This morning I woke up to Minerva losing her f-ing mind. She barks a lot in the mornings anyway: we have deer regularly wandering through our yard and she is always on HIGH ALERT, certain the deer are plotting an invasion. But when her bark changed from "HEY! HEY! HEY! YOU THERE! HEY! THIS IS… Continue reading Minerva v Wobbly Teenage Bandits
Author: Jess
Amateur historian, mythology enthusiast, writer, reader, sarcastic weirdo, cancer survivor. Author of Defying Shadows: For Witches and Pagans Battling Cancer and Chronic Illness.
Review: Book of Queens by Pardis Mahdavi
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Did you see that movie about American Green Berets in Afghanistan in 2001 who had to ride horses to meet with a Northern warlord to fight the Taliban, 12 Strong (2018, starring Chris Hemsworth)? Me too. Did you know they… Continue reading Review: Book of Queens by Pardis Mahdavi
Wait, WHAT Day Is It?
It's June? HOW IS IT JUNE? Ok, progress update on the Banshee novel. I'm at about 50k words, but more importantly I have the remaining chapters plotted and synopsis-ized out. That sounds like I didn't do much, but it means I figured out exactly what happens for the rest of the story, how it ends,… Continue reading Wait, WHAT Day Is It?
Not a Real Post
Spring has finally sprung. All my herb pots are planted. Hummingbirds are back. And Minerva, who spent two days at daycare with Ragnar and 70 other dogs, smells like puppy shampoo and is ever so tired. I can’t move, mom. In 3 days they finished the feeder.
Review: Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix by Caleb Roehrig
I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Please note, I am one of those English majors who dispute that Romeo and Juliet was a tragic love story: it wasn't. Even as a teenager I knew their choices were horrendous and their parents were awful. Teach the Torches… Continue reading Review: Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo & Juliet Remix by Caleb Roehrig
Shhh…don’t say spring, you’ll scare it away.
I love winter. I do. I generally don’t fuss overmuch during the snowstorms we inevitably endure in March, or the below zero temps in February. Winter when you live next to a golf course is blessedly uneventful and almost silent, but for the owls hooting from the abandoned woods between tees. However, we’re a week… Continue reading Shhh…don’t say spring, you’ll scare it away.
I Shouldn’t Watch PBS When I’m Sick
I’m pathetically ill with a bad cold this week (currently my chest and belly muscles HURT from all the coughing). No it’s not covid. Just a cold, and I’m a giant sad sack of runny nose and cough. Idleness and TV and maybe cold meds have me going weird places with curiosity. I need some… Continue reading I Shouldn’t Watch PBS When I’m Sick
The Strangeness of Grief
A couple days ago SK and I attended the funeral of an acquaintance of mine. We were not close, but our paths crossed in more than one circle and many of my close friends are close to her husband, if not close to her. I've known her for...goodness, nearly 25 years now, and we only… Continue reading The Strangeness of Grief
Review: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Dr. Emily Wilde, PhD, is a dryadologist heading to a remote Nordic island to research the local faerie population for her master work with only her dog for company. She makes good progress in her first few days with the… Continue reading Review: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Review: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
I've been on a bit of a Medusa kick lately, and Stone Blind was Christmas present from my parents last year, and I was excited enough to move it up on my TBR pile. Worth it. Stone Blind isn't just the story of Medusa or Perseus or even Danae: it's a clever and fun wholistic… Continue reading Review: Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
No Pithy Phrase 