Looking back at 2022

As it's the end of the year, it's time for me to look back at the goals I set for myself back in January to see if I actually managed to meet any of them.  The original letter to myself is in black; end of year commentary in purple. 

Dear Me,

As usual, I’m late with this.  Each year I plan to do it before I go away on holiday, before the end of the previous year even.  Yet each year, it seems to get later and later before I start outlining my goals for the new year.  But I’m here now, so let’s think about what I might want to achieve in 2022.

2021 ended up being a weird year.  I wrote an entire novel in about six weeks toward the end of 2020, then spent all of 2021 procrastinating about editing it.  So here we are, in 2022, and it still needs to be edited.  I have taken a few looks at it, and there is a lot about the book I really like.  The last third is pretty darn good, in my opinion.  The beginning…. Less so.

So even if I don’t write a new book in 2022, I want to edit this one.  I feel like the best thing to do is to start from scratch with the beginning, maybe.  I think the first chapter is good, but I changed my mind early on about a key event I’d initially planned to have in there and the first few chapters referenced this.  And cutting that event out means the rest of the book doesn’t develop quite as organically as it should.  I’m hoping I still remember how to write a book since it’s been so long.

Well, I have done some of this.  I haven't finished yet because I sent it to readers for feedback and now need to address their notes.  I planned to do that while I was on holiday this week, but the weather was too nice and I ended up doing stuff in the garden and around the house instead...  So something to work on in the New Year.

Remember when I was a pretty reliable two-book-a-year writer?

No.  Me neither.

Which leads me to my other goal – to not be down on myself for not writing.  I’ve spent much of the last year feeling guilty about not writing even though I didn’t feel like I had the energy, the capacity or even the desire to write.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I have wanted to write; I just haven’t had anything I wanted to write.  Maybe I’m just burned out. 

 I have written a lot over the last 12 or so years and the publishing industry is not easy.  I have four completed novels sitting in my hard drive that I don’t know what to do with.  And that’s not including the one I still need to edit.  I think I worked out that I’ve written 14 or 15 novels all up.  I have published four.  Write off the four or five really dreadful ones I wrote early on, and there’s a lot of material there I should do something with.  

I’m planning to do some work on Standing Too Close so I can enter it into a contest.  I haven’t managed to get any agents interested in it, so I feel like this might be the last shot for this book I believe is the best I’ve ever written.

I did enter the contest.  Didn't win.  Still trying to find a home for this one. 

But you never know.  Maybe it isn’t the best thing I’ve written.  Maybe I’m deluding myself.  Maybe I need to just write something else to see if I can write something better.

Or maybe I should just keep on painting instead.  I can see how I’m getting better at that.  There’s still a lot of room for improvement, but I enjoy it and I like seeing how many different things I can do.  I have several techniques I’d like to try and master, so I will continue working on it.  I may even start trying to sell some in the future.  Painting is something I can only do in the summer because I have to do it outdoors, so there is a limit to how much I can do.

I've done a bit, but I'm running out of space for paintings and no one really wants them.  So I'm experimenting with making things using the painting techniques, like coasters and vases and trays etc.

Other than those creative pursuits, as always, I will try to keep up with my exercising and maybe even try to lose some weight.  It seems to get harder and harder, the older I get.  I remember when I couldn’t put enough weight on!  I was always turned away from giving blood because I was too thin.  Not a problem anymore, I tell you!

Still doing this.  Not sure if I'm losing any weight, but at least I'm not putting it on, I don't think.

I also want to keep going to the movies as often as I can.  Once a week, if I can.

Done this.  Not every week, but pretty close to it.  I even went yesterday and saw what is definitely my #1 film of 2022, The Banshees of Inisherin.

And that’s really it for goals.  I feel like this missive is a little depressing this year, but I think that may be a sign of the times.  There is so much uncertainty about everything at the moment and so little to look forward to.  No overseas travel.  No certainty around events.  I have tickets for a whole lot of shows in the next few months and the first has already been postponed (for the third time).  I think perhaps it was optimistic to give and receive tickets to stuff for Christmas this year…

It was, yet we did it again this year...  Maybe this time the shows will actually go ahead.

Maybe trying to do a whole year at once is ambitious in these crazy times.  Maybe I should just look at six months.  Or even just 3?

And that was 2022.  I'll have to think a bit about my 2023 goals, so my 2023 "Dear Me" post will have to come after I get back from the beach in mid-Jan.

Happy New Year!

Books I've Read: An Arrow to the Moon

 

This was a fascinating book, part Romeo and Juliet, part Chinese mythology and part magic realism.

Luna and Hunter are both part of the small Chinese community in their town, yet have never really met before a New Year's party where all the older kids sneak out to attend a different party next door.  They have an almost supernatural connection to one another, but realize it's probably not going to go anywhere once they discover their parents are arch-rivals who have spent most of their time in this city trying to avoid one another.

Yet having met, these two suddenly find themselves constantly running into one another and things between them continue to simmer and draw them together.

Both have some slightly supernatural gifts - Hunter has perfect aim and a magical wind follows him around and throws money at him when he needs it.  Luna sees fireflies even in the dead of winter and appears to summon them whenever things become too difficult for her or when she is in danger.  

And things are constantly becoming too much for her this year.  She and her parents have always been close, but suddenly their high expectations and the way they want to plan her life for her is becoming stifling.  Hunter's home-life isn't much better and if it weren't for the younger brother he adores, he'd probably leave.  He's sick of hiding in the shadows because of something his parents did years ago.

When a giant crack appears in the land and begins spreading through the town, Hunter and Luna begin to realize it has something to do with them, and if they can't figure out how to pull themselves together, the entire town might fracture or sink into the abyss.

There were so many layers to this story that I can't help thinking a second reading might not be a bad idea.  There was so much going on between the family feuds, the mysterious ancient artifacts, the parallels between Luna and Hunter's lives, the mercenary collector chasing Hunter's family and the various stories from Chinese mythology that appear like magic in a notebook only Hunter's brother sees.  Yet all the threads wove together in a satisfying way.

If you like magic realism mixed in with your contemporary stories, you'll probably love this.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

Hunter Yee has perfect aim with a bow and arrow, but all else in his life veers wrong. He’s sick of being haunted by his family’s past mistakes. The only things keeping him from running away are his little brother, a supernatural wind, and the bewitching girl at his new high school.

