Family Wedding

Our nephew Brandon got married June 14 in Placerville, California. He is the third-oldest Hammer grandchild. The first two are married, and the fourth just announced her engagement. (Grandchild #5 is Deven.)

Placerville is about 45 minutes away from Glenn’s parents’ house, so most of the family gathered there. We left Salt Lake Tuesday evening, leaving Deven with the smaller car. We spent the night at the Comfort Inn in Elko, Nevada, which is the best-kept secret about Nevada travel. We went swimming when we got there and had a full breakfast in the morning. It was so much nicer to break up the trip like that.

The wedding was outdoors, and it was really hot. Corin wasn’t feeling well (because he didn’t eat dinner and then couldn’t sneak any midnight snacks and was getting too hungry.) So he just lay on the grass for the ceremony. He felt better after having some Sprite later.

The bridesmaids had picked had nice, cool dresses, but the poor guys were all dying in tuxes. Brandon’s niece (my grandniece) was the flower girl, and it was TOO CUTE. The officiator came across as very sincere and joyful and did a nice job. The recessional music (whatever you call it) was from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack; awesome.

Right after the ceremony we got to go inside and have hor’dourves while the couple had pictures taken. From there we went into dinner, where we had table assignments. We had Ben Hveem assigned to us. 

The MC introduced the wedding party and then announced the prayer: “And now the prayer on the food will be given by Glenn Hammer! Come on down!” Glenn’s dad had this curious look on his face, and we knew exactly what he was thinking: Would there be applause after the prayer? (There wasn’t.) There was a lot of good food. Dinner was followed immediately by dancing and cake and other wedding traditions. They had a cheesecake with chocolate-covered strawberries; it was so good.

These photos were taken by Shelby Mousley; they came out much better than mine.

full wedding party

ceremony

Elizabeth (Glenn's sister), Brandon, Sydney, David Hveem

the whole Hammer clan who came

nephew Brandon and new niece Syndey

Deven and the DMV

Monday morning (June 4) Deven had an appointment at the DMV. (They call it something else in Utah; DLD?) He was trying to get a road test appointment, but the website was pretty vague on what the appointments were for. 

It turned out that you can’t schedule road tests online, so Deven (and therefore me) had to wait in line to schedule a road test. Even though it was the express line, it took nearly an hour. The DMV has only one tester, so the next available road test appointment was July 16. Ah, DMV. How you never fail to live up to your reputation. 

Deven ended up looking at third-party testers and got a road test appointment for Saturday. After camping overnight Friday, I went to the church with Deven and practiced parallel parking for an hour or so. We’ve been doing this regularly for a while now. He can finally do it most of the time now. 

At 2:30 was his road test appointment at a third-party company. They were running an hour behind, though. I went back to the car to get my book but couldn’t find it, so I figured I’d left it at home. So I spent over an hour playing games on the iPad. Deven passed his road test, and we went back home. I found my book in the passenger door of the car—it was there the whole time. What a waste! I also left my new visor at the testing place and didn’t have a chance to go get it yet.

But it wasn’t over yet. We were going out of town the following Tuesday, so Deven needed his license before then if he wanted to drive to work. I was stuck driving to Scout Camp Monday (and Tuesday), so I had to drop off Deven at the DMV on the way to the camp. There, he could show them his road test certificate and get his actual license. He took the bus home—his first time ever on public transportation. It costs $2.50 for a one-way bus trip. Talk about highway robbery. 

I spent the day at camp and assumed Deven made it home safely. So we went out of town, and he got to drive the Saturn Ion to work in the meantime. When we got back, I returned to the driving school and got my visor back. It was sitting on the front desk with no one around, so I just took it.

Deven driving my car (the Toyota Sienna) by himself is the most terrifying parenting experience ever. Really.

May Books

 Together at Midnight by Jennifer Castle
I’m stepping away from my usual genre to buddy read this. It’s YA and short and sweet but not really fluffy. The characters definitely act their ages. The immaturity put me off at first, but I got used to it, and I am tired of seeing supposed 17-year-olds acting like their 30.

It’s first person present tense (ugh!) with a lot of shifting POVs. I couldn’t keep track of whose mind I was in after a while; it got too tiring to keep track. The main characters, Max and Kendall, decide to overcome Bystander Syndrome (after seeing an accident) by performing random acts of kindness in New York City, of all places. After each act, we get a POV from the person helped and glimpse their lives. I would have liked to see more of these people, to see a chain reaction that maybe went back to the person in the accident. (That’s how I’d have written it.) But it’s still fun and heart-warming and provides a great message.

There’s some occasional strong language and some sexual discussions.

***

Assassin’s Apprentice (Farseer Trilogy #1) by Robin Hobb
This book covers the childhood of Fitz, the bastard son of a prince. He’s reminded of this ALL THE TIME, at least once a page. He never gets a real name. He gets training as an assassin as well as animal husbandry and other things. He shows some aptitude for magic, which, in this world, is basically empathic and telepathic abilities. But magic is more of a subplot; court intrigue takes center stage.

