WARNING - THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET GROSS!
One of the reasons I didn't want to move back to Florida was the exorbitant amount of bugs!
For fun, I made a list of frequent flyers (haha) and crawlers:
Ants - oh so many varieties and big biters
Beetles just creepy
Bees & Wasps - I leave them alone, they leave me alone, right?
Butterflies - the prettiest bugs =)
Loud Cicadas lend to the tropical vibe.
Love Bugs - tons this year, all over my car!
Leggy Bugs - centipedes, millipedes, eww!
Hoppers & Crickets - typical, no harm.
Dragonflies - which are actually my favorite, they're pretty cool
Then there are the smaller and most annoying creepies: Mosquitos, Flies, Gnats, and No-See-Ums... I do like spiders and lizards who eat lots of buggies. Yay!
Back in Ohio, we could tell the month by the bugs:
May Flies, June Bugs, July Fireflies (some prefer Lightning Bugs) ooo pretty!, August Horseflies, September Ladybugs & Stinkbugs, October Spiders -- Then we were free from bugs for a good six months, as it should be.
All in all, it's not that bad down here, as long as we stay inside and keep up with the monthly pest control. We also have to be careful on our nightly walks. We find that sliver of time just before dusk when the sun is still in the sky, but the temp and humidity are going down. Too soon and we run into clouds of gnats, too late and beware the mosquitos!
Oh, but wasn't this supposed to be a WRITING post? Well, you know I'm going to tie it all together. I've been in a book club and so far, only one of the books has wow'ed me. I don't know about you, but as a writer, I tend to judge published writers more harshly. I've always been a picky reader, but I know good writing, and I have some really awesome writer friends. So when I read sub-par books from published authors, it's very annoying!
So here are some things that BUG me about my recent reads and book club:
- predictability - I've always been good at this, but when I know who's going to die and who dun it in the first chapter, it's pretty sad
- too many tropes - sleepwalking, fake amnesia, hidden items in the floorboard, bratty kids
- characters I can't root for - hardly any of the characters have any redeeming qualities anymore. if I was in the book, I'd shoot all of them, but then I'd feel bad about it (redeeming quality, haha)
- everyone sleeps around - seriously, no one has any fidelity? at all?
- slow starts - where's the initial incident/hook?
- repetition - how many times are you going to say you don't remember what happened that night?
Well, I've gone over my time, so I'll wrap it up with the only book I enjoyed so far: It's Not Her by Mary Kubica - great twists and surprises - hard to predict! Did not disappoint. I recommend it.
Would love to hear any recos from you!!
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On my own, I also read Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. If you like sci-fi, this is a fantastic book - an amazing story, endearing characters, and brilliant imagination! (now a movie, of course. can't wait to see what they do with it)
Happy June! Happy Reading & Writing!
7 comments:
It is the buggy season right now!
Stories with no redeemable characters bug me.
Never made it to the theater to see Project Hail Mary but I do want to see it.
I'm battling with ants in my house right now. It's that time of year. I saw Project Hail Mary. It was good.
Not sure what is chewing on some of the leaves in my garden but it's the ants that drive me crazy. Why do they want to camp out in my raised beds?
We pretreat before moving into a house and have a regular bug service. Really haven't had too much trouble here in Florida, but I also grew up with brothers and lots of gross things, so I don't suppose they bother me as much. Other than roaches.
I hope things get better with your book club. I feel bad because every time we meet (I'm part of 2), they know I'm going to tear the book apart...but I love giving them insight into the writerly process and how the author might have or should have executed things.
Oh, the love bugs. I hate love bug season. Do you have the giant grasshoppers (eastern lubber) over there? They really freaked me out the first time I saw them.
I do remember the bugs in Florida when I visited. They were significant!
I agree about bugs. One of the greatest inventions was the screen. lol
Loved The Martian but was meh about Artemis. So I was thrilled that I loved Project Hail Mary. And I thought they did a great job with the movie adaptation.
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