For the past couple of years, I've kept track of what I've read on Goodreads.com through their Reading Challenge.  Last year, I challenged myself to read 150 books throughout the year, and managed around 120 or so.  So this year, I lowered my expectation to 100 books for the year.  That number, of course, I decided upon at the beginning of January, before COVID19 came to prominence, and we all found ourselves with potentially more time on our hands than usual with stay-at-home suggestions and quarantines.  I didn't change the estimated total of books I intend to read though, so I'll likely feel ahead of the game around October or November when I reach my goal.  Right now, I'm at 55 books read in my personal challenge, so I'm well on my way.

One series I read throughout April and May (or rather, I re-read, as I really enjoy them when I first read them a few years ago) has 16 titles at the moment, with more on the way when the author overcomes some personal challenges.  If you're looking for a light, amusing, and easy-read Sci-Fi series that takes you away from the horrors of the world, I highly recommend Gini Koch's Katherine "Kitty" Katt series (skipping over the sex scenes if that's not your thing does not detract from the stories).

I want to especially point out book 12 (Alien in Chief), which I finished at the beginning of May.  In the past, reading about a deadly global virus (in this case, a manufactured, air-borne pathogen released by a megalomaniac intending to wipe out all opposition) provides a bit of fun that you can sit back and enjoy.  However, reading this during the height of the COVID19 crisis, when you don't know who's infected, if anyone made it to quarantine without already having it, how long it might last, whether we'll find a vaccine or cure, and watching as governments and businesses struggle to cope with such wide-spread mayhem, gives the book a whole different feel.  I kept finding myself reading something, then sitting back and saying "huh, yup, that's what would happen."  Strange, to have a true concept of a situation as you live through something similar when, a year ago (six months ago even), you just didn't have a clue.  It changes your perspective.

And now, as we're dealing with protests and race-riots and police resorting to inhumane measures to subjugate POC and minorities (which, in 2020, seems like we're going backwards--THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, NOR CONTINUE TO HAPPEN, AND HAVING TO DEFEND YOURSELF OR OTHERS BASED SOLELY ON THE COLOUR OF YOUR/THEIR SKIN IS UNACCEPTABLE), I found myself yet again reading a series very much on point.  James S.A. Corey (who is actually a collaboration of two fantastic writers) wrote a Sci-Fi series called The Expanse which, while futuristic, very much deals with racism, prejudice, oppression, and the differences that humanity has falsely placed upon each other.  And what happens when one group stands up and says enough.

Book 5 (Nemesis Games) and book 6 (Babylon's Ashes) have really hit home for me.  I'm currently in the middle of Babylon's Ashes, and the parallels to today (mostly notably the aftermath of the George Floyd murder) are frankly terrifying.  In The Expanse universe, we have the oppression of Earth and Mars (mostly the corporations and governments) against the people of the Belt (called Belters), but we could very easily substitute White people for Earth and Mars, and POC for Belters.  We see the effects of generations of unconscious/ingrained ignorance (derogatory names/terms given without thought, false assumptions, stereotyping), and the smoldering resentments as Belters especially accept the unintended (and intended) abuse and slights of those in power or in the majority because it's expected that they don't rock the boat.  We also see some Earthers and Martians trying to understand and rectify the deep-seated animosity between groups, hoping to put a human face on all involved, so that others see real people and not just an abstract based on birth.  We see hatred escalating every situation, and people trying to find peaceful solutions to deep-seated and long running problems.  It's frightening, and poignant, to read such extremes still occurring hundreds of years from now, while seeing the reality play out in the streets today.  I think, if I had read this series at any other time, I would still very much enjoy the writing and the message, but I wouldn't feel it so deeply; and find it so terrifying.  The extremes no longer seem so extreme, and the reasoning (much based on false assumptions and intentional misinformation) for fanaticism on both sides doesn't seem so far-fetched.  I see the horrors that the radical Belters have unleashed, and I cannot sit back and say unequivocally, "they had no cause."  I don't know how much sympathy would have surfaced prior to the actual unrest I see today, and that changes how I perceive this series.

I really appreciate how the author(s) explore the situation from every perspective--Earth, Mars, Belter, male, female--most notably so far in Book 6 where we see so many points of view.  If you want a great read that also challenges you to review your place in a world of privilege (whether you're part of the privileged white caste or the oppressed POC or other minority in the Western world [this also includes the role of women]--most especially, but sadly not exclusively, in the US), I definitely recommend The Expanse series.

So, a few things have happened over the last several months, many of which we can look back on and think: "Well, that was good timing." 

Having the house all nicely renovated (the last touches finally completed near the end of January when Mike resized the pantry so that it actually made sense to us) definitely fits in that category, as our space now has a wonderful open feel very much appreciated in the recent months where we don't get out much.  It's nice to not have to navigate a maze to find somewhere with natural light, and having lots of space to spread out (and eat in) just adds to the happy.
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Mike travelled to Ecuador for 10 days in the beginning of February with a friend he's known since kindergarten, and then he and I, along with another couple, took a trip to Costa Rica in mid-February for 15 days, returning home around the 26th.  You know, when we could still travel without worries that the airports might shut down and strand us somewhere.  Although, if you have to find yourself stranded somewhere, you could do worse than Costa Rica.  So we definitely lucked out in our February travels, because anything later ... well, we'd have missed it.