The first quarter of the book was really slow to me. The last quarter was really good: suspenseful and unpredictable. The author portrays that special friendship with animals (mostly dogs and horses) very well. Just be warned that NOT ALL ANIMALS SURVIVE this book.

Characterization, world-building, and plot are all excellently done. It comes across as totally believable. The writing is top quality, but it’s a bit too formal for my taste. At times I was full engrossed in the book, but there were plenty of times I just wanted to set it aside. It’s an it’s-not-the-book-it’s-me kind of issue.

***

The Ghost Brigades (Old Man’s War #2) by John Scalzi
I am really enjoying Scalzi’s books; his contribution to science fiction has been great.

This is the sequel to Old Man’s War, but it’s not necessary to read that one first. The only character from that book that appears here is Jane. You will get spoilers for the first book, and the first book describes the aliens more. The humor is not quite so prevalent here.

Science fiction is a great way to explore questions about the human condition without getting boring or preachy. Our main character, Jared, is a great example of this. He’s a great character and really carries the book the whole way through.

All the characters were well done. The plot was constructed well; pacing was good; there was a good balance of action and down time. Scalzi uses speaker tags on every single line of dialogue. I wouldn’t have noticed if someone else hadn’t pointed it out, but I can see it annoying some readers, especially on audio.

There’s some moderate strong language (mostly depending on which character is talking). Editing is mostly fine except for some odd comma placement.

***

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
This conclusion to the Illuminae Files trilogy is a nice wrap-up to the story but is not as interesting or surprising as the previous two. For the most part, it’s recycled material.

We have another ex-couple thrown together for survivor, this time back on the Kerenza colony. AIDAN’s trustworthiness is questioned. There’s a countdown. People who are supposedly dead don’t stay dead. (After how often this has happened before, we’re not buying any reported “deaths” anymore as readers.)

The book splits the time between the Kerenza survivors and the Hypatia/Heimdall survivors heading back there. Most of it is just filler until the big showdown with Bei-Tech at the end. The vast majority of files are transcriptions of Analyst ID xxxx0089, which got very monotonous after a while. With so many characters now, each gets very little screen time.

We see how the Illuminae Files got put together, and it’s implied who the analysts are but never actually stated for sure. (I suspect Isaac Grant is the one who censored the swearing.)

I was hoping to find out the real reason for the Kerenza attack, but it turns out it’s … nothing. They just wanted to take over the illegal mining operation for themselves. Destroying the colony seems like overkill in that case. While the first book had space zombies and the second had psychotropic worms, this one had nothing. No little elements to make it special.

It’s certainly not a bad book. And the audio production is awesome. It’s just the weakest of the set. This is the ending:

***

Something Wicked This Way Comes (Green Town #2) by Ray Bradbury
I read this thirty years ago, when I was younger than the book’s main characters. A lot I didn’t remember, and a lot went over my head at the time.

I think this story came out of the idea, “What if there was an evil carnival?” It’s nice and creepy but not like modern horror. It’s a classic tale of good vs. evil that’s imaginative and suspenseful.

The writing is excellent for the most part. The main characters, Will, Jim, and Charles, are great, and their relationships are great. Strong friendships seem hard to find in books sometimes, and father-son relationships are especially rare. Even though it takes place in the 1950s (I think), the book stays relevant because of its timeless themes.

***

Wayward (Wayward Pines #2) by Blake Crouch
This picks up shortly after the first one. Burke is walking a fine line now, being part of “the establishment” yet also one of its victims. The beginning felt a tad slow, but was more because I was impatient than any fault of the book’s. The book reveals more about how the town came to be and how it works. It covers only a few days and builds up to an exciting climax … and ends on a big cliffhanger. 

The writing is fine, and the story is a solid thriller/mystery/adventure with a touch of sci fi.

The story kind of me reminds me of that “Twilight Zone” episode (“think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts”) and “The Prisoner” (“who are the wardens and who are the prisoners?”) — it’s got that kind of feeling to it.

***

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) by N. K. Jemisin
This is really hard to rate. I generally rate in a very subjective way, according to my personal enjoyment. That would put this at about 3.5 stars, but I automatically deduct half a star for writing in present tense because it drives me bonkers.

First of all, the writing itself is a masterpiece. The world-building is phenomenal. In a hundred years, this will be known as a fantasy classic. The atmosphere and story building and tension is all there, masterfully crafted. The story follows three “orogenes” (earth magicians): Essun, Syenite, and Damaya. Essun’s part is written in second person. How did this writer manage to pull that off?? As Essun is also my EXACT age, I successfully became Essun while reading.

