Hail and well met, strangers! This week marked the beginning of the fabled Golden Week in Japan, a series of multiple holidays in close proximity to each other that make for a nice, long break. April 29 was Shōwa Day, and then we’ve got the rest of the holidays aligning in a way that makes it a five-day weekend: Constitution Day, Greenery Day, and Children’s Day, all paired with Saturday and Sunday. And this transplanted American will be doing what everyone should be doing during this holiday season– staying home. I’m not sad about it, actually. I have let my house explode upon itself due to stress and lack of energy, so I will be performing the most massive spring cleaning I’ve ever undertaken. Wish me luck, and let’s get cracking with the Weekly Roundup!
Monday
This week our special guest in the house of MFT is Jeff Young, and we’re thrilled to share his Kickstarter with eSpec Books to publish his short story collection! So what are the favorites that bring Jeff joy? How about a classic historical faire worthy of Henry VIII; a feast for the science fiction and fantasy soul; books worthy of sharing with others; and a vast compendium of musical tastes. Intrigued? Find out more here.
Tuesday
Kelly reviews one of Robin McKinley‘s many classics, Sunshine. McKinley is famous for her fairy tale fare, and this is a departure as she dabbles in the world of vampires, were-creatures, and demons. Will our heroine Sunshine survive these supernatural beings? Read on for more.
Wednesday
Kristina (that’s me!) continues on with her 2020 Resolution to rewatch and review two of Netflix’s greatest animated hits: Voltron: Legendary Defender and The Dragon Prince. The first half of the project focuses on Voltron, and we’re already up to Season Three, which introduces a charismatic villain who happens to be Kristina’s favorite character. Check it out!
Thursday
We’re excited to announce the next three books in the Speculative Chic Book Club, from July until September! Every month one of our intrepid contributors selects a book and hosts the discussion to talk about what works, what doesn’t, what’s memorable, what’s heart-pounding — well, you get the idea. For our next triad of awesome choices from a variety of genres, look here!
Friday
For Fiction Friday we’re delighted to share with you the award-winning Mabel the Lovelorn Dwarf from Sherry Peters, one of our very own columnists at Speculative Chic! Read an excerpt from the first chapter of the first book The Ballad of Mabel Goldenaxe series, and dive into a world where an outcast female dwarf wishes to escape her life in the emerald mines and win the heart of an elf. You can find more about the book here!
Also coming at you for Friday is a fresh reminder for May’s Book Club selection, Melissa Caruso‘s The Tethered Mage. Our regular contributor Lane will be hosting the discussion for the month, where we’ll be talking about two young women bound in magical service to an empire full of treachery and danger. Read the premise and find out more here.
Book Club
Aside from our fabulous reminder for May and introducing the next three works in our Book Club lineup, we have another gentle nudge to give you — there’s still time to participate in the April Book Club discussion of Paul Kreuger‘s Steel Crow Saga! We’re all about the magic of animals fighting alongside humans in an arena battle royale! Of course there’s so much more than that going on with the story, so click here and add to Nancy‘s conversation!
Just out of curiosity — has anyone else taken the time lately to do some major cleaning? Have any of you every Kondo’d your stuff? I would like to, but getting rid of things is a huge stressor where I live in Japan. My city has mandatory recycling (yay!) but what makes it incredibly tricky is that at the start of April, they created fifteen different sorting categories for waste disposal, and if you screw it up, you get “yellow tagged,” a sticker of shame on your garbage that tells you you need to redo it and try again for the next pickup date or else…CONSEQUENCES! Some of these items can only be recycled once a month, and a lot of stuff that would seem to be in the same category can’t actually be mixed in the same bag. So while I’m gearing up for the big spring cleaning, I’m stressing over the amount of junk I have to get rid of (including years of items left behind in the closets by previous tenants). Most of it will have to sit in my house until the right day on the garbage calendar pops up. Praaaay for meeeee because I’m about to go crazy, and we’ll see you next week!
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