Say it with me: just the books, justchris in 2017
Talk 75 Books Challenge for 2017
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1justchris
And here's take 2 after my embarrassing title typo.
I'm still here. Still quietly sitting in my corner reading books.
I'm going to try to do a little more this year. Starting with more than a single message to kick off my 2017 thread. Looking at my links to earlier 75 Book Challenge threads, it looks like this will be my ninth year.
My previous 75 Book Challenge threads:
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
Prospective look at 2017
Frankly, my schedule is already booked solid for the first quarter of 2017. I'll be starting up my second Arabic class and another racial healing series in mid-February--so that's 2 nights a week plus many extra hours of prep/homework, for 8 and 10 weeks respectively. Between now and then, I am packing in as much social time with friends as I can before I disappear into my many commitments. New Year's Eve party last night/this morning was the perfect opportunity to touch base with many of them and set up tentative future dates.
Plus, we're getting ready to transition to a new software platform at work in February. And my colleague is retiring in March. We're a small office--the Editor-in-Chief, me as Managing Editor, and the soon-to-depart Editorial Assistant. I am already working weekends just to try to catch up on routine tasks. I haven't yet made time to test the new system before we go live (and thus suggest improvements that will make life easier for me and our authors and reviewers). Pllus, our annual Editorial Board meeting is in March. Soon enough, I will be busy preparing for that. So much to do!
My tai chi friend brought me to an informal class of advanced students today. They work on their various weapons forms and the two-person sparring form. I would love to join them, but when? When? So I have made a tentative goal of clearing the decks sufficiently of work and other commitments so that I can attend this weekly practice starting in June or July.
And then there's the sewing and music. I want to get back into both. And maybe take a beading class and start working on that skill as well. Plus, learning to use the fancy new digital camera I got for Christmas a year ago. I'm down to my last batch of minor repairs that can be done by hand. So soon I will have to break out my old machine and see if I can make it work again. I was having so many troubles with it a couple years ago that now I am having a hard time getting back on that horse.
Then there's finishing the process of disentangling myself from now-ex. My goal is to get all of the household bills automatically paid out of his accounts instead of mine, and get my name off the mortgage and title of the house. I hope to get the financials sorted out and stop contributing to the house payment and bills by the end of Q1. Plus, there are a few household cleanup items that I have to finish. And some yard tasks I promised to do and herbs to transplant to my apartment. Those will have to wait until spring.
Last year was a time of transition, as I went from trying to salvage my decade-long relationship to putting on my own oxygen mask and getting out while trying to cause the least harm to myself and my now-ex. My goal for 2018 is to start working on a novel, so 2017 is for cleaning up various aspects of my life, simplifying, and making space for new creative endeavors. We'll see how all of that goes.
All of that, and I haven't even gotten to reading, reviewing, and LT.
For the last few years, I've tried to sign up for at least one group read or specific challenge. And I've gotten the necessary books, lined them all up, and proceeded to not follow the plan. At all. The only book that I started for a group read and managed to finish was Don Quijote, and of the 3 of us, I was the only one who seemed to continue on. And though I finished the book, I stopped posting messages as I went along.
I've tentatively signed up to be part of the Bible as Literature group, but realistically, I will mostly lurk and maybe read a little bit here and there. I've starred assorted interesting threads, both group and individual. Last year, I managed to stay tuned in for the first half of the year before really dropping off. That was real progress. I hope to do even better this year. We'll see how it goes.
In terms of general reading, as per usual the last few years, I want to work through my own books, and read books at a faster rate than I acquire them. I've managed to stay away from the library for a few years now. I still browse used bookstores pretty regularly, though. I also want to do a better job of reading books new to me, rather than endlessly in a rut rereading my favorite comfort books. Hopefully, the overall stress levels will continue to go down, and I will feel less need for comfort reading. I also would like to make a push to read more poetry and nonfiction.
Again, we'll see how all that goes. I do tend to follow the path of least resistance. That tends to be brain candy and popcorn.
I'm still here. Still quietly sitting in my corner reading books.
I'm going to try to do a little more this year. Starting with more than a single message to kick off my 2017 thread. Looking at my links to earlier 75 Book Challenge threads, it looks like this will be my ninth year.
My previous 75 Book Challenge threads:
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
Prospective look at 2017
Frankly, my schedule is already booked solid for the first quarter of 2017. I'll be starting up my second Arabic class and another racial healing series in mid-February--so that's 2 nights a week plus many extra hours of prep/homework, for 8 and 10 weeks respectively. Between now and then, I am packing in as much social time with friends as I can before I disappear into my many commitments. New Year's Eve party last night/this morning was the perfect opportunity to touch base with many of them and set up tentative future dates.
Plus, we're getting ready to transition to a new software platform at work in February. And my colleague is retiring in March. We're a small office--the Editor-in-Chief, me as Managing Editor, and the soon-to-depart Editorial Assistant. I am already working weekends just to try to catch up on routine tasks. I haven't yet made time to test the new system before we go live (and thus suggest improvements that will make life easier for me and our authors and reviewers). Pllus, our annual Editorial Board meeting is in March. Soon enough, I will be busy preparing for that. So much to do!
My tai chi friend brought me to an informal class of advanced students today. They work on their various weapons forms and the two-person sparring form. I would love to join them, but when? When? So I have made a tentative goal of clearing the decks sufficiently of work and other commitments so that I can attend this weekly practice starting in June or July.
And then there's the sewing and music. I want to get back into both. And maybe take a beading class and start working on that skill as well. Plus, learning to use the fancy new digital camera I got for Christmas a year ago. I'm down to my last batch of minor repairs that can be done by hand. So soon I will have to break out my old machine and see if I can make it work again. I was having so many troubles with it a couple years ago that now I am having a hard time getting back on that horse.
Then there's finishing the process of disentangling myself from now-ex. My goal is to get all of the household bills automatically paid out of his accounts instead of mine, and get my name off the mortgage and title of the house. I hope to get the financials sorted out and stop contributing to the house payment and bills by the end of Q1. Plus, there are a few household cleanup items that I have to finish. And some yard tasks I promised to do and herbs to transplant to my apartment. Those will have to wait until spring.
Last year was a time of transition, as I went from trying to salvage my decade-long relationship to putting on my own oxygen mask and getting out while trying to cause the least harm to myself and my now-ex. My goal for 2018 is to start working on a novel, so 2017 is for cleaning up various aspects of my life, simplifying, and making space for new creative endeavors. We'll see how all of that goes.
All of that, and I haven't even gotten to reading, reviewing, and LT.
For the last few years, I've tried to sign up for at least one group read or specific challenge. And I've gotten the necessary books, lined them all up, and proceeded to not follow the plan. At all. The only book that I started for a group read and managed to finish was Don Quijote, and of the 3 of us, I was the only one who seemed to continue on. And though I finished the book, I stopped posting messages as I went along.
I've tentatively signed up to be part of the Bible as Literature group, but realistically, I will mostly lurk and maybe read a little bit here and there. I've starred assorted interesting threads, both group and individual. Last year, I managed to stay tuned in for the first half of the year before really dropping off. That was real progress. I hope to do even better this year. We'll see how it goes.
In terms of general reading, as per usual the last few years, I want to work through my own books, and read books at a faster rate than I acquire them. I've managed to stay away from the library for a few years now. I still browse used bookstores pretty regularly, though. I also want to do a better job of reading books new to me, rather than endlessly in a rut rereading my favorite comfort books. Hopefully, the overall stress levels will continue to go down, and I will feel less need for comfort reading. I also would like to make a push to read more poetry and nonfiction.
Again, we'll see how all that goes. I do tend to follow the path of least resistance. That tends to be brain candy and popcorn.