Luna Chang dreads the future. Graduation looms ahead, and her parents’ expectations are stifling. When she begins to break the rules, she finds her life upended by the strange new boy in her class, the arrival of unearthly fireflies, and an ominous crack spreading across the town of Fairbridge.

As Hunter and Luna navigate their families’ enmity and secrets, everything around them begins to fall apart. All they can depend on is their love… but time is running out, and fate will have its way.

Celebrate the Small Things 23-12-22

  

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

Holidays!

I finished work on Wednesday and am not going back until January 12 - three whole weeks of vacation!  Yes, I have to get through Christmas, but that's one day, two if I add Boxing Day which will be another family-filled one, but after that, freedom!  And the beach house for a week.

My sister is here with her family and it's nice to see them for the first time since 2018/19.  My niece is so grown up now!  And looks so much like my sister.

I hope you all have a lovely Christmas (if you celebrate it) and I'll catch you again after the jolly fat man's visit.

 

I'm not a huge romance reader, but sometimes, when I'm super exhausted, there's something very relaxing about vegging out with a simple, predictable, formulaic romance novel.  And this last weekend, this was just what I needed.

Lucy is a widow - something that is mentioned over and over and over in this book.  Her husband, who she adored, died in a car wreck a scant eight months after their wedding.  Five years on, she's still mourning, but is starting to feel like she might be ready to jump back into the dating game.

She's not looking for love, mind you.  She's looking for companionship and sex and stability, but so afraid of having her heart shattered again, she's not looking for anyone who makes her feel something too strong.  Which means Ethan,  her current best-friend-with-benefits - her husband's younger brother - is off limits.

But staying away from Ethan isn't as easy as she thinks it might be and she finds she misses his company more than she thought she would.  And Ethan isn't giving up on her either.  He's determined to make Lucy see that he's not just Jimmy's goofy younger brother, that he's worth looking at in his own right.

As the pair dance with the idea of a forever together, can Lucy take a risk on happiness?

I found this a quick, easy read, which frustrated me in places.  The constant repetition of Lucy's widowhood, her hang ups, her fear of the graveyard near the family bakery.  Author, we get it!  We don't need constant reminders that this is how she thinks and feels.  Maybe just a few dropped in here and there in case the reader has set the book aside for a few days...

I liked the small town Lucy and Ethan live in with the cast of eccentric characters, none more so than Lucy's family of "black widows", women  who have remained single after the premature deaths of their husbands.  They were hilarious, but the effect their sanctimonious mourning has had on Lucy and her sister is terrifying to see.  When Lucy's sister's husband walks out on her, I wanted to cheer.  No man wants his wife hovering over him, checking in that he hasn't died, done anything dangerous - like eat bacon - or failed to floss every five minutes.  Probably not the reaction the author was going for, but...

Anyway.  If you're looking for a simple, comforting romance, you could do worse than this one.  It's predictable and follows all the traditional romance novel tropes, but sometimes that's just what you want out of a book.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

Lucy Lang isn't looking for fireworks...

She's looking for a nice, decent man. Someone who'll mow the lawn, flip chicken on the barbeque, teach their future children to play soccer. But most important... someone who won't inspire the slightest stirring in her heart...or anywhere else. A young widow, Lucy can't risk that kind of loss again. But sharing her life with a cat named Fat Mikey and the Black Widows at the family bakery isn't enough either. So it's goodbye to Ethan, her hot but entirely inappropriate "friend with privileges" and hello to a man she can marry.

Too bad Ethan Mirabelli isn't going anywhere. As far as he's concerned, what she needs might be right under her nose. But can he convince her that the next best thing can really be forever?

Weekly Goals 19-12-22

 It's done to the wire now...  Three more days at work and then HOLIDAYS!  I am very much looking forward to it.

My sister has arrived in the country with her family, but I won't see them until Thursday because they have gone to Stewart Island with my folks for a few days before coming to Wellington.  Am looking forward to catching up with my niece for the first time since 2019.  She was a little kid then, and now she's in junior high!

My goals this week are really just to get through Christmas and all the family stuff that goes along with it.  Then my real holiday can start.  I am going to go to the library on Thursday and take out a pile of books so I can spend at least three or four hours a day reading.  What luxury!

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 16-12-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend, and after the weekend there's only three more days of work before holidays!

Do I seem excited about that?  Well, I am.  It's been a LOOOOONG year and I'm very much looking forward to having a break.  I don't think I've had more than a couple of days off since last year's summer holidays.  And they finished in January!

I tweaked my back the other day when I was riding home from work so have been in a bit of pain the last couple of days, but miraculously it seems to have put itself right today.  It feels like some kind of a magic, but I haven't taken any painkillers for over 13 hours, and my back feels fine.  I can't help thinking I got away lightly with this one.

Unfortunately I'm still dealing with the after-effects of the flu I had a couple of weeks back and my tonsils keep infecting each other.  Last week it was the left one that was sore; this week it's the right.  Hopefully a restful weekend and some salt water gargling will clear that one up.  I'm so totally over not feeling 100%.

I made my Xmas presents last weekend and need to finish them off this week.  it will be my first time working with resin, so wish me luck!  I hope it works the way I want it to because the resin was expensive to buy.

What are you celebrating this week?

Books I've Read: Beating Heart Baby

 

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't do it for me.  Maybe I've just read too many books about internet friendships crossing over into real life or something.  I don't know... I just found it really predictable and nothing really surprised me about it in any way.

I liked the characters and the fact they were all part of a high school marching band and I liked the way the band had become kind of a family for many of the members who didn't fit in elsewhere.  I liked how Santi was quickly absorbed into this family.  I even liked the stop-start nature of Suwa and Santi's friendship, but it was really clear to me right from the start that these two were the same people who had been communicating online and bonding over their queerness and anime.

So all the rest of the book, as the two of them made this discovery themselves, didn't really work for me.  And let's not even go into how unlikely it would be that these two internet friends would be at the same school in a city the size of LA... 

The musical backdrop of this book was great and I liked that Suwa spent time in Tokyo and we got to see some of that, even if it wasn't a lot.  So I didn't hate it.  I just didn't like it all that much and felt like I'd seen and heard most of this before.

