Grace Delarua is a sociologist and research scientist for the government of Cygnus Beta, a planet that’s a lot like early America – almost all of its inhabitants immigrated from somewhere else. Its latest group of refugees are the Sadiri, a highly psychic, logical human race whose planet has been poisoned and most of its population killed. Delarua is assigned to help them settle on Cygnus Beta and plan for the long-term survival of their race. Her main cohort is Dllenakh, a gentle Sadiri man who was offplanet when the disaster occurred. With a ragtag group of other government scientists, they spend a year traveling the planet in search of other Sadiri and settlement opportunities. Along the way, Delarua risks her career to right wrongs, gets answers to some of her deepest questions, finds a family in her colleagues, confronts the ghosts of her past, and discovers a future that she never expected.
I’ve read some uniquely great novels in the past year or so, and this is another to add to the list. It’s unusual, and I loved it. The balance of humor, insight, adventure, and romance (such as it is) is great. I loved Delarua’s headstrong bluntness, Dllenakh’s kind coolness, and their mutual strength and bravery. In fact, this book seems like it could have started as a post-reboot Spock/Uhura fanfic, and I mean that as a compliment. (Oops, I think I just said too much… about myself AND the book.)
Recommended for fans of: Star Trek, And All The Stars, Firefly
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
2 Comments + Posted in: book reviews
My Sunday School class is currently studying wisdom. I’ve long agreed with Solomon about the value of wisdom, and been thankful for the Bible promise that God will give it to us if we ask for it (James 1:5). (There aren’t many guarantees like that in the Bible!) I’ve always imagined God essentially waving a wand over my head, imparting the wisdom I need for each situation. But that’s not how it works. Just like all other growth in the Christian life, gaining wisdom is a process, and that fact continues to confound and frustrate me. It also awes me, because it implies that God’s ultimate goal for His people isn’t insta-perfection, or blind robotic obedience. If that were the case, He could give us all the wisdom and sanctification we need in one swoop. My default assumption is that God is primarily looking for maximum performance and efficiency in my life. But if He expects me to walk a straight line from A to B, why has He led me down a long, winding side road where I can only see the path directly in front of me? If He expects me to correctly interpret every word of the Bible, why won’t He just download the knowledge into my brain, like Trinity in The Matrix?
When these frustrations start to spread and permeate my life, I feel like God is working against me, even mocking me. The only explanation is that the detours and struggles are supposed to be there. They’re part of a process that makes us more whole and more human. That doesn’t make sense if you believe in a God who’s only concerned with results. But wisdom, knowledge, and “correct” living aren’t everything. God cares more about our hearts and about us as individuals. He wants us to learn and grow in relationship with Him, and that takes time and work.
Years ago, during my divorce, I knew I had to go through all the grief and junk instead of avoiding or escaping it. I even posted a Ruth Graham passage about that, which I still think of often. But I didn’t realize until recently that the principle applies as much to regular life as to a crisis. Sometimes we feel stuck in our day-to-day circumstances and become frantic to “get ourselves out” (and our culture encourages that attitude). But if your healthy efforts toward change are fruitless, there might be a reason why. My life isn’t what I’d hoped it would be by this point, but it helps to think that God is behind that and has a purpose for it, instead of being disappointed in me for not making things happen. I’m trying to regain the open and trusting attitude I used to have – asking God to show me what He wants to teach me in this place, instead of constantly looking for a way out. Taking my discouragement and frustration to Him instead of trying to bury it under mustered-up thankfulness. God isn’t worried about how slow my progress is or whether I fit the mold of the perfect Christian woman. He wants me to know Him more than He wants a trophy daughter. I have to keep reminding myself of that.
3 Comments + Posted in: faith, reflections
I’m waiting anxiously for a call from the vet about my cat, so I’ll distract myself with a post about my latest miracle beauty discovery: Orly Bonder.
