M.A. Kropp: Writer, Blogger, GeekGirl. My Life. My Words. My Way.
Set in an alternate England where magic exists but is controlled by the upper classes, Witchmark is the story of Miles Singer, a doctor who has magical ability but is hiding it and himself to avoid being controlled by his upper class family. In this world, those with the witchmark are either enslaved to the … Continue reading Friday Review: Witchmark by C.L. Polk
It's March now, isn't it? Seems the first part of this year is rolling along awfully quickly. But I am not complaining, since it means we are that much closer to warm weather. We've had some decent days in the past week, with more to come later in the week. Today (Sunday) is chilly and … Continue reading Marching On
Head On: A Novel of the Near Future by John Scalzi: The sport is called Hilketa. It's brutal, violent, and extremely popular. The goal is to get your opponent's head- literally- by any means possible. With a normal human body, of course, this would be impossible. But Hilketa is played by those with Haden's Syndrome, … Continue reading Friday Reviews: Two Sci-Fi Reads
We are having a heat wave! Or, at least, it almost feels that way. Temps are going to be in the high 30s to mid 40s for at least part of this week. After the extended frigid cold we've been having, this is very welcome. That also means that I should be able to get … Continue reading Okay, Not Quite Like That Picture
I have a library app that I use to keep track of my books. (I use Libib, FYI) Or I am supposed to use it to keep track of my books. I knew there were some I hadn't gotten entered into it, so I decided to go through my print and ebooks and make a … Continue reading Updating My Library
Remember last week when I said I sometimes thought it would be nice if it just snowed here? Yeah, well, it looks like Mother Nature was listening. This is what I have outside right now: Predictions are 12-18 with up to 22 inches in some areas. Be careful what you wish for, right? On a … Continue reading Maybe I Should Have Kept My Big Mouth Shut
If you watch the Food Network at all (we do- a lot!), you are probably familiar with the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten. This book is her memoir, a story of a life that wasn't always easy (even though she makes everything look like it's a breeze), and of the choices, planned and unplanned, that shaped … Continue reading Friday Review: Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
That's winter here in southern NY. We get cold weather, of course. Lately, it's been in the mid to upper-twenties. We did have a winter thaw a week or so ago when temps got up into the 40s. (That's Fahrenheit, of course) But the snow--- oh, the snow. What we get is dribbles. An inch … Continue reading Like Being Nibbled to Death by Ducks
It was another rather poor year in reading, I am sorry to say. I read a whole eleven books in 2025 (twelve if you count the one DNF). There were many reasons for the slow year, but I think one of them was a bit of burnout. As I said in this post from last … Continue reading My Year In Reading, 2025
As I have every year for the past few, I am choosing a word for my new year. It's not a resolution, as such, but more of a direction or reminder of how I would like this year to proceed. I had a list, but in the end, it was a word that I saw … Continue reading 2026 Word of the Year
And So On... 