There’s a handy reference guide in the back, so use that, and reread the beginning once you finish.
As for simply enjoying the book, most of the reading experience was like this:



Then, about the last 150-200 pages, it turned into this:






Seeing how the plotlines converge (and you can infer a lot of symbolism if you want) is a cool experience. It’s hard to rate.

There’s child abuse/murder, which was hard to read about. There’s some strong language with moderate frequency and some sexual content. If you want diversity, that’s all here, too.

***

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor
DNF at about 26%.

I’m not feeling it right now. Maybe I’ll try again later. (That’s a probably a lie.) It’s been 4 discs, and only half a disc’s worth of story has happened. I have to admire this writer’s ability to ramble on and on and on and on about nothing. It feels like a 200-page story spread thin among 600 or whatever it is (15 discs!!).



The characters are cliches, the plot would be interesting if it weren’t buried in filler, and the writing is nothing special. I should have listened to my gut (and reviewers I trust) and not tried to bother. This will be me if I keep going:

Grandpa Hammer’s Funeral

Obituary:

Glenn Austin Hammer, born April 21, 1923, in Woodville Idaho to William Grant Hammer and Reba Elizabeth Rider, passed peacefully in the early morning hours of May 10, 2018. He considered his greatest accomplishments in life to be his marriage to his life-long sweetheart Myrtle Barlow, his six children and many descendants, his faith in Jesus Christ and the many opportunities that he had to show love and service to others.

He served his country in the Navy during World War II from 1942 to 1945 and was trained as a Radio Technician. Upon leaving the military he began farming in Vale, Oregon. His family remembers his hard work and happy attitude, often singing “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” while working in the fields. In 1964 he sold his farm and begin working as an electrician at Ore-Ida in Ontario Oregon.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Myrtle, 5 children (Glenn, Eugene, Suzanne, Mark and David), 20 grandchildren, 47 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by daughter Diane. Funeral services will be May 23 at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bluffdale, Utah. Online condolences can be made at PriceFuneralChapel.com

***

For Grandpa’s funeral, Glenn and Deven took the day off work, and all the kids stayed home from school. We went to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Bluffdale. Seventeen out of twenty grandchildren made it. A number of great-grandchildren and the two great-great-grandchildren were there. Glenn’s uncle David didn’t make it, so I’m among those who doubt his existence, still having never met him.

Glenn B. Hammer (Glenn’s dad) conducted the service. Aunt Suzanne read the eulogy, and Glenn B. called on a few others to come say a few words. I played “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” for all the men to sing; it was Grandpa’s request.

Aunt Suzanne played “He Sent His Son” while cousins Robert Fuhriman and Charles Hammer sang. They were really good! Nobody in my family can sing, so it was so weird to see. At the “conclusion” of the funeral, Glenn B. gave some closing remarks that went on for half an hour, so we were a little late for the graveside service. I signed the guest book at the end of the funeral service and almost wrote “Hammer family.” Oops; need to be more specific.

We walked down the hill a short way to the gravesite. Because Grandpa was a Navy veteran, some members of the Navy came and fired a gun salute and played Taps and folded the flag over the coffin and gave it to Grandma. It was really touching, and I’d like to publicly thank them for doing that. From there we went to another Hammer house for dinner. It was a lovely day if a bit breezy, and we just visited with relatives for a few hours.

Grandma and Grandpa and their kids (before Diane was born)

Grandma Hammer

Glenn A. Hammer, Myrtle Hammer,
and baby Glenn B. Hammer

Grandma receiving the flag

Grandsons were pallbearers

the set of Hammer cousins that stopped to take pictures

Authors: Brian McClellan – Tyler Whitesides – D.J. Butler

May 16 I went with Glenn and all the kids to The King’s English bookstore, where they left me and went to a wedding reception in North Salt Lake. (Hi, I’m Audrey, and I’m a book addict.)

I saw Tyler Whitesides and Brian McClellan. I bought Tyler’s The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn and Brian’s third book in the Powder Mage trilogy. I own the first on Kindle, and the store didn’t have the second.

The event was outside on the store’s patio. There were only about a dozen people there. Tyler and a college friend opened with a percussion duet. He was a music major. That was really interesting. Then they read from their books a little and answered questions. Sara arrived just as the signing was starting. (Everyone else was waiting in the car.) 

Brian had a short line going, so I started with Tyler to get his book signed. As the book was just released the day before, I was the very first person to get a copy of that particular book signed. I know it sounds like a simple event, yet I had a total blast. 

me with Tyler Whitesides

me with Brian McClellan

A few days later Glenn and I went to Dave Butler’s house in Provo. The Immortal Works people were there and featured a new book released by Aften Szymanski. She read the first chapter from her book and said how she really struggles with facial recognition. I do, too! I didn’t know that was a thing. I was able to talk to her about it later. I also found some fellow nerds to visit with and had a surprising amount of fun for a social event.