But if you haven't read a lot of books like this, you might find it fresher and more engaging than I did.  And if you're looking for a cast of characters that are both culturally and sexually diverse, this book represents across the spectrum.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb: 

Lio Min’s Beating Heart Baby is a love letter to internet friendships, anime, and indie rock

When artistic and sensitive Santi arrives at his new high school, everyone in the wildly talented marching band welcomes him with open arms. Everyone except for the prickly, proud musical prodigy Suwa, who doesn’t think Santi has what it takes to be in the band.

But Santi and Suwa share painful pasts, and when they open up to each other, a tentative friendship begins. And soon, that friendship turns into something more. . . .

Will their fresh start rip at the seams as Suwa seeks out a solo spotlight, and both boys come to terms with what it'll take, and what they'll have to let go, to realize their dreams?

Weekly Goals 12-12-22

 Somehow I managed to miss writing this post yesterday morning...  I was submitting some short stories, and for some reason it must have slipped my mind!  But better late than never!

Not that I actually have much in the way of goals for this week.  It's my last full week at work, so I'm trying to get everything wrapped up so I can go on holiday without a whole lot of stuff hanging over me.  My main goal for this week is to finish off my Christmas presents so they have enough time to dry before the big day.  I managed to get the painting done this last weekend, but still need to do a layer of epoxy resin on top and that needs about a week to cure.

I'm finally feeling better after my flu and I road my bike to work yesterday.  Hopefully the beautiful weather we're having will stick and I can do it again tomorrow and Friday.

And that's about it for goals right now.  What are you trying to get done this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 9-12-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

We had our staff holiday party which meant not going into the office for the day, so it's almost like a long weekend.  Which is nice because I'm still trying to get over this cold/flu thing I've had.  I'm feeling much better, but there's still a lingering cough and all the coughing has given me a whole new sore throat.  I'm going to try to have a quiet weekend to get rid of these last symptoms.

It's only a couple of weeks until Christmas, so I need to get things organized in terms of gifts.  I've done most of my shopping, but I need to make the handmade gifts I give every year and the weather has not been very helpful in terms of being able to get outside to do that work.  Fingers crossed tomorrow will be fine.

What are you celebrating this week?

Insecure Writers Support Group - December 2022

 It's the first Wednesday in December so it's time for the Insecure Writers' Support Group.

The awesome co-hosts for the December 7 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Chemist Ken, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

This month's question is an interesting one:

It's holiday time! Are the holidays a time to catch up or fall behind on writer goals?

I think this one is different for me than it is for most people in this group because I live in New Zealand and the holiday season coincides with our summer break. So while I always have great intentions of using the time I have off work to write, I very seldom actually do much writing because I want to be outdoors and relaxing with friends and family in the sun.

It’s also the only time in the year when I get a decent break from working, so there are always chores that need to be done around the house. During the year I’m so busy I tend to do a fairly cursory weekly clean, so the holidays end up being the time I defrost the fridge, clean out the pantry and cabinets and maybe even give the windows a wash.

Plus I spend a week or so away from home, at the beach house, which should be a great refuge for writing because internet is limited and won’t be a distraction. But somehow, even if I bring my laptop to the beach, it’s rarely touched because there are so many wonderful outdoor activities to fill my days with. Not to mention a very nice deck to sit and read on…

So, I guess my answer to this is that the holidays really aren’t a time to catch up on any of my writing goals. Although I do need to whip through another round of revisions on my new book over the holidays so I can get it out to a new group of readers in the New Year. And I’m putting that out there now so you can all hold me accountable for actually doing it.

What are your holidays like? Do you manage to write at all, or just take a break until the New Year? I’ve always found it useful in the years I’ve done NaNo because the holidays give you around the perfect length of time to leave a book to rest so you come back to it with fresh eyes.

Weekly Goals 5-12-22

 Can you believe it's December already?  Where has the year gone?  But thank goodness it's almost the summer holidays.  I am so looking forward to my time off this year.  I know I probably say that every year, but this year feels even more like I need a break.

I'm still not 100% over my flu/cold I had last week, but I really can't take any more time off work, so I'm going back in today.  Depending on how it goes, I may even try the gym tomorrow morning.  Really need to get back into exercising before I turn into a blob.

I seriously need to start getting organized for Christmas too.  I haven't even started making my gifts, so fingers crossed for nice weather next weekend so I can get outside and make those gifts.

And that's about it for my goals. What are your goals for this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 22-12-22

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!  And I'm beginning to feel better.

I've been really sick this week.  Not COVID - I tested negative several times - but frankly, worse than when I did get COVID earlier in the year.  I've never been so sick I needed to take more than a day or two off work, but I haven't been into the office all week.  I did do some work from home on Thursday and Friday, but I'm not 100% sure any of it was much good.

I'm going to try and take it very easy this weekend even though I do have several things I need to go to.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed I'll feel well enough by tomorrow afternoon to go to the first one.  Feeling pretty positive that I will.  I don't actually feel too bad today except for the coughing which is driving me mad and waking me up at night.

So I'm celebrating being on the mend.  I have a ton of work to get through before we close down for the summer, so I really need to get back to work!  Not to mention I feel like I'm turning into a blob of blubber with not exercising all week.  I have to get back to the gym and on my bike.

What are you celebrating this week?

Weekly Goals 28-11-22

 Well, I appear to have failed in my mission not to get sick and have a full on streaming cold complete with conjunctivitis.  So I won't be going to work today and if this lasts as long for me as it did for my partner, possibly not until the end of the week.

So my goal is to get better.  I have a lot I need to get done before Christmas, both at work and on a personal level.  I want to be better before the weekend because I have a lot of social engagements this coming weekend that I don't want to miss.  With that in mind, I will take it very easy over the next day or so.  Lots of lying in bed and reading and drinking tea for me.

If I start feeling better I might try to work from home a couple of days, but certainly not today or tomorrow.

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 25-11-22

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!

I've been fighting off some sort of bug all week (it's not COVID - I've been testing every couple of days) and am quite exhausted.  Luckily this weekend I have nothing much on (unlike next week when I appear to have committed to 5 things, which is not even remotely do-able) so I can try to get some rest.

