CincyKris

Klingon?!!

He could be an MMA champion! He could make a fortune.

I think the most intriguing aspect of this chapter is the potential superhero powers Jamie has acquired. He ran 8 miles in 20 minutes! He's going to need to get his job back to afford his new eating habits.

Ok, I'm satisfied by the explanation. Skye reminds me of a TV commercial shown here in America. The first-time mom makes everyone, including grandmas, use hand sanitizer before touching the baby. Next scene is at a mechanics shop, the first kid is holding her hand, the second is in a stroller, the third is in her arms. When her phone rings she foists the baby into the grimy, greasy hands of the mechanic and says hold this. No clue what they were selling, but I guarantee the writer was a parent! I forgot to mention Tyron and Jackson, AKA his number one fan. I think bringing a teen/young adult perspective is a great idea for his YouTube channel, since that is a huge target audience. Does he make money from this?

I'm going to give Skye a pass on the neurotic first-time mother behavior. Most young first-time moms are the same way, by her second (definitely by her third if it happens), she will be over it. I can understand Chris losing contact while he was in the US. But I still don't understand why he didn't contact his long-time best friend when he got back. He was only gone for two years. Also their parents are close and were never out of contact with each other. If my best friend just disappeared, I would go through the parents to get some info. I accept this is an inconsistency I will just have to live with because I enjoy this story too much to stop reading Due to a relatively small issue. I liked the scene with Beau and Jamie.

We are starting to see the differences in these two somewhat inexperienced men, just as they are learning about each other. Keith is beginning to feel more comfortable with the idea of coming out, which is a huge step for him. I like that they have different interests and viewpoints, but are coming together to share themselves. They feel like real people.

I read this at work at lunch but did not have time to comment. I thought about it off and on this afternoon. Felicity is soooo right, Ashlee desperately needs therapy. She is a good person at heart, hell all these girls are. But her OCD is debilitating her life. I can see why she has allowed it to go untreated, it probably helps in her profession and while she was in school. But she will never have successful relationships, either romantic or friendship, while her disorder runs rampant. As for her request for Felicity to go off meds, basically turning her back in to a man, just so she can be provided a baby, holy shitballs! This makes Sarah's insensitive comment to "try a man" pale by comparison. Ashlee, at this point in her life, is the last person who should be a parent (another human to control)! Felicity might benefit greatly from a trip home to her awesome parents. Sarah reminds me of several people I knew at college. She loves to party, gets bailed out because she's a good talker and/or pretty, and skates through life just barely making it. I have hope that she can turn it around. She needs an attitude adjustment, not a bunch of drastic changes all listed out in multicolored ink! Maybe Jeff will be the impetus for her choice to change. Uyen just needs to get laid!

Hopefully Dave will live and the guys will be stronger as mates. I feel pretty confident that Mark will be back at some point. Theodore seems pretty powerful for a dead guy, I'd hate to see what he could do as a living human on earth! I'd be feeling awfully vulnerable if I were Clara.

Whether you are a fan of Pern, or even of fantasy, you will find a wonderful, exciting, heartfelt, and fun adventure. Sadly, Mawgrim has passed on and we will no longer be the beneficiaries of his great writing. The characters are complex, the writing is superb, and this has one of the most fantastically hated villains I have read.

Kieran has Harris in his network now, so they will begin delving into the inner workings of the baddies. Hopefully Ranevargar will help Kieran handle the ick factor. It sounds like they will need to make a trip to Canberra. They will have to figure out how to avoid exposing their talents, as they are going to need them to sway the compromised government officials. I'm looking forward to the trip to the realms, the newbies are going to be astounded!

I laughed at the Americans who came all the way to Europe to stay in big luxury hotels and eat steaks and hamburgers. Be assured that not all Americans are like this! We have so much variety in styles of food in different parts of the US, I always try to sample the local cuisine. When in Florida, eat fresh seafood, save the hamburger for the drive home from the airport! I'm happy that Owain and Colin are immersing themselves into their holiday. And that they are slowly but surely making plans for the future.