2justchris
And the books read in 2017:
In progress
Queers Destroy Fantasy
Strange Matings
the life-changing magic of tidying up
Bedside books (these largely aren't really being read so much as accessed as needed)
Classical T'ai Chi Sword
The Major Methods of Wudang Sword
Tai Chi Chuan: Art of the 60 Movements Yang Style Short Form
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and I Ching
Ki in Aikido
The Lunar Tao
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Meditation
The Art of Listening in a Healing Way
January
1. High Sorcery by Andre Norton*
2. Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey*
3. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey*
4. Lore of the Witch World by Andre Norton*
5. Spell of the Witch World by Andre Norton*
6. Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks
7. The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip*
February
8. Water Logic by Laurie J. Marks
9. Writing from the Inside Out by Dennis Palumbo NF
10. Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent*
March
11. Perilous Dreams by Andre Norton*
12. The End of the Game by Sherri S. Tepper*
13. The True Game by Sherri S. Tepper*
14. The Song of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
15. The Flight of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
16. The Search of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
April
17. A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh
18. Ara's Field by Laurie J. Marks*
19. Delan the Mislaid by Laurie J. Marks*
20. The Moonbane Mage by Laurie J. Marks*
21. Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks*
22. The Phantom Lover by Elizabeth Mansfield*
23. The Chadwick Ring by Julie Jeffries*
24. A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman*
25. Yarrow by Charles de Lint*
26. bosque #6 ~P
May
27. Intruder by C. J. Cherryh*
28. Protector by C. J. Cherryh*
29. Tracker by C. J. Cherryh*
30. Visitor by C. J. Cherryh
31. Touch by Michelle Sagara*
32. Catfantastic edited by Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg*
33. Circle of the Moon by Barbara Hambly
June
34. Lord Greywell's Dilemma by Laura Matthews*
35. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold*
36. Sixfold Summer 2016
38. Dancer's Rise by Jo Clayton*
39. Serpent Waltz by Jo Clayton*
40. Dance Down the Stars by Jo Clayton*
41. Silent Songs by A. C. Crispin and Kathleen O'Malley
42. Starbridge by A. C. Crispin*
43. Shadow World by A. C. Crispin and Jannean Elliott*
44. Silent Dances by A. C. Crispin and Kathleen O'Malley*
45. Serpent's Gift by A. C. Crispin and Deborah A. Marshall*
46. Wisconsin Stories: Advice to Farm Women edited by Jeanne Hunnicutt Delgado NF
47. The Substitute Bridegroom by Charlotte Louise Dolan*
48. Holiday in Bath by Laura Matthews*
49. Carousel of Hearts by Mary Jo Putney*
50. Taiji Notebook for Martial Artists by Scott M. Rodell NF
July
51. An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh*
52. April Lady by Georgette Heyer*
53. A Difficult Truce by Joan Wolf*
54. The Dream Millenium by James White
55. Seeker's Mask by P. C. Hodgell*
56. To Ride a Rathorn by P. C. Hodgell*
57. Bound in Blood by P. C. Hodgell*
58. Honor's Paradox by P. C. Hodgell*
59. The Sea of Time by P. C. Hodgell*
August
60. Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis*
61. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz NF
62. Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis*
63. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson NF
64. The Gates of Tagmeth by P. C. Hodgell
65. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer*
66. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer*
67. The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer*
September
68. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer*
69. Arabella by Georgette Heyer*
70. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold*
71. Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs*
72. Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs*
73. The X Factor by Andre Norton*
74. The Flight of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
75. The Fresco by Sherri S. Tepper
October-December
76. The Watcher's Mask by Laurie J. Marks*
77. Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson NF
78. Deerskin by Robin McKinley*
79. The Raven Ring by Patricia C. Wrede*
80. The Scandalous Lady Robin by Sylvia Thorpe*
81. Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton*
82. The Jargoon Pard by Andre Norton*
83. The Crystal Gryphon by Andre Norton*
84. Gryphon in Glory by Andre Norton*
85. Gryphon's Eyrie by Andre Norton and A. C. Crispin*
86. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs*
87. Elements: Fire G
88. Uprooted by Naomi Novik*
89. The Gates of Tagmeth by P.C. Hodgell*
90. Bound in Blood by P.C. Hodgell*
91. The Sea of Time by P.C. Hodgell*
G graphic novel
NF nonfiction
P poetry
~P text contains significant chunks of poetry
The order of finished books is approximate because I have not updated my records in a timely fashion, and the books stacked up next to the computer have tumbled over repeatedly. Sigh.
In progress
Queers Destroy Fantasy
Strange Matings
the life-changing magic of tidying up
Bedside books (these largely aren't really being read so much as accessed as needed)
Classical T'ai Chi Sword
The Major Methods of Wudang Sword
Tai Chi Chuan: Art of the 60 Movements Yang Style Short Form
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and I Ching
Ki in Aikido
The Lunar Tao
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Meditation
The Art of Listening in a Healing Way
January
1. High Sorcery by Andre Norton*
2. Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey*
3. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey*
4. Lore of the Witch World by Andre Norton*
5. Spell of the Witch World by Andre Norton*
6. Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks
7. The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip*
February
8. Water Logic by Laurie J. Marks
9. Writing from the Inside Out by Dennis Palumbo NF
10. Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent*
March
11. Perilous Dreams by Andre Norton*
12. The End of the Game by Sherri S. Tepper*
13. The True Game by Sherri S. Tepper*
14. The Song of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
15. The Flight of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
16. The Search of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
April
17. A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh
18. Ara's Field by Laurie J. Marks*
19. Delan the Mislaid by Laurie J. Marks*
20. The Moonbane Mage by Laurie J. Marks*
21. Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks*
22. The Phantom Lover by Elizabeth Mansfield*
23. The Chadwick Ring by Julie Jeffries*
24. A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman*
25. Yarrow by Charles de Lint*
26. bosque #6 ~P
May
27. Intruder by C. J. Cherryh*
28. Protector by C. J. Cherryh*
29. Tracker by C. J. Cherryh*
30. Visitor by C. J. Cherryh
31. Touch by Michelle Sagara*
32. Catfantastic edited by Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg*
33. Circle of the Moon by Barbara Hambly
June
34. Lord Greywell's Dilemma by Laura Matthews*
35. Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold*
36. Sixfold Summer 2016
38. Dancer's Rise by Jo Clayton*
39. Serpent Waltz by Jo Clayton*
40. Dance Down the Stars by Jo Clayton*
41. Silent Songs by A. C. Crispin and Kathleen O'Malley
42. Starbridge by A. C. Crispin*
43. Shadow World by A. C. Crispin and Jannean Elliott*
44. Silent Dances by A. C. Crispin and Kathleen O'Malley*
45. Serpent's Gift by A. C. Crispin and Deborah A. Marshall*
46. Wisconsin Stories: Advice to Farm Women edited by Jeanne Hunnicutt Delgado NF
47. The Substitute Bridegroom by Charlotte Louise Dolan*
48. Holiday in Bath by Laura Matthews*
49. Carousel of Hearts by Mary Jo Putney*
50. Taiji Notebook for Martial Artists by Scott M. Rodell NF
July
51. An Unacceptable Offer by Mary Balogh*
52. April Lady by Georgette Heyer*
53. A Difficult Truce by Joan Wolf*
54. The Dream Millenium by James White
55. Seeker's Mask by P. C. Hodgell*
56. To Ride a Rathorn by P. C. Hodgell*
57. Bound in Blood by P. C. Hodgell*
58. Honor's Paradox by P. C. Hodgell*
59. The Sea of Time by P. C. Hodgell*
August
60. Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis*
61. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz NF
62. Venus in Copper by Lindsey Davis*
63. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson NF
64. The Gates of Tagmeth by P. C. Hodgell
65. The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer*
66. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer*
67. The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer*
September
68. The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer*
69. Arabella by Georgette Heyer*
70. The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold*
71. Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs*
72. Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs*
73. The X Factor by Andre Norton*
74. The Flight of Mavin Many-Shaped by Sherri S. Tepper*
75. The Fresco by Sherri S. Tepper
October-December
76. The Watcher's Mask by Laurie J. Marks*
77. Smart Soapmaking by Anne L. Watson NF
78. Deerskin by Robin McKinley*
79. The Raven Ring by Patricia C. Wrede*
80. The Scandalous Lady Robin by Sylvia Thorpe*
81. Year of the Unicorn by Andre Norton*
82. The Jargoon Pard by Andre Norton*
83. The Crystal Gryphon by Andre Norton*
84. Gryphon in Glory by Andre Norton*
85. Gryphon's Eyrie by Andre Norton and A. C. Crispin*
86. Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs*
87. Elements: Fire G
88. Uprooted by Naomi Novik*
89. The Gates of Tagmeth by P.C. Hodgell*
90. Bound in Blood by P.C. Hodgell*
91. The Sea of Time by P.C. Hodgell*
G graphic novel
NF nonfiction
P poetry
~P text contains significant chunks of poetry
The order of finished books is approximate because I have not updated my records in a timely fashion, and the books stacked up next to the computer have tumbled over repeatedly. Sigh.