So how have we managed to keep sane amid all the noise and dust?  Partly, it's just fun to see this all take place.  And partly, we've gone away.

We spent a week up at Mike's parents' place, now aka The Family Cottage.  And most recently, we spent a week in PEI on a bike trip with our friends Tracy and Kevin.  When we left, the workers had just started to prime the walls (literally, just started.  When asked what time we'd be up on Wednesday morning, we informed the painter we had an early flight and had the alarm set for around 4 in the morning.  To which he replied: "Is it OK if I show up around 4:30 to get started then?"  He likes to finish his work early so as to give the other workers time to get stuff done too without everyone tripping on each other.  The drywaller had taken more time than anticipated, and I guess the painter wanted to hurry things along.  Seeing as we'd be up anyway, and then gone, we had no objections to this early start and left the painter with roller in hand as we headed to the airport).  When we returned, we had a new floor (except for the tiles), paint on the walls, kitchen cupboards, and open access to the whole joint!  As well as a sneaky cat who kept finding his way through the rafters so that he could 'visit' all the people and their work (we've since found his escape route and now he's back in the sequestered basement with his brother).

While work continued here, the four of us had a wonderful time in PEI.  Mike and I flew out while Tracy and Kevin drove with our bicycles, and then we reversed the procedure on the way home, giving each of us a little road trip.  We spent two nights in Summerside and four in Charlottetown.  The first day, we road part of the Confederation Trail--once upon a time the railway that ran across the island, so fairly flat--and then some of the roads up to the coast and a lighthouse or two.  The roads didn't have the Trail's consideration for flatness, so we went up some inclines.  Kevin let me know that "this is the biggest hill" more than once :)  Around 75-80 km round trip.  That might not sound too bad to an experienced rider (or perhaps terrifying to a newbie), but keep in mind that I only got my bike in April, and hadn't ridden much in two or three decades.  My longest ride prior to this went 43 km.  Thankfully, my co-riders were very kind and considerate, keeping to a pace I could match.

Most of the rest of our rides stuck to various parts of the Confederation Trail (plus a multi-use trail on the north coast), and it only rained one day, but not enough to dissuade us from our journey.  We ate a lot of seafood, deep-fried stuff, and rich sauces, including a full lobster supper in New Glasgow, many cups of seafood chowder (to compare which tasted best), and local brews and ciders.  We went to Summerside's Lobster Carnival and an authentic East Coast Ceilidh in York--The Shenanigans, which turned out as more like a talent show for the elderly than the fiddle-fest we had expected--had some tea leaves read in Long River and saw the sights around the centre of the island; got in some good workouts and laughed a lot, and generally had a great time.

And one last thing that kept me busy right before our trip: publishing my latest novel!  Exclusive to Amazon for 90 days, The Forgotten Magic is now available in Kindle and as a paperback.  I will release it to all other vendors in October, around the time I plan for its official book launch--some time after the renovations are complete.  A sort of Wine & Cheese Book Launch/Come See What We've Done To The Place party :)  Can't wait for the Shenanigans!

Things that get in the way of keeping people up to date: lack of time; lack of news; lack of interest.  In this instance, the second does not hold true.

So what has taken up most of my time, and why might that interest anyone?  I can't speak to what holds your interest, but a lot lately has held mine.  Where do I start?
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I finished the first draft of The Forgotten Magic on May 1 (so close to my internal deadline of the end of April that I'll count it as a definite win).  The book, sequel to The Forgotten King, currently resides in the editorial and beta reader phase.  With any luck, I'll have enough reader input by the end of the month (a huge thanks already to Paul and to Mary Catherine for their fantastic insights) that, in combination with my own editing, I'll have a happily finished product very soon.  And good thing too, as book 2 of The Forgotten is available for pre-order now, with a publishing date in mid-July for amazon, and the beginning of October for other digital outlets (a tale involving international contests and exclusive rights for 90 days that I won't bore you with).  So that little project has kept me busy.

Ontario winters keep changing, one year having lots of snow but tolerable temperatures, another year reaches double digits in the minus zone (Celsius) and stays there, another has lots of ice storms.  This year, we had one of those yo-yo years, where it might dump a pile of snow one week, then creep up into low but positive temperatures the next, then rain, then freeze, then plummet to where your eyeballs burn from the cold ... and repeat.

Which made our 2 weeks in Costa Rica at the end of February and the beginning of March very pleasant indeed.  From -5 (-20 overnight) to 30+ degrees C and sunshine makes for happy people.

