December Reads and Adventures

December started off with me struggling to get a job and heal my knee. HURRY UP ALREADY AND GET BETTER! But, in better news, I got a job offer starting in January. I'm so ready for it!

I got a lot of my closet cleaned out. I haven't donated clothes since 2017, and I'm kind of ashamed of myself for that. Have you ever had a moment when you folded your laundry and there was no room in the dresser? Yeah, I was there. So far, I have seven trash sacks of clothes to go. Marie Kondo anyone?

I also went on a trip to see my sister for Christmas. She’s a member of the Foreign Service and works for the State Department, so she works overseas. She was assigned to Bogotà, Colombia, so I went to South America! Let me tell you the elevation was killer. It messed with me physically. Pictures forthcoming! I didn’t get a lot of reading done in Colombia, but that was for good reason. Time with my niece was more important, and i made choices. I want my niece to remember me paying attention to her and feeling special in my eyes. Zoning into a book and ignoring her would make her feel unloved and ignored, so I put the book down. Being present with family is more important sometimes. 

Books next... right? Ugh... right?

Books

 

I heard so much about this one, everyone said it was the best! I had a lot of reservations about Fourth Wing because I'm not big into fantasy, but I got it anyway. I made a TikTok about it, but I think I explained the setup too well. The main character, Violet, has been conscripted into the Basgiath War College to become a Dragon Rider. She's not an ideal candidate, she was supposed to be a Scribe, which was a safe office job behind a desk. She's got to figure out a way to learn to ride or... die. There's a high death rate for the dragon riders. But she's got to believe in herself, and avoid other recruits from killing her.

I loved Garden of the Cursed and it was my favorite so far in December. it's a low fantasy that reminded me of Venice, Italy. I was lucky enough to get to visit there in 2013, and I absolutely loved it. The Everglades are filled wih the nobless nouveau, the rich, wealthy kids that are the children of the Five Families, the ones that control the spell trade in Caraza City. Marlow Briggs was the daughter one of their Chevaliers, and she was raised and educated amongst them, but wasn't really a part of their world. Her mother disappeared a year ago when the book starts, and Marlow has left the Evergarden for the Marshes, where the poorest people live, where she can be a cursebreaker, and get away from the nobless nouveau. One day, one of her friends who ran hot and cold with her to the point she had to leave to get away from him, Arius Falcrest, comes for her help, and it's because he's been cursed with a Compulsion curse, to do what ever he's told, which can be quite dangerous, especially for the hier to the Falcrest Family.  

I enjoyed House of Marionne a lot, but there was a little difficulty for me in the chemistry between Jordan and Quell. The rest of it was really good, because an entire magic system was created by J Elle, and it was really well done. I enjoy secret, magical-world within the mundane world books. I love that they sneaked off the Chateau Soleil to the Tavern, but some of the twists at the end were really good, although the big one I saw coming having to do with the toushana being so common and the Grandmom knowing about it to use it against people. I never trusted the Grandmom, I called it in their first interaction. I wonder what's going on with the mother and what happened to her. I hope there's a big reunion between Quell and her mother in the sequel.

Trip pictures!

I didn’t get to leave Bogotà, but it was a great city to see. The best part was spending time with my niece. She’s getting so grown up, it’s sad for me because if she lived nearby I’d be that aunt that takes her for a weekend and we do cool stuff, like shopping, mani/pedis, coffee dates at Starbucks and slumber parties. I get to see her twice a year at best! I got a stomach flu on the day I was meant to return, which made me return later than I thought, but it’s okay, I start my new job January 8th, I had plenty of time off.

We went to the Museum of Gold in Bogotà, and I got to see the gold artifacts that are native to Colombia. It’s a country very rich in history and culture, unfortunately, the drug cartels are all Americans seem to know about it. It’s a sad stereotype, but I hope it changes soon.

We also went to the Botero Museum, the artist from Colombia that died pretty recently, but had a distinct style. I had seen his work before but didn’t know his context. 

And of course, a Salvador Dali sculpture:

My favorite was Monserrate. It was a church on a mountain top with a whole community and market.

I also got to play a game of Trejo, a game where you throw weights at a palette of mud and you’re aiming at darts that have gun powder in hopes they explode. You find this game at dive bars. I didn’t hit the darts, but I got close!