Literary 4/5
Washington, a young Barbadian slave, is bound to an eccentric white scientist who increases Washington’s value to himself by educating him, until they are parted and Washington must make his own way in the world. This Giller-prize winner was a great read. I particularly enjoyed the characters and their relationships, though I found the second half of the book wandered.
Did a client meeting and will possibly do a stylistic edit next, but it may be a while before I see the ms. Had another lovely 1-day retreat with writerly friends and dinner out with them. Fun, productive, and relaxing.
Classic 5+/5
The new government of Aka uniquely allows Sutty, an observer from Earth, beyond the planet’s economically-driven cultural repressions to learn about the Indigenous peoples’ culture, but is her freedom to do this real or an illusion? The structures of plot work here to drive story, but that’s not why you would read this book: it’s haunting writing and philosophical musings were what captivated me.
Just got home from a 5-day writers’ retreat which was super productive, but it was all editing past work, so no new words. However, I’m poised to jump into the next project, which will likely be Book 4 of my Addicted to Heaven series, though there’s no rush on that: I already have a draft to edit, and it’s not coming out until (likely) 2025, so I’ll probably be doing some other projects as well. I do have 2 and possibly 3 editing gigs upcoming…but until the authors send me their work, I can’t start. We’ll see.
Fantasy 4+/5
Claire, a nurse returning from service after World War II, is transported back in time to 1743 Scotland where she finds a love deeper than what she had for her husband, complicated by historical upheaval. Loved the beautiful writing, characters, settings, dilemmas, sex scenes, politics, and action! The book went on a bit too long for me, though.
