I cannot
freaking believe that the end of January is already here. At this rate 2012 is going to pass even
faster than the previous year. January
was a very crazy month filled with upheaval so I apologize now for not updating
more often. I have scoliosis and
starting around the beginning of December the pain got to be constant. Then a had a few days in the 2nd
week of January where I couldn’t even walk, sitting up for the next week was
even painful. Now after several weeks of
chiro appointments I’m pain free unless I’m on the bus. After 90 minutes of bouncing and jostling,
even with wearing a brace, I’m usually achy.
I hope that will ease off soon too.
It usually comes and goes in stages and only gets really bad every two
years or so.
Then a little
over a week ago I had to call an ambulance for my husband. He’d been sick awhile, recovering from
bronchitis and his bounce-back was slower than we’d both wished. He’d had an appointment with his doctor the
next week for a follow up when he came to me with swelling in his legs. Terrible swelling. One of them looked like a Lincoln Log. There was absolutely no definition to his
knee or ankle. Given his past heart
history I wasn’t taking any chances. His
blood pressure was ridiculously high, the oxygen level in his blood low and he
had congestive heart failure.
They believe
now that it was sleep apnea related. The
night he came home from the hospital I didn’t sleep one bit because every time
his breathing changed I woke up. He’s
doing a sleep study this week, they’re going to fit him with a machine and set
it up at our house. I could really live
my entire life without another scare like that.
All in all,
this month hasn’t been very conducive to writing or editing, though I’ve been
working on a few projects when I could.
Between the days I couldn’t sit up and the hours waiting at the hospital
I managed to catch up on quite a bit of reading though. Here are the books that really stood out to
me. If I keep picking a book up even
after I just set it down, it’s a winner.
Warning, I read all kinds of things, not just m/m.
The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series
by Rick Riordan. My son got all five
books for Christmas and they were still on the coffee table when I was stuck on
the couch. I picked up the first one out
of boredom and because I was a comparative folklore and mythology major. I had even taken my son to the movie last
summer and thought it was okay. Knowing
that the book is always better than the movie I figured why not give it a
shot. I freaking loved it. I like how Riordan took myth into today’s age
and made it relevant. And the words
flowed so smoothly. I like it enough
that when I finished the first, I picked up the second, then the third and so
on until I was done with the entire series.
Then I took the first book to the hospital so my husband could read
it. He rarely reads and now he’s
hooked. Now if I could just get my son
to pick them up. He’s more into
scientific books.
The next book
that totally blew me away was The Game of
Love by Jeanette Murray. I’ve
enjoyed her shorter stories, but after this novel, she’s an absolute must read
for me. I started reading it while in
the waiting room at the doctor’s office to get blood drawn. Normally needles cause me some anxiety but I
was so wrapped up in the story that I took it in the labroom with me and
continued to read while I let the vampires at me. Probably the best thing because the tech
actually managed to get the vein on the first try. I can see how some people would have issues
with the heroine Chris St. James, especially at the start with her
attitude. But it’s warranted. The characters were so real to me. Like people I’ve actually met and become
friends with. And Brett Wallace was
downright yummy. Chris and Brett are
both retired pro athletes with a history that makes them distrustful of future
relationships. Chris had been involved
with an abusive hockey player and Brett’s wife left him for another pro athlete
after he was forced to retire. I really
loved watching them working through their issues and learning to trust
again. The book can be found at Carina
Press: http://tinyurl.com/6nad8rl
I read a
number of m/m books in January but two really stuck out with me. The first was Burnt Offerings by Pearl Love.
It’s been already said, but I’ll say it again. I love myths and old tales and this had the
feeling of an old tale. I loved the
descriptive writing even though it was a little repetitious at times. It was a short read, only 65 pages, but it’s
one that I would pick up again and again when I want to get lost in another
world. Plus I’m a fan of unconventional
endings. Alen is a boy who’s been
tormented by his unusual beauty, both coveted and hated by his village, he
prefers a solitary existence except for his mother and the being that he
communes with in his hearth fire. When
he is forced to defend himself and accidentally kills a man, his life is
forfeit and he is condemned to die on the altar of a volcano. If you like myth and fantasy, I recommend
it. It’s available through Dreamspinner
Press: http://tinyurl.com/7pn7usk.
The second m/m book that I really enjoyed was
Her Two Dads by Ariel Tachna. I really liked watching Sri and Jaime grow
and learn when baby Sophie burst into their lives. Sri was never expecting to be a father but
when his friend Jill died, leaving him as the only parent he tried to do what
was best for Sophie. Jaime is his
longtime roommate and close friend. The
relationship that develops between them is based on friendship and slow
discovery. It was such a sweet
read. And I admire Jaime for knowing his
limits too and Sri’s insistence on working through his issues to keep them as a
family. And his fears were grounded
too. The emotions that the book evoked
were very tangible. I felt the same
helpless fear that Sri did when Child Protective Services showed up to see if
Sophie was being abused. It was a good,
sweet story. It can also be found
through Dreamspinner Press: http://tinyurl.com/7hxlzfu.
More updates to come in a few days. I hope February is a much calmer month. I’m eyeballing it with a steely glare.
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