I bought a new oven a couple of weeks ago and the gas fitter managed to get it fitted for me this morning, so I'm very much looking forward to trying it out.  I suspect cakes or cookies or cinnamon buns might make an appearance this weekend as I test it out.

I hope to make it to the movies on Sunday, but that very much depends on the weather.  If it's fine, I feel like I really have to make a start on making my Xmas presents or I'll run out of time.  I suspect it's going to rain though, so I can justify spending a couple of hours sitting in the dark.

What are you celebrating this week?

Books I've Read: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

 

I mean, how can you pass up a book with a title like that?  Well, I certainly couldn't!  And what a delightfully fun ride this one was.

Set in the '90s, the book centers on Patricia Campbell, an average housewife with a husband, two kids who are growing up too fast and a dependent mother-in-law.  After attempting a book group reading great literature and other worthy books, Patricia creates a splinter-cell that focuses on reading true-crime stories, the more lurid the better.

When a stranger turns up in town, the book group's conversation turns to speculation about what he might be up to.  Patricia is strangely attracted to him and is flattered by his interest in her and her family.  She doesn't even mind when he starts dropping in randomly at dinner time.

When local children start going missing shortly after his arrival, and other strange events begin creeping into her usually peaceful life, she begins to suspect everything is not as it seems.  She begins her own covert investigation, drawing on her book group for support when needed.  As things become increasingly sinister, it becomes very obvious that there is a monster in their midst and as they are the ones who invited him in, they will have to get rid of him too.

I found this book quite delightful.  Yes, there were moments of gross-out horror (trigger warning: large numbers of rats), but the book group women are so Southern and so genteel that even in the face of unspeakable horrors they have impeccable manners.  It's not a serious horror, so if you're not really into horror, this might be one for you.  It's like black comedy in many ways, and I appreciated that the often-overlooked strength and resilience of the ordinary housewife was celebrated here.

So, I'd recommend this one.  It's a fun, quick read and if you don't like the gory stuff, there really isn't that much to contend with.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.

Weekly Goals 21-11-22

 The weekend went too fast and was too busy for me to get half the things I wanted to do, done.  But I did figure out what I'm going to do for Christmas presents this year, so that's a bonus!  I just need to find the time to actually make them.  Maybe next weekend, if the weather is good.

I have a lot of work to do this week, so won't have a lot of time or energy for much else.  I'm going to the ballet on Thursday, which I'm looking forward to.  I think I got the tickets for Christmas almost two years ago, and it's finally happening!

I'm hoping the weather will allow me to ride my bike to work at least a couple of times this week, but it's not looking promising...

What are your goals for the week?

Celebrate the Small Things 18-11-22

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!  And boy do I feel like I need one!

Unfortunately I also have a ton of stuff I need to do this weekend, and I'm not sure I can actually fit everything in.  I'll give it a shot though!

Last night I went to the orchestra and heard them playing Mozart's Requiem.  It was stunning, with a full 60-person choir.  I spent most of the concert watching the conductor who was just fabulous.  She was so in control yet looked like she was having the time of her life.  

I want to find the time to do some writing so I can do these revisions and get the book off for a final round of reading, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.  I think I may need to wait until the holidays when I have three weeks off work.

What are you celebrating this week?

Books I've Read: This is Why They Hate Us.

 

This was a book that had a lot to admire about it, but was also somewhat frustrating.

It's about a bisexual boy trying to overcome the crush he's been harbouring on his best friend by experimenting with other guys.  Things don't necessarily work out the way he thinks they might and it impacts his already fragile mental health.

The main character, Enrique or Quique to his friends, is one of the most genuine teen characters I've read in a long time.  He's scattered and messy and completely driven by his hormones.  His moods are all over the place and his thoughts and narration often border on chaotic.  He doesn't seem to know exactly what he wants or needs or to understand the effect he might be having on the people around him.  I loved this aspect of the story because Quique feels like a real teenage boy  - like the two I have living in my house.

I also really liked that the author didn't shy away from showing Quique's sexual experimentation.  It's not super graphic or anything, but it's on the page and the author doesn't close the door on those scenes even when it comes to something like swallowing after a BJ.  So few books truly capture the messiness and awkwardness of sex and this one really managed to nail that to the page.

Another really great part of the story is Quique's relationship with his bestie, Fabiola.  Fabiola is one of those women who might hold secrets, but when she's around people she'd comfortable with, she says whatever comes into her head, however crude.  I just wish we'd had a chance to see more of her, especially with her girlfriend, Molly who was little more than a name on the page.

The things I liked less about the book were things like Quique's insistence that he's bi, yet his entire romantic focus is on boys.  He says something at one point about maybe wanting to get married and have kids later, so he might as well have his fun with guys now.  Ummm....  I really don't think that's how bi-sexuality works.  It also struck me as weird that there didn't seem to be any straight people around.  No one really blew Quique off when he made his advances which didn't feel very realistic to me.

One of the other things that made me feel a little squicky was a scene in which Quique gets on a dating app by lying about his age and ends up going to have a booty call with a strange man.  The strange man turns out to be his English teacher which has to have been embarrassing for both of them, yet the teacher still lets him in and even invites him back to the house on other occasions even though they don't actually go through with the date.  There was something a little off about that whole relationship and it made me a little uncomfortable.

So, while I didn't love this book, there is certainly a lot to admire about it.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

Enrique “Quique” Luna has one goal this summer—get over his crush on Saleem Kanazi by pursuing his other romantic prospects. Never mind that he’s only out to his best friend, Fabiola. Never mind that he has absolutely zero game. And definitely forget the fact that good and kind and, not to mention, beautiful Saleem is leaving L.A. for the summer to meet a girl his parents are trying to set him up with.

Luckily, Quique’s prospects are each intriguing in their own ways. There’s stoner-jock Tyler Montana, who might be just as interested in Fabiola as he is in Quique; straight-laced senior class president, Ziggy Jackson; and Manny Zuniga, who keeps looking at Quique like he’s carne asada fresh off the grill. With all these choices, Quique is sure to forget about Saleem in no time.

But as the summer heats up and his deep-seated fears and anxieties boil over, Quique soon realizes that getting over one guy by getting under a bunch of others may not have been the best laid plan and living his truth can come at a high cost.