3justchris
Following the lead of many others, I will finally sit down and list all the books acquired this year in one place (gulp!).
January
1. A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L. Sayers (trial of new author of beloved series)
2. The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Patton Walsh (same again, both new from local specialty bookstore)
3. Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks (second book of series by a favorite author, special ordered)
4. Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya by Kristen Brustad et al (textbook for class--special ordered)
5. Strange Matings edited by Rebecca J. Holden and Nisi Shawl (browsing local bookstore)
6. Invisible Planets edited and translated by Ken Liu (browsing local bookstore)
7. Building Powerful Community Organizations by Michael Jacoby Brown
February
8. The Indian Slow Cooker (browsing local store that also carries books, especially cookbooks)
9. The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Action Plans (browsing local store that also carries books, especially cookbooks)
10. Water Logic (third book of series, special ordered)
11. Sixfold (collection ordered because support LT author, and 75er)
12. The Farthest Shore (crossed off search list, used bookstore)
March
13. bosque #6 (collection ordered because support LT author, and 75er)
14. The Revolution Starts at Home (browsing local bookstore)
April
15. Bean By Bean (special ordered)
16. Who Fears Death (browsed when picking up special order)
17. Sisters of the Revolution (browsed when picking up special order)
18. Experimenting with Babies (2 copies as gifts for friends who are expecting)
19. ABCs of Serging (gift for now retired colleague)
20. The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide (I couldn't decide which book to get her)
21. Serger Shortcuts (so I got the 3 that looked most promising)
22. Non-violent Resistance (sale book)
23. Little, Big (sale book, owned it years ago and never got around to reading it)
24. Circle of the Moon (crossed off search list, used bookstore)
25. The Silent Tower (crossed off search list, replace after previous cull)
26. Visitor (new book in favorite series)
27. The Theory of the Leisure Class (sale book)
28. Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef (sale book)
June
29. Silent Songs (crossed off my search list)
30. Web of the Witch World (replacement copy)
31. Three Against the Witch World (replacement copy)
32. Taiji Notebook for Martial Artists (browsing used bookstore)
33. Qigong for Health and Vitality (browsing used bookstore)
34. Chi Kung: The Chinese Art of Mastering Energy (browsing used bookstore)
35. The Soapmaker's Companion (browsing my pharmacy)
36. A Gilder's Notebook
37. Introduction to Using Powdered Pigments
July
38. Homegoing (gift)
39. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States (special order)
40. Elements: Fire (browsing on picking up special order)
August
41. The Gates of Tagmeth
42. The Thread that Binds the Bones
43. Dragonhaven
44. Taiji Chin Na
September
45. Black and Brown Planets (browsing on placing special order)
46. New Worlds, Old Ways (browsing on placing special order)
47. Trials by Whiteness (browsing on placing special order)
48. Spindle's End (browsing thrift store)
49. Raising the Stones (browsing thrift store)
50. Sideshow (browsing thrift store)
October
The Hot Belly Diet
Silence
The White Racial Frame
Leyendas de Guanajuato
Peacemaker
Young Miles
The Crystal Gryphon
November
In the Light of Justice
'Arabiyyat al-Naas: Part One
And also track any books I get rid of. I just went through something of a purge going from a house to a one-bedroom apartment. My fiction paperbacks now fit on 2 "media storage" shelves. My fiction hardcover and large paperbacks fit on one shelf and in one box (I am seeking a bookcase that will fit the minuscule remaining wallspace and fiction books). My nonfiction is in 3 large wooden bookcases, and stacked in a pile or two near them.
(Nothing to report yet. Though I did take a pile of books to the bookstore for store credit on December 31 and took back the books that they weren't interested in. My plan is to distribute them to various Little Free Libraries and potential book donation programs.)
Books to dispose of, largely old and beat up and falling apart:
Barrayar - not sure how I ended up with this
Busman's Honeymoon - I have a hardcover omnibus that makes this mmpb redundant
Dreamsnake - 2 mmpb that are pretty ratty and have been replaced by a shiny one
Exiles of the Stars - another falling-apart mmpb replaced by one in good condition
Flying Finish - yep, pages starting to fall out
Harpist in the Wind - I found a good copy
Her Man of Affairs - I held onto it because of the Scottish dialect, but the story is so awful that it's no longer sufficiently interesting to keep
Moon of Three Rings - replaced with a newer mmpb
Miss Chartley's Guided Tour - stole from my mom, terribly saccharine story of reunited lovers and a bad, bad man
The Pocket Doctor: Your Ticket to Good Health While Traveling - the touchstone came up as Frankenstein!
S+ Spatial Stats: User's Manual for Windows and UNIX - if I ever get back into statistics, I'll be using R
Star Gate - updated in my collectio n
Sword Sworn - accidentally bought a duplicate
Unnatural Death - omnibus hardcover makes this redundant
Telzey Amberdon - accidentally bought a duplicate (again!)
I didn't actually flag these and the books that did get sold in LT, so at some point, I am going to have to check my listings and remove some items...
Actually disposed of:
The Vikings bought with intention of gift, finally gifted
Goldwork Embroidery same
Experimenting with Babies gifted
ABCs of Serging gifted
The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide gifted
Serger Shortcuts gifted
Unfolding the Eightfold Path gifted
The Sword That Cuts the Burning Grass gifted
A History of Private Life vol. II upgraded to hardcover, gifted paperback edition
Fabulous Feasts gifted duplicate
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States gifted
January
1. A Presumption of Death by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L. Sayers (trial of new author of beloved series)
2. The Attenbury Emeralds by Jill Patton Walsh (same again, both new from local specialty bookstore)
3. Earth Logic by Laurie J. Marks (second book of series by a favorite author, special ordered)
4. Al-Kitaab fii Ta'allum al-'Arabiyya by Kristen Brustad et al (textbook for class--special ordered)
5. Strange Matings edited by Rebecca J. Holden and Nisi Shawl (browsing local bookstore)
6. Invisible Planets edited and translated by Ken Liu (browsing local bookstore)
7. Building Powerful Community Organizations by Michael Jacoby Brown
February
8. The Indian Slow Cooker (browsing local store that also carries books, especially cookbooks)
9. The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Action Plans (browsing local store that also carries books, especially cookbooks)
10. Water Logic (third book of series, special ordered)
11. Sixfold (collection ordered because support LT author, and 75er)
12. The Farthest Shore (crossed off search list, used bookstore)
March
13. bosque #6 (collection ordered because support LT author, and 75er)
14. The Revolution Starts at Home (browsing local bookstore)
April
15. Bean By Bean (special ordered)
16. Who Fears Death (browsed when picking up special order)
17. Sisters of the Revolution (browsed when picking up special order)
18. Experimenting with Babies (2 copies as gifts for friends who are expecting)
19. ABCs of Serging (gift for now retired colleague)
20. The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide (I couldn't decide which book to get her)
21. Serger Shortcuts (so I got the 3 that looked most promising)
22. Non-violent Resistance (sale book)
23. Little, Big (sale book, owned it years ago and never got around to reading it)
24. Circle of the Moon (crossed off search list, used bookstore)
25. The Silent Tower (crossed off search list, replace after previous cull)
26. Visitor (new book in favorite series)
27. The Theory of the Leisure Class (sale book)
28. Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef (sale book)
June
29. Silent Songs (crossed off my search list)
30. Web of the Witch World (replacement copy)
31. Three Against the Witch World (replacement copy)
32. Taiji Notebook for Martial Artists (browsing used bookstore)
33. Qigong for Health and Vitality (browsing used bookstore)
34. Chi Kung: The Chinese Art of Mastering Energy (browsing used bookstore)
35. The Soapmaker's Companion (browsing my pharmacy)
36. A Gilder's Notebook
37. Introduction to Using Powdered Pigments
July
38. Homegoing (gift)
39. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States (special order)
40. Elements: Fire (browsing on picking up special order)
August
41. The Gates of Tagmeth
42. The Thread that Binds the Bones
43. Dragonhaven
44. Taiji Chin Na
September
45. Black and Brown Planets (browsing on placing special order)
46. New Worlds, Old Ways (browsing on placing special order)
47. Trials by Whiteness (browsing on placing special order)
48. Spindle's End (browsing thrift store)
49. Raising the Stones (browsing thrift store)
50. Sideshow (browsing thrift store)
October
The Hot Belly Diet
Silence
The White Racial Frame
Leyendas de Guanajuato
Peacemaker
Young Miles
The Crystal Gryphon
November
In the Light of Justice
'Arabiyyat al-Naas: Part One
And also track any books I get rid of. I just went through something of a purge going from a house to a one-bedroom apartment. My fiction paperbacks now fit on 2 "media storage" shelves. My fiction hardcover and large paperbacks fit on one shelf and in one box (I am seeking a bookcase that will fit the minuscule remaining wallspace and fiction books). My nonfiction is in 3 large wooden bookcases, and stacked in a pile or two near them.
