Rainy weather is sure bringing my lawn up. Which is bad because it is not inspiring my son to mow more. He has inherited my distaste for gardening and lawn maintenance so things are looking decidedly shaggy around here.
This weekend was Norwescon, which I went to mainly for manning the table promoting my favorite convention, Foolscap. I hope I enticed a few new people. Also got to wander around and see interesting people (lots of fun costumes) and listen to some interesting talks, particularly by the guest of honor Mary Robinette Kowal and Nancy Pearl. Then I stayed home for Easter for a traditional meal of ham and green stuff (asparagus, salad) with my sister and family.
My currently reading remains around 20. That's about five books I have a bookmark in but really are gathering dust, six books I'm deliberately reading glacially, four print books I'm actively reading (book club pick, library book, unread book I own, reread that I own), and five situational books (my car audio, my podcast serial, my KINDLE app book, my NOOK app book, my LIBBY app book). See, that's almost normal!
The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading so I'll sign up there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers so I'll sign up over there as my Cybils YA and my picture book reading qualifies me.
Started:
Theft of Swords, Michael J Sullivan. Sword & Laser pick for April.
The Fated Sky, Mary Robinette Kowal. From library temptations shelf. And I got to read it while she was in the same room!
The Educated Child, William Bennett. Adding this to my palate cleanser pile. This is the perfect time to read this as my youngest is about to graduate. I can see how I did!
Completed:
Feminasty, Erin Gibson. I felt very old as I read this book. I don't do the exciting bar things she describes, and I've already lived all the shocking patriarchal traps she lists.
They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera. Cybils YA. The idea is that a magical bureaucracy notifies people on the day that they die, and the world accepts this without wonder and deals with it. In specific, two young men deal with their notices by hooking up through an app and trying to make their last day count. Do not get distracted by the mechanics of the concept -- the point is just living what are the last hours of a life. In Nancy Perl's metaphor, this book is about People and Plot, with the two doomed boys and the way they spend their day (and their interactions with a few other viewpoints) drive the book.
The Honor of the Queen, David Weber. My Tuesday's book club pick. Honor pulls another successful battle or three out of her butt, and suddenly the rewards start rolling in -- she's inducted into the aristocracy! On two planets she now has titles and swank. I enjoyed it for Place and Plot -- the book is very insistent on its setting and the imaginary history and politics driving events, and then the buildups to the frantic clarity of decisive action.
Bookmarks Moved In:
Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 39/? Baen's podcast serial. People moving around in preparation to do something. Sometimes the weekly serial part is a bit slow moving.
Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh. Reread. Justin is a very anxious guy. Poor Grant is trying to hold things together for them.
Terran Tomorrow, Nancy Kress. My book. Wow, things are not getting better for our characters. Half of them are out of commission, which makes the whole besieged thing even rougher.
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Alexie Sherman. 1-3/10 discs. My RML audio pick. I am warming up to his narration.
Metal Wolf, Lauren Esker. Kindle read. He's hot but so far doesn't speak much English. And she doesn't speak Alien.
Patricia Briggs. Also, I kept picking up all my Patricia Briggs books and skimming through for favorite scenes. Really looking forward to the new book out in a few weeks.
Picture Books:
I Just Ate My Friend, Heidi McKinnon. Another great book for kids with a sense of humor.
Space Dog, Mini Grey. Fun words match with cheerful illustrations and a good story and message as a space dog, cat, and mouse (traditional enemies) journey together in harmony and tabletop games.
Liang's Treasure, Yeo-Rin Yum. Great ending -- girl is mean to her friend and misses the chance to say goodbye when the girl moves all the way across China. Geography and 100 Dresses in a mash-up.
Ben's Trumpet, Rachel Isadora. I really enjoyed the simple text and the lovely illustrations.
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, Mac Barnett. I got a chuckle out of the many ways the boys miss the treasure, and how the ending is ambiguous and the illustrations reward close attention.
Jamal's Journey, Michael Foreman. Camels in the desert. Fun story and a peek into another continent.
Zak and His Little Lies, J. Samia Mair. This was a tedious moral story that trudged along in compliant steps to its Improving Resolution.
Palate Cleansers
These books I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.
A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George. Even the cops are rotten people.
Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen. Poor Sammy has to talk to the boy who is her friend. And maybe a boyfriend.
Change of Heart, Norah McClintock.
Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Alan Burgess.
Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Summary of vocabulary boosting techniques.
4 comments:
I do similar reading but I top off at ten books. Twenty would be too many for me to keep track of. My updates for the week of April 22
I love "situational books" and "palate cleansers" - I should be more of a polygamous reader, but sadly, I find that I may only have the attention span of one book (or three at the most) at a time.
I’m now kinda interested in The Lady Astronaut Series. Do I need to read We Interrupt This Broadcast before The Calculating Stars? I thought They Both Die at the End was such an interesting idea for a story, but I kept hoping they’d find a way out. LOL Have a wonderful reading week, Beth, and my apologies for making it around to all the #imwayr blogs so late this week.
Definitely not! The Calculating Stars is designed as a first book. I've never heard of it! I had read a previously written story on tor.com but luckily at my age I forget all plot details and just remembered the tone and that I liked it. That one takes place after everything. I will have to go dig up the prequel.
I am a cynic and spent hoping that they wouldn't figure out a way out of They Both Die At the End because I was committed to the concept; once it decided not to be a science fiction story and work the problem then it was a constant that the characters had to deal with. So I was happy with the ending. Thanks for coming by -- it's always fun to get midweek comments.
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