Weekly Goals 14-11-22

 It's that time of year when I feel like everyone is just holding on for the holidays.  There's still a lot of work to do, but everyone is kind of burned out from the year and everything just feels like it's hard and kind of a slog.  I know I'm really feeling the need for a break.  Having changed jobs in the middle of the year, I haven't really had a holiday since January and I think I'm overdue.

My goal this week I to wrap up a bunch of stuff I've started, but haven't quite finished yet.  The floor in the bathroom is my first priority.  It needs one more coat of varnish, so I'll do that when I get home from work tonight.  Then I can move on to the other things I need to finish.

I managed to ride my bike to work two days last week.  I'm aiming for three this week, if the weather cooperates.

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 11-11-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

I got some really helpful feedback from one of my readers and now feel like I have some really good ideas how to fix Guide Us (FKA Juliet & Juliet).  Now I just need to find the time to actually do the work...  I think I might try and take a day off work toward the end of the month and just blitz the whole revision in a single day.  Given I wrote the whole first draft in about 8 days, I think it's do-able.  There aren't any really big changes I need to make, just tweaks here and there and maybe two or three new scenes.

I don't have anything planned for the weekend, which is nice.  I want to get some new plants for my outdoor tubs and plant them and I need to sand and varnish some small pieces of the bathroom floor where the old vanity used to be now we've re-done that bathroom.  Oh, and I need to go and look at ovens since my one still doesn't work properly, even after two sets of repairs.  I think it's time to bite the bullet and just buy a new one.  It's quite exciting!  I've never bought an oven before!

And that's it for celebrations from me.  What are you celebrating this weekend?

Books I've Read: Boy 21

 

This was one of those frustrating books that had a fantastic premise and great characters, yet somehow managed to be a bit meh.  I think it could have been longer and that might have made a bit of a difference, but the main issue I had with it was the way Finley's past was kept obscured for so long when it really didn't need to be.  In fact, I think leaving his trauma a mystery until the very end actually weakened the story.

Finley is the only white kid on his school's basketball team, and gets called "white rabbit".  He's not the best player, but he practices hard and loses himself in the game.  And with his life, he needs to lose himself.  

His mother is dead and his father has never quite got over it.  Finley has to look after his disabled grandfather while his father works long hours to keep the roof over their heads.  The town is run by a shady Irish mob and both father and grandfather warn Finley constantly not to draw attention to himself, not to engage with anyone associated with that mob.

Which is kind of hard since his girlfriend's brother has worked his way up to being a key heavy for the mob - one of those guys everyone fears because he talks the talk and walks the walk and what he says becomes law.

When Russ moves to town, Finley's basketball coach asks him to look after the new kid and hold tight to his secrets.  Russ is a star player with scouts from all over after him, but after losing his parents and bouncing around the foster system for a while, Russ isn't into playing basketball right now.  Her prefers talking about and studying outer space, seemingly convinced he's from a distant planet and going by the name Boy 21.

As the two navigate the ups and downs of their final year of high school, they discover they may have more in common than they may once have thought, and each just might be exactly what the other needs.

There was a lot to like about this book, but it just didn't quite work for me.  I wanted to see more of the town through Finley's eyes.  It was always described as gray and broken, but never in any detail.  The mob was mentioned by multiple characters, yet they were seldom seen and it was unclear exactly how much influence they really had on the town outside of Finely and his family's imaginations.

And as I previously mentioned, I don't think obscuring Finley's past for much of the book added anything other than a layer of annoyance for me.  Oh, and I don't believe the ending was very plausible either. In fact, the last third or so of the book just didn't work for me.  Which is a shame because up until that point, I'd been enjoying it.

So while I don't strongly recommend this one, I wouldn't warn you off it.  It just isn't as good as I wanted it to be...

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in gray, broken Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish Mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, he takes care of his disabled grandfather, and at school he’s called “White Rabbit”, the only white kid on the varsity basketball team. He’s always dreamed of getting out somehow with his girlfriend, Erin. But until then, when he puts on his number 21, everything seems to make sense.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. A former teen basketball phenom from a privileged home, his life has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he now answers only to the name Boy21—his former jersey number—and has an unusual obsession with outer space.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, “Boy21” may turn out to be the answer they both need

Weekly Goals 7-11-22

 I don't feel like I have any real goals this week, which is weird for me.  I had a super-relaxing weekend which was exactly what I needed.

I guess one goal is to actually ride my bike to work at least once this week.  I tried last week, but the weather was not cooperative.  Fingers crossed it will be more pleasant this week.

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 4-11-22

  

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!  And the sun is shining.  Okay, so there's also practically gale-force winds, but if you're indoors the sunshine is still lovely.  Outside, not so much...

It has been a busy week so I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  My partner is away, so I'll have the house mostly to myself since both the boys will be working at least some of the weekend.  There is a lot of garden work that needs doing, and one of my larger indoor plants looks like it needs some TLC, so it might be a gardening weekend.  

I also have a ticket to see Gilda at the classic movie session on Sunday which I'm looking forward to since I've never actually seen Gilda before.  I think it's probably the first of these classics I haven't ever seen, at least on TV.

And that's about it for this weekend. What are you celebrating this week?

ISWG - November

 It's the beginning of November so it's time for the Insecure Writer's Support Group!

The awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight, Douglas Thomas Greening, Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!

This month's question is a timely one:

November is National Novel Writing Month. Have you ever participated? If not, why not?

The answer to this is yes. I have done NaNo several times, both the traditional November one and the June summer camps. I'm not doing it this year, but only because the book I wrote during NaNo in 2020 is just in its final stages of revising and editing and beta reading and I'd like to finish that before diving into something new.

Plus, I generally try to take a day or two a week off work to write during NaNo and with having started a new job recently, I don't have a lot of leave up my sleeve to do this.

But I love NaNo and find it very helpful in getting words on the page. I'm a naturally competitive person and I don't like to fail at things I start, so setting a goal and working toward reaching it works well for me. I know it doesn't for others, but we all have our own way of working. I'm very happy to write through without going back to read what I've written before, but I know other writers really struggle to move on if what's already written isn't polished and perfect.

I'm also happy to skip bits if they're too hard to write right now or I'm not sure how the story is going to get from scene A to scene C. I just leave myself a note in the text and move on to the next point where I do know what happens. That scene B can be written later, once I've figured it out.