(Nothing to report yet. Though I did take a pile of books to the bookstore for store credit on December 31 and took back the books that they weren't interested in. My plan is to distribute them to various Little Free Libraries and potential book donation programs.)
Books to dispose of, largely old and beat up and falling apart:
Barrayar - not sure how I ended up with this
Busman's Honeymoon - I have a hardcover omnibus that makes this mmpb redundant
Dreamsnake - 2 mmpb that are pretty ratty and have been replaced by a shiny one
Exiles of the Stars - another falling-apart mmpb replaced by one in good condition
Flying Finish - yep, pages starting to fall out
Harpist in the Wind - I found a good copy
Her Man of Affairs - I held onto it because of the Scottish dialect, but the story is so awful that it's no longer sufficiently interesting to keep
Moon of Three Rings - replaced with a newer mmpb
Miss Chartley's Guided Tour - stole from my mom, terribly saccharine story of reunited lovers and a bad, bad man
The Pocket Doctor: Your Ticket to Good Health While Traveling - the touchstone came up as Frankenstein!
S+ Spatial Stats: User's Manual for Windows and UNIX - if I ever get back into statistics, I'll be using R
Star Gate - updated in my collectio n
Sword Sworn - accidentally bought a duplicate
Unnatural Death - omnibus hardcover makes this redundant
Telzey Amberdon - accidentally bought a duplicate (again!)
I didn't actually flag these and the books that did get sold in LT, so at some point, I am going to have to check my listings and remove some items...
Actually disposed of:
The Vikings bought with intention of gift, finally gifted
Goldwork Embroidery same
Experimenting with Babies gifted
ABCs of Serging gifted
The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide gifted
Serger Shortcuts gifted
Unfolding the Eightfold Path gifted
The Sword That Cuts the Burning Grass gifted
A History of Private Life vol. II upgraded to hardcover, gifted paperback edition
Fabulous Feasts gifted duplicate
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States gifted
4justchris
And some very basic stats. I'm not nearly the number cruncher compared to many others here. This will be my first time sitting down and looking at overall trends.
Total books read
2009 - 116
2010 - 85
2011 - 94
2012 - 100
2013 - 53
2014 - 91
2015 - 93
2016 - 102
2017 - 77 (running total)
Total new books read
2009 - 65
2010 - 39
2011 - 43
2012 - 36
2013 - 29
2014 - 36
2015 - 33
2016 - 34
2017 - 18 (running total)
Total of my own books read
2009 - 91
2010 - 37
2011 - 64
2012 - 62
2013 - 38
2014 - 73
2015 - 71
2016 - 84
2017 - 76 (running total)
Total of nonfiction or poetry books read
2009 - 8
2010 - 5
2011 - 6
2012 - 12
2013 - 11
2014 - 13
2015 - 14
2016 - 8
2017 - 7 (running total)
Total reviews uploaded
2009 - 91
2010 - 36
2011 - 51
2012 - 2
2013 - 1
2014 - 3
2015 - 2
2016 - 9
2017 - 4 (running total)
Total books read
2009 - 116
2010 - 85
2011 - 94
2012 - 100
2013 - 53
2014 - 91
2015 - 93
2016 - 102
2017 - 77 (running total)
Total new books read
2009 - 65
2010 - 39
2011 - 43
2012 - 36
2013 - 29
2014 - 36
2015 - 33
2016 - 34
2017 - 18 (running total)
Total of my own books read
2009 - 91
2010 - 37
2011 - 64
2012 - 62
2013 - 38
2014 - 73
2015 - 71
2016 - 84
2017 - 76 (running total)
Total of nonfiction or poetry books read
2009 - 8
2010 - 5
2011 - 6
2012 - 12
2013 - 11
2014 - 13
2015 - 14
2016 - 8
2017 - 7 (running total)
Total reviews uploaded
2009 - 91
2010 - 36
2011 - 51
2012 - 2
2013 - 1
2014 - 3
2015 - 2
2016 - 9
2017 - 4 (running total)
5justchris
Stealing from Roni (and others):
Describe yourself: The Black Sheep
Describe how you feel: The Watcher's Mask
Describe where you currently live: Fire Touched
If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: A Dying Light in Corduba
Your favorite form of transportation: StarBridge
Your best friend is: Sisters of the Raven
You and your friends are: The Nine Tailors
What’s the weather like?: Cryoburn
You fear: False Colours
What is the best advice you have to give?: Heroics for Beginners
Thought for the day: Gaudy Night
How I would like to die: Long Hidden
My soul’s present condition: Uprooted
Describe yourself: The Black Sheep
Describe how you feel: The Watcher's Mask
Describe where you currently live: Fire Touched
If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: A Dying Light in Corduba
Your favorite form of transportation: StarBridge
Your best friend is: Sisters of the Raven
You and your friends are: The Nine Tailors
What’s the weather like?: Cryoburn
You fear: False Colours
What is the best advice you have to give?: Heroics for Beginners
Thought for the day: Gaudy Night
How I would like to die: Long Hidden
My soul’s present condition: Uprooted
6justchris
Because this contains an actual review, I am copying it over.
At the end of last year, I decided to work my way through my Norton collection to decide whether I really wanted to keep all of them. So I started with her longest and most beloved series, the Witch World. The first book I finished this year, High Sorcery is tangentially related to the series, on the High Halleck side of the ocean.
Also, my lifelong habit has been to read myself to sleep. I have learned the hard way that reading new novels at bedtime is a Very Bad idea. So now I tend to either reread familiar stories that therefore aren't gripping past the point of exhaustion or short story collections that offer many more break points for me to stop and turn off the light. This book fulfilled both of these constraints that minimize the risk of me staying up way too late yet again.
Tangentially, I have always loved the cover by Steve Hickman, although it has nothing to do with any of the stories in the book. Not so much the female nudity (yawn, the usual SF/fantasy sexism on display--but it's a product of its times, 1970--I hear the apologists' cry already). But I very much enjoy all of the curves and spirals and how they intersect: the arms of the chair and draped fabric, the curve of the horns and the satyr-like leg, in addition to the curves of the feminine torso, the spirals of the hair, the circular pedestal, the colonnades in the background, etc. And I enjoy the study in red--all of the colors from the same palette range.
So, on to the book itself. Five stories, only "Ully the Piper" pertains to the Witch World, but all entail some degree of magic (and disability, I am just now realizing). The first, the novella "Wizard's World" (previously published and broken into 9 chapters) is very similar to the original Witch World in terms of plot: hunted man manages to flee his pursuers into another world where magic apparently works. In his own world, his esper talents made him a hated minority trying to escape genocide or slavery, but here they make him a person with the Power. He finds a woman being hunted and saves her, then joins forces with others to carve out a place for himself. Second, "Through the Needle's Eye" is set in the modern world. A disabled girl is drawn to a disabled old woman who is the last of a family famous for embroidery. The old woman's tragic past and mysterious future are tangled up with the devil's bargain (well, the other party is left unclear) made by the first of her line and the magical needles passed down from one talented woman to another through the generations. "By a Hair" is set in an unnamed location of eastern Europe(?) in the wake of WWII and the rise Stalinism and the Soviet Union. Politics and personal desire and old powers collide in the machinations of 4 people to devastating and unexplainable effect. Fourth, "Ully the Piper" features Ully, a disabled boy who can't participate in the spring dances with the other youth of their remote dale that escaped the ravages of war. The popular kids bully him and push his cart down the hill to get lost in the woods at night, where he happens upon a faery ring. Faery gifts, envy, greed, and the rewards for ill intent are all there in a classic folktale plot.
