deal with the war away from the Western Front. While the war on the African continent didn't involve the staggering numbers of casualties that occurred in France and Belgium, the conflict was no less interesting. The British actually fired their first shots in anger in World War I in one of their colonies in West Africa. This book, however, focuses mostly on the conflict in East Africa, in what is today Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and parts of Zimbabwe. When the two sides weren't actively involved fighting each other, they were battling the elements--torrential rains, all manner of tropical diseases, and dangerous animals (it was not uncommon for porters to be attacked by lions and for elephants to tear up railroad tracks). There was a lot to the fighting in East Africa that most people don't know about--to include a few bizarre episodes, such as small-scale naval engagements that were fought on Lake Tanganyika with boats that were portaged overland for hundreds of miles. The author also makes a point of discussing the toll on the native populations--both as innocent bystanders in the conflict, and in their service to both the British and the Germans. Definitely a good read if you're looking to explore beyond the normal, tired narrative of WW1 history.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline

Oh wow, where to start with this book? Ready Player One is a love-letter to '80s pop culture, set within a book that gamers will fall in love with. Wade Watts lives in the America of the near future, where massive corporations run the country and almost all life is lived online in a program called the OASIS. Hidden with the OASIS is puzzle that leads to a truly massive fortune; however, no one has ever been able to solve the puzzle, or really even find where the puzzle begins, so it has become something of legend within the program. Wade somehow stumbles onto the first clue, alerting everyone else within the OASIS, to include several corporations who want the treasure for themselves--mostly because, in addition to monetary wealth, the treasure holds a key that can control the entire OASIS, as the treasure and puzzle were put in place by the program's creator before he died. The creator was a huge fan of '80s pop culture, and the entire puzzle revolves around movie, television, and video-gaming trivia from that era. If you've ever played a massively-multiplayer online game (an MMO, as they're known), the jargon and the environment will feel familiar to you. But even if you aren't a gamer, you'll probably still get a kick out of the trip down memory lane.

Caliban's War, by James S.A. Corey

This is the second book in the "Expanse" series. Jim Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are back in the thick of things, as the situation between Earth, Mars, and the Belt intensifies. That's really all I can say without giving away the events of the first book. Again--truly massive, grand science fiction that weaves many individual plot lines into a highly satisfactory whole.

And that's it! Hopefully you'll find something here worth adding to your own personal reading list. Let us know if you read any of this, and what you think of them!

We Put the Fun in Dysfunctional

Here's proof (<< pun intended) of how well my bro knows me. Check out the book he sent me for Christmas.

Nothing says happy birth of our Lord and Savior quite like cocktails designed for literature nerds.

Merry and Bright indeed.

May Your Buns Be Merry and Bright

It's hard to say what the best part of the holiday break is: basically it's a close tie between (1) not having to get up in the morning and face a strict schedule, and (2) not having to ever put in my contacts. There are the added benefits of: not having to leave the house if I don't want to, not having to deal with needy students and their needy needs, no endless errands and chores, no writing, no teaching, no workshops or presentations, no commuting, etc.

G has been off for the last couple of days and so now the level of slovenliness in the house has doubled. Or, tripled, if you count Loo Loo Bean.

She crashed yesterday. The holiday festivities finally did her in. Notice that her front feet are wrapped around her food bowl. That's not accidental. She's what is commonly called a "resource hog" in the veterinarian circles.

In case you're wondering how two introverts with no kids spend the holidays (apart from the family chaos of every other year), here's how.

Step 1: Relax in front of the tree

G's dad makes lots of beautiful things out of wood. Check out these wood shaving ornaments he sent us this year! Aren't they gorgeous?

Step 2: Bake and cook

In case you're wondering, no, I didn't eat this all in one setting. It was my food allocation for the day. As they say in the South, I "ate on this all day".

The meal:

*Rotisserie Chicken (one does not cook full turkeys or ham in this house as that's largely a waste of a valuable animal life)
*Meatloaf
*Homemade Dressing (Gama's recipe)
*Roasted veggies
*Corn
*Mashed potatoes
*Mac & Cheese
*Green Bean Casserole
*Rolls
*Chocolate chip cookies
*No Bake cookies

This is the gift that keeps on giving, as we will live off the leftovers until, literally, next year.

