Oh, Will Patton. Read me a story.
What I’m Listening to: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
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Author Archives: Kate
Review: Operation S.I.N. By Kathryn Immonen and Rich Ellis.
First off, the cover of this book lied to me. This isn’t MCU Peggy Carter, it’s a different Peggy Carter. But, I was able to quickly put that aside because she still kicks ass. The story starts off with a home invasion and then it takes you through a rollicking ride into Mother Russia. Howard Stark has a question about some tech and he needs Peggy Carter’s help. They then team up with a couple of Russian teenagers and a Scottish dude to investigate some alien tech. Can they diffuse tense situations? Will they thwart Hydra? Will Peggy punch Howard in the face? Will Howard deserve a punch in the face? (I think we all know the answer to that last question, at least, even if we don’t read the book.)
This was a fun story and I liked the art. I also kind of love Howard Stark and his Science! first approach to life. It’s amazing he lived as long as he did in the comics since he doesn’t always seem to be aware of his surroundings.
Oh, and there’s a bonus Agent Carter and Captain America at the end of the volume. And, that was pretty fun.
What I’m Reading Now: Operation: S.I.N.: Agent Carter by Kathryn Immonen and Rich Ellis
This is an interesting pairing with the Feminine Mystique.
What I’m Listening to: The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
I don’t think I’ve ever read this. I know, I’m a bit surprised by that, too.
This Month in Reality: Shonda Rhimes is my hero.
Welcome to a March 32nd tradition. I am posting this month’s in reality on the last day of March!
This book, man. It’s life changing. Life affirming. It’s… I don’t even know where to begin. Except I do. At the beginning, I had to stop listening halfway through the introduction because I was crying my eyes out. I’ve never felt so seen…by an audiobook. I guess this is why Shonda Rhimes owns Thursday nights.
This book is a memoir about a year in which Rhimes chose to say yes to everything that scared her. And, it would seem, a bunch of things that scare her also scare me and so hearing about how she faced her fears and won was transformative. The book is read by the author, so, if like me, you listen to books a lot with headphones on, Shonda Rhimes is literally whispering in your ear telling you how she overcame her fears and leading by example.
I want to say yes to everything now. I even want to say yes to saying no to things that are bad for me.
This book, man. I loved it.
What I’m Listening to Now: Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes speaks to me. Literally (because she’s reading the book) and metaphorically. I hear her. I hear her so hard.
Review: Gage by Tess Oliver
I had thought that I bought this book because my Mom recommended it but when I was reading it I told her thank you and she didn’t think it sounded familiar.
And, now I don’t know if I want her to read it because there was a lot more sex in it than the ones she usually recommends and I’ve had some weird conversations about the contents of romance novels with my Mom.
But, if you’re into romance novels, oh my, do I ever recommend this one. Gage is a lumberjack. He’s thinking about getting out of the dangerous rough and tumble lumberjacking world and has the perfect opportunity when the owner of his favorite bar dies. (Total bummer. Everyone was very sad.) He’ll buy the bar, he’ll retire from lumberjacking in Montana, he’ll have a quiet, peaceful life. That is, until Summer, the bar-inheritor, decides that she would prefer to be a bar-owner herself.
Just knowing that, you know where the rest of the story is going. Will they get together? Will Summer’s asshole mother upset the apple cart because her father didn’t leave her anything? Will Gage go back to lumberjacking and meet his maker on the mountain? Who knows?!
I really enjoyed this novel. I liked the characterizations of the folks and there was just enough tension between the characters and outside life pressures that it wasn’t boring. I would totally read another book in this series. A+, good job!
Review: Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier: The Man on the Wall vol. 1
I may have fallen into a stack of comic books the last couple of months and I’m only now resurfacing. I would apologize but Beth would just roll her eyes at me certain in her knowledge that in a few weeks I’ll become obsessed with something else and disappear down that rabbit hole.