Finally, "Toys of Tamisan" (8 chapters) is a blend of science fiction and fantasy. This novella was expanded into the full-length novel Perilous Dreams 7 years later by the addition of 3 other sections following this part. It opens with a science fiction story of a bored, disabled rich man (former space explorer or other man of action) who at the urging of his oh-so-solicitous cousin buys a telepathic dreamer (an organic form of virtual reality) who specializes in action dreams for her clients. Challenged by her client's ennui, Tamisan decides to create a dream based on possible alternate trajectory of their city and planet if 3 critical decision points in history had gone differently. Stunned to find herself trapped within the dream world and apparently gifted with magical oracular power, she struggles to find her client and his cousin and free them all before any of them dies in a reality she can't control.
I still enjoy the stories after all these years. This book's a keeper.
At the end of last year, I decided to work my way through my Norton collection to decide whether I really wanted to keep all of them. So I started with her longest and most beloved series, the Witch World. The first book I finished this year, High Sorcery is tangentially related to the series, on the High Halleck side of the ocean.
Also, my lifelong habit has been to read myself to sleep. I have learned the hard way that reading new novels at bedtime is a Very Bad idea. So now I tend to either reread familiar stories that therefore aren't gripping past the point of exhaustion or short story collections that offer many more break points for me to stop and turn off the light. This book fulfilled both of these constraints that minimize the risk of me staying up way too late yet again.
Tangentially, I have always loved the cover by Steve Hickman, although it has nothing to do with any of the stories in the book. Not so much the female nudity (yawn, the usual SF/fantasy sexism on display--but it's a product of its times, 1970--I hear the apologists' cry already). But I very much enjoy all of the curves and spirals and how they intersect: the arms of the chair and draped fabric, the curve of the horns and the satyr-like leg, in addition to the curves of the feminine torso, the spirals of the hair, the circular pedestal, the colonnades in the background, etc. And I enjoy the study in red--all of the colors from the same palette range.
So, on to the book itself. Five stories, only "Ully the Piper" pertains to the Witch World, but all entail some degree of magic (and disability, I am just now realizing). The first, the novella "Wizard's World" (previously published and broken into 9 chapters) is very similar to the original Witch World in terms of plot: hunted man manages to flee his pursuers into another world where magic apparently works. In his own world, his esper talents made him a hated minority trying to escape genocide or slavery, but here they make him a person with the Power. He finds a woman being hunted and saves her, then joins forces with others to carve out a place for himself. Second, "Through the Needle's Eye" is set in the modern world. A disabled girl is drawn to a disabled old woman who is the last of a family famous for embroidery. The old woman's tragic past and mysterious future are tangled up with the devil's bargain (well, the other party is left unclear) made by the first of her line and the magical needles passed down from one talented woman to another through the generations. "By a Hair" is set in an unnamed location of eastern Europe(?) in the wake of WWII and the rise Stalinism and the Soviet Union. Politics and personal desire and old powers collide in the machinations of 4 people to devastating and unexplainable effect. Fourth, "Ully the Piper" features Ully, a disabled boy who can't participate in the spring dances with the other youth of their remote dale that escaped the ravages of war. The popular kids bully him and push his cart down the hill to get lost in the woods at night, where he happens upon a faery ring. Faery gifts, envy, greed, and the rewards for ill intent are all there in a classic folktale plot.
Finally, "Toys of Tamisan" (8 chapters) is a blend of science fiction and fantasy. This novella was expanded into the full-length novel Perilous Dreams 7 years later by the addition of 3 other sections following this part. It opens with a science fiction story of a bored, disabled rich man (former space explorer or other man of action) who at the urging of his oh-so-solicitous cousin buys a telepathic dreamer (an organic form of virtual reality) who specializes in action dreams for her clients. Challenged by her client's ennui, Tamisan decides to create a dream based on possible alternate trajectory of their city and planet if 3 critical decision points in history had gone differently. Stunned to find herself trapped within the dream world and apparently gifted with magical oracular power, she struggles to find her client and his cousin and free them all before any of them dies in a reality she can't control.
I still enjoy the stories after all these years. This book's a keeper.
7ronincats
Happy New Year! (dropping a star)
Lovely new thread! Good decision. That typo would have bugged the heck out of you all year long. Not worth it.
Lovely new thread! Good decision. That typo would have bugged the heck out of you all year long. Not worth it.
9justchris
>8 drneutron: Thanks, Jim! Both for the housekeeping and the compliment.
10PaulCranswick
>5 justchris: The last answer to you Meme is appropriate Chris since you have uprooted to new digs.
Happy new thread and have a great weekend.
Happy new thread and have a great weekend.
11FAMeulstee
Happy new and improved thread, Chris!
12karenmarie
Hi Chris!
I saw you on Paul Cranswick's thread and decided to come visit you.
>3 justchris: I've read all of Jill Paton Walsh's Sayers books and they're uneven but definitely good enough for a Sayers addict such as myself. The first time visitor asks, Have you read all Sayers' Wimsey and Wimsey/Vane books?
I saw you on Paul Cranswick's thread and decided to come visit you.
>3 justchris: I've read all of Jill Paton Walsh's Sayers books and they're uneven but definitely good enough for a Sayers addict such as myself. The first time visitor asks, Have you read all Sayers' Wimsey and Wimsey/Vane books?
13justchris
>10 PaulCranswick: and >11 FAMeulstee: Thanks for saying hello and welcoming me again, Paul and Anita. Twice for luck, right?
>12 karenmarie: Hello Karen! Thank you for stopping by. I have a total crush on Lord Peter Wimsey. Yes, I have all of the Wimsey/Vane books. I've been consolidating my collection with omnibus hardcovers when I can find them, and releasing the paperbacks into the wild. I don't usually collect fiction in hardcover. But because so many of my Sayers books are hardcover, I was willing to purchase the trade paperbacks by Walsh this week. It was a tough call for me.
I'm cautious about how these 2 stories will read. I could sometimes tell the difference in prose between Walsh and Sayers in Thrones, Dominations. I like the Sayers style better. But I am willing to give these a shot, because even secondhand Wimsey/Vane stories are better than none (at least for now).
I recently watched Death Comes to Pemberley, not having read the books, and I was very unhappy with how the Colonel's character took a hit to serve the plot in terms of muddling suspects and motives. I thought he was one of the most likeable characters in Pride and Prejudice (of course, he couldn't really compete with Jane and Bingley).
I couldn't get past 25 pages of Jane and the Ghosts of Netley. I have problems personally with the appropriation of beloved characters (I get that there are millions of words of fanfic out there, and some it is very good, but I don't go into those parts of the internet much), and thus to turn a beloved author into a character seemed a bit dubious. But I thought I'd see how it went. But not only did the author take a real historical figure and turn her into a character, she then defies all the conventions and norms of the era in ways that vastly exceeded my ability to suspend disbelief.
All of that is to say my expectations are low and hopefully will be readily exceeded by Jill Paton Walsh. I did like Thrones, Dominations very much.
>12 karenmarie: Hello Karen! Thank you for stopping by. I have a total crush on Lord Peter Wimsey. Yes, I have all of the Wimsey/Vane books. I've been consolidating my collection with omnibus hardcovers when I can find them, and releasing the paperbacks into the wild. I don't usually collect fiction in hardcover. But because so many of my Sayers books are hardcover, I was willing to purchase the trade paperbacks by Walsh this week. It was a tough call for me.
I'm cautious about how these 2 stories will read. I could sometimes tell the difference in prose between Walsh and Sayers in Thrones, Dominations. I like the Sayers style better. But I am willing to give these a shot, because even secondhand Wimsey/Vane stories are better than none (at least for now).
