Just a short 30-minute practice set as I get used to using a mobile (laptop-based) setup instead of my home (iMac-based) setup, and to incorporating Beatsource as a track source instead of solely relying on my own library.
Geekery
Whatever I’m geeking out about at the time.
📚 Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
17/2023 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This series continues to impress, with ever deeper explorations of compassion and empathy for others who are different than ourselves, and at what point the differences become so great that life- and world-altering decisions may be justified (or may not be, or may be pursued even if not justified). And once again, I’m struck that an author who wrote so compellingly on this subject failed to see how to apply his own ideas in the real world.
NOTE: It should be noted that OSC had long held and promoted viewpoints that I vehemently disagree with. The books of his in my collection were purchased before I knew of his standpoints, from secondhand stores, or both. I knew going into my Hugo reading project (which this is an extension of, though the later books in the series weren’t Hugo winners) that there would authors and works I would find problematic, and that there might be situations (like this one) where I enjoyed a work by a problematic author. I do what I can to mitigate those situations by purchasing used copies of books so as not to directly contribute to those problematic authors who are still with us, and by noting when I run into those situations – like here.

📚 The High Country by John Jackson Miller
16/2023 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A fun, light romp of an adventure, rather perfect for the first Strange New Worlds book. Several Enterprise crew are stranded on a world where electronics don’t work and technology is tightly controlled. This results in a mishmash of the Wild West, mountainside castles, tall ships, mysterious aurora, and steampunk-ish clockwork creations. All with a welcome dash of humor throughout. I enjoyed this one a lot.

📚 Ymir by Rich Larson
15/2023
No review, as this book is a Philip K. Dick Award nominee, and I am the coordinator for the award ceremony at Norwescon. While I have no input into the selection of nominees or judging, I want to be sure to avoid any appearance of influence.

📚 Widowland by C.J. Carey
14/2023
No review, as this book is a Philip K. Dick Award nominee, and I am the coordinator for the award ceremony at Norwescon. While I have no input into the selection of nominees or judging, I want to be sure to avoid any appearance of influence.

📚 The Extractionist by Kimberly Unger
13/2023
No review, as this book is a Philip K. Dick Award nominee, and I am the coordinator for the award ceremony at Norwescon. While I have no input into the selection of nominees or judging, I want to be sure to avoid any appearance of influence.

Difficult Listening Hour 2023.02.12
My usual unplanned, unrehearsed, seat-of-the-pants session where I’m just grabbing whatever seems right in the moment. Almost anything goes.
Difficult Listening Hour 2023.02.05
My usual unplanned, seat-of-the-pants, anything-goes style. Been a few months since I did this regularly, and I’ve got a gig coming up, so it’s time to get back into practice!
📚 January Fifteenth by Rachel Swirsky
12/2023
No review, as this book is a Philip K. Dick Award nominee, and I am the coordinator for the award ceremony at Norwescon. While I have no input into the selection of nominees or judging, I want to be sure to avoid any appearance of influence.

📚 Arboreality by Rebecca Campbell
11/2023
No review, as this book is a Philip K. Dick Award nominee, and I am the coordinator for the award ceremony at Norwescon. While I have no input into the selection of nominees or judging, I want to be sure to avoid any appearance of influence.
