Op-Ed: Some elections are about making tough choices between qualified candidates. This ain’t that.

I don’t post much about politics. I generally find the subject distasteful and divisive.

I don’t want to debate you. And I won’t.

I just need to make something perfectly clear:

I am voting for Hillary Clinton. Because I’m not an an irresponsible jerk.

Donald Trump is a vile and incompetent excuse for a human being. He is the most unqualified and dangerous “serious” candidate for our country’s highest office (or for any public office, for that matter - I would not vote for this man for local dog catcher) that I have seen in my entire adult life - and that timeline includes more than a few elections and at least two Republican presidents. 

He’s a bad man and he would be the worst President. Full Stop. 

If you honestly think Trump is not only intellectually and morally fit to hold public office, but the best candidate for the job … I can’t help you. I can only politely excuse myself from your company and hope for all our sakes that we never have to live with the consequences of your terrible decision. 

But, honestly, this message is not for you.

(And should you choose to unfriend/unfollow/block, etc. me because of my opinion, I will … well, let’s be honest, I’m gonna judge the hell out of you. I’m just not that enlightened. But I’ll probably still love you and wish you the best. Personal relationships are complicated like that. Namaste. And ‘Bye.)

No, this rant is for those who know in your heart and your mind, as I do, that the human dumpster fire that the Republican Party has nominated is the worst possible thing that could happen to our country and our world.

I refuse to believe that the majority of the American people are stupid enough to allow this ignorant, hateful, narcissistic parody of an American any closer to the Oval Office than he is at this very moment. 

We simply cannot allow that happen. Okay? Okay.

So, what are YOU going to do about it?

Because if your answer is anything other than “Elect Clinton” then you are part of the problem right now.

Oh, Clinton wasn’t your first choice? Cool. Guess what, she wasn’t even my third choice. 

But, flawed as it is, we have a process. And that process has brought us to this point in time. You need to take a minute and deal with that. And then you need to man up and vote for Hillary Clinton.

Because the reality is that a vote for anyone other than Hillary Clinton is a vote for Donald Trump.

Your choice is no longer about who will be nominated. That moment has passed.  Your choice is not currently about whether a two-party system is the best process. That’s a different battle. Your choice is not a philosophical exercise on the nature of the electoral vote or political corruption or American democracy. That’s a whole ‘nother set of discussions.

Your choice isn’t even about the lesser of two evils.

It’s the choice between an intelligent, highly qualified Democratic candidate with whom you might disagree on some, maybe even many, issues… and the walking embodiment of stupidity, hatred and narcissism that has been propped up by the proudly ignorant and vocally racist arm of a flop-sweating Republican party desperately trying to Final Girl it’s way past the monster it has birthed. 

That’s your choice. 

When you know there really is no choice: 

Welcome to the Light Side, we have cookies Sanity. 

Go vote. 

Book Review: Breakout, by Ann Aguirre

Breakout (book three of the Dred Chronicles trilogy by Anne Aguirre) picks up pretty much right where book 2, Havoc, ended and, in keeping with the rest of the series, is pretty much action-packed all the way through.

Our heroes (Can you refer to a group of murderous convicts as heroes? In this series, yes, yes you can.) are in dire peril from page one and the tension barely lets up *at all* until at least ¾ of the way through the book. That last ¼ is largely epilogue-ish and that is completely okay with me. Readers *needed* that well-paced resolution and closure after going through so much physical and emotional trauma with these characters.

And these characters. I love them. People: She made me love hardened killers. What else is there to say about how great this series is?

If you’ve already read Perdition and Havoc, I can’t imagine any reason you wouldn’t be picking up Breakout and, like me, devouring it as soon as possible. 

But for anyone who hasn’t started the series yet … if you’re into action-packed (violent) Space Opera with thought-provoking subtext on human nature and peppered with dark humor and unexpected turns … The Dred Chronicles will satisfy.

via Tumblr http://bit.ly/1Jy5et8

More books for the to-read mountain. I might have an addiction.

More books for the to-read mountain. I might have an addiction.

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1nOr8iZ

It’s possible my “To Read” pile might be...

It’s possible my “To Read” pile might be getting a tad out of control. #ReadAllTheBooks!

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1iwhJ7F

Book Review: The Republic of Thieves (Gentleman Bastards #3) by Scott Lynch

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I love this series. I cannot say enough good things about the characters and world building, the tone and pacing, the plot and prose. That said, this may be my least favorite book so far in the series - and yet it had some of my favorite moments in the series, as well. Oh, I know, that sounds contradictory. And maybe it is. Lemme ‘splain.



First, if you’ve read the first two Gentleman Bastards books (and if you haven’t, for gods’s sake, don’t try to start the series with book 3! That’s just uncivilized in general and in this specific case would be a tragic disservice to yourself as a reader.) Ahem, as I was saying, if you’ve read the first two books, you know that the storytelling pattern here is two timelines unfolding at once: The “Now” timeline, juxtaposed with interludes from the “Past”: Locke’s (and Jean’s and Sabetha’s) childhood years.



In the “Now” timeline of this installment, we have The Heist Plot and The Relationship Plot - it’s up for debate as to whether the heist is the “Plot” and the Relationship is the “SubPlot”. I, personally, think of them the other way ‘round.



In the “Past” timeline, the interludes unveiled a “Past Heist” and “Past Relationship” plots as well. Through all three of his books, Mr. Lynch does a terrific job of pacing the reveals and twists and turns of each timeline and each plot with excellent timing so that the unfolding stories complement in a most satisfying manner.



In Republic of Thieves, though, I found something lacking in the The Heist of the “Now” timeline. This was somewhat disappointing considering how fantastic The Heist plots were in the previous two books. This one just fell flat in several areas, including a huge overall “huh?” factor when it came to the motivation of the “Clients”. There were a few fantastic signature “Gentlemen Bastard” moments, though, that mostly made up for the overall “meh” I felt about The Heist.



But if The Heist Plot left something wanting, The “Now” Relationship Plot and the plot/subplot of the “Past” Interludes more than made up for it. Maybe it has something two do with the two books’ worth of teasing, (You are slightly evil, Mr. Lynch. Anyone ever tell you that?) but I was so full of antici … pation about finally “meeting” Sabetha and seeing her and Locke together that I was actually afraid the reality could not live up to the hype. But it did. I love these characters together - past and present - and I cannot wait to see how The Relationship unfolds as The Heists continue in the next books.



Trying to stay spoiler-free and not give away a bit of a “twist” toward the end of the book, I will say that Lynch introduced a new and pretty much un-foreshadowed element in this third installment of Locke’s story (Yes, I ADORE Jean and Sabetha, but let’s be honest, this is Locke’s story.) that I’m not entirely sure I am going to like. But this author has more than earned the benefit of my doubt and I will be very interested to see where the next book takes my favorite Gentlemen Bastards.



View all my reviews

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1c2wClI