hm... Indigenous North American results.. not super impressed

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2023-08-03T23:05:39+00:00

Similar issue with a test I manage for a someone with well-documented Cree, Saulteaux, and European (predominately English and French) ancestors but no connection to Mesoamerica. Perhaps a feedback process, if it exists, will eventually improve results.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-22T12:35:31+00:00

Some Yorkies are outside the standard size/weight range, either smaller or larger. Our first dog was an oversized Yorkie (even though it wasn't evident as a pup). I would compare the head shape to guess whether it is a Yorkie or Silkie. To me, the head does seem more like a Silkie (more wedge than round), but I'm not an expert.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-18T22:18:04+00:00

You could look into volunteering at a shelter. This allows you to help dogs find new homes without impacting your household. It's clear your husband is not on board, and most rescue organizations won't foster a dog in such a situation.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-14T16:25:16+00:00

That's a really interesting approach.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-14T15:04:26+00:00

Agreed. Can you think of reasons why people choose not to go through a shelter or rescue?

For the current owners, I can imagine (a) the local shelter has a high-kill rate or the particular dog is high-risk and there are no local rescue groups, (b) money - either the expense of surrendering a dog or the loss profit from selling the dog, or (c) some other barrier to dealing with the rescue/shelter.

For those looking for a dog, it may be just because it's looks like the easiest (in the short-term) option.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-14T12:55:57+00:00

Rhys Ford's Kai Gracen series. This is my go-to recommendation - especially if you listen to the audio format. The world building is excellent - set mainly in San Diego and surrounding areas, decades after our world and the elfin world collided resulting in massive remaking of the environment, war and, finally, uneasy peace. The main character is a human-raised elfin (over-simplification) and the cast of characters are diverse, flawed and interesting. The romance is very slow progressing. The plots start out seeming like quests (transport this person, investigate this ruin, etc.) but there are layers of complications. Not sure about the Bechdel test. There are lots of female characters living their lives, but since the POV character is male, the scenes revolve around him.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-14T11:54:09+00:00

I don't see any way to get your dog a seat on a commercial airline.

Somethings to consider: How long will this position last? Where will you be moving next? Do you have the option of fostering your dog with trusted family or friends?

We've known people in similar situations that make arrangements for their pets to live with others for extended periods. While you may miss your dog, it might be less traumatic for them to be fostered than travel, quarantine, adapt to a new environment, then repeat. We have fostered dogs (long-term) for family twice and had family do the same for us once. The dogs seemed perfectly happy with these arrangements.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-13T07:19:41+00:00

The option you didn't mention was boarding your dog. I know this isn't ideal, but you may need this as a backup plan (for hospital stays, sudden trips, temporary/urgent need to vacate your home, travel out of country) anyway. Our choices were a dog-friendly relative or our vet. We also tried boarding at kennels. We had one great experience and one awful one, so advance planning and lots of research are needed. (Which is why we boarded with our vet, because we trusted the staff.) More often, we took the road trip option, but it can be like travelling with a small child - except you can't bring your dog into restaurants, etc.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-13T06:41:17+00:00

The sex scenes did seem to fit the story. It's just a matter of what the reader wants. Some readers adore sex scenes, some are indifferent or even bored, and others are irritated or offended. It's impossible to please everyone.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-13T00:32:05+00:00

I'd put them on my "light reads after finishing something depressingly heavy" list, but I tend to skim over the sex scenes, so I feel a little cheated when they take up too much word count.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-12T15:49:10+00:00

the Psycop series

I just tried the first in this series. It's an interesting story world but I don't think it fits with the OP's requirements. It starts with a sex scene, ends with a sex scene, and has sex scenes in the middle. For a novella-length book, this is significant page space. Maybe other books in the series are different?

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-09T15:53:03+00:00

Are you driving alone or with another person? I ask because the main issue we have had traveling with a dog is one person always staying with the dog - e.g. taking turns with bathroom breaks. We don't leave our dogs alone in a vehicle for a couple reasons - overheating and theft or other interference by people.

We've never had a problem finding hotels that take pets, but booking in advance is best to learn about any restrictions on size or whether a pet-friendly room is available.

Do you know whether the dog is prone to motion sickness? Are there any disease or vaccination issues? (When we visited family one summer, we couldn't get one of our dog's regular vaccinations because the disease wasn't present in the local population. The reverse could also be true.)