Step 3: Digest while watching movies

We watched Sully (really good!) and Dead Pool (so good and also soooooo bad). We called Gama and texted back and forth with my bro and G's fam. We read a ton (often while standing because...digestion) and one of us may have taken the teensiest nap. Then there was more reading. Lots more texting. Lucy eventually roused from her slumber and joined us.

Step 4: Night Night

I read myself to sleep listening to G cackle and hoot his way through some video game with his brother. There was a lot of yelling about various trucks and guns. So classy, we are.

There is a cheesy Christmas song goes, "Count your blessings instead of sheep when drifting off to sleep" or something like that. Lots of blessings over here. Lots of things to be thankful for.

Enjoy the last week of the year! Thinking of resolutions?

TGIF, people!

Habit, Purposeful

I posted official grades yesterday. (<< insert hallelujah hands emoji here)

In celebration, I risked life and limb to take a walk through the neighborhood. The slipping and sliding wasn't worth it, so I hustled to the post office to send off some last minute cards and then tottered my way back home where I hibernated and read the rest of the day. And I mean, literally the rest of the day. I started this book back during the semester and then real life took over so I just got around to (ravenously) finishing it this morning.

Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing by Jennifer Weiner

If you like her books, or if you find yourself reading what you (or others) consider to be "Chick Lit", then I highly recommend this book of essays. I'm not on much social media, but I know that she is outspoken and snarky and sometimes political, which is not my style. However, she is articulate and complicated and family-oriented and thoughtful and, importantly (to me, anyways) brave enough to continue to be herself amid backlash from Hollywood, (some) male writers, and a dysfunctional family of origin. Not to point too fine a point on it, but I can relate to some of her struggles and I admire her "authenticity" for lack of a better word. Plus she writes about books and feminism and pets, so, you know, I'm in.

Over the last 24 hours I've reverted to my high-school-over-Christmas-break behavior of reading pretty much non-stop. Laying down, standing up, sitting in the glider, sitting in front of the Christmas tree, pausing to talk to G when he gets home, then resuming until late at night. Like, not my usual standard of "late" (read: 9:00 p.m.) but actual "late" (read: midnight or after).

Waking up in the morning and making coffee while reading. Leaving utensils in the library for half the day reading. Finishing one book and immediately starting another one reading.

It's glorious, mostly because it's short-lived. With much more free time, it would become a slovenly (and, let's be honest, a stinky) act. But G is about to be off for the Christmas holiday, so there will be wintery walks and movies and chatting and baking and making fun of him and the rabbit. Then there will be - Lord, help us all - lesson planning for next semester and griping about student grade inquiries from what is now last semester - and visiting some peeps and hiking and more reading and then adjusting to a new supervisory role at the writing consultant job.

Today, though, I'm going to pour myself a mimosa and eat home-made Chex Mix (a gift!). And lay around and read another book.

Don't forget these two holiday suggestions, btw:

Merry Almost-Christmas! 

A Whole New World

As I mentioned yesterday, our time in Frisco for the sleigh ride was cold. But, it was a new experience for us because although we try to do lots of outside stuff in the summer, we're realizing that we don't get out and about that much in the winter.

Look how beautiful it is!

We are used to seeing this landscape covered with green grass and a few wandering elk. We are used to sweating our way through it rather than cranking the heat up all the way and piling on extra layers. 

This was the view from our hotel window: 

The roads were like this, so we took it very, very slow:

We reviewed the real estate listings over breakfast. They were a teensy bit out of our price range.

Take a look at the icicles on this boutique. They are no joke!

This experience prompted us to get some winter activities onto the calendar. I'm not sure why we haven't done much of that before? G - thanks to his time in Germany - has snow boarded quite a bit. I've never skied or snowboarded at all, so maybe I don't know what I'm missing? But first on our list is cross-country skiing. It looks like hiking on speed. This intrigues me.

But first I must finish grading.

And then we must celebrate this whole week of Christmas. Hope things are merry and bright in your house!

Giddy Up

We went on a sleigh ride this weekend!

CO peeps, have you heard of this? We went with Two Below Zero sleigh rides in Frisco, just outside of Breckenridge. When you arrive and check in, you have some time to take pictures before the ride begins. We - once again - picked the absolute coldest night of all time to do this. I think the wind chill was -9? I had on special snow boots and was layered beyond all reasoning and still, after about 30 minutes, my feet were so cold they were aching. I thought I might lose my toes.

