December News 2022.

It’s the end of the year as we know it…

Err…

The New Year is almost here (or is behind is already, depending on when you’re reading this). The pandemic isn’t over yet. I’d say that the war isn’t over yet, either, but there are always wars going on, they just get noticed less because of their location.

Personally, I’ve had better years, and I’ve had worse ones, too. So did everyone else, making me nothing special. Which I already knew.

Nothing special happened this month. There wasn’t much work, my health was lousy (will I ever not feel exhausted?), I got another covid shot (the Moderna bivalent one this time), and I’ve been reading (though not as much as the last month) and watching stuff (a bit more than the last month).

That’s about it. So…

Currently reading: technically speaking, I’m reading two books. As in, I started reading two books, and haven’t finished them yet. And then I started watching TV series. Those two books are Odakle sam bila, više nisam by the late Dejan Tiago-Stanković (something between a story collection and a novel, it’s nice so far) and Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki (a fun combination of a few different things, or would be, if I was able to focus on it; it’s our monthly book for the book club, and I’m late with it).

Recently read: Doktor Metuzalem by Vladimir Kolarić (a metaphysical crime novel by a Uni classmate of mine, plus a political thriller, plus a bunch of other things, all interesting), Niko nije zaboravljen i ničega se ne sećamo (No one is forgotten and we remember nothing) by Mirjana Drljević (another Uni classmate of mine, this is her first novel, and it’s darn good, both as a detective novel and a story about the consequences of pushing things under the rug, so to speak), Đavolski dobar bluz (Darn good blues) by Ivan Nešić (playing with the legend of the guitar player who sold his soul to the devil), Varoška legenda 3: Neman (The Town Legend part 3: The Beast) by Tajana Poterjahin (the last part of the trilogy of historical novels, and while I didn’t expect it to end like that, the ending makes perfect sense), Estoril: Ratni roman (Estoril, a war novel) and Zamalek: Roman o kismetu (Zamalek, a novel about kismet) by Dejan Tiago-Stanković (both good, in different ways), Mrtvi na dodir (Dead on touch) by Ana Marija Grbić (a dark, unusual novel written by a poet), and I ravnodušnost je ubila mačku (Indifference killed the cat, too) by Tamara Đenadić (weird (and good!) short stories; no cats, though, except on the back cover of the book).

Currently watching: Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (the quality of the episodes varies a lot, but there’s good stuff there) and What We Do in the Shadows, season 4 (still fun). I’m not sure I can say I’m also watching the fifth season of The Handmaid’s Tale because I stopped after the third episode, and don’t know when I’m going to continue.

Recently watched: finished watching Wednesday, and loved it. As long as you remember that it’s not an Addams Family series, but a spin-off that’s more like a supernatural YA, it’s really (darkly) fun.

Currently working on: it’s holiday time, so nothing, except for a few blog posts.

And that would be pretty much it.

Happy New Year, everyone! Try to have some fun!

November News 2022.

Somehow, I managed to cut my left forefinger on Sunday. Well, not somehow, a stupid kitchen accident. I cut it in the worst place possible when it comes to typing, so now I’m using my right forefinger and my left middle finger (hey, no offense meant!). It’s annoying to type like this, and I get tired quickly. And my left hand hurts.

Fortunately, I wrote a chunk of this post in advance.

This month, there’s nothing as exciting as three new editions (or even one) of my books coming out. Actually, I think that the most exciting thing, if it can even be called that, is me cutting my finger. Whee.

There aren’t any actual news, either. Just living the life as usual: working when there’s work, getting a cold that refuses to go away, reading (a lot), watching stuff (not so much)… No visits to a doctor this month, for any reason, which is nice. Turning 46 (was I supposed to be wise or rich or something at this age?).

Err, I think that’s about it.

Currently reading: Apocalypse Baby by Virginie Despentes (part political thriller, part road movie, possibly a bit of romance, a cool LGBT character… I like it so far).

Recently read: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (little stories about little, yet so important moments and impressions of life), Mliječni zubi by Lana Bastašić (stories of the horrors of childhood), Love in Case of Emergency (intertwined lives of five women all unhappy with their life choices) and Der Brand (passion dying out in the marriage, female sexuality, dealing with a problematic daughter and old family secrets…) by Daniela Krien, Her Naked Body and Other Weird Tales by Hristos Asteriu (sometimes too weird for my taste, but interesting), The Rat Island and Other Stories by Jo Nesbø (near future, not very nice), The End of Eddy by Edouard Louis (brutal story of the author’s youth as a gay kid in a small village), A Single Rose by Muriel Barbery (a forty-year-old woman gets a chance to learn more about the father she never knew, and maybe a chance at love if her own long-time unhappiness with everything doesn’t ruin it), It’s Love We Don’t Understand by Bart Moeyaert (different moments in the life of a teenage girl and her dysfunctional family, with a bit of optimism at the end), European Spring by Kaspar Colling Nielsen (troublesome future ending by being pleasant and kinda pointless for the privileged ones, and lousy for most of the world), The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen (darn good confessional writing), Večna kuća by Mladen Milosavljević (Serbian fantasy), Poslednji put by Isidora Bjelica (the last voyage of a Serbian author dying of cancer), Teferič na Slaviji by Sanja Savić Milosavljević (two very different people connected by a (former) monk), Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (a closeted young woman forced to move back to Malaysia, only to get into trouble with her late grandmother, an angry goddess, and the local gangsters; lots of humor in this one), and Otpadnici by Anja Mijović (a crime thriller following a few cops and the cases they solve).

