#sandra weatherwax

[justafterjericho]

Here's my discworld folder for music sheets. À la - what I did during my summer singing camp at the and of August. But hey it did wake up my artistic soul, even though not the type it was arming at xD.

[ladyherenya]

Books read in March

If there was a theme this month, it was: retellings. This was something of an unintentional theme, since what I read next depends a lot on what’s available from the library, but certainly a theme which is indicative of my tastes.

Favourite cover: Sherwood.

Reread: Nothing, too many other things to read.

Still reading: Stand on the Sky by Erin Bow.

Next up: Pride by Ibi Zoboi, Song of the Current by Sarah Tolcser, A Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons and Undying by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. 

... and I just checked my library account and there are five more books waiting for me! FIVE. Why must you all be available at once?

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (translated by Rod Bradbury, narrated by Steven Crossley): On his birthday, Allan Karlsson escapes from his nursing home and gets on a bus, taking with him a suitcase that doesn’t belong to him. The story alternates between Allan’s adventures in the present day, and his bizarre exploits throughout the politics and conflicts of the 20th century, travelling through (or trying to escape from) different countries, meeting an unlikely number of important world leaders and blowing things up. I listened to the audiobook, a format that I find much more conducive to being amused by this sort of story.

Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White: Sequel to Heartstone, a fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice. Aliza has married Lord Alastair Daired. When Alastair and his dragon Akarra are offered a contract in the north, Aliza insists on coming too. Aliza is still processing the trauma of war, and adjusting to a new stage of life. It’s less common for fantasy to show the early days of a marriage (and of a pregnancy), which makes for some interesting territory to explore. As for worldbuilding, I needed a glossary or more in-text reminders. I enjoyed Heartstone more, but I want to see what’s next for Aliza.

A Sudden Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna: Esmae, the secret twin sister of an exiled prince, has a plan to see her brother regain his throne. It involves going against the advice of the war goddess Amba, winning a competition, revealing her identity and pretending to take her uncle’s side. This hooked me from the very beginning. I liked the worldbuilding, the complex family relationships, the sentient spaceship, the prose and how some of the twists took me by surprise. It would have made an even bigger impact if it’d made me more invested in all of Esmae’s relationships, but I have high hopes for the sequel.

Possession by A.S. Byatt: Two English scholars investigate a relationship between two Victorian poets. I read this with delight, then disappointment, then an urgency that surprised me and then, finally, with bittersweet pleasure. Possession is about things I feel strongly about: libraries, poetry, fairytales, academic interpretations of past women, the joys of language and of narratives. It’s about the possession of, and the desire to possess, knowledge, objects, relationships, the full story. I like the parallels -- themes and variations -- between the two sets of characters. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. I’ve bought my own copy and carefully bookmarked all the quotes.

Named of the Dragon by Susanna Kearsley: Lyn, a literary agent, is invited to spend Christmas with a couple of authors in Wales. The Overdrive description makes this sound sombre and creepy. But although Lyn’s backstory is sad, this story isn’t. It has warmth and a web of relationships like something from a comedy of manners. I liked the historical details about Tudor kings, the references to Arthurian legends, Lyn’s confidence in dealing with writers with strong personalities and the delight she finds in exploring coastal Wales. The mystery of her dreams and Elen’s fears was a good amount of suspense with a hopeful resolution.

The Tea Master and the Detective by Aliette de Bodard:  A novella about a mindship and a scholar investigating a death. I read this not because it is a Sherlock Holmes retelling but because it promised one of my favourite things: an AI with feelings! Also: tea! It’s set in an unfamiliar universe -- “a galactic empire inspired by Vietnamese culture” -- and involves mind-altering substances, something I’m irrationally squeamish about. But being a Holmes retelling gave this story a comforting sort of familiarity and predisposed me to liking the characters. (Although I would have instantly warmed to The Shadow’s Child anyway. I just want ships to be happy...)

Circe by Madeline Miller: I impulsively borrowed this, and then doubted whether I’d like it. Was this going to be an exercise in watching everything go wrong? I kept reading because I’d become invested in Circe, and because the prose is so compelling. This is sharply written and unflinching about gods and mortals, but it is not as bitter as I expected. It’s a lot more hopeful -- a story about freedom, transformation and life in a way I found surprising and deeply satisfying. It’s also a fascinating and complex portrayal of Odysseus that focuses on the impact this charismatic and deeply flawed man has on others.

