Shel Graves' Sensorium

But shouldn't the planet be above? Taste:  salt Sight: yellow, white, purple magnolias; cherry blossoms; a vintage yellow convertible speeds down the street the woman in the passengers seat has deep purple hair; cherry blossom petals windblown falling like snow; from her perch on the window sill her tail hangs down Sound: laughter; a dog's snore Smell:  lilac Touch: summer camping air morning beneath the evergreens, dusty, cool but warming and growing hot Extra: In which, I have all the sweet and fancy ingredients on hand to make the decadent treat for a friend: chocolate, turmeric, cinnamon, almond milk creme liqueur; in which, my friend comes up with a secret plan to end the war; in which, she betrays everything; in which, we lose two lives; in which, hate continues to win Grateful for: those who make an effort

Taste:  vanilla Sight: pink wildflower Sound: raindrops on garbage cans Smell:  lingering incense Touch:  webbed feet, rubbery paper, tiny toenails Extra: a big old house, children who jump through time;  "Maybe Earth was a utopia, of a sort, after all." — Sarena Ulibarri, "Riding in Place," Biketopia "Above all, we need to understand utopia as a method rather than a goal … always suspended between the present and the future, always under revision, at the meeting point of the darkness of the lived moment and the flickering light of a better world, for the moment accessible only through an act of imagination. — Ruth Levitas, Utopia as Method (2013)  Grateful for: namaste; Utopian Acts; Earth

Taste: dry mouth Sight:  A water spray!; the officer's reflection; gold chains Sound: Crunch!; fast talking; a small cutoff scream Smell: pavement, rubber, heat, fuel Touch: forward and back - whiplash Extra: systems not meant to serve us; glaring disparity; theft; injustice Grateful for: luck; a sunny day; fitness; engineering; 10 good years; every time it starts; support systems

Taste: tater tots Sight: a brown, creme and gold peahen Sound: bird song; crunch Smell: Golden Era incense Touch: mush, crisp Extra:  Priorities = a robust and participatory democracy  end mass incarceration  renewable energy sources (solar!)  Grateful for: days with Sam, games with Sam

Taste: tart, sour, candy; macadamia milk Sight: sunlit clouds; white star magnolias; an orchid; wild pansies Sound: frog song; when the windshield wipers sound like woof or whining; "Woof!" an assertive, "Woof!" Smell: my funk of many dogs Touch: dog's paws; scratches; bruises; muscle aches Extra: a medical dream; holes in the face Grateful for: days with Sam, Wayward Vegan Cafe, games

In which, I take notes about a story which is likely to spring to mind later and make me wonder, "Where did I read that?"... Why it springs to mind: Food justice in speculative fiction! Oh, yeah! Strong emotion and stand out quotes. Where read: Uncanny Magazine , space unicorns, FTW! Summary: A woman with a magic power, a connection to the Green Space , encounters the fallen god Famine, an unwanted presence in her neighborhood. Memorable: It's a speculative fiction story that tackles gentrification and food deserts. Quotable:   “...we all get trapped in stories others believe about us. I just want the chance to re-write our story.”  "...you think our desert is just about bad food. For us, this desert is about the lack of power to decide what we want to eat.”    "...the life of the fruit unfolded in her mind like a small child’s whisper. Its care, its transport, its treatment, she knew its story."  “No offense, but we’re not interested in...

I have an arbitrary rule for an arbitrary thing. At the end of the year I do a wrap up of my favorite and most memorable senses of the year including a book (or author) of the year. I have two rules for my Book of the Year: I read the book that year. I took the time to review it on my blog.  So, to that end, I wanted to make sure to speak my piece about Wendy Wagner's  An Oath of Dogs  here (as well as on Goodreads and Amazon), because I have a feeling it will stick with me this year. I don't have a lot to say about this enjoyable eco-thriller set on another planet, but there were some things I really, really liked about it. Also, this year I began spending a lot of time with dogs . An Oath of Dogs did a few things that I think are fabulous and really all good novels should do. If I were going to make arbitrary rules for great novels (Gah, what a terrible idea!), these would be my rules. Four things I loved about An Oath of Dogs that every wonderful novel sh...