I love nail polish. Over the past year or two, I’ve had decreasing success keeping a manicure intact for more than a day. I mostly use OPI or Essie polishes, and Seche Vite topcoat, so I didn’t understand why my nails were chipping so quickly. I tried a string of different base coats (including Nailtek) with the same results. Then I got a professional manicure before Christmas, and it stayed perfect for over a week. So I knew something better was possible. Orly Bonder was the first internet-recommended base coat I tried, and hopefully the last! I’ve used it twice now, and both times my manicure has endured as long as the salon one did. I’m officially impressed.
Orly Bonder is available at most drugstores and beauty stores for $8-$10. It apparently contains rubber, so if you’re committed to natural or organic beauty products, it isn’t for you. But if you just want your polish to stay put, this is the shiz.
(I was NOT compensated in any way for this post.)
2 Comments + Posted in: beauty
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| Peach in 2011 |
I haven’t had much heart for blogging this week because my cat, Peach, is very sick. For about a year now, she’s had trouble keeping food down and has lost more and more weight. I switched her to premium grain-free food, in case she had an allergy or something, but it didn’t help much. In November, I suddenly realized that she was way too skinny and took her to the vet. Since then, she’s had multiple tests and even X-rays, and we’re no closer to discovering the problem. We’ve ruled out the typical cat diseases. She is now down to six pounds. :( I’m waiting for more test results from another vet visit yesterday, but I’m not optimistic that they’ll reveal anything. In the meantime, despite some shot-in-the-dark treatment, Peach seems to be going downhill fast. It’s emotionally exhausting to know that your pet is suffering and there’s probably not much more you can do for her (short of going broke on specialists and increasingly expensive tests that might not even help). Especially when she’s such a sweet cat, and only eight years old. This limbo period is terrible. I feel anxious and sad about her all the time. I also feel prepared for parenthood after some of the messes I’ve had to clean up in recent weeks. I’m still praying for a breakthrough, but it doesn’t look good.
Thankfully my other cat, Gandalf, is still as healthy as a horse (and almost as big as one too). And I’m finally starting to feel good again myself after being sick for months! But I’m very upset about my Peachy.
7 Comments + Posted in: cats
My wreath addiction encompasses all seasons and occasions (more evidence here, here, and here). When I saw an adorable argyle heart wreath recently on Pinterest, I couldn’t resist making it. It’s one of my favorite patterns and color combinations!
Materials:
Straw wreath form (heads up: NEVER remove the plastic wrap)
Two colors of felt, two sheets each (I chose the recommended red and pale pink)
One skein of contrasting yarn (I chose the recommended heather gray)
My total cost was about $8 at Michaels. You also need a heart stencil and a hot glue gun, which I already had.
Directions:
Completely wrap the wreath form in the yarn. This will take some time – in my case, the duration of DVRed episodes of Bunheads and The Mindy Project. Be sure to secure the yarn, with a knot at least, at the beginning and end of wrapping.
Trace and cut out felt hearts. The number needed will depend on the sizes of your wreath and heart shape. The tutorial recommended eight hearts of each color, but I ended up with six of each color.
Hot glue the felt hearts onto the wreath, alternating colors. Make sure you like the arrangement before you start gluing!
Create the argyle pattern. This step is a little tricky. You need to attach the end of the skein of yarn somewhere on the back or inside of the wreath, then wrap one strand diagonally around the hearts, making an X over each heart. The original post provided a method for doing this, but I winged it and was able to finish without cutting the yarn and starting a new strand.
Secure the yarn, and you’re done!
I really like yarn wreaths. Not only are they cheaper and easier to make than more elaborate wreaths, but they also lay flat between my front door and storm door. It’s nice to close the door without hearing the crunch of my wreath materials being crushed.
Anyway, this Valentine wreath is already displayed on my door. I don’t care that it’s still January. It makes me happy to look at it, and in the bleakness of January, we take any happiness we can get!
4 Comments + Posted in: celebrate, crafts, winter