There is real joy and happiness in the world.
Ten Years
Whatever else is going on, however dark it seems, this is something to smile about. Something to be truly thankful for.
Stay safe, my friends! Go forth and spread beauty and light.
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Author Archives: Wyrd Smythe
About Wyrd Smythe
Tess Gerritsen
One of the ways I’ve coped during this insanest of years is by escaping into fiction, and it’s hard to beat the sheer escapism of a good murder mystery. Science fiction, my other favorite escapist drug, particularly the good stuff, is often parable, prophecy, or pointed social examination, but a murder mystery is typically just a rippin’ good yarn.
The older classics especially, for instance Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe (two favorites of mine), when you come down to it, are utterly preposterous. Fairy tales staring a fussy Belgian with his mustaches or a corpulent epicurean who never leaves his house, both brilliant and eccentric, both prone to that final scene, everyone gathered, for the denouement, “J’accuse!”
Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli & Isles series is a very different kind of yarn.
The Big Divide
I keep thinking about the 71+ million Americans who voted against nearly everything American has stood for until the last few years. Our Continental Divide may be beautiful to behold, but our National Divide is an ugly disgrace to normative values.
At least they have been our values until now.
The Big Dogs
And congrats to the First Dogs (elect), Very Good Boys Champ and Major.
How great to have four-legged furry friends back in the White House! (I’ve long thought a love of dogs and a good character are correlated. Guess which POTUS hates dogs.)
Stay with dogs, my friends! Go forth and spread beauty and light.
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The Big Blue
Fell asleep reading a Nero Wolfe novel and woke up to a new world. Pennsylvania and Nevada called, Arizona still breaking for Biden/Harris…
Pretty nice thing to wake up to!
The Big Delay
Well, we kinda knew this was going to happen, but it’s still a pretty damn dark day for Our Democracy.
There seems reason for optimism, but in these crazy times, who knows how this all shakes out.
The Big Disappointment
It’s official: Based on available data, the resolution to the Fermi Paradox is simply that intelligent life does not exist in the universe at this time.
Life that thinks it’s intelligent does, though. But based on our observations, it has a long way to go. The universe can relax; Earthlings aren’t likely to be a problem to anyone but themselves.
The Big Day
Well, here we go on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. I’ve said it many times: That this is even a contest says a great deal about the changes in our society in the last score or two of years. I think it’s tragic, but obviously (yet astonishingly) mileage varies.
Funny how so many of us already have. My vote’s been in for weeks.
Chambers: Small Angry Planet
Last week I read a science fiction novel I’d seen in a number of “must read” lists: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (2014), by Becky Chambers. The title certainly appealed to me, and, along with the book’s cover, it seemed like it might be fun, funny, or even zany.
I like to let things unfold, so I usually avoid trailers and reviews until after I’ve seen or read for myself. A few months ago I wrote about Axiom’s End, which I really liked. I was anticipating a similar ‘great new author’ experience. (I’ve also mentioned the S.L. Huang Cas Russell books. I kinda liked those, too, so I’m definitely feeling favorable towards new authors.)
Unfortunately, I didn’t like this book at all.
Winter Is Here!
I wanted to call this post “Instant Winter” but used that title eight years ago. Pity given that, as of yesterday morning we had no snow, and by 5 pm it looked like the picture above.
It would have been a good title.
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