lazy Saturday morning

It's been a good morning, so far. I woke up, finished a book in bed, took a leisurely shower, and did some freelancing. Now my partner-in-crime is making banana-nut pancakes, and after I eat I'll head back to my place. Here's the to-do list for today:

play my clarinet
exercise
tidy my apartment
more freelancing
Dave's birthday thing, briefly
write
purge something
maybe an episode of Buffy

I think that's doable. Totally doable. And speaking of reading this morning, I've finished two more books.
4. Of Bees and Mist by Eric Setiawan. This a debut novel, full of magic realism and interfamily relationships. I really enjoyed the magic realism, it was deftly done. And the vague Everytown setting was well written. The characters had depth, and were pretty true to themselves throughout. Overall, this is quite a good book. But it's not a keeper for me. None of the characters ever catches a break. Horrible things just keep on happening to all of them, sometimes through their own fault, sometimes not. But by the time I was halfway through the book I just wanted to shake it. I really, REALLY wanted someone to have some genuine happiness, for just a little while, and I never felt like it happened. Which is hard to read. I'm not saying that I think books should be easier on the characters within them, or that books should end with a happily-ever-after, but if it's all doom-and-gloom, if it's all sadness and mistakes all the time, it's not a keeper for me. So if you don't mind books like that, then by all means, pick this one up; the writing is great, etc. I just think he's not quite for me.
5. Huntress, and anthology put out last summer by St. Martin's mass market line. This features four authors: Christine Warren and Marjorie M. Liu (both NYT bestsellers, I believe), and Caitlin Kittredge and Jenna Maclaine. Admittedly, I picked it up so I could read Caitlin's contribution, since I generally dig her work. And it was a perfectly well-done Black London story, about a younger Jack Winter. I enjoyed her contribution. I'd never read the other three women before, and I have to say, the only one who impressed me was Marjorie M. Liu. Her story was interesting and well written. Her characters were interesting people. And the paranormal aspect made sense. Nothing felt forced; the story was fluid and forward-moving without feeling rushed. I really, really enjoyed that piece of work. The other two weren't as well executed, I thought. Or, to be fair, maybe it's just that they were more about the sex than I like my fiction to be. Also, I find it rare to really like every piece in an anthology like this. This is a keeper for me, for Caitlin and Marjorie's pieces. For anyone who wants some paranormal action with some serious sex thrown in, pick up this collection!
Some dreams:
A few nights ago I dreamed I was engaged to a young gentleman, and we were having an engagement party at my parents house. This was all taking place 80-100 years ago, I think. My fiance was wearing a gray suit, and my family loved him. So we were outside, picnic tables with white Christmas lights strung overhead, eating homemade food and talking and laughing and just generally having a good time. Then we all moved to go inside, and my fiance disappeared. I looked all over for him but couldn't find him, and was very distraught. Then I was on a train, still sort of looking for him, but I had some children with me. Some of them weren't paying enough attention and ended up in a different train car from me, but I wasn't concerned. My oldest goddaughter was with me. Then she and I were at my sister and brother-in-law's house, only now their house in real life, and they had a litter of kittens we were playing with. Then I went into a bedroom to try to get some sleep and this young woman came in and tried to get me to sleep with her.
A couple nights ago I dreamed something about flying a small plane, and sort of crashing, I think, and then I was at the house of the family I used to nanny for. The kids looked the same as they did then. And the older boy had a friend of his there who was dying. I was hanging out in the kitchen with their mother and she told me how the friend's parents had turned him out after the accident that left him dying.
I thought I remember last night's dream, but now that I've delved back into the older two, last night's seems to have vanished from my brain. Well, c'est la vie. It's time for pancakes anyway.
Happy weekend!