I recently watched Death Comes to Pemberley, not having read the books, and I was very unhappy with how the Colonel's character took a hit to serve the plot in terms of muddling suspects and motives. I thought he was one of the most likeable characters in Pride and Prejudice (of course, he couldn't really compete with Jane and Bingley).
I couldn't get past 25 pages of Jane and the Ghosts of Netley. I have problems personally with the appropriation of beloved characters (I get that there are millions of words of fanfic out there, and some it is very good, but I don't go into those parts of the internet much), and thus to turn a beloved author into a character seemed a bit dubious. But I thought I'd see how it went. But not only did the author take a real historical figure and turn her into a character, she then defies all the conventions and norms of the era in ways that vastly exceeded my ability to suspend disbelief.
All of that is to say my expectations are low and hopefully will be readily exceeded by Jill Paton Walsh. I did like Thrones, Dominations very much.
14PaulCranswick
>12 karenmarie: I really like it when that happens. My thread helping the networking process! Quite humbling in a very nice way, I must say.
15karenmarie
>13 justchris: I didn't particularly like Thrones, Dominations compared to pure Sayers, as I could also easily tell what was Walsh and what was Sayers. I loved it because it was Sayers, though. I've read all 4 now and will be interested to hear your opinion of the two you bought, and eventually The Late Scholar.
I've got my 1970s paperback copies of Sayers and some newer paperback copies that I've found over the years, and need to do her justice with hardcover copies sooner than later. I do have Busman's Honeymoon in hardcover, first US printing in 1937 that I got at the thrift shop. I, too, release old copies of books when I replace them. I've done that quite a bit with Georgette Heyer.
>14 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Yes, you have introduced me to another Sayers fan, quite a serious one, I'm glad to say.
I've got my 1970s paperback copies of Sayers and some newer paperback copies that I've found over the years, and need to do her justice with hardcover copies sooner than later. I do have Busman's Honeymoon in hardcover, first US printing in 1937 that I got at the thrift shop. I, too, release old copies of books when I replace them. I've done that quite a bit with Georgette Heyer.
>14 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Yes, you have introduced me to another Sayers fan, quite a serious one, I'm glad to say.
16justchris
>15 karenmarie: I'll let you know my reaction once I read them. I sat on the decision for over a year, ever since I found Thrones, Dominations. I haven't been acquiring single novels in hardback, but story collections. For example, the most recent was Lord Peter and Harriet: Part II, containing Gaudy Night and Busman's Honeymoon and produced by the Mystery Guild as a Lost Classics Omnibus. So clearly, there's a Part I out there somewhere, and if I'm patient and persistent, I might find it.
I have a bunch of Heyer paperbacks, some stolen from my mom and some reprints bought in recent years. I am missing some of my favorites though, and some of the older books are falling apart.
>14 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.
I have a bunch of Heyer paperbacks, some stolen from my mom and some reprints bought in recent years. I am missing some of my favorites though, and some of the older books are falling apart.
>14 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.
18dk_phoenix
Passing through, dropping a star... ^_^
19justchris
Here we are 2 weeks in, and I still need to finish collecting my very basic trending stats. Also, forgot to reply to Karen. Sorry, Karen.
>17 karenmarie: From my shelves, my favorites would be The Grand Sophy, The Black Sheep, Frederica, These Old Shades, An Infamous Army, The Masqueraders, and A Civil Contract. But in addition to these, I also really like Venetia. It's so hard to pick just one.
>18 dk_phoenix: Thanks for stopping by, Faith.
>17 karenmarie: From my shelves, my favorites would be The Grand Sophy, The Black Sheep, Frederica, These Old Shades, An Infamous Army, The Masqueraders, and A Civil Contract. But in addition to these, I also really like Venetia. It's so hard to pick just one.
>18 dk_phoenix: Thanks for stopping by, Faith.
20ronincats
Aaargh, you left out The Unknown Ajax!!
21karenmarie
And The Quiet Gentleman and ..... but we all have our own favorites, right?
It is hard to pick just one. Or even five. My first Heyer was Faro's Daughter and I still have my ratty old 1970s copy. Can't bear to get rid of it even though I bought a nice shiny new trade paperback a while back as a reading copy. So I have two on my shelves.
It is hard to pick just one. Or even five. My first Heyer was Faro's Daughter and I still have my ratty old 1970s copy. Can't bear to get rid of it even though I bought a nice shiny new trade paperback a while back as a reading copy. So I have two on my shelves.
22gennyt
Just returning to active LT participation after a year or two of being largely absent. I read on your first (aborted) thread that you were having trouble with touchstones. Is that still going on for you? Most of the few books I've so far tried to touchstone have had similar issues - the first two or three, sometimes many more, that are listed are nowhere near the title of book but instead are very well known classics. It's such a pain having to search and replace touchstones on nearly every book. As I've not been using LT much in the past year or more, I don't know if this is a new, ongoing issue or just a temporary glitch.
I like your stats going back through all the years of 75 group membership. This will be my 8th year (but only the 6th actively participating).
I like your stats going back through all the years of 75 group membership. This will be my 8th year (but only the 6th actively participating).
23justchris
>22 gennyt: Gennyt, thank you for stopping by! Good to see you again after the hiatus. My stats are still incomplete. Hoping to finish collating that soon...
Most of the touchstones work most of the time. It's just the rare oddball that is goofy. Sorry you've been having some bad luck with them.
Most of the touchstones work most of the time. It's just the rare oddball that is goofy. Sorry you've been having some bad luck with them.
24PaulCranswick
The amount of time Touchstones turn up Harry Potter or Dickens or Jane Austen does get slightly tedious. I cannot really understand when you have exactly the right title why you then have to scroll down so much to find it.
Have a good weekend, Chris.
Have a good weekend, Chris.
25justchris
>24 PaulCranswick: Thanks for stopping by, Paul. I've been dealing with both personal health issues and ongoing family crisis, which have catapulted me even further behind at work just when I thought I was going to finally be on top of things. So I haven't been able to keep up with your threads to the point of posting, but have skimmed some. Same for pretty much everyone else. Sigh.
26justchris
Having finished collating my very basic stats for the last 9 years, I've decided that I am only allowed to re-read a book annually at most. I kept having to deduct from my totals because I'd re-read something a couple of times.
27PaulCranswick
>25 justchris: No problem, post when you can or feel like it mate. Believe it or not for a stataholic, I'm not counting!
Hope the issues get themselves sorted out.
Hope the issues get themselves sorted out.
28dk_phoenix
>26 justchris: I've reread almost nothing these past few years because, as much as I love certain books, there are just too many I want to read in this world and I'll never have time to get to them all regardless. Go figure! That said, there's something to be said for comfort reads, or certain books that suit a certain period or time in your life so that you reach for it when during that time!
29justchris
>28 dk_phoenix: It's true! There are more amazing books to read than can be read in a single lifetime! It totally makes sense to move on to the next new read, Faith.
But, indeed, I tend to fall back to comfort reads when I am stressed or overwhelmed or afraid to get too wrapped up in a novel (a particular failing of mine). And unfortunately, the last few years have been full of stress and distress for me.
I sometimes think that youth is about one's horizons expanding out to infinity, and that aging is about the horizons moving ever closer as one becomes more and more circumscribed in habits, thought patterns, relationships, geography, etc. And eventually one is boxed into so small a space that all the juice has been sucked out of one, and there's not much left to life and living.
Clearly, I've fallen into deep ruts in my reading habits.
But, indeed, I tend to fall back to comfort reads when I am stressed or overwhelmed or afraid to get too wrapped up in a novel (a particular failing of mine). And unfortunately, the last few years have been full of stress and distress for me.
I sometimes think that youth is about one's horizons expanding out to infinity, and that aging is about the horizons moving ever closer as one becomes more and more circumscribed in habits, thought patterns, relationships, geography, etc. And eventually one is boxed into so small a space that all the juice has been sucked out of one, and there's not much left to life and living.
Clearly, I've fallen into deep ruts in my reading habits.
30justchris
Ha! I'm going to sneak in a quick review.
