Frantically Reading

I am hopelessly behind in my huge volume of correspondence.  Can’t keep up with writing emails to friends and family. This is because I am trying to read as many of this year’s Prometheus Award nominees as possible before the voting deadline of July 4. 

As a voting member of the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS), I now realize that next year I will have to start reading the nominated novels immediately after they are announced at the first of the year.  Some of them are very long works, and some are sequels to previous novels that I haven’t yet read. 

The Prometheus Award goes to the best Science Fiction novel with libertarian themes published in the last year.  The Prometheus Hall of Fame Award goes to older works including short stories.  (Because I find the Hall of Fame nominated works hard to acquire, I rarely vote on this category.) 

Of the novels I’ve read so far, my first choice vote will go to Powers of the Earth (2017) by Travis Corcoran, first of a series.  Powerful stuff.  Also good reads getting my secondary ratings are Darkship Revenge (2017) by Sarah Hoyt and Artemis (2017) by Andy Weir (also author of The Martian (2011) which was made into a fine 2015 film). 

Gotta go.  So much to read – so little time.  

-Zenwind.

June's Monsoons

It is officially the Rainy Monsoon Season, although we had a lot of rain earlier in the normally drier Hot Season of March-April-May.  (There is worry that the dams/reservoirs up-country are dangerously brimming full with water and that predicted heavy rains in September-October threaten us with floods down here.  Government mismanagement and stupidity.  If we get flooded again, I will be pissed.) 

I got caught in one hell of a rainstorm a week ago while out in the neighborhood.  I had a small compact umbrella in my pack, but it was not nearly enough protection when the heavy gusty rain hit.  I came home drenched.  I now pack a rain-cover designed for daypacks, and if it looks like the rain may be heavy then I tote a bigger umbrella.  But the rains are deliciously cooling, if only temporarily. 

For the last week the weather reports call for thunderstorms, but weather is not an exact science.  Each day with predicted rain has had mostly sunny and breezy weather, perfect for drying clothes outside.  One still must have an umbrella handy when venturing out, because a thunderstorm can come quick without warning. 

In other news, I have been reading a lot but not writing enough.  I have many book review drafts yet unfinished.  My first priority is exercising, so I often spend the most productive part of the day out sweating in the intense heat.  Feel the burn!  I hope to post reviews on Zenwind soon. 

-Zenwind.
.