Currently watching: Wednesday (fun, even though it’s more magical boarding school kind of fun than the good old Addams Family) and the latest season of The Handmaid’s Tale (sloooow).

Recently watched: Interview with the Vampire, season 1 (well done, well thought-out, exploring the story if a few things were different from the original, and exploring some interesting ideas), American Psycho (2000) (yes, I’ve only watched it now, darkly funny).

Currently working on: work, when there’s any. Forgetting to promote my books. Thinking about writing, but mostly just writing blog posts when it comes to that.

And that would be my super-exciting month.

I better give my hand some rest now.

October News 2022.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

October wasn’t a bad month. Here’s the good news I’ve mentioned the last time: all three of my books got a new edition, all as e-books. Here are the covers!

I’ve spent a part of the month on an unexpected vacation (staycation, really), and I’m definitely not complaining about that. It gave me some time (and energy) to watch and read stuff.

And this year, unlike the previous one, I managed to get the flu shot. My pulmonologist would be glad. I’m glad, too.

Other than all of that, it’s the usual: watching movies and series, reading, working…

Currently reading: A Sister’s Story by Donatella Di Pietrantonio, the sequel to A Girl Returned (which is what I’ve previously read). Both books remind me of Elena Ferrante a bit; the first one is about a thirteen-year-old girl suddenly returned to her biological parents and having her life turned upside down with no explanation at all, as well as the relationship she builds with her sister, while the second one follows both of them (and their troubles) as adults. I liked the first one, and I’m liking the second one so far, too.

Recently read: The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (a good, and sometimes brutal novel about a family falling apart after the death of the oldest son), Amok: A Luxembourg Love Story by Tullio Forgiarini (a novel about young offenders, could be good for teens), In Mercy, Rain and Skeleton Song by Seanan McGuire (both are stories from her Wayward Children series, and both are good), Les enfants sont rois by Delphine de Vigant (part thriller about a missing child, part a painful novel about the abuse of kid influencers), My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (some parts can be perceived as funny, but it’s mostly about depression, with characters who are unlikable on purpose), Rearview by Meghan O’Flynn (a short story with an ending I didn’t see coming), Earthlings by Sayaka Murata (I liked her previous novel better), The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik (great ending for The Scholomance trilogy), A Cup of Salt Tears by Isabel Yap (a bit of horror/dark fantasy, a bit of Japanese folklore, and a love story), The Grief of Stones and Min Zemerin’s Plan by Katherine Addison (more about the priest/detective and the cases he solves, yay!), and The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (sad and nice and sad).

Currently watching: Little Demon (an animated series for adults (seriously, don’t let your kids watch!) about a thirteen-year-old girl who, after getting her first period, discovers that her dad isn’t dead, and is actually Satan himself, which makes her the Antichrist. Weird and fun.

Recently watched: Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (pretty good, with a lot of attention given to the victims and their families, as well as the circumstances that allowed it to keep happening for so long; Evan Peters is brilliant in the role), Hellraiser (2022) (another good one, not perfect, but pretty good), Last Night in Soho (great actors, visually nice, good soundtrack, good idea, and a mostly boring movie; it’s as if they couldn’t decide whether they wanted to make a psychological drama or a psychological horror, and the result is neither), The House (2022) (a stop-motion animation movie on Netflix, three stories about a certain weird house and its tenants, very much not for children; weird, spooky, with a wicked British sense for humor; I loved it), Prey (2019) (basically, native Americans against the Predator; I loved the dog, and the movie was mostly fun to watch), Downton Abbey (2019) (if you loved the series, the movie is more of the same, and pleasant to watch), Knives Out (2019) (a nice play on the whodunit movies with an all-star cast and plenty of humor), The Suicide Squad 2 (lots of fun), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Americanized kung fu movie with a few Marvel characters, and a perfectly fine kung fu movie at that), the rest of the first season of The Rings of Power series (pretty to look at, nice music, doesn’t really make sense), and the rest of the first season of the House of the Dragon series (still fun).

Currently working on: work, when there’s any, plus trying to promote my books when I remember to do it (I’m terrible at marketing).

That’s pretty much it, see you next time, and once again, Happy Halloween!