So, this was supposed to go out a week ago yesterday, reminding me what I did and read the previous week. I had a nice brunch at my favorite brunch place, did my Talbot Hill Book Club which was a bit of a struggle as we are wildly oversubscribed and I am not used to having that problem, and had an excellent Road Trip Book Club where we watched Firefly (first some episodes, then the movie).
I’m still picking up a book from my shelves every day, but then I ignore it and read my book club books.
Books Completed Jan 10-17
Making Book, Teresa Niesen Hayden (with Patrick Nielsen Hayden). From my shelves. Nifty bunch of essays I got when the famous SF bookstore Uncle Hugo’s was destroyed in the 2020 riots and there was a benefit to help. It was gossipy about fandom in Seattle before I got here and a peek into the world of two of my favorite SF editors. The essay for copy editors who may not have worked with science fiction authors is apparently a classic but it was new and delightful for me.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds Vol 4-5, Hayao Miyazaki. Foolscap book club. So, there are whole swaths of characters I can’t tell apart, names of empires I keep forgetting, but the narrative drive and awesome bug pictures keep me deeply invested. And anyway, after a few panels I parse out whether the character is commanding armies or saving the little guy or laying an egg or whatever I need to distinguish them. Also only a few of the characters get spirit journeys, so during those I’m confident.
In Too Deep, Lee Child & Andrew Child. The pacing was a big odd, with an unexamined mistake by Reacher and the lady of the book giving the baddies another round. It’s funny that giving Reacher a light concussion and a broken wrist is a way to vary the fight scenes as he thinks “normally I’d headbutt this guy into oblivion but I guess I’d better use one of my dozen backup moves instead”.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 18: No Brainer, Jeff Kinney. Like, did Kinney forget to have a plot? Or do kids not want those? This was a series of jokes about school performance anxiety and budget cuts, which were amusing but also kind of oddly aimed above the kids. Maybe it works better if you read the previous ones. At book club we discussed whether these were aimed at kids who never got in trouble but wanted to experience it vicariously or for kids who were low performing like the wimpy kid himself.
Grimspace, Ann Aguirre. I’ve read this series before but I wanted to see how that changed the start. I remember thinking the romance was kind of jerky, in that it proceeded by unexpected jumps at unexpected times, and that impression still stands. There’s telepathy and science fiction shared mind stuff that drives the space travel, and that complicates the romance plot in ways that I think the author intended but maybe just accidentally hit me in ways I appreciate. But my favorite alien showed up, and some things are set up that get deal in later books so I know the author at least knows what bugged me the first time. I like it.
Talk to the Hand, Lynne Truss. A short book filled with well written griping about the poor manners of other people, perfect for reading while munching on chocolate and ignoring all my respo.
Books Started
Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan. From my shelves.
In Limbo, Deb J.J. Lee. 2023 Cybils finalist.
An Immense World, Ed Yong. from my shelves.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 18: No Brainer, Jeff Kinney. Talbot hill book club.
Talk to the Hand, Lynne Truss. From my shelves.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds Vol 5, Hayao Miyazaki. Foolscap book club.
The Wednesday Wars, Gary D. Schmidt. Scintillation book club.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds Vol 6, Hayao Miyazaki. Foolscap book club.
Bookmarks Moved
Notes From the Air, John Ashbery. Poetry.
Lamplighters, D. M. Cornish.
Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler.
Heroes of Havensong: the Last Ice Phoenix, Megan Reyes. Cybils nominee.
Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan. From my shelves.
Deal With the Devil, Kit Rocha.
Devil’s Cub, Georgette Heyer. Reread.
Samantha Smee: A Pirate’s Life, M.C. Dingman.
Airs Above the Ground, Mary Stewart.
Into the Broken Lands, Tanya Huff
Bookmarks Languished
Poppy and Marigold, Meg Welch Dendler.
Serpent Rider, Yxavel Magno Diño. Cybils nominee.
True Colors, Abby Cooper. Cybils nominee.
Poems, R. Hawley Truax.
Wow, No Thank You, Samantha Irby. The library called it home.
Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor. Sword and Laser club pick. (Audio)
Picture Books and Short Stories
None.
Books on Slow Mode
Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. All about coffee, which nobody in this house drinks. We used to keep a machine for my mom, but she’s dead now. Other guests can go for Starbucks. (just kidding, they can go across the street)
Renegade Love, Ann Aguirre. Another section a day book. There is alien sex in this book. Also a heist. Commencing here!
At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. The protagonist is considering doing something, but he has a concussion so I think he should take his time.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane (no picture). Mail bribe.
The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. (no picture). Mail bribe.
The Road to Mars, Eric Idle. Mail bribe.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. Mail bribe. The misogyny is lampshaded! Character, not author.
War Cross, Marie Lu. Another unfinished book club book I’m sliding in as a mail bribe.
Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. It’s interesting to see whole language in action versus the idea of it in the podcast about failing schools.
Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. Mail bribe. I like jamming a bit of classical music into my day.
Future Plans
This is for the actual future, so two weeks from the books in this post.
I am reading:
- Book I own: Devil’s Cub
- Library Book: Rescue
- Ebook I own: Airs Above the Ground
- Foolscap Book Club Book: Ismael,
- Sword and Laser Club Book: Ministry of Time
- Scintillation Book Club: A Scatter of Light (Not sure if I’ll attempt this)
- Renton Book Club: Trail of the Lost
- Talbot Hill Book Clubs: Babysitters Club and Amulet
- Friday Book Club: Spirit Level
- Romance Book Club: something with a will trope
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