If you're wondering why those are mules and not horses, you are not alone. They were bred from draft horses and donkeys, therefore they are extremely strong and resilient. Also? In order to make a mule, the mom must be a horse and dad must be a donkey. Because of the weird chromosome combination, mules are formed but are unable to breed. That's all I know.

Back to the winter-y fun:

This was our sleigh, pulled by Bonnie and Bell.

The night begins with a 15-minute sleigh ride through the woods. The cliche of winter wonderland comes to mind but I won't subject you to it. There are about 5 sleighs in all, each loaded with about 10 people. They do a good job of dividing up (ahead of time - they make it look seamless to the guests) the families with kids and those without. I was impressed as all the screaming, whining children were herded away to a sleigh farther back in line. Yes, I know how that sounds.

Anyhoo.

After a beautiful, frigid ride, we were dropped off at a big, decorated, warm tent in the woods where we were served hot chocolate loaded with peppermint schnapps while we warmed up.

The tent really was warm and very festive. We ate dinner family style. We started with chicken chili and fresh rolls, then had steak, chicken, baked potatoes, and vegetables followed by fresh apple pie. They offer a beer and wine service for the adults, but we didn't partake. The peppermint schnapps warmed us right up and then the food did the rest!

There was entertainment after dinner with a musician from Nashville. We sang some Johnny Cash songs, Christmas carols, etc. It was lovely and festive! After about an hour and a half, we were bundled back up for the sleigh ride back!

I would highly recommend this - for those with kids and without. Its a festive, Christmas-y experience full of clean, wholesome fun. The ride and the dinner are efficiently managed and timed perfectly. We would definitely do it again, though not for a couple of years because we decided we need to get out and try more of the winter sports and activities around the state.

Stay tuned tomorrow for some lovely mountain pics.

One week til Christmas! (Time to grade finals.)

TGIF, people!

Grad School Life - A Seussian Reading

I write by the tree,

drinking coffee (and tea).

I write with the lights,

under their glowy, lowly brights.

I write before dawn.

Sometimes long before dawn.

I turn the coffee pot on

and my computer on,

before my brain is on.

Before the sun turns on!

I write in my chair,

I write with my hare.

I write at the spa,

while mimosa-impaired.

 

I write while talking,

and though I'm often balking,

I write on the treadmill.

Write! Right as I'm walking!

But, now. 

Yes, now. 

Now I'm done!

And boy, am I about to have fun.

But not alongside this

surly bun bun.

No, not alongside this

surly bun bun. 

Tradition, Interrupted

For date night this week, we decided to explore the German Christmas Market downtown. I've mentioned before that it is super small but really festive and authentic, so we make sure to fit it in. For just a moment it's possible to pretend we're in Heidelberg or Stuttgart or Garmisch before we get a sniff of weed or a tourist says something very American ("Joey! Quit screaming and pick out one of these wooden toy thingeys!") or Coloradan ("So, this local and organic honey...is it packaged and transported in a sustainable way? Like, could you tell me more about that, and incorporate statistics?").

We wanted to go during the week because the weekends are insanely busy. We figured that on a Thursday night the square would be hoppin' but not unreasonable for a couple of introverts. And I think we would have been right, except we failed to factor in the temperature. It was - and I'm not exaggerating here - 2 degrees outside, with a wind chill of -14.

You can see some of the closed booths behind us.

Some of the shops had already closed by the time we got there. About half the market was open, though, so we flew to the food section only to be met by a German flipping the last potato pancake off the grill. He looked at us, so deadpan, with no sympathy or compassion in his eyes, and said, "We closing now."

So we buzzed through the shops that were open. Luckily, the Russian/Ukrainian booth that sells our favorite Father Christmases was open. We bought one and also a matryoshka tree before high-tailing it into a local steak house for a real meal. Currywurst may not have been available but red wine and a center-cut filet are not a bad Plan B, I'm just sayin'.

Here's a peek at our growing Father Christmas collection:

That Christmas tree opens and there's a Santa doll, which opens and there's a teeny tiny snowman. I just love the artistry and detail. This year's doll (below) is mostly silver and blue, with a country scene painted on him (which reminds us of Germany even though I'm sure it's supposed to be rural Russia).

Not bad for a freezing and rushed tradition!