Lifeboats

[Tuttle]

Initial spoiler-free thoughts.

1. Pronouns! Hae is awesome.

2. I really really like the ending. It makes me happy.

3. I like there being something that isn't all flashy, where the main characters are just cogs in the machine. The fact that they have to deal with life and death in a way they've not really thought about before, even with facing death is I think really an important point to make.

[Sean L.]

I loved it. Though, to be fair, I think I just love everything with Kit and <spoiler>. It just makes me incredibly happy. Also teary.

[Kathy Li]

Thanks guys! I'm so out of it, I didn't even know this had arrived on the scene. A very nice read, especially with the afterword by DD telling us the germination of the story. I do like the idea that she doesn't have to have the story vetted and OKed by a publisher to get it in our hands.

[Caitlin]

3. I like there being something that isn't all flashy, where the main characters are just cogs in the machine. The fact that they have to deal with life and death in a way they've not really thought about before, even with facing death is I think really an important point to make.

Yes this. All of the this. There are so many places in stories where I so wish I could just catch the characters in everyday life more than just at the beginning and end of the story. I know that's what fic is good for, but having something canon is even more wonderful. It's nice to be able to spend some time sitting with a character and getting to know 'em better, rather than flying through the pages because you want to know what Big Thing will happen next. I really hope DD keeps up with these interstitial errantries. Watching the gang at christmas (on christmas, last year even) was so wonderful. It's such a rich world, and I like getting a change to spend some time indulging in it. I think this is why I tend to television shows instead of huge movies for things- I want that everyday life, those smaller stories, dat character study.

I also loved getting some time to hang out with Kit, too. We haven't had a 100% Kit novel, so I'm down for anything which focuses on him. We spend all of our time with the Callahans when they're family decision-making, but we've had limited opportunity to do that with the Rodriguez clan (outside of Carmela, ofc). I was super stoked to get a closer glimpse into them and how they're handling Kit's errantry.

[Tuttle]

I think anything Kit feels like it makes me learn more about the universe than anything Nita. I'm not sure if its just because we've had more Nita, or because Kit does things slightly differently, in ways that end up making me have that feel, but it ends up interesting for that reason to have Kit stories as well.

Also, because they're emotionally very different, and we don't get enough of the Kit emotions.

[The White Falcon]

Given how much I hate calculus, I'm glad to see Kit does too; we seem to share a similar mental block on the subject.

I found myself laughing at least once per chapter, which is refreshing. The book dealt with a serious subject while also keeping things light, and I appreciated it for that.

Also, I think this has been brought up before, but Bobo...why do I get the feeling Nita's mom is involved somehow with that?

[Lazy Leopard]

Three things:

• Sibiks
• S'mores (Descriptions are all very well, but one of these days I'll have to find out first-hand just what these are. )
• Saltines (Clearly not Ritz crackers... Again, I guess, one day... )

Ok, so there's actually a lot more to this story than those, but if you've read it you may get my drift.

[Tuttle]

Three things:
S'mores (Descriptions are all very well, but one of these days I'll have to find out first-hand just what these are.

You've never had s'mores?! But, how can you go camping without s'mores?!

Also, everything about the sibiks is awesome.

[Lazy Leopard]

It's a geography thing. Toasting marshmallows over a campfire I've done many a time. Putting together that particular set of construction material that produces s'mores, not so often. Well, more like never. Not sure I've ever tasted a graham cracker, either.

One of the nice touches in Lifeboats is the way the differences between Ronan's and Kit, Nita, and Dairine's everyday edible(-ish) supplies plays out.

[Kathy Li]

S'mores (Descriptions are all very well, but one of these days I'll have to find out first-hand just what these are. )

Closest analog for you would probably be putting a toasted marshmallow between two milk chocolate McVitie's digestives (chocolate side in). Or maybe you could use a Cadbury's Dairy Milk instead of the Hershey's Milk Chocolate. Graham crackers, btw, are a little finer grained, maybe a smidge sweeter if we're talking honey grahams, thinner, and square vs. round, but the overall flavor and composition is very similar to digestives. Hobnobs are definitely out, though--really different consistency.

Saltines (Clearly not Ritz crackers... Again, I guess, one day... )

Yes, no clear analog to this one. Jacob's cream crackers aren't as small, thin, crispy or salty. More like Carr's table water crackers, but, well, saltier and a little less tough/chewy, and square vs. round. And OMG, one can apparently order them from amazon.co.uk at extortionate prices.

Did I ever mention I used to mail care packages to DD that contained Grade B maple syrup from Trader Joe's? And what I missed the freaking most when I was living in London back in 1990 was (I kid you not) Doritos. I'm encouraged to find you can actually get marshmallows, though. The local Tesco's near me in SW1 only had these weird pink and purple ones, and Sainsbury's didn't have any. And I was jonesing to make rice krispy treats for some bizarre reason. The things you miss when you're an expat are strange and unusual. Also the weirdest thing for me was finding out that cornstarch in the UK is called "corn flour".

[Lazy Leopard]

Also the weirdest thing for me was finding out that cornstarch in the UK is called "corn flour".

Back in the late '80s (or very early '90s) we got a new Convex computer at work, and a presenter came over from the states to teach us how to use it. Quite a few of his explanations seemed to involve corn bread recipes. He had to explain what corn bread was. A few weeks later a suspicious package arrived. It was leaking a white powder. It contained a number of packets of corn bread mix.

[SpacePen]

Try the World...

LOL, now I'm imagining a "Try the World" box from the USA. ( https://www.trytheworld.com/ ) It contains corn bread ingredients, Saltines, Graham Crackers, some Scharffen Berger dark chocolate (repeat after me: dark chocolate s'mores are MUCH MUCH BETTER than milk chocolate s'mores...)

Well, if it's YW we've got magic to preserve what's in it, so you could totally stick an animal style In'N'Out double-double in there (that's my California side talking). And turkey with stuffing and gravy and cranberry sauce.

Anything else that should go in such a box?

[Caitlin]

I'd argue there's a strong case for inclusion of proper fried chicken in the box. It's just so difficult to pick things, since the US is such a heterogeneous place, and there's such stark regional differences in foods.

Better yet, can you image "Try the Universe" boxes? Boxes which represent the best of different cultures? Different subscriptions based on your particular physiology! An earth box could contain a handful of foods for carbon-based life (both human and not), or some samples of tar (depending on how you get your hydrocarbons!), metals from around the planet for the true connoisseur, soil samples, air samples, water samples, all from around the planet, tailored to how you consume whatever it is you consume. And, of course, a small piece of very dark chocolate in every box.

Man, the things you could get delivered to you from those boxes.