I think the downside of NaNo is that because they're written so fast and furiously, they tend to need more revision than books that might be written at a more measured pace. But my books always tend to need a lot of revision because I don't outline and I don't write in order and there are always messy bits that don't fit together properly or don't jibe with things that happened earlier. At least you have the words to revise after NaNo, even if it does take two years or more to wrangle them into some kind of shape.

Are you a NaNo person? What works for you?

Weekly Goals 31-10-22

 Summer feels like it might finally be on its way so this week my goal is to start biking to work again.  Ideally I can do this Monday, Wednesday and Friday which are the days I don't go to the gym in the mornings, but that's obviously weather dependent.  I'm going to ride today anyway.

I'm hoping things will quiet down a little at work from this week and I can start focusing on some of the reports I'm supposed to be writing.  It's really not that long before the end of the year!

Had a lovely weekend away and the weather didn't stop us from doing anything we wanted to do, even if it wasn't perfect.  Had some fantastic food and wine and enjoyed some sleeping in for once!

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 28-10-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

My partner and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary this weekend by going away for a couple of nights.  I booked a pretty little tiny house in a gorgeous little town a couple of hours away, but stupidly, I only booked for one night, not two by accident.  And I only realized this when the final receipt came through.  Which lead to some scrambling as I tried to find somewhere for us to stay for the second night where I have a dinner booked at a very nice restaurant over there.

Luckily I managed to find a motel that had a room free.  You can call me an idiot now....

Unfortunately the weather isn't looking so hot for the weekend, so I'm not sure what we're going to do.  We had planned to go bike riding and hiking and other outdoors stuff, but that may not be on the cards.  I guess we'll find out when we get there.

What are you celebrating this week?

Books I've Read: The Feeling of Falling in Love

 

I read Mason Deaver's first book and quite enjoyed it, so when I saw this at the library (and the cover attracted my attention before anything else - kind of love the image of the dumpster fire) I grabbed it.

The book follows trans-kid Neil as he sets up an elaborate fake-dating scheme after his best friend and fuck-buddy freaks him out by declaring he's in love with him.  As you will probably guess, the fake-dating turns into real feelings and the path of true romance does not run smoothly.

Neil is the wealthy son of a hotelier in Los Angeles and has never had to worry about money.  Wyatt, his boarding school roommate and fake-date for his brother's wedding, comes from a less privileged background and is somewhat uncomfortable with the ostentatious display of wealth he sees when dealing with Neil's family.

I don't know if it's just me, but once again, I found the main character in this book really annoying and did not like him at all.  He takes his privilege so much for granted and treats his family with such disrespect and disdain, I found him very difficult to relate to.  His family are not the greatest, but they aren't the worst either.  His grandparents are still struggling to understand and accept his transition which must be hard for him, but the way he speaks about and to them shows that he's not at all willing to be flexible or understanding about their struggle.  Which he probably shouldn't have to, but we're all human and make mistakes.

He also treats both Josh - the boy who professes to love him at the beginning of the book - and Wyatt really badly.  He's incredibly self-centered and doesn't take responsibility or even acknowledge that his actions might hurt people around him.  Ostensibly he does this to keep himself from getting hurt, but I don't believe that someone who has been wounded as badly as he seems to think he has been would treat others so callously.  But maybe that's just me...

Overall, this wasn't a terrible book, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

From the bestselling author of I Wish You All the Best, comes a new kind of love story, about the bad decisions we sometimes make... and the people who help get us back on the right path.

Perfect for fans of Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston and What If It's Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.

Just days before spring break, Neil Kearney is set to fly across the country with his childhood friend (and current friend-with-benefits) Josh, to attend his brother's wedding—until Josh tells Neil that he's in love with him and Neil doesn't return the sentiment.

With Josh still attending the wedding, Neil needs to find a new date to bring along. And, almost against his will, roommate Wyatt is drafted.

At first, Wyatt (correctly) thinks Neil is acting like a jerk. But when they get to LA, Wyatt sees a little more of where it's coming from. Slowly, Neil and Wyatt begin to understand one another… and maybe, just maybe, fall in love for the first time

Weekly Goals 24-10-22

 The Jazz Festival finished last night, so this week will be all about doing the wrap up and trying to get all the information together to start writing reports on the Festival for all the different organizations that helped to fund it.  

It was a good festival, I think, with some really good crowds and the entire city seemed to be buzzing.  I was too busy working at the venue for the main headliner acts to get to many of the smaller shows, but I did get out on Saturday night, and everywhere I went seemed to be humming and there were musicians with instruments everywhere, looking for a jam.

It's a short week this week, with today being Labour Day and I'm taking Thursday off to make up for working all those nights and weekend hours.  I'm hoping to do some writing work on Thursday, but I'm not sure how much time I'll have because I'm also doing some hair modeling for a hairdresser training for a competition.  She needs a short hair model, so I volunteered.  

And then this weekend my partner and I are going away for a couple of nights to celebrate our 25th anniversary.  I can't quite believe that it's been so long, but apparently it has.  So we're off to the Wairarapa to eat great food, visit vineyards and hopefully enjoy some good weather outdoors.

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 21-10-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

I think I mentioned a few weeks back that I had a story accepted into an anthology?  Well, the agreement has now been signed and it seems to be really happening.  Book will be coming out sometime in early 2023.  I will keep you posted as I learn more.  It's kind of exciting!  I've had stories in multiple anthologies before, but this is the first one that feels like it might actually have some real impact on my writing career.  And not just because I'm getting paid for the story for a change.

Jazz Festival started on Wednesday, so I'm working all weekend.  Luckily it's a holiday on Monday so I have a day off to recover once it's over.  And the weather is supposed to be nice on Monday too.

And that's about it from me.  What are you celebrating this week?

Books I've Read: I Kissed Alice

 

I picked this one up at the library because it sounded like it might be a fun read and I needed something light this weekend.  It was light, but not that much fun, I'm afraid.

Set in a special arts school, the book deals with friendship, fandom and the razor-thin line between love and hate.

Iliana and Sarah have been best friends since childhood, but since Sarah moved into the dorms on campus at the arts school where she won a scholarship, she's become besties with her roommate, Rhodes.  Iliana can't stand Rhodes and the feeling is mutual.