The comment from @weinerdog caused me to look at Kenji's first appearance in I Hate This Town. “Can I help you?” Alec asked, hand still on the door. He was ready to slam it if this guy ended up being some kind of freak. Although, he didn’t look like one. He was wearing a suit, plain black with a black undershirt and a black damask tie. “My apologies. I must have the wrong room. I was under the impression that someone else was staying here.” He said. His voice was flat and Alec frowned softly. The guy was the same height, but Alec found him intimidating. He made Alec feel much smaller than 5’11”. He felt like he was a foot tall. “Ken?” Alec turned and both he and the stranger’s eyes fell on River, wrapped up in a black robe, “What are you doing here?” Alec turned back to the man whose eyes flicked down River’s body and then back to Alec, appraising, “This is the correct room then.” “What are you doing here?” River asked again, eyes wide in confusion. So “Person A” had randomly shown up. He’d obviously come without asking River, given his friend’s shocked expression. That didn’t sit right with him. Alec’s eyes narrowed, “Listen, if you’re some kind of stalker or something, I’ll break your kneecaps.” The man’s expression shifted subtly and he ran his fingers over carefully styled and gelled, jet-black hair, “Kenji Shinoda.” Alec raised an eyebrow. Nothing else. Kenji? Ken. Kenji. So suspicion confirmed. Alec shifted a bit and looked between the two. He almost had a heart attack when he realized that River was blushing. Blushing. River never blushed. He was confident and always seemed to be sure of himself in every situation. Alec looked back at the man still standing in the doorway. His eyes were so dark and there was a very thin scar that lined his right cheekbone. There were silver rings on his fingers and that was it. He was very simply dressed, his hair and appearance neat and perfect. There was something in his eyes though that sent a chill down Alec’s spine. I agree that it seems Alec did not know anything about Kenji until he went to Iowa. And the trip to Iowa by Kenji was a surprise to River.

Very often the best villains are complex, they usually have or had some good qualities. Most of the purely evil villains I have read are not that complex or well written. But Mawgrim has created a despicable, villainous character universally hated that is very well written. I will give no spoilers, but have to say that this story is made more entertaining by this awesomely evil character. The comments are almost as good as the story, particularly those from @drsawzall.

I agree 100% with the above comments. Their communication was right where it needed to be. As for comments by @Summerabbacat, my priority list would be food, nature, and architecture. And A Room With a View is one of my favorites, the book was fantastic also.

Truer words have never been spoken: D’gar found himself taking a dislike to the man, even though they’d only just met. He hoped that he was wrong, but he didn’t think they were going to have anything close to a good working relationship. F'drun is one of the most detestable villains I have read. We are in for a fun ride!

I've been rereading the Pern series, in order of occurrence rather than posting date. It's a different read now that I know and care about D'gar so much. I'm saddened over the passing of @Mawgrim, and over the loss of what would have been. Herebeth would tell me the past is the past and to live in the now. Mawgrim is being missed in our community.

Woorawa performed his own completely natural magic for the delegates. This passage makes me wonder if one of our main bad guys, Harris, might be on the road to a change in attitude: "My curiosity presses me to research the local customs and history." I do have a question, is Malcolm a new character or is he Benton?

Keith started the day with his usual anxiety, experienced a little fuzziness in the middle (due to the ale), and finished with a pleasant and new experience admiring the church and music. And most importantly, he didn’t get caught! This was a nice chapter that shows Keith both strengthening his friendship with Bart and Greg, and giving him exposure to more than his previous small world. He is an unintentional “Eliza Doolittle” to Greg and Bart’s Henry Higgins.

@Demiurge, it was a hard fought battle. You finally made me love the brat!

Even some rather testy comments regarding Kalian?

I'm of two minds on Colin's mother's slow change in thinking. It is good for Colin and Owain, as well as good for Annalise and her girls (and bad for Miles 😈). However, i suspect the reason for her change of opinion is entirely selfish. Miles sucks at handiwork and gardening, so the Queen has no choice if she wants Colin to do her chores for her. My 76 year old mother would run circles around her. But, if it makes Colin's life easier and happier, it is a good thing.

Ok, if any of you haven't read I Hate This Town, you really need to! I appreciated that River was so introspective and thoughtful in the first part of the chapter, I hope he expresses his thanks to his friends. I think I might have touched on this in comments on I Hate This Town, but I appreciate that you make me care about characters that are outside my normal preferences. It is due to your humor and how well written and fleshed out your characters are. I'm looking forward to River and Kenji's next meeting.

Their trip is off to a great start, other than Nonna's health. One thing that is bugging me still is how Chris and Michael completely lost contact in this modern age. Did Chris lose contact with his own parents also? If not, why didn't Michael just go through the parents to get a hold of Chris?

I’m hoping for Keith’s sake that Thomas is not too good to be true, as @drsawzall mentioned. I had the same thought. He really needs another likeminded friend, especially one who could potentially be more than a friend.

It was Owain's and Mhairi's grandfather that lost the company their great grandfather made successful. Their father supposedly wanted nothing to do with the company or any leftover money due to his religious beliefs. I think, but am not sure, that all the money they will receive comes from the trust set up by their grandmother.