Dragonsong and Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey are the first two books of the Harper Hall trilogy (along with Dragon Drums). I read these and the original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon) back when I was barely a teenager.
I loved all of them for many years, along with many other McCaffrey stories. It took me awhile to figure out that one of the things that I really enjoyed is that there is no religion in this fantasy setting, and no war or large-scale violence.
The Harper Hall trilogy are my favorites, and the only ones I am interested in keeping now. That's because they don't involve any sex, unlike the other early trilogy. It took me a long time to figure out that McCaffrey's portrayal of sex was deeply problematic: almost always involving at least one scene where the man makes sexual overtures, the woman says no, and the man goes ahead anyway. Sex without consent is by definition rape. Add in the particular twist of the telepathic bonds with dragons or fire lizards, such that when the dragons mate, the people linked to them have sex too, swept away by the sexual urges. Which is to say, the woman bonded to the gold queen dragon doesn't get to pick her sex partner and may not even know what the hell is happening if she didn't happen to grow up in a dragon weyr. But hey, that's just biology and associated social order.
The protagonist of Dragonsong and Dragonsinger is Menolly, the youngest daughter of the chief (Holder) of a small, isolated fishing village (seahold). She's 14 at the beginning of the first book, musically gifted, and bereft at the death of her mentor Petiron, the hold's harper. Her father reluctantly assigns her to teach the children until the new harper arrives so they don't fall behind on their lessons. However, she is to teach only the formal and traditional teaching songs. She is forbidden to make her own music because only boys can apprentice to learn a trade, including harpering.
Menolly becomes increasingly unhappy under the patriarchal and narrow restrictions of her family and village and runs away because possible death foraging alone and holdless is better than her increasingly intolerable home life. Adventures ensue as Menolly learns to survive and become self-sufficient. She isn't lonely though, when she discovers that the legendary fire lizards are real and become a part of her new life. Part of the story is told from the perspective of Elgion, the new harper, as he tries to find out what happened to Petiron's mysterious apprentice at the behest of the Masterharper. Their stories converge at the end for a happy resolution and shiny new future for Menolly.
In the second book, Dragonsinger, Menolly has just arrived at Harper Hall to great acclaim as Petiron's lost apprentice. However, she struggles to find her place in this new, unfamiliar community while still healing from the injuries, both physical and emotional, acquired in Dragonsong. She's an apprentice, but the lone female, and can't stay in the barracks with the boys. There are other girls, but they're casual students and more concerned with social status and dating. Her encounters with various students, apprentices, and masters of various musical disciplines leave her uncertain about her future at Harper Hall.
These are charming books featuring a strong female character coming of age and finding her strength and her friends. She deals with physical and emotional abuse, seeking food and shelter, social ostracism, bullying, prejudice, and overly narrow gender roles. But they are hopeful and ultimately rewarding. I wanted to be Menolly when I read these books at her age.
Dragonsong and Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey are the first two books of the Harper Hall trilogy (along with Dragon Drums). I read these and the original Dragonriders of Pern trilogy (Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon) back when I was barely a teenager.
I loved all of them for many years, along with many other McCaffrey stories. It took me awhile to figure out that one of the things that I really enjoyed is that there is no religion in this fantasy setting, and no war or large-scale violence.
The Harper Hall trilogy are my favorites, and the only ones I am interested in keeping now. That's because they don't involve any sex, unlike the other early trilogy. It took me a long time to figure out that McCaffrey's portrayal of sex was deeply problematic: almost always involving at least one scene where the man makes sexual overtures, the woman says no, and the man goes ahead anyway. Sex without consent is by definition rape. Add in the particular twist of the telepathic bonds with dragons or fire lizards, such that when the dragons mate, the people linked to them have sex too, swept away by the sexual urges. Which is to say, the woman bonded to the gold queen dragon doesn't get to pick her sex partner and may not even know what the hell is happening if she didn't happen to grow up in a dragon weyr. But hey, that's just biology and associated social order.
The protagonist of Dragonsong and Dragonsinger is Menolly, the youngest daughter of the chief (Holder) of a small, isolated fishing village (seahold). She's 14 at the beginning of the first book, musically gifted, and bereft at the death of her mentor Petiron, the hold's harper. Her father reluctantly assigns her to teach the children until the new harper arrives so they don't fall behind on their lessons. However, she is to teach only the formal and traditional teaching songs. She is forbidden to make her own music because only boys can apprentice to learn a trade, including harpering.
Menolly becomes increasingly unhappy under the patriarchal and narrow restrictions of her family and village and runs away because possible death foraging alone and holdless is better than her increasingly intolerable home life. Adventures ensue as Menolly learns to survive and become self-sufficient. She isn't lonely though, when she discovers that the legendary fire lizards are real and become a part of her new life. Part of the story is told from the perspective of Elgion, the new harper, as he tries to find out what happened to Petiron's mysterious apprentice at the behest of the Masterharper. Their stories converge at the end for a happy resolution and shiny new future for Menolly.
In the second book, Dragonsinger, Menolly has just arrived at Harper Hall to great acclaim as Petiron's lost apprentice. However, she struggles to find her place in this new, unfamiliar community while still healing from the injuries, both physical and emotional, acquired in Dragonsong. She's an apprentice, but the lone female, and can't stay in the barracks with the boys. There are other girls, but they're casual students and more concerned with social status and dating. Her encounters with various students, apprentices, and masters of various musical disciplines leave her uncertain about her future at Harper Hall.
These are charming books featuring a strong female character coming of age and finding her strength and her friends. She deals with physical and emotional abuse, seeking food and shelter, social ostracism, bullying, prejudice, and overly narrow gender roles. But they are hopeful and ultimately rewarding. I wanted to be Menolly when I read these books at her age.
31karenmarie
Hi Chris! I like re-reading books for comfort, as @dk_phoenix says. Not too many in a year, but I don't make it a rule that I can't re-read more than "X" books a year. Too stifling.
32ronincats
>25 justchris:, >26 justchris: Sorry to hear about assorted life stresses, Chris, especially when you were on the verge of emerging from them. I hope for a positive resolution on all fronts.
I don't think I've ever reread a book twice in the same year. I have upon occasion read an e-ARC and then read the print version when it came out (after all, there might have been differences!). I don't plan it that way; I just tend to read old friends that haven't been visited so recently.
>30 justchris: AH, the Menolly books are my favorites as well, although I also have a soft spot for The White Dragon, Ruth. I must confess that Dragon Drummer was a disappointment for me, although I see how it contributed to McCaffrey's world-building at large.
I have some of my stats available from when I joined, but books read is the only one for all 9 previous years. I have pages read and books acquired from 2010 on, Books off My Shelves from 2011 on, and books de-acquistioned from 2012 on. I did put those numbers in one of my introductory messages on my thread. Books Off My Shelves would not include rereads; however, I have that data from the spreadsheets I started keeping from 2011 on. Also nonfiction numbers. I may dig those out, as I want to find and record when the BOMS I read this year were acquired so will be digging through those old spreadsheets. Eventually.
I don't think I've ever reread a book twice in the same year. I have upon occasion read an e-ARC and then read the print version when it came out (after all, there might have been differences!). I don't plan it that way; I just tend to read old friends that haven't been visited so recently.
>30 justchris: AH, the Menolly books are my favorites as well, although I also have a soft spot for The White Dragon, Ruth. I must confess that Dragon Drummer was a disappointment for me, although I see how it contributed to McCaffrey's world-building at large.
I have some of my stats available from when I joined, but books read is the only one for all 9 previous years. I have pages read and books acquired from 2010 on, Books off My Shelves from 2011 on, and books de-acquistioned from 2012 on. I did put those numbers in one of my introductory messages on my thread. Books Off My Shelves would not include rereads; however, I have that data from the spreadsheets I started keeping from 2011 on. Also nonfiction numbers. I may dig those out, as I want to find and record when the BOMS I read this year were acquired so will be digging through those old spreadsheets. Eventually.
33justchris
>31 karenmarie: Hi, Karen! I totally understand feeling stifled by arbitrary constraints. I keep signing up for challenges that sound interesting, and pick out the books for each month for that challenge and then not reading them. I guess it ends up feeling like homework or something. I'm thinking not so much no more than X re-reads per year, but more re-reading a given book no more than once. I'd like to make some progress and move on to new things. But it's so easy for me to go back to best-loved or most comforting stories. Kinda like eating microwave dinners too often instead of home-cooked meals.