Over Christmas, I read a number of Captain America titles and then decided to read some Winter Soldier titles as well. While I am a huge fan of Captain America everywhere (and a fan of Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan) I’m not really all that into the MCU’s Bucky Barnes. He just seems like a skirt-chasing dick who occasionally turns up and helps Steve Rogers end a fight. (Or, he starts the fight. Whatever, fights occur as a function of his existence.) So, I decided that I needed to give print Bucky a go and see if he and I clicked.
He and I click. (Well, I like him. He’s fictional and thus has no opinion on me.)
This Bucky spends a lot of time in space fighting aliens (and stealing baby aliens and then trying to hide the fact that he’s stolen a baby alien. “Pay no attention to the small creature I’m feeding under the table!”). This is a Bucky that turns up on a planet, gets caught by the planetary guards and when he is asked what he wants says, “A date?” (Based on his results I’d say this is a solid strategy.) This Bucky cracks me the fuck up. This Bucky I could have a cup of coffee with. (I don’t know why that’s important to me, but apparently it is.) Also, this Bucky wouldn’t talk to you before having said cup of coffee. This is also important since I pretty much run on coffee and spite.
There’s mayhem in the multiverse, and aliens, and gun play and Tremors (who you might now know from watching Agents of Shield!). So, I’m pretty into this and have already started volume 2.
Currently Reading: Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
Everyone! It’s happening! The new book is coming out! Who is ready? Who else is excited! AHHHH!
This Month in Reality: Tidying Up
When I get home tonight I’m going to take off my shoes and thank them (they are super cute and have done the hard work of keeping my feet out of the mud today). My wallet, essential oils bag (yes, I’m that kind of dirty hippie that brings her own aroma therapy with her everywhere she goes), my planner and the notebook I always carry with me will be taken out of my purse and I will thank them and put them in their new spots. I will hang my purse up and thank it. Then, I will feed my hungry, hungry monsters. Finally, I’ll try not to feel silly for expressing gratitude to inanimate objects. Hey, you know how I said I was done reading self-help books? Well, I lied to both of us. I read The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. All of this thanking is Kondo’s idea. I’m down with expressing gratitude as a regular practice. It’s allegedly good for you. Thanking things isn’t a problem. (It feels weird, but I do all kinds of weird things so what is one more?)
So, I read this book and now I feel like I need to divest myself of half of my possessions. Which, on the whole, is probably not a bad thing. I am kind of a pack rat so I hang onto things longer than I need to. (And, I’m on the job market expecting that a move is in my future if I want to stay in my field, so having fewer things to move would be pretty awesome.)
The Konmari method seems to work as follows: Go through all your possessions one category at a time and get rid of anything you don’t need. Don’t move it to your Mom’s. Don’t put it in storage. Straight up give it away or sell it or throw it away. No longer have it within your reach. Keep the stuff that makes you happy. Not the stuff you feel like you should keep, not the stuff that you have “just in case”. Just the stuff that makes you happy. If you use your stuff as a barrier between you and the world to keep you safe, this is going to be an awful process. However, she gives you something to deal with the anxiety-inducing trash-fest. She wants you to start by thinking about what you want from life. How do you want to be seen? How do you see yourself? What are trying to radiate? How does your space reflect that? So, the life-changing art of tidying up is not just about divesting yourself of possessions. It is also about divesting yourself of ideas, thoughts, and patterns that no longer serve you.
In short, this is going to be a rough ride.
I think this is a great way to approach tidying up your space and your life. But, I also think that confronting your feelings and thought patterns is rough work and that it might be easier when you have Kondo there in the room with you. So, I recommend this book. It was an interesting read. But, if you’re going to use the Konmari method to get rid of stuff in your life you may also want to be in therapy or keep a journal of the process so you can work out your feelings as you throw out your stuff.
This book counts as my book by an Asian author in the Diverse Stacks, Diverse Lives Reading Challenge.
2 Women, So Many Books 