Jane by Aline Brosh McKenna (illustrated by Ramâon Pâerez): Jane moves to New York to study art and gets a job as a nanny. This graphic novel follows Jane Eyre loosely, which allows for changes that suit the contemporary setting and the format, and introduces a greater level of surprise for someone familiar with Jane Eyre. It’s not as complex or as serious as Charlotte Brontë’s novel, but it isn’t trying to be. There were a lot of things I really liked about the illustrations, such as their use of light, colour and perspective. I wasn’t such a fan of the way faces were drawn. Not quite my style?

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas: Very satisfying as a story playing with the Holmes-and-Watson mythos in some unexpected ways, as a murder mystery and as a story about the constraints and opportunities women in Victorian society had. Disgraced Charlotte Holmes runs away from home and tries to find a job in London. When one of the gossips responsible for exposing Charlotte dies, suspicion falls on Charlotte’s sister and Charlotte uses the persona of “Sherlock” Holmes to direct a murder investigation. I’d have liked to have seen more of relationship between the Holmes sisters. Maybe there will be more of that in the sequels.

Maskerade by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Nigel Planer): Another story about telling stories. Agnes suspects that Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg have her in mind to become a witch, and she goes off to Ankh-Morpork to join the opera. After Lords and Ladies I wanted to read more about Agnes. I enjoyed the mystery, the play on The Phantom of the Opera, the further adventures of Granny and Nanny, and the appearance of some of the Watch. The conclusion to Agnes’ opera career was less satisfying.

Grumpy Fake Boyfriend by Jackie Lau:  An introverted SF author agrees to pretend to be a boyfriend for a weekend. I liked the set-up and the way the characters discover that they don’t have to agree or have the same tolerance for socialising -- they can be themselves with each other. But on the whole, the execution of this romance didn’t really appeal to me.

Forever in Your Service by Sandra Antonelli: I had a mixed reaction to At Your Service, but liked Mae and Kitt enough to read the sequel. Sometimes I wanted it to slow down and explain things -- like characters’ thoughts, theories and feelings -- a bit more. That said, the tendency for understating rather than overstating is one I appreciate. And I like that, as Mae and Kitt navigate the challenges of Kitt’s job, their relationship is believably complicated. While this spy story isn’t quite my genre (I’m more of a cosy mystery or romantic suspense person), it certainly wasn’t boring or predictable.

Sherwood by Meagan Spooner (narrated by Fiona Hardingham): I love the way this twists and reimagines the Robin Hood story, putting Marian at the centre. Her grief, her history with Robin and her ideas about what he would do, her skill as an archer, her passion to fight injustice, her frustrations and discomfort with being a noblewomen, her relationships, her mistakes, her discovery that she’s the only one who wants to change things. Sherwood surprised me, gave me lots of feelings and made me stay up until 2am. It successfully does something different while still including much that is familiar. A poignant, compelling retelling. I was completely hooked.

[cassandragoth26]

These are the voices that I imagine of Pamela, Roweena and Sandra, and the family spirit of Nora (I don't remember her last name qwq) and well I just want to say, yes, that is my voice (Well, I don't really speak like that, but Yes, I changed the tone more or less for each character qwq) and to add realism I added sound effects qwq gives me a bit of cringe, but I wanted to apply what I have learned in speech and neutral accent, ok now yes, the voices in English Spanish of these four characters... Ignore my English, I'm still practicing pronunciation :'v

[ladyherenya]

Books read in February

I don’t have a neat summing-up statement to make about what I read this month. But more than one of these stories set me wondering Does this qualify as a novella? and Does it matter whether or not it is?

My favourite cover is Thornbound.

Reread: Half of Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis.

Still reading: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and Dragonshadow by Elle Katharine White.

Next up: A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna.

(Longer reviews and ratings are on LibraryThing. And also Dreamwidth.)

Witches Aboard by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Nigel Planer): Although there were parts of Equal Rites and Wyrd Sisters that I really enjoyed, they are not my favourite Discworld of the novels and I was unenthusiastic about the witches travelling to foreign parts. Was that going to be funny or tedious? But this isn’t just about Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat going abroad, it’s about them taking on fairy-godmothering and it’s excellent. Exactly the sort of commentary on fairytales that I like.

Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett (narrated by Nigel Planer): “Lords and Ladies” is a euphemism for elves, for faerie-folk, who are threatening to cause problems in Lancre. I think there might be some A Midsummer Night's Dream references going on which I would have appreciated those more if I had more than vague idea about that particular play. But I was still entertained! The plot went in some unexpected directions, there are some young women who might become witches and Magrat versus the elves was a particular highlight.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: I love this book -- I’m getting emotional thinking about it! Because of Ada’s twisted foot, her mother doesn’t allow the ten year old to leave their one-room flat. But in 1939, Ada secretly teaches herself to walk and when her younger brother’s school is evacuated to the country, she leaves with him. Ada and Jamie are foisted upon a reluctant, grieving woman who owns a pony. Ada’s determined to teach herself to ride. The amount of things Ada doesn’t know, the extent of deprivation she’s experienced, is staggering, and recovery isn’t straightforward. But her journey is so heartwarming and hopeful.