The hatred between these two grows more intense when the two girls find themselves competing against each other for the coveted Capstone prize.  Rhodes is struggling to create anything n the face of intense pressure from her overbearing mother and living up to her family's expectations of her.

Iliana has no problem with creating and is determined to work her ass off to win the prize after losing a much-needed college scholarship as a result of a disciplinary matter partially the fault of Rhodes.

To escape the growing pressures facing them at school, both Rhodes and Iliana turn to an online fan site where they unknowingly pair up to create an Alice in Wonderland comic set in space.  While Rhodes and Iliana hate each other in real life, their online alter-egos, I-Kissed-Alice and Curious-in-Cheshire grow closer and closer.

With the competition date rapidly closing in, and the truth about their secret identities uncovered,  it's only a matter of time before these two enemies destroy each others' futures.

The main problem I had with this book was how unlikable all the characters were.  The only person I felt even a small amount of sympathy for was Rhodes' brother, Griffin.  And he didn't play a huge role int he story.  All the main characters were awful.  Sarah, the friend Rhodes and Iliana fought over, was the worst kind of passive yet manipulative character and allowed herself to be railroaded by both the other girls over and over.  I almost cheered for her when she finally got some backbone and dumped both of them.

Rhode is a spoiled princess, so used to getting everything she wants without working for it she crumbles at the first sign of pressure.  But what do you expect from someone brought up by a mother whose solution to any problem is to throw money at it?

And Iliana is so self-centered she doesn't even notice that she's walking all over the people who supposedly care about her.  She's so ambitious she doesn't care who she hurts on the way to getting to her goal.

So I didn't enjoy this one as much as I'd hoped I would.  But if you like reading about bitchy girls treating each other badly, this might be for you.

But don't just listen to me.  Her's the blurb:

For fans of Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and Fangirl, I Kissed Alice is a romantic comedy about enemies, lovers, and everything in between.

Rhodes and Iliana couldn't be more different, but that's not why they hate each other.

Hyper-gifted artist Rhodes has always excelled at Alabama’s Conservatory of the Arts despite a secret bout of creator's block, while transfer student Iliana tries to outshine everyone with her intense, competitive work ethic. Since only one of them can get the coveted Capstone scholarship, the competition between them is fierce.

They both escape the pressure on a fanfic site where they are unknowingly collaborating on a graphic novel. And despite being worst enemies in real life, their anonymous online identities I-Kissed-Alice and Curious-in-Cheshire are starting to like each other...a lot. When the truth comes out, will they destroy each other's future?

Weekly Goals 17-10-22

 It's a festival week so work is going to be crazy busy with shows every night from Wednesday and two a day over the weekend.  So I am not expecting to get a lot done outside of work.  Which is a shame because I got my first notes back from one of my readers and now want to dig back into my book and stand revisions.

But I'll wait until I get the notes back from the other two readers and I have some clear time to devote to the book before I do that.  November will be the time to do it.  Instead of writing something new during NaNo, I'll revise this, my 2020 NaNo book.

But my main goal for this week is to get through the Jazz Festival without getting sick.

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 14-10-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!

It's been a long and busy week at work and I've been fighting off some kind of bug which hasn't made me sick enough to take a day off, but has certainly sapped my energy.  So this weekend is going to be about resting a lot because next week is going to be super busy with the Jazz Festival starting on Wednesday.

So I've stocked up on books to read and plan to do a lot of reading this weekend and not much else.

What are you celebrating this week?

Books I've Read: The Whistleblower

 

NetGalley was kind enough to let me read this one, so thanks!

New Adult never really became the thing it as supposed to be which is kind of a shame because there is definitely space for books that go beyond YA, but aren't quite adult yet.  This is one of those books and feels especially relevant in the current climate of #metoo and the war on women's rights.

Laurel is a college student studying journalism and working on her school paper.  When she stumbles across a shocking and juicy story about the college's revered football coach, she knows she has to tell the story.

But as she digs deeper into what becomes an increasingly complex and terrifying pattern of fraud and sexual abuse going back years, the repercussions of exposing such an heroic public figure become clear.  Not just in her professional life, but in her personal life too.

Especially since one of her primary sources is the team's star quarterback, Bodie, and she just can't seem to stop running into him.  During the course of the investigation, Laurel realises that it's not just her career on the line, but Bodie's too.

And with her feelings for Bodie changing and growing, Laurel needs to decide how far she's willing to go to uncover the truth.

I enjoyed this one.  There was romance, but not as much as there tends to be in books professing to be New Adult.  For a while there I decided NA was basically YA with more graphic sex.  While Lauren's relationship with Bodie was important to the story, it wasn't the main focus of the book which was firmly centered on the investigation and the repercussions facing both Lauren and her editor if the story was made public.

I imagine there are stories like this everywhere, and the bravery it takes to expose someone as powerful and influential as a successful coach is immense.  I liked that Laurel was a fairly chaotic person in most of her life, and that she had doubts and fears about what she was doing.  Her relationship with Bodie grew naturally, and he genuinely seemed like a good guy, unlike so many sportsmen who get treated like gods because they have the ability to throw a ball or run fast or both.

So I'd recommend this one.  It does deal with sexual abuse and harassment, so if you find these things triggering, maybe give it a miss...

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

When Laurel Cates uncovers a shocking story about Garland’s football coach, it takes all of her courage to publish the story in the school’s paper. And when it reverberates around the country, the ramifications are both personal and professional. But nowhere are the repercussions stronger than in Laurel’s everyday life as she can’t seem to avoid Bodie St. James, the star quarterback, whose own career now hangs on the brink as a result of her article…

Weekly Goals 11-10-22

 I know.  I'm a day late with this post.  Somehow yesterday got away from me!

Not much in the way of goals this week.  We're a week out from the Jazz Festival, so work is pretty crazy.  And because I'll be working nights and the weekend next week, I want to relax as much as possible this week.  I'm fighting off some kind of bug, and I want to get 100% better before I head into the full on week of the festival.

Of course this is always the time I get inspired to write something and a new book idea has crawled into my brain.  I'm not 100% sure if this is a book I'll write just for myself, or if it might end up being something more, but it's something I would like to experiment with - it's a re-telling of a book I really loved as a kid from the POV of one of the other characters.  So we'll see if that idea still appeals to me in a couple of weeks when I have time to think more about it.

