Offbeat Offline: February 2023

Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? A little back-and-forth for my husband's health, fresh medical drama for me and a scare about my dad's, and a couple of new ARC approvals. Also, two of my international friends offered to buy a copy of That Ain't Witchcraft for me (see my January recap), and it arrived three days ago...Thank you! 💚 (I only buy cash-on-delivery because I'm afraid to lose what little money I have on my debit card, and my usual sites didn't have the book - a while ago I was planning to get a second card and put a small amount of money on it for book purchases from sites like The Book Depository, but then I got laid off, so I suppose it's not a good idea to have to pay for two cards now...😭).

📚 A READING ROLLERCOASTER. I read 2 novellas and 1 novel in February, including an ARC from NG, and sadly I DNF a novel I got from the publisher (what's with all these DNFs lately?).

So: at the start of the month, I DNF an ARC of This Is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde (YA, thriller - novel). Very unsophisticated...Review to come closer to pub date.

I read an ARC of The Wonder State by Sara Flannery Murphy (adult with YA flashbacks, contemporary with a twist with a mystery core - novel) and I loved it! Review already scheduled, but to be posted closer to pub date (in July). BTW, this was my first full review in a few months, and goodness, was I rusty 😂 😭.

I read Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire (YA, portal fantasy - novella), Book 8 in the Wayward Children series. I was on the fence about rating it 3.5 stars or 4, and finally settled on 4 because I really liked the second half AND the message in the first one was important, but ummm...Mini review on Goodreads.

Lastly, I read Into the Windwracked Wilds by A. Deborah Baker (Seanan McGuire) (MG, portal fantasy - novella), and...see above - I very much enjoyed the second half, but the first one was a mess. I settled for 3.5 this time, because really, the first chapter was a chore 😖, and a good chunk of the book dragged a bit...

Also, I was approved for two novels this month, both via EW: The Museum of Human History by Rebekah Bergman (adult, sci-fi I guess? I haven't started it yet, and I'm not sure if magical realism is involved) and Myriad by Joshua David Bellin (adult, sci-fi...it's got time travel in it! I've just finished it, and it's a winner. I was STUNNED!).

Here is my review plan for the month:

• Nothing but the Rain by Naomi Salman, And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky and The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould (in a mini-review round on Thu. 9th);
• Tell Me What Really Happened by Chelsea Sedoti, We Don't Swim Here by Vincent Tirado and Infinity Gate by M.R. Carey (a.k.a. the DNF Bunch 🙁 - in a mini-review round on Thu. 23rd).

Reviews aside, I'll participate in Tell Me Something Tuesday on the 14th (question: How do you measure blogging success? Followers, page views, interactions, etc.) and on the 28th (What is your ideal book/audiobook length?).

👁️ TOTAL EYESORE. Remember how my left eye had been acting funky since the end of December? Well, during the night of February 2nd I started to see white flashes, and you all know what it means. So the next morning I went to the E.R., and from there to the ophthalmologist's office, where the doctor ended up performing laser surgery on my retina to treat a small hole caused by vitreous detachment. Like, am I allowed to breathe a little in this godforsaken life? 😭 Since then I've been having weekly check-ups, and it will take a long time for my vision to go back to normal (I still see floaters and everything looks blurred on that side). Unless I have to undergo a vitrectomy later...which, with my luck, it's just what I may expect 😢.

🩹 THE SWING OF THINGS. In the meantime, my husband's recovery suffered another setback...it looks like the special medications are having some difficulties in making progress lately...which only shows how the difficult wounds office should perform a laser cleansing of his ulcer EVERY TIME he goes there, while the last time they didn't. He has an appointment booked in 10 days, and they better do something about it. It might seem heartless to make this about me, but it's been SIX DARNED MONTHS, and I'm tired...

😱 MIND GAMES. This is the latest development in my hellish life...The other day my dad accompanied me to the oftalmologist's, then went to take care of some personal matters in the same building. A few minutes after, he called my mom asking "Were I supposed to pick up the kid?" and confessing that he didn't remember where he had parked the car. My mom pretty much freaked out - she was in hysterics when she called me and I confirmed that yeah, he had in fact taken me to the hospital, and I was just waiting for my visit. He had totally forgotten the latest 15 minutes or so...including his picking me up. I told my mom where the car was, and then my dad called me a few minutes later, saying that he just panicked when he saw his latest PT results and lost track for a while, but now he was fine and would take me home after my visit. So...that was scary. Panicking isn't a valid reason for what happened, of course. He's 83, and he's had a couple of T.I.A. (transient ischemic attacks) in the latest months, but he recovered in a few minutes - anyhow, this was memory loss pure and simple, without any of the T.I.A. symptoms. I pray he isn't going down the Alzheimer route...I mean, he's always been forgetful, but this is next level.

PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

• Tor.com reveals the cover for Beholder by Ryan La Sala, and shares an insightful interview with him, mostly revolving around queer (YA) horror. La Sala's interviews are always a treat, as are his books, so I thought I'd share...Don't click on the link if you're arachnophobic though!

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

• Cee Arr ponders about the best and worst of humanity (and offers some tips on how to deal with trolls).
• Sophia opens up about her blogging stats (and gives some personal insight about them).
• Kit explains why she likes redemption arcs (and gives out recommendations).
• Emily discusses performative reading.
• Lissa shares a fun story of hers called The Blizzard in Aisle Thirteen.

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

• Emily reviews Dancing with the Octopus by Deborah Harding.
• Tammy recommends What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall.

OTHER

• Karen shares some vintage cookbooks she found.
• Kit reviews a creative visual novel/RPG called I Was a Teenage Exocolonist.

That's it for now. My next post will be up on March 9th, and it will be the Review Morsels installment featuring Naomi Salman, Adrian Tchaikovsky and Courtney Gould I mentioned above.

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?