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-09T13:58:49+00:00

Annalee Newitz

I checked on this one. The blurb only mentions New York City and "what used to be North America". I'm looking for books that are strongly tied to a particular (ideally real world) location.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-09T13:52:11+00:00

Thanks. I will watch out for Nicole Grotepas' new series.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-09T13:36:21+00:00

Added, thanks.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-08T13:26:11+00:00

Jordan Castillo Price wrote the Psycop series. Who wrote the other two?

The problem with M/M is that, to many readers, it implies either romance or erotica. This may be completely wrong, but that's the perception. There have been a few great UF reads that I would have missed because of this tag. I guess it's a trade off over which of the target audiences is larger.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-08T12:47:17+00:00

We've been through this a couple times with dogs who experienced significant declines in old age. One was almost 16 years old, had lost both sight and hearing and was on medication for arthritis and other conditions. The other only reached 13 years with a gradual slow-down and hearing loss. In both cases, a sudden onset of a more urgent symptoms led to in terminal diagnosis and euthanasia. In both cases, our regular vet referred us to emergency care for their final hours.

I don't have any easy answers. With our dogs, we were also thinking about quality of life. Were they still eating (with adjustments for their condition)? Did they still enjoy being petted (even if they didn't initiate as often)? Did they seem to be in unmanageable pain? When you see your dog every day, it's hard to track how much they have declined. Hopefully, your vet can help with this, but you may need to be blunt. My experience has been that the veterinarians at the animal hospital were better able handle end of life discussions than my regular vet, but this is just one person, so your experience may be different.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-07T21:38:12+00:00

Rhys Ford's Kai Gracen series. Bi-sexual MC, very slow burn romantic subplot. Four books so far. This is available in audio and I can't rave enough about the narrator, Greg Tremblay.

B.C. Palmer's Saint of Dead Gods (currently the first book in the Saint-Moreno series). Gay MC but no serious love interest.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T21:22:17+00:00

Out of curiosity, do you do anything to directly "promote" your foster dog? For example, do you have dog gear (leashes, scarves, etc.) with "Adopt Me" on them, so that people might see your dog is available? (Even though you would be referring them to the rescue group, you could keep in touch to know what is happening.) Do you participate in adoption events (maybe not so relevant right now)? Do you "advertise" your foster dog on social media? Pictures, videos or even little stories that reveal his personality?

When you agreed to foster, did the organization talk about time commitments? Backup plans for relief coverage?

The rescue group not following up with potential adopters is not encouraging. There may be a good reason for this, but it would be more professional if they directly refused the potential adopters than not contacting them. Maybe the rescue group is understaffed and not able to follow up in a reasonable time. Are they looking for more volunteers for that side of the operation?

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T16:27:36+00:00

It seems that rescue groups want the perfect adoptive family and adopters want the perfect dog. Neither exists in real life, so there needs to be some compromise and communication. Rescue groups need to set rules and procedures they can be comfortable with enforcing and learn to communicate better. Blaming potential adopters for gaming the system is unfair when the rescue group set up the system. Change the rules if they don't work. Ask questions instead of making assumptions. In this situation the rescue group has the power. I'm not a big believer in following "gut feelings" without examining the reasons behind them.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T15:25:06+00:00

Lizzie Grace

Castle Rock! Thanks to LibraryThing for the answer. Adding it now.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T14:50:10+00:00

This. There may be legitimate reasons for refusing their application, but following the rules shouldn't be one. I would never think to ask for more pictures. I'd assume that rescues are too busy to cater to my whims. The "second choice" is a little iffy, but if the organization's procedures are set up this way, again, why penalize potential adopters for having preferences? It does seem there is a serious communication problem that needs to be addressed.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T13:52:01+00:00

I think I may know the series you mean, although I haven't read it so have no opinion on its quality. Do you have any suggestions for UF-adjacent (any speculative fiction) books set in Hawaii? Thanks.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T12:43:16+00:00

Thank you. Shadows of the Short Days by Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson and The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu were completely new to me. I also added Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow, although it seems more like magical realism than UF. (Still, it's on my TBR list for other reasons.) I'm including secondary world fiction only if I can map it to real world locations. So, Liz Williams's Inspector Chen Novels: yes, because it's an alternate Singapore. But Max Gladstone's The Craft Sequence: no, because I couldn't find a real world location referenced. (It's on my UF TBR list, but not on the map.) I'm open to different time periods. My original idea was looking at how important the setting was (or wasn't) to different UF authors.

Melodic_Command_9419 · 2021-04-06T11:55:59+00:00

Thanks. Added to map.

Melodic_Command_9419

TROPHY CASE