We started our trek by getting a rental car from the San Jose airport and driving about an hour and a half out to Jaco Beach, on the Pacific side of the country.  Six days at a surf camp near (but not right in) a beach town where shorts and a tank top (or a bathing suit) kept the worst of the humidity at bay worked great.  Mike had 3 surfing lessons--one on his birthday--and I had 4 sessions of yoga.  We met a fantastic couple of women (one from Germany and one from Ireland) that we hung out with for pretty much the whole week, having an absolute blast.  Even took a day trip out to Carrera National Park, about 30 minutes away, where we went on a hike with a great guide who showed us Scarlet Macaws, Capuchin Monkies, Howler Monkies, Lizards, 2- and 3-Toed Sloths, Cicadas, Bats, and a wide variety of ants.

Our rental had a few issues (coolant light coming on for one, near bald tires for another), so when the rental company emailed to ask how we liked the car, Mike let them know.  They then arranged for a replacement when one became available, driving it right to the surf camp for us.  As we needed a 4x4 with decent tires for the second half of our trip, this replacement came as something of a relief.

The next leg of our adventure took us further south along the highway, where we broke up our 3+ hours of driving with a monkey challenge (me going through a tame version of a 6-part ninja course) and some zip lining.

Then we arrived at our next destination: the Finca Bellavista treehouse community, where we stayed in the rainforest for 4 nights.  Up a steep and rocky 3-mile road near Piedras Blancas National Park, you come upon this neat community with both renters, volunteers, and full-time home owners.  Our treehouse took a 10-minute walk to reach, and we had solar power and mosquito netting.  Luckily, it wasn't wet season, so we didn't see many bugs (other than the huge one hanging out on the bathroom mirror--likely friends with the gecko in the kitchen).  Finca Bellavista produces most of its own food, which you can purchase to cook up yourself, or have them cook it for you in the communal kitchen/eatery.  We did both.  With a few kilometers of trails, and multiple ones at that--some in loops, some to the river or waterfall, one to a scenic point--we never lacked for things to do.  We had a routine of hiking in the morning, sitting on the covered balcony in the afternoons when it rained, then going to base camp for 'happy hour' where we could meet with others before having some supper before walking back in the dark with myriad stars overhead, the rain clouds having cleared until the next day.

​Our last night of happy hour saw 8 people in the space (one being the bartender), where two of us (including the bartender) didn't have our cellphones out.  I sat there enjoying the view and writing stuff in my head, trying to figure out how to end my next book The Forgotten Magic.  At least when we all got to supper, we sat together and actually spoke to each other.  Better late than never!

On our third and final leg of the journey, we headed inland toward the mountains and cloud forest of the Quetzal Valley.  To break up that 3 hour drive, we stopped at the Nauyaca Waterfall, which is a 4 kilometer hike along a dirt and rock road that we managed to get to around 11 a.m.--so yes, we hiked 4 km each way in the highest heat of the day in a humid rainforest with the sun blazing down.  The waterfall was worth it, though, as well as the birds we saw along the way, including a toucan hanging out in a tree where we could actually see it.

Then we finally reached the Quetzal Valley, driving through the usual 3 p.m. shower.  Nelson met us at Quetzal Valley Cabins and showed us our cabin for the last 4 nights, doing a decent enough job explaining things even though he spoke Spanish, and we pretended we understood more than we did.  He conveyed the most important information; that we could drink the water from the tap, as it was spring fed.  As we had now gone into the higher altitudes (the valley spans somewhere between 8000-11,000 feet, depending on what part you're in), the temperatures had fallen.  The days ranged from 13-18 degrees C, and the nights went as low as 8.  The cabin had a heater and four layers of sheets/blankets on the bed.  We huddled under the blankets and toughed it out without the heater, though that first night saw a couple of chilly noses.
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​Quetzal Valley is famous for its population of the Resplendent Quetzal, a long-tailed and colourful bird, which we never did see despite learning a few places to look.  We did see many other birds though (like yellow thigh finches, black guam, collared redcap, swifts, hawks, sooty thrush, maybe some warblers and flycatchers) and hiked some very hilly terrain.  The path to the waterfall near the end of the road had some quite exciting patches, including bridges and stairs lacking some under-foot mesh (so you're walking on less-than-stable metal cross-pieces rather than full bridges) and a tree across the final stairs.  Also, the rope assist down to the actual waterfalls was great fun!

Most times, we ate at a place called Miriam's Quetzals, a nice little family-run business with good food.  They also had a spot out back with hummingbird feeders and a platform for feeding other birds, such as acorn woodpeckers and tanagers.

​On the last full day, we drove up to the highest spot of Cerro de la Muerte ('Summit of Death' at 3335 metres, or nearly 11 000 feet, where they have all their antennas and cell towers set up) and did some wandering.  We watched the clouds roll through, stealing the sun and masking everything outside a few metre radius, cloaking the world in a haze of mist.  We found one path that our GPS said went about a kilometre (a rather steep km down) and followed that, watching the flora change from scrubby and dull to lush and colourful, and when we reached the end, discovered that we had followed a maintenance road to a hydro tower.  Not as inspiring as we might have hoped.  We found a craggy rock to climb when we got back to the top and found the 'real' path that people likely usually take.  Hey, we always like finding things off the beaten track ...