As I write, it’s Monday afternoon, and I’m tired, beyond grouchy, and in too much pain. So, I hope everyone has a happy whatever you want to call it this Tuesday, and if it isn’t a holiday where you are, I hope you have a happy day, afternoon, or evening too. Me, I’m taking the day off. I might show up some time today, I might not, but I’ll definitely be back on Odin’s Day, and hopefully, be feeling a bit more human.
One thing which would be immensely cheering: books. I’m in one of those summer publisher’s deserts, awaiting many books starting late this month. I can’t cope without a teetering stack of books to read, electronic or paper. So, what have you all been reading?
Right now I’m slogging through Schrodinger’s Rabbits (which is kind of entertaining but not quite as enlightening as I’d hoped), but just recently I read Uprooted by Naomi Novik and was quite pleased with it.
I’m reading David Fitzgerald’s latest bible fisking.
I’m losing interest.
Will Durant, The Age Of Voltaire
Yuval Harari, Homo Deus
Joe Haldeman, Buying Time
Really that’s just the top of the stack.
I have not had a good read for a while. And I cannot somehow muster the strength to read something new. So I am basically listening to audio books when working in the garden or for a short while before I go to sleep, and only titles that I already know. Like all discworlds milion times over etc. Currently I finished Dune from Frank Herbert and started The Count of Monte Christo from A. Dumas.
Thanks. :)
Some recently read:
A Climate of Fear, by Fred Vargas. The latest in the Adamsberg books, and excellent, as always. This one unites two very disparate things, a trip to Iceland where odd things happened, and a very deep rabbit hole into a society dedicated to the French Revolution.
V.E. Schwab’s trilogy, A Darker Shade of Magic, A Gathering of Shadows, and A Conjuring of Light. Enjoyable and fun. I’d say the first was best, just good storytelling, which is harder and harder to come by. I’d say the second book was completely skippable, it was pure soap opera with little point. The last wasn’t as good as the first, but tighter, and back to better storytelling. The world building was weak, and there was close to a complete lack of background information.
Greedy Pigs, the latest short installment in Matt Wallace’s Sin du Jour series. It’s getting tiresome.
The Burning Page, the latest book in Genevieve Cogman’s Invisible Library series. The writing remains tight and the storytelling is good. Recurring characters are those you easily engage with, and lesser characters are given more depth in each story. It’s a bit on the annoying side that Irene hasn’t had sex with anyone yet. For fuck’s sake, she has an idol on one side, and a dragon on the other. How often do you get the chance to fuck a dragon? Personally, I’d place that under “opportunities to seize” but that’s me. (In fairness, she did give one a try, but was stopped cold by the author.) The world building is a bit wobbly, but not enough to be annoying. The steampunk elements are kept low, which is appreciated.
Hex, by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. An excellent entry in the horror genre. Very engaging from the outset, with a core mystery that drags your curiosity on. The ending is unusual and satisfying, but this is the ending in the American/English version. The original story has a different ending, and while it took me a while to track that down, in the end, I agree with the author that this ending is the better of the two. There’s a distinct chill in the book, all the way through, which ramps up at certain points, then falls slack, only to end up near choking you later on. After years of reading horror, and giving up on it many years back, this was a refreshing, fun, and horrifying return for me.
Three Queens of Erin, the last book in the medieval series by Douglas Nicholas. All of these books are favourites, read more than once. I would say the first two, Something Red and The Wicked are my favourites. There’s a lot to be said for a poet writing books.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Boring as hell, and pointless.
Binti Home, by Nnedi Okorafor. Nothing but love, and I can’t wait for the next installment.
I had a nice relaxing day off. Watched some TV. Ate some food.
Played Age of Empires. And now I’m typing this.
Oh, didn’t answer the question. I read a little bit from William Dunham’s Journey Through Genius, a book about mathematics that’s very dear to my heart since childhood.
Saad, glad to hear you’ve had a good day. So far, I’ve slept, and poked about on the ‘net a bit. That’s it. Oh, ate some pizza.
Amongst other things, I read Affinity. Our first decent winter rain for over a month hasn’t been conducive to doing much.
:D We could do with rain. The skies are overcast, and it’s dreadfully muggy, with temps over 100 F. I’d love rain right about now.
I played Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel in the afternoon, and Zombicide** with family this evening, before and after watching Herndon’s* very good fireworks display.
We had a chance of rain today, but it didn’t materialize. Our temperatures are in the 90s, but it’s not muggy. We’re grateful it.
*VA
**board game
Al Franken: Giant of the Senate.