Sunsets, sci-fi frauds, and a Seine-sational idea

The giveaway is ‘The Woman in the Library’ by Sulari Gentill

Our plans for the weekend fell into disarray due to various bouts of illness (‘tis the season), apart from a board games night on Sunday (hooray!), but I still managed to have a good time and keep writing work mostly confined to weekdays. Great success!

We had free tickets Friday to an immersive light experience, which sounded bloody awesome. Sadly, I came down with a migraine that meant not only was I not up for going out to anything, but especially not an activity with bright, flashing lights aka the worst thing in the world for a huge headache. We passed the tickets onto someone else so they didn’t go to waste. Silver lining, though, the show we missed out on has ended up being extended so we still have a chance to see it. Ecstatic with that outcome.

This week is shaping up to be the time for sending out crime short stories to competitions. That’s what I’ve been doing today other than typing up this newsletter. God speed, little doodles!

Have a good one, peeps. : )

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News

1.     If you need an excuse to travel to outback Australia in winter, let me present you with this ABC story, which is all about how spectacular the dawn and dusk skies are at that time of year. Or if you’re not inclined to make the trek, just ogle the photos on the webpage. They’re quite lovely.

2.     This is not the usual sort of feel-good news I post, but by jingo it’s both interesting and a worry. Almost 10 percent of votes cast in this year’s Hugo Awards for sci-fi and fantasy stories were found to be fraudulent. I’m happy that they were discovered and weeded out, but it’s disappointing that someone was trying this. The contestant who was to receive most of these fake votes hasn’t been disqualified, though. By the sounds of how obviously fraudulent these votes were, it makes me wonder whether someone was deliberately trying to get them disqualified, rather than pump up their tally. Either way, it hasn’t worked, thank goodness.

3.     When it comes to sport, I try, but mostly fail. Being strong and fast and energetic doesn’t really come naturally to me. But watching others display incredible feats of athleticism while I cheer them on from the couch, particularly when the events come around only every so many years? Can’t get enough of it. I’m hanging for the coming-up-very-soon Paris Olympics and thoroughly enjoyed this Parisian’s optimistic insights into how locals view the Games. Author Alexander Hurst makes an excellent point at the end – perhaps it would be better to keep holding the Olympics in the same city so we don’t end up with so many wasted, abandoned sports arenas after all the fuss is over?

Reviews

1.     I was quietly devo when Natio discontinued their gentle cleansing wipes. I’ve had trouble finding an alternative until, before I went away, I had another look and found Simple cleansing wipes (available for around $8 from Priceline, Woolworths, and other stores). Apparently, these types of wipes have gone out of fashion due to their single-use design but Simple’s wipes can be disposed of in the compost and biodegrade within two months. They’re also made from sustainable forests and are PETA-approved, with assorted moisturising ingredients including vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5. Call off the search, I’ve found my new face wipes!

2.     Dang, I thought this was good -- I’m Not Done with You Yet by Jesse Sutanto. The narrator, Jane, is a mediocre writer who suspects she’s a sociopath. Many of her inner thoughts were so relatable, I was starting to wonder if I’m a sociopath too (don’t worry, I’m actually uber-confident I’m not). There are scheming frenemies and plenty of plot twists keeping things intriguing, along with Sutanto’s lively, quick-witted writing. Above all, so much projection. Everyone thinks they know what everyone else is thinking and they’re not always right. I could see many of the twists coming, but I found this so enjoyable to read, I didn’t even mind. This is perfect for those who enjoy a fast-paced thriller, but don’t hold with gore, torture, or anything too psychologically disturbing.

3.     Last week, I fixated on Glen Powell movies, this week I’m revealing (way too much about myself and) my other main actor crush – Paul Rudd. (Let’s be real, though – who doesn’t like Paul Rudd?) So, despite having very little interest in any of the past Ghostbusters movies, Sigourney Weaver’s involvement notwithstanding, I was keen to watch Ghostbusters: Afterlife from 2021. The story features a single mum with two kids (including the boy played by Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard) who gets evicted and moves to her estranged dad’s spooky house out in the sticks. Somehow, this film in the same franchise that brought us the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, manages quite a degree of emotional realness and depth in this family. Paul Rudd’s role as a teacher clued into the whole ghost-busting thing is less goofy than you’d expect, fitting in nicely to the feel of the movie, which is nostalgic-yet-updated, neatly plotted, and nicely paced.

What I’m Feelin’ Right Now

• A slick gym bag like this Rains one

• Chocolate brownies paired with coconut yoghurt (for health, ya know?)

• Strawberry-hued lipsticks

• Elevated activewear having a moment in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics

• Mushroom stroganoff

• A bomber jacket over a longline shirt

• ‘Wild Hearts (Radio Edit)’ by Karise Eden

• Using an office chair on wheels for some home-based exercising

• A pink leather-look trench coat

Giveaway

Last week’s giveaway, Shirley Barrett’s Mrs Hopkins, was won by Karli Florisson. Awesome! I’ve emailed you, Karli. : )

The giveaway this week is Sulari Gentill’s The Woman in the Library. Enter your name and email address here for a chance to win.

Playlist of the Week

Thanks, but I’m an introvert and I just wanna go home: