Life can get so busy at times. The election results were encouraging. Hopefully it’s a sign of how the midterms next year will go. Please plan on voting whenever you have the opportunity. Elections are an important part of living in a democracy. When people don’t vote, freedoms erode. People sometimes tell me that they aren’t political and they don’t bother with voting or keeping track of what’s going on in government. Other people can do that. I believe it’s important to stay aware because I like living in a country where I can make a difference.

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I finished the mask making workshop in October. It took place over four Wednesday evenings. (Plus a lot of spare time at home during the week). I’ve not done paper mache in years, so it was a great shake up of my normal creative outlets. It’s good to try something new every so often. My friend Dante wants to give it a go. So he’s coming by on Tuesday evening. I’ll make a second mask (or something) and he’ll create something as well over a series of evenings. It should be fun. He is crazy talented and I look forward to seeing what he’ll do.

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I’m presently reading Katabasis: A Fantastical Descent into Hell, Rivalry, and Redemption in the Pursuit of Academic Glory by R. F. Kuang. I started it in September, but then took a trip to Europe for a puppetry festival and the book was too large to pack, so I decided to finish it on my return. I’m finally getting back to it. It’s not an LGBTQ read as far as I’ve experienced so far. Jury is still out as to whether I’m enjoying it. The leading character gets a bit annoying… she’s so incredibly self-involved that I find it challenging to care. But I understand that she redeems herself .. so I’m hoping for the best. It’s a fun concept… sort of Dante’s Inferno crossed with Harry Potter.  I prefer characters with qualities I like. If I’m going to spend ten hours (or however long) with a book’s characters, I need to want to spend time with them. If they are people I’d actively avoid in real life, I don’t want to read about them either. Life is too short to spend time with jerks, even if they’re fictitious.

I’m also reading This Fatal Kiss by Alicia Jasinska. So far I’m finding it to be a fun fantasy. The world in its pages seems to be much more pansexual than our own, which puts a unique spin on the Ondine premise. I love the cover art. I’m perhaps 40% in. I think I can see where the story might be going, but considering the number of pages, it might expand to something more epic. Will see. I’ll post it here if I like it.

Spirit away with a whimsical fantasy filled with dark magic and flirty, polyamorous romance.

Cursed to haunt the river running through the magical spa town where she drowned, Gisela is a water nymph who dreams of returning to the living world and the family she left behind. All it takes to regain her humanity is a kiss from a mortal…but everyone sees her as a monster.

And then there’s Kazik, the brooding, interfering, spirit-hunting grandson of a local witch. He’s determined to rid the world of unholy creatures like Gisela. After Kazik botches Gisela’s exorcism, she strikes up a deal. She won’t tell the other spirits that he’s losing his magic, if he agrees to play matchmaker and helps her get a kiss. But Gisela’s plan goes awry when Kazik also falls for the devilishly handsome young man that she sets her heart on—someone who could be linked to Gisela’s troubled past.

This delectable quest through the spirit world is cozily crafted with a hauntingly opulent atmosphere and a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers story told in multiple perspectives. Young adult readers are sure to kick their feet and squeal with glee at hilarious banter, scrumptious culinary delights, and endearing sisterhood and found family. An enchanting read for fairy tale enthusiasts and fans of queer romance!