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Best Books I've Read 2021

12/31/2021

As I am sure you would all agree, 2021 was a very hard year and I, for one, am happy to see it go. Please take Covid with you, 2021!

In a year where we have been mostly isolating at home, books have become a sanity saver and means of escape for me.

My list of favourite books this year are a mixture of old and new books and authors in various genres.

For Indie Authors:

Zachry Wheeler's The IMMORTAL WAKE Trilogy, which will stay with you long after you have read the last page. It begins with TRANSIENT.

For Science Fiction:

I liked AGENCY by WIlliam Gibson, which is a sequel to PERIPHERAL. I always look to William Gibson for wonderfully new, original ideas. As the creator of the concept of cyberspace in his book NEUROMANCER, Gibson has been leading us in new directions for a very long time. I have started HAIL MARY by Andy Weir but got bogged down in the math. *sigh*

For Fantasy:

THE WISDOM OF CROWDS by Joe Abercrombie. I love Lord Grimdark. Others may disagree, but I see his books as a satire of our times.

For Historical Fiction:

I really enjoyed the trilogy about Thomas Cromwell by Hilary Mantel which includes WOLF HALL, BRING UP THE DEAD, and THE MIRROR AND THE LIGHT. An excellent work about a harrowing time in England's history.

For General Fiction:

FIVE LITTLE INDIANS: A NOVEL by Michelle Good about five children who survived the residential schools of Canada and the trauma they endured. A must-read.

I finally got around to reading 419 by Will Ferguson and it was chilling, heartbreaking, tragic, and unfortunately very real. Recommended reading for everyone.

HOW TO PRONOUNCE KNIFE by Souvankham Thammavongsa is a wonderful collection of stories.

For Memoir:

THE WOO-WOO by Lindsay Wong. Not new to this year, but a great read!

Best Novel I have read in the last ten years:

A LITTLE LIFE by Hanya Yanagihara. It has been a few years but it still haunts me. (I am starting SHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stuart and I am being told that it is in the same category as A LITTLE LIFE. I better get my Kleenex box ready.)

I would love to hear your book recommendations. Please share your favourite reads!

Happy New Year!

S.E.

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SAVING GRACE NOW ON SALE!

12/22/2021

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WHEN AN ANDROID SCREAMS IN SPACE, WHO WILL LISTEN?

Cryopods containing dead Planetary Explorers arrive at the Nelson Mandela Premier Medical Space Station to be studied, to determine their cause of death. They are taken to the Quarantine Level, as per protocol. It falls to Dr. Hiro Al-Fadi and Dr. Grace Lord to examine the first explorer. Unwittingly, they unleash an alien entity that takes possession of a female Explorer, who begins to tear the station apart, piece by piece. Bud tries to stop the deadly alien, but will not kill her, as she is a human . . . until he falls. To prevent the alien from getting off of the Nelson Mandela to reek havoc across the galaxy, the crew must evacuate the station and destroy it. Can Grace Lord save the day?

'Saving Grace is a wonderful continuation of The Grace Lord Series. It is chockfull of intrigue, drama, and humour, all of which are beautifully balanced to create a compelling story. Sasaki has a knack for shaping cool visuals, from delicate medical procedures to epic station battles. It’s an easy recommendation, both for the latest book and the series as a whole.'--Zachry Wheeler, author of The Immortal Wake trilogy.

To read the complete review by Zachry Wheeler, click the link below:

https://www.zachrywheeler.com/zeedub-reviews-saving-grace-the-grace-lord-series-4-by-s-e-sasaki/

It has been a long time coming, this fourth book of The Grace Lord series, SAVING GRACE, and it has gone through a few rewrites (during the pandemic). My workload at the hospital during Covid became exhausting as the shut down of elective surgical cases led to many operations being performed on the emergency call list and operating all through the night. Now as Omicron, the new variant, raises its ugly head, I feel like were are all living on the Nelson Mandela, living my stories in real time. I hope SAVING GRACE makes you laugh or puts a smile on your face and makes you cheer in these desolate times.

All the best,

S.E.

