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What are you reading Weekend
Dec. 31st, 2017 10:42 pmLast for the year, altbough as usual there will be spill-over reviews to log next year.
Currently Reading: Scott Lynch, Red Sea under Red Skies - it's finally picked me up and grabbed me. Emily Skrutskie, Edge of the Abyss - not far in yet.
Recently Finished: workwise - Sensible Môyen Age; The Medieval Merlin Tradition in France and Italy; bits of 'Rethinking Medieval Translation' (super useful intro essay).
Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites by Deb Perelman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lovely visual quality. More useful to me than her first book, but probably I won’t get maximum use out of it as long as I’m living and cooking solo.
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not nearly as much fossil geeking as I had hoped for. Some really lovely character work - I was particularly fond of the warmth of the Stella/William-William/Clara triangle. It would’ve been easy to characterize that as bitter, competitive, etc, but it’s much more interesting this way, especially in contrast to the Luke/Clara-Clara/William triangle.
I thought Martha was tragically under-explored and the tacit Clara/Martha thing not given enough weight.
I loved some of the minor characters, especially Joanna.
Alas, my overall impression was that it was good enough to call to mind AS Byatt, but not sophisticated enough to stand up well under the light of that comparison.
Pencilled In Issue 2: The Suburbs by Yen Rong Wong
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
There were some stand-out pieces in this, and many that were pleasant to read but didn't linger with me after. A few, for reasons of style rather than content, I really couldn't appreciate (eg Nicole Avellana's visual art / graphic memoir 'The Lake', which has a grey colour cast so dark I couldn't take it in).
Of particular note: JZ Ting, 'Cicada Skin' (short fiction), Justina Ashman, 'This Used to Be Market Gardens' (memoir). Annie Harirahan's 'Mind Your Language' (essay) was memorable but not more so than in the version that appeared on the Overland blog a while ago.
Andromeda Spaceways Magazine Issue 69 by Tom Dullemond
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I bought this because I particularly wanted to read Freya Marske's 'Hamelin's Grave', which. Do yourselves a favour: it's a delightful combination of sweet and creepy, and the world-building is fascinating.
Also good: Kathryn Yelinek, 'Trapping Troubles' (about a too-helpful magic vermin trap); Jennifer Hykes, 'Letters from Imaginary Places' (in which Our Heroine recieves too many magical summonses); D A Xiaolin Spires, 'Suvu and Swashbuckling Love' (in which a Siri-alike intelligence discovers love); Line Henriksen, 'How to Travel with Umbrellas' (fabulous use of 2nd person imperative narration).
Interesting but I'm not sure I quite grokked them: Josh Pearce, 'Smith' (a cyber-western); Dave Versace, 'Burn the Future' (fascinating world-building, interesting characters, neat use of analepsis... but didn't seem to be a complete story).
Skimmed or skipped most of the author interviews and reviews
Since getting to the UK, also: two Anne of Green Gables books, The Furthest Station, and Pericles.
Up next: I brought an issue of Overland with me, which I've yet to start; Mrs Dalloway for work; when I get back I need to make a serious inroad into the to-read shelf.
Music notes: i bought Maskim's album 'The Piano Player' and am loving it. Katie introduced me to the new Fooies album while driving last week - I think I will add it to spotify, but it didn't instantly grab me. Katie's sister played us two new Corrs albums I didn't know existed, those I must glom onto by one means or another.
Currently Reading: Scott Lynch, Red Sea under Red Skies - it's finally picked me up and grabbed me. Emily Skrutskie, Edge of the Abyss - not far in yet.
Recently Finished: workwise - Sensible Môyen Age; The Medieval Merlin Tradition in France and Italy; bits of 'Rethinking Medieval Translation' (super useful intro essay).
Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites by Deb PerelmanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lovely visual quality. More useful to me than her first book, but probably I won’t get maximum use out of it as long as I’m living and cooking solo.
The Essex Serpent by Sarah PerryMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not nearly as much fossil geeking as I had hoped for. Some really lovely character work - I was particularly fond of the warmth of the Stella/William-William/Clara triangle. It would’ve been easy to characterize that as bitter, competitive, etc, but it’s much more interesting this way, especially in contrast to the Luke/Clara-Clara/William triangle.
I thought Martha was tragically under-explored and the tacit Clara/Martha thing not given enough weight.
I loved some of the minor characters, especially Joanna.
Alas, my overall impression was that it was good enough to call to mind AS Byatt, but not sophisticated enough to stand up well under the light of that comparison.
Pencilled In Issue 2: The Suburbs by Yen Rong WongMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
There were some stand-out pieces in this, and many that were pleasant to read but didn't linger with me after. A few, for reasons of style rather than content, I really couldn't appreciate (eg Nicole Avellana's visual art / graphic memoir 'The Lake', which has a grey colour cast so dark I couldn't take it in).
Of particular note: JZ Ting, 'Cicada Skin' (short fiction), Justina Ashman, 'This Used to Be Market Gardens' (memoir). Annie Harirahan's 'Mind Your Language' (essay) was memorable but not more so than in the version that appeared on the Overland blog a while ago.
Andromeda Spaceways Magazine Issue 69 by Tom DullemondMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I bought this because I particularly wanted to read Freya Marske's 'Hamelin's Grave', which. Do yourselves a favour: it's a delightful combination of sweet and creepy, and the world-building is fascinating.
Also good: Kathryn Yelinek, 'Trapping Troubles' (about a too-helpful magic vermin trap); Jennifer Hykes, 'Letters from Imaginary Places' (in which Our Heroine recieves too many magical summonses); D A Xiaolin Spires, 'Suvu and Swashbuckling Love' (in which a Siri-alike intelligence discovers love); Line Henriksen, 'How to Travel with Umbrellas' (fabulous use of 2nd person imperative narration).
Interesting but I'm not sure I quite grokked them: Josh Pearce, 'Smith' (a cyber-western); Dave Versace, 'Burn the Future' (fascinating world-building, interesting characters, neat use of analepsis... but didn't seem to be a complete story).
Skimmed or skipped most of the author interviews and reviews
Since getting to the UK, also: two Anne of Green Gables books, The Furthest Station, and Pericles.
Up next: I brought an issue of Overland with me, which I've yet to start; Mrs Dalloway for work; when I get back I need to make a serious inroad into the to-read shelf.
Music notes: i bought Maskim's album 'The Piano Player' and am loving it. Katie introduced me to the new Fooies album while driving last week - I think I will add it to spotify, but it didn't instantly grab me. Katie's sister played us two new Corrs albums I didn't know existed, those I must glom onto by one means or another.