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley: I loved the sequel too. The war continues. Ada, Jamie and Susan wind up living with Lady Thorton, the mother of Ada’s friend Maggie, and Ruth, a Jewish teenager being tutored by Susan, whose mother is in an internment camp. Ada is frustrated that Lady Thorton doesn’t understand what her friends need, and is resistant to anyone mistaking Susan for her own mother. I liked the way the pieces of this story fitted together thematically: found-family and mothers, healing, and the things people need, and Ada learning what she can do for the people she loves. Moving. Made me tear up.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson: A girl and her starship, on a planet where most people live safely underground and the stars are obscured by a layer of space junk. Not the first story I’ve encountered about a teenage underdog attending a special training school, overcoming obstacles and making friends, but it’s such a fun trope. This has lots of things I like: Teamwork! Flying! Mystery! An AI with personality! With satisfying twists and some oddly amusing characters.Some of training/fight sequences are too long and sometimes the narrative needed to show, rather than tell, Spensa’s emotions. But I still enjoyed it. 

Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis: Sequel to Snowspelled. While Cassandra Harwood’s magical career has ended disastrously, she’s determined to keep challenging the idea that magic is the domain of men. But not everyone wants her college for young women to succeed. As staff and students arrive, Cassandra has to deal with thorny nightmares, an unfairly-overworked husband. a government inspection and a malicious fey disturbance. This is a story about challenging the status quo, and about the importance of having others -- family and community -- who can support you. Cassandra still struggles with feeling that she has to fight her battles alone. A delightful sequel. I loved this.

The Chosen by L.J. Smith: Not quite what I was looking for, in terms of reluctant soulmates, but it was fast-paced and entertaining. And it's ages since I've read any YA with vampires, so this was good for a bit of variety. Girl on a revenge mission makes some new friends.

Beyond the Dreams We Know by Rachel Neumeier: I loved this collection! Neumeier’s stories are vivid and atmospheric and hopeful. If anything else ties them, it is the place grief and loss have in most of the characters’ pasts and how the stories are then about those characters discovering something positive and new. The four novellas are sequels or prequels to Neumeier’s novels. My favourite was “Fire and Earth”, a coda to the Griffin Mage trilogy. So very satisfying! Of the shorter, standalone stories, my favourite was “Lila”, an urban fantasy about unexpected dragon hatchings, an artist living in her late-mother’s house and a fluffy dog.

At Your Service by Sandra Antonelli: About secrets, spies, scrambled eggs and defending one’s self with cleaning supplies. Mae works as a butler for Major Kitt, a retired army officer. When Mae is attacked and her late-husband’s mysterious trust fund disappears, she heads to Sicily for answers. I liked the mystery, the danger and the ratio of romance to plot. I liked Mae and Kitt’s relationship and appreciated the realistic way Mae processes life-threatening situations -- but I was uncomfortable with the violence. Fictional Espionage = Not (Always) For Me. I don't know if I liked this, but I want to know what happens in the sequel.

The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley: Emily’s cousin, a history lecturer researching the Plantagenets, persuades her to join him for a holiday in France. I loved the atmosphere -- I loved the scenery and the tidbits of history and the growing sense of unease. There’s a medieval chateau, tunnels, a classical violinist, a tragic tale about lovers during WWII, the possibility of hidden treasure, a suspicious death, a stray cat, a child who likes to feed the ducks and quotations from Tennyson. This isn't a perfect book, but it was EXACTLY the sort of thing I wanted to read! (It’s even more Mary Stewart-ish than The Shadowy Horses.)

Legion: Skin Deep and Legion: Lies of the Beholder by Brandon Sanderson: Stephen Leeds lives with multiple hallucinations, stable personalities who only Stephen and his other hallucinations can see or hear. With Skin Deep I was more interested in the dynamic Stephen has with his so-called hallucinations than in the mystery they were trying to solve. They’re like imaginary friends -- except they’re more independent, not wholly imaginary. I found plot of Lies of the Beholder more engaging, but I’m undecided about whether the resolution was satisfying. It’s tidy in some ways and disappointing in others. 

From Clarkesworld Magazine, issue 73, October 2012:

“A Bead of Jasper, Four Small Stones” (from Clarkesworld Magazine) by Genevieve Valentine (narrated by Kate Baker): A story about colonising Europa, haunting in that way Valentine’s often are. (Her stories have a quality which remind me of Vienna Teng’s songs.) I found the audio version harder to follow than the other Valentine stories I’ve listened to, perhaps because this one is punctuated by brackets and breaks, and those are harder for a narrator to capture.

