Memory for Me

ou know, talking to Kathleen at Goodreads today made me realise I might want to point out that if you do want to interact with me online these days, I whole-heartedly took to this reader community in 2010 (to try and document me getting my reading groove back - as to my eye situation: this year in March is the first year my eye hasn’t opened once since 2009). It’s a great mix of remembering why I liked a book, seeing what other people like and getting recommendations and discussing books.

You can handle it as open or as closed as you like in the options - so most of the grief connected with the site has passed me by because I don’t use it like facebook - and of course because I don’t have a huge blogger following.

I’ve gotten to know quite a few of my favourite authors online (although that already started on LJ, which I also still read daily) and have been able to help a few of them - to the extent that my name or alias is acknowledged in the books of three of my favourite authors . The internet CAN be so awesome, even with all the shit I also see happening.

ust in case you’re wondering why I’m not commenting on interesting stuff ^^ - I’ll visit my uncle for his birthday. He hasn’t got a PC, so I expect to be offline until I return. I should be back no later than next Thursday, so talk amongst yourself .

t’s July now and - because the nice but somewhat less than ideally organised student doctor at the university hospital in Erlangen managed to delay a letter to my health insurance company for a month - I’ve only gotten the go ahead for a necessary laser operation on my right eye in time to get it tomorrow.

No one promises that the eye will be closed longer after that, they do all agree that the scars on the surface of my cornea will be gone, because the laser can take the damaged part off with precision and no mechanical pressure (like those two abrasios I has in spring).

It should be healed within three days according to their website, I don’t have to stay in hospital for even a night (the same was true for the mechanical abrasios, however they quite hurt and were uncomfortable for around 5 days).

I’m half afraid because it’s gotten really hot and humid this week, which was a bad experience last year for my left eye, and half optimistic because the problem of my lack of saliva which I had all the winter through  - and which supposedly is also connected to my problems with the film of tears that ought to protect my eye - is much better since June.

Also, at least all the grading has been done and if I shouldn’t be able to go to school next week that’s annoying but nothing truly inconvenient for my fellow teachers (who would have to take care of my lessons for me).

Wish me luck or pray if you are so inclined, please.

n honour of Sharon Lee’s idea of making June 23rd Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer’s Day, I’d like to give tribute to the amazing female sf&f writers I have increasingly discovered since the 90s and especially the ones I’ve discovered and had contact with in the last two years (Aside: all hail the internet!).

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asically a day after I finished the first book, the second one arrived and I can see now why Sherwood wrote on her LJ that this was actually one big book. It starts right after the end of the first one (so no explanations for readers who come in later, which I actually prefer in my series books).

Sasha remains cautious and the hero keeps kicking himself (deservedly) for screwing up by keeping too many secrets when he met her. Not being a villain he lets her go (but sets one of his trusted friends to track and help her).

I love the fact that the friend/spy loses her soon after, due to weather and not any special skills by Sasha. I love it when she loses her way out of inexperience, is happy to be rescued from a storm at a military camp of the king and leaves in the morning without ever thinking about the consequences of a report about her showing up (she does use a false name, but her few treasures clearly show the connection to the old royal house). The villainous usurper also does not want to kill the heroine in this one (yay!), he wants her to marry his son and continues to want this (and to try to send his son to find her and woo her, as the prince’s supposedly a real ladies’ man).
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