Some Annotated Reading December 5

 It looks as if I've read a lot since I last did this, doesn't it?

Books

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore got a lot of attention when published. This story of a woman who jumps to a different year of her life each New Year's Eve is very readable. But I couldn't wrap my head around what she knew and when. Sure, it wasn't necessary to know why it was happening. But there were other logistics I couldn't make out. The book reminded me of The Time Traveler's Wife. Also, I wrote a short story similar to this years ago. No idea where it is. Margarita Montimore has a new book coming out in February. I'm interested and just registered to win a copy at Goodreads.

I'm not at all sure why Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw ended up on my TBR list, since I'm not a major fan of fantasy. But if I am going to like fantasy, it's usually going to be in a contemporary, realistic setting, which is what we have here. This was a terrific story about Greta Helsing who is a twenty-first century human medical doctor treating London's supernatural beings, beings the other humans in the city don't know about. Good writing, terrific characters, and the fantasy elements made more sense to me than fantasy elements usually do. It is the beginning of a trilogy, and I am almost certainly going to read at least the next book.

Oh, look. I read some nonfiction. Happier Hour by Cassie Holmes, Ph.D. is about managing time, but not for the sake of getting more done. Holmes is interested in managing time for the sake of being happier. That is a very legitimate take on time, it's just not the one we dwell on here.  Though I'm splitting hairs a bit here, since any effective management of time ought to make us happier, don't you think? Holmes is knowledgeable about her subject. She isn't somebody who's read some articles on-line or a few self-help books. Meaning she's not me. She describes research she's done and how it supports her arguments. The main thing I took from this book is that if you have the means to be able to pay people to do things for you (and I assume a big chunk of the population does not), you're not really paying to have something done for you. You are paying for time, because you now have the time you would have spent doing some task available to you. I'm obsessed with that concept. In fact, I've been thinking about it all day, because this morning the service I'm paying to plow my driveway this winter was here. I'm very aware of what that meant for this day.

Short Form

 Help Wanted: Pre-Emptive Griever by Casey Mulligan Walsh in Hippocampus Magazine This is good, but also, wow.

A Small One Thrown Back to the Waters by Kate Horsley in Fictive Dream. I am not crazy about mermaid stories. You know, like fantasy. But is this a mermaid story? Hmm.

'We Are All At the Mercy of the Cowbell Sketch' by Devon Ivie in Vulture. I have no idea how I stumbled upon this thing. I don't even like the Cowbell Sketch. It's another thing I've been obsessed with recently. It was discussed at Thanksgiving.

Harper Collins AI Licensing Deal at Authors Guild. I'm sure you've all heard about what HarperCollins is doing regarding to AI, because it's a big deal in my world, so it must be a big deal in yours, too. When I first read about it, I wondered, What's in this for HarperCollins? Read this article, and you will know.

The Operator by Michael Specter in The New Yorker. An eleven-year-old article about Dr. Oz. No comment. I just read this stuff.

Food

Kelly Jaggers on cooking for one, etc. etc. by Michael LaCorte at Salon. I'm sorry. That was a long title. I was attracted to this, because I am very into small batch cooking. In fact, I just found an article I started to write on the subject and forgot about.

Why Immigration Was the Best Thing to Happen to Food by Charlie Brown in Rooted. Historically, immigration has had a big impact on a number of things. 

I've Been Intermittently Fasting for 10 Years: Here's What I Learned by Dim Nikov in Tastyble. Here's what I learned--the difference between cravings and hunger and how we came to fall into a three-meal-a-day eating schedule.

Humor

How Losing a Ton of Tennis Matches Helped 'Daily Show' Correspondent Michael Kosta Go Pro as a Comedian by Kevin Nguyen at GQ Sports. This isn't really humor. It's humor adjacent. I am a big fan of Michael Kosta's Daily Show work. It took a while to warm up to him, but I definitely have. I like the not-so-dumb jock persona.

It's Me, Your Friendly Mindfulness App Telling You It's Time to Meditate by Mary Heitcamp in Slackjaw. I'd been thinking about paying for a meditation app, but now I'm not.

This is Your Dentist Reminding Everyone that the Scraping You Hear is Totally Normal by Henry Loe in The Haven. I love going to the dentist.

13 World Famous Inventions Inspired by O. Henry's Christmas Story 'The Gift of the Magi' by Mayur Cahan in The Haven.  I've always had a soft spot for The Gift of the Magi. And Die Hard.

Anthony Bourdain Visits the American Girl Cafe by Heidi Lux in The Belladonna Comedy. I've never read anything by Anthony Bourdain, and I still thought this was terrific.

We Are The Nine Muses, And We're All Exactly Sixteen Years Old by Amanda Lehr in McSweeney's Internet Tendency. This addresses the Cormac McCarthy thing at Vanity Fair. Do you have to know about that to get it? I can't tell, because I do know about it.