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Coup D'Etat

1/10/2021

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Watching the events transpire in real time on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., I sat with my mouth hanging open. I could not believe my eyes. People urged on by President Trump were attacking the Capitol Building to disrupt the acceptance of the electoral votes that would affirm Joe Biden as the next president, in accordance with how the people of the United States had voted. Not only did Trump lie to the people, telling them he had won by a landslide and his presidency was being stolen from him, but he was telling them to go down the street and use strength to overturn what was transpiring within the Capitol Building. Rioters began storming through barricades against weaponless resistance, breaking windows, overwhelming guards, and running through hallowed halls carrying Trump flags and banners, doing damage, desecrating property, and terrifying the lawmakers and staff within. It was a horrifying sight and broke my heart, but what struck me was the belief of these rioters that they were the patriots, responding to a call from their President.

What I was watching was an actual coup d’état unfolding before my very eyes. One believes these events occur in other countries, not Canada or the United States, where we uphold democracy. I was dumbfounded, shocked, disbelieving. Where were the guards? Where was the security? How could these people just run up to the front door of the US Capitol Building, virtually unopposed, and begin smashing windows with impunity?

It brought my mind back to the research I have been doing on my new book, provisionally titled A Good Japanese Wife, in which two different coup attempts occurred in Japan at the time of the Second World War. In the first coup attempt, an ultranationalistic group wanted to force Japan to go to war and attempted to take over the Imperial Palace and the government buildings to pressure the government. Two former prime ministers were killed and other government officials but the acting prime minister survived and the rebellion was quelled.

The second coup attempt occurred at the time of Japan’s surrender to the Allies, when rebellious Imperial Army officers refused to admit defeat and stormed the government building to try and prevent the Emperor’s taped surrender speech from being broadcast. They almost succeeded but the prime minister hid in the basement of the building with the tape and was not discovered. After the rebellious officers were captured, the speech was played to end WWII.

To see a coup d’état play out on live television before my eyes made me realize just how tenuous democracy can be, how easily people can be swayed by charismatic sociopaths and propaganda, and how important it is to guard and uphold the truth. The rioters on January 6th had been lied to by their President. They are being charged and arrested but the person who instigated the riot, the insurrection, the attempted coup, still walks free. That hardly seems fair.

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Book Launch/Reading October 18

11/2/2015

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Today, I am to read from Welcome to the Madhouse in public, for the first time.

I am a nervous wreck. Too bad it did not take my appetite away - at least something good would come out of this - but no . . . Appetite, unfortunately, is just fine! :(

I do not quite know when it became necessary for writers to read in public. I always thought writers were a shy, reclusive bunch . . . like me. Why else would one need to write, after all? If one was outgoing, talkative, exuberant, and extroverted, why waste time writing by oneself in a lonely room?

Now, however, a writer is expected to read in front of an audience. I have heard other authors say amongst themselves, 'this author is a terrible reader' or 'that author gives a good reading'. Now we not only have to perform, but other authors rate our readings, good or bad. I know which category I am going to fall into!

I used to read to my children when they were very young. I used to make up all of the voices. Try making up a different voice for every character in Harry Potter. It's not easy to do! But my children are now aged 24 and soon to be 26 years old. I am WAAAAYYY out of practice.

I have never liked the sound of my voice. Whenever I have heard it on playback messages or speaker phone, I cringe. Do you poor people have to listen to that, every time I open my mouth? Poor You! Nasal, flat, monotone,boring. In my mind, when I am writing, I have such a funny, provocative voice in my head. Why couldn't it do the reading?

People want to hear the author do the reading. Not someone else. Why? I could hire someone with a great speaking voice! It would be a more pleasant experience! What is this phenomenon called 'Author Reading'. I went and heard Margaret Atwood read at Erin Mills one year. I love Margaret Atwood's books. I did not care for her voice. Why should I? She's a writer, not an actress!

Thank goodness no one is paying to hear me read! They would want their money back! I am practicing but all I seem to do is practice the same mistakes over and over. I should have read the entire book out loud before I published it . . . or at least the first chapter!

Oh well. Please wish me luck, or is it, 'Break a leg'. Preferably before the reading at five pm. tonight so I won't have to make a fool of myself. They say doing things that frighten you, builds character. I think I'd rather eat a worm.

Here goes. Ahem. AHEM. . . bleep

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Best Books I've Read 2021

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