And that's me this week.  What are your goals?

Celebrate the Small Things 7-10-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!  And I don't have a whole lot to do!

The weather has been dreadful all week so I'm hoping the sun might make an appearance this weekend.  I've been fighting off a cold (successfully, I might add), but feel like some sun and warmth would do me the world of good.  Do you ever feel that way after a long, dreary winter?

Been super busy at work with the Jazz Festival only 2 weeks away, so nothing much else has had a chance to get brainspace - learning new systems and a new world at the same time is more challenging than I thought it would be - so I haven't had a chance to even look at my writing.  Good thing my book is out with readers at the moment and I don't need to!

Looking forward to doing some resting over the weekend.  I'm looking forward to doing some reading, if nothing else.

What are you celebrating this week?

IWSG - October

 It's the first Wednesday in October so it's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group!

The awesome co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox!


This month's question:

What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

My genre of choice is YA contemporary and the best thing about it is how diverse it is as a genre.  There are no limits to the stories that can be told in this space, from sweet, fluffy romance to dark and dirty stories about abuse and addiction.  The characters can come from any culture, and sexual orientation and their problems can be as small or as large as a writer is willing to imagine.

And the books can be written in any style the writer wishes to write - first person present tense, third person past tense or even second person!  They can be books in verse or told through letters or even text messages!  

I like the way characters in this age group are doing things for the first time and that they are still trying to figure out who they are and what they want in life.  Often this changes through the course the book as the character learns things about the world and themselves.  I don't often see such big character arcs in adult novels I read because adults tend to be more settled into their beliefs about themselves and their world.

What is the best thing about your favorite genre?

Weekly Goals 3-10-22

 I can't quite believe it's already the first week of October.  This year seems to have flown by!  

With only a couple of weeks before the Jazz Festival, I'm going to be super busy at work until the end of the month, so I don't think I'll have much time or energy to write, unfortunately.  

I had a novel entered into a contest that was supposed to be informing the winner in September, and since I was not informed, I'm assuming I didn't win.  So over the next few weeks I'm going to start submitting it to other publishers.  Which means doing a bit of research into which publishers might be a good fit.

What are your goals this week?

Celebrate the Small Things 30-9-22

 

It's the end of the week, so it's time to Celebrate the Small things...

What am I celebrating this week?

It's the weekend!  I thought it was going to be a quiet one, but somehow it has filled up and now it's looking like it's going to be quite busy.  My son and I are going to the orchestra tonight which is always a treat.  Even if the pieces they're playing tonight aren't ones that really excite me.

I've been crazy busy at work all week which is not too surprising since the jazz festival starts in 3 weeks.  It's going to be nuts until that's over, I think, so I'm not planning on getting anything much else done.

My computer's operating system has been updated and all the programmes that have slowly been disappearing because they're no longer supported are back!  Hopefully, anyway.  I haven't tried everything yet, so wish me luck...

What are you celebrating this week?

 

I somehow seem to keep picking up historical fiction at the library, which is weird because it's not really my go-to genre.  

This one is set against the backdrop of the fire that destroyed a large part of Chicago in 1871 and revolves around a messy love triangle (or love square, really since there are four central characters involved).

Emmeline is about to be married to a wealthy and eligible bachelor and is quickly becoming the talk of the town.  Not an old money family, Emmeline is new on the social scene thanks to her father's sudden rise in fortune and is therefore something of a curiosity around town.

Emmeline's best friend from the old neighborhood has come with Emmeline and her father to the other side of town and is now employed as Emmeline's maid.  Emmeline keeps forgetting that Fiona is now a servant and keeps slipping into treating her as the bosom buddy she's been most of their lives.

Back in the old neighborhood, the pair's other friend, Anders, has been left behind.  He's been in love with Emmeline as long as he can remember and had always assumed that they would marry when they were old enough.  So the discovery that she is betrothed to another is a shock to him, one that wounds him deeply.  Especially since he had to read the news in the paper.

Emmeline realizes she's treated Anders poorly and is determined to speak to him herself.  On the eve of her wedding she and Fiona sneak out to see him fight in a boxing match at the local tavern.  Unable to let his best friends see him lose, Anders wins the fight, invoking the fury of the gambling community which expected him to lose.

As Fiona and Emmeline struggle to hide him from these bad men, Emmeline realizes she still loves Anders and hatches an elaborate plan to escape her upcoming wedding and run away with Anders.  Fiona, who also harbours feelings for Anders is supposed to help the pair flee to New York, but everything changes as the summer nights heat up and buildings across the city start to burn.

I found Emmeline to be an incredibly selfish character, one of those people so used to being adored and getting her own way that she doesn't even recognize her privilege and takes it entirely for granted.  I felt for Fiona who had lived her whole life in Emmeline's shadow, and for Anders who is perhaps a little simple and quite willing to follow the lead of both his strong-willed female friends. 

The fire in Chicago is an event I knew about, but only in the vaguest of ways, so this book vividly brought the events leading to the fires and its devastating effect on the city to life.  I just wish the characters we followed through the fire were people I cared more about because other than poor, simple Andres, I really didn't like any of the main protagonists enough to care much if they survived or not.

But if you like historical fiction and enjoy reading about lives lived in another century, this one offers a perspective on the class system and its inequities even before the fire rips through the city.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb:

It’s 1871 and Emmeline Carter is poised to take Chicago’s high society by storm. Between her father’s sudden rise to wealth, and her recent engagement to Chicago’s most eligible bachelor, Emmeline has it all. But she can’t stop thinking about the life she left behind, including her childhood sweetheart, Anders Magnuson. Fiona Byrne, Emmeline’s childhood best friend, is delighted by her friend’s sudden rise to prominence, especially since it means Fiona is free to pursue Anders herself. But when Emmeline risks everything for one final fling with Anders, Fiona feels completely betrayed.

As the summer turns to fall, the city is at a tipping point: friendships are tested, hearts are broken, and the tiniest spark might set everything ablaze. Sweeping, soapy, and romantic, this is a story about an epic love triangle—one that will literally set the city ablaze, and change the lives of three childhood friends forever.