“England Under the White Witch” by Theodora Goss (narrated by Kate Baker): Ann tells of her childhood, when the Empress came out of the north, and of her subsequent years in service. This is bleak but not hopeless. You have heard that there were once green fields, and rivers that ran between their banks, and a warm sun overhead. You have never seen them, and you believe they are merely tales. I am here to tell you that they are true, that in my childhood these existed. And cups of tea that were truly hot, and Christmas trees with candles on their branches, and church bells. 

[cassandragoth26]

I haven't delved much into my storytelling (If I can call it that, it takes me about 5 years to update xdxd) because I want to start it again, but from much further back, only it will be like a spinoff series (Like " Class of…") Only I've been looking for things like that from the era, and I still don't know where it would originate, I feel like I'll use Henford on Bagley and Windenburg, the thing is that it will be called… Well I still don't know, but all the spinoffs (As well as "Hidden Origins" which I placed as Geoffrey Landgraab's past, and that xd) Anyway, I wanted to show the family photo of the Osteer Weatherwax (When Geoffrey was there and if you saw Hidden Origins you will already know what happened with Nora Osteer xd) and this is Otto's present, married to a woman (Who is an alien) with two young adult daughters (Roweena and Pamela) and a teenage son (Theodore).

Roweena had 3 children, one with Caleb Vatore, and twins with Morgyn Ember… I don't know how to explain that those 3 children were born at the same time (I just don't know how Roweena managed to get Morgyn pregnant and at the same time get pregnant with Caleb 💀)

Here I leave the Weatherwax family tree, starting from the sixth generation (Weatherwax Mae, Cornelius)

WHAT I FORGOT TO MENTION, The Weatherwax family was my first sims 3 occult legacy, but I don't have photos of that legacy because I had it on a PC in the living room, which didn't turn on again :'v

I know that it seems that Morgyn and Caleb are fighting over Roweena (I couldn't find another pose xd) But believe me, they get along terribly, and because Roweena is a bit… Well, she is not a good mother and the children live with their respective parents xd

As you can see, we start with Cornelius Weatherwax and Winona Vex (Sixth Generation, Weatherwax Mae), the seventh generation would be Otto Weatherwax and Charlotte Weatherwax, I do not continue with a legacy, only decency, the seventh generation (Weatherwax Vex), Otto would marry Nora, from that marriage (Osteer Weatherwax) Geoffrey would be born, events would happen where Otto would be widowed and some time later his son would disappear without a trace (To after a long time, marry Nancy Landgraab, take his wife's last name so as not to be traced, They had two children), Otto, after his son ran away from home, married Sandra Baker (The Alien), with whom he had 3 children, the twins are the oldest (Roweena and Pamela) and Theodore is the youngest ( Who are almost the same age as Malcolm and study together… Turby), on the other hand, Charlotte marries Alexander Ernest, they have a daughter named "Emilia", but unfortunately they die in a fire when Emilia was a teenager, Emilia Instead of wanting to stay with her uncle Otto, she prefers to stay with her mother's best friend, Minerva Charm, who is the mother of Darrel and Gemma Charm, so the eighth generation would be Geoffrey Landgraab, Emilia Ernest, Roweena, Pamela and Theodore Weatherwax (Emilia, the twins Weathewax and Johnny are contemporaries in age.)

From this eighth generation would come those who are Johnny Zest and Malcolm Landgraab (Children of Geoffrey)

Roweena's children, Alexis Vatore, Otto and Cornelius Ember (Yes, Roweena admires her grandfather… she was clearly going to do it, she has the Evil trait xd)

And finally Emilia's children, Hephaestus and Xena Charm

Well, Johnny got together with Holly Alto, and behold, currently this would be the tenth generation, which are Johnny's children with Holly, the twins Raymond and Edward, and little Emma (God, Emma looks a lot like Nancy Dx) And why do all 3 of them have the last name Landgraab? Well, when the twins were born, they came to me with the last name Landgraab, just like when Emma was born, I suppose someone wanted to give the last name to them… (The question is… Who?)

FUN FACT: Geoffrey, Malcolm, Johnny, Raymond, Edward and Emma were born as sorcerers with ancestral lineage xd

and as a Bonus I will leave the photos of Nora Osteer, Otto Weatherwax, Charlotte Weatherwax, Alexander Ernest, Sandra Baker, Nancy Landgraab, Darrel Charm, Holly Alto, Caleb Vatore and Morgyn Ember

[cassandragoth26]

Sandra Weatherwax (She wants to be part of the Paragons Club)

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