>32 ronincats: I do love Ruth. And The White Dragon used to be a favorite. I just have a hard time now with the "sex" scenes. Yeah, I'm not that enthusiastic about Dragon Drums either. Piemur just isn't as engaging as protagonist for me.
Thanks for sharing more info about your stats, Roni. I'm not motivated enough to organize a spreadsheet. But I can see how it makes tracking things so much earlier than opening up the earlier threads and manually counting stuff up.
>32 ronincats: I do love Ruth. And The White Dragon used to be a favorite. I just have a hard time now with the "sex" scenes. Yeah, I'm not that enthusiastic about Dragon Drums either. Piemur just isn't as engaging as protagonist for me.
Thanks for sharing more info about your stats, Roni. I'm not motivated enough to organize a spreadsheet. But I can see how it makes tracking things so much earlier than opening up the earlier threads and manually counting stuff up.
34justchris
I pulled out The Lunar Tao now that we've entered the year of the Fire Rooster. Happy Lunar New Year! I'm trying to incorporate some mindfulness into daily life, and for the last couple years I've had this as a bedside book and read the daily meditations according to the lunar calendar as part of my bedtime routine. I haven't managed to follow through for more than a couple months, and here we are already on day 5 when I remembered it. So I'll start up tonight.
I am too tired and stressed and overwhelmed by life to risk jumping into new novels much in recent years, given my tendency to binge read and lose sleep. Though I did manage to pace myself with Earth Logic this weekend--started Friday night and finished Sunday afternoon and actually managed to put it down several times and not take it with me to work/on errands. Such self-restraint!
I am really loving Laurie J. Marks as an author and am really looking forward to receiving Water Logic soon. I ordered both of these through the HPB marketplace along with my Arabic textbook, which I need in a few weeks for my Arabic 2 evening class. Marks is an obscure author, and these were published over 10 years ago, which is to say that they are impossible to find in bookstores and I don't want to wait the many years of patient combing through secondhand stores to eventually maybe encounter them.
I had to stop by my pharmacy today and decided to treat myself by also going to the feminist bookstore next door afterward. So I picked up a few things. I immediately jumped into the introduction of Strange Matings, one of a whole slew of fairly recent works inspired by Octavia Butler's oeuvre. As I was saying, I am loath to take on full novels and thus have not had much chance to explore authors new to me. Instead, I am investing in interesting short story collections as a way to broaden my exposure to more writers. It's been a good experience so far.
I am too tired and stressed and overwhelmed by life to risk jumping into new novels much in recent years, given my tendency to binge read and lose sleep. Though I did manage to pace myself with Earth Logic this weekend--started Friday night and finished Sunday afternoon and actually managed to put it down several times and not take it with me to work/on errands. Such self-restraint!
I am really loving Laurie J. Marks as an author and am really looking forward to receiving Water Logic soon. I ordered both of these through the HPB marketplace along with my Arabic textbook, which I need in a few weeks for my Arabic 2 evening class. Marks is an obscure author, and these were published over 10 years ago, which is to say that they are impossible to find in bookstores and I don't want to wait the many years of patient combing through secondhand stores to eventually maybe encounter them.
I had to stop by my pharmacy today and decided to treat myself by also going to the feminist bookstore next door afterward. So I picked up a few things. I immediately jumped into the introduction of Strange Matings, one of a whole slew of fairly recent works inspired by Octavia Butler's oeuvre. As I was saying, I am loath to take on full novels and thus have not had much chance to explore authors new to me. Instead, I am investing in interesting short story collections as a way to broaden my exposure to more writers. It's been a good experience so far.
35Cauterize
Hi Chris!! It's great to see that you're still posting strong in this group! I fell off the wagon, but I'm back! I'm sending good vibes for you in this transition in your life, I can emphasize... I, too am almost done un-tangling myself from my ex, which caused me to drop off my reading totals for the last couple years.
Dragonsong and Dragonsinger are two of my favourite McCaffreys probably for the same reasons you list and I re-read them all the time! Does anybody ever re-read Dragondrums, LOL??? I think it's pretty acknowledged it's just not up to par and I have no idea why McCaffrey changed protagonists in that one since this series was all about Menolly. As for the sex scenes, I agree that early McCaffrey are pretty rapey or what we would say today does not include consent or has scenes that have actual verbal or physical refusal. However, I do think that McCaffrey did change with the times and her later sex scenes weren't so archaic. Once she hit the mid-late 90's they seemed to get a lot better, I thought.
Dragonsong and Dragonsinger are two of my favourite McCaffreys probably for the same reasons you list and I re-read them all the time! Does anybody ever re-read Dragondrums, LOL??? I think it's pretty acknowledged it's just not up to par and I have no idea why McCaffrey changed protagonists in that one since this series was all about Menolly. As for the sex scenes, I agree that early McCaffrey are pretty rapey or what we would say today does not include consent or has scenes that have actual verbal or physical refusal. However, I do think that McCaffrey did change with the times and her later sex scenes weren't so archaic. Once she hit the mid-late 90's they seemed to get a lot better, I thought.
36justchris
>35 Cauterize: Thank you for stopping by, Steph! I hear you on the wagon bit. I never quite fell off, but kinda lost the whole wagon train year after year. Good luck with your detangling procedures. Hope you're doing much better in 2017. Let's hear it for renewed single life (I presume).
Sometimes I re-read Dragondrums, but not often, I admit. Piemur just isn't as interesting, and his adventures just don't have the same warmth.
I'm sure many of McCaffrey's recent works are much better in terms of consensual sex. And yet, the books just started to pall and feel too much like fan-servicing or milking old product rather than new and inspired story-telling. I stopped the Dragonrider books at Moreta's Ride.
I loved Decision at Doona but didn't want to be disappointed by the much later Crisis at Doona so didn't even try. I loved The Ship Who Sang and read the send-ups through about The City Who Fought, then they really started to pall. Really liked Crystal Singer and read the whole trilogy, but very disappointed by the direction of Crystal Line. I did like what she did with the Dinosaur Planet and Sassinak books.
Hated that she turned the escaped slave and rapist master race guy in "Thorns of Barevi" into the romantic couple of the Freedom's Landing series booted up from the short story decades later. I enjoyed the early stories of the Talents in collections like Get Off the Unicorn and To Ride Pegasus, but not motivated to follow into the much later full novels. Read Acorna. Meh. Powers That Be etc didn't look that interesting.
In other words, I treat her works about the same as those of Andre Norton. Both writers were hugely influential for me, and I still have a soft spot for them, but I have a cut-off date for each of them after which I don't really try to read their (often co-authored) stuff. I've kept most of the Norton books I stole from my mom. I ended up giving all of the McCaffrey back, or else liquidating those books during one of my completist purge phases (can't stand some, so all must go!). And only recently decided to reacquire the Harper Hall trilogy. Hence the re-read. My book-keeping philosophy tends to cycle over the decades.
Sometimes I re-read Dragondrums, but not often, I admit. Piemur just isn't as interesting, and his adventures just don't have the same warmth.
I'm sure many of McCaffrey's recent works are much better in terms of consensual sex. And yet, the books just started to pall and feel too much like fan-servicing or milking old product rather than new and inspired story-telling. I stopped the Dragonrider books at Moreta's Ride.
I loved Decision at Doona but didn't want to be disappointed by the much later Crisis at Doona so didn't even try. I loved The Ship Who Sang and read the send-ups through about The City Who Fought, then they really started to pall. Really liked Crystal Singer and read the whole trilogy, but very disappointed by the direction of Crystal Line. I did like what she did with the Dinosaur Planet and Sassinak books.
Hated that she turned the escaped slave and rapist master race guy in "Thorns of Barevi" into the romantic couple of the Freedom's Landing series booted up from the short story decades later. I enjoyed the early stories of the Talents in collections like Get Off the Unicorn and To Ride Pegasus, but not motivated to follow into the much later full novels. Read Acorna. Meh. Powers That Be etc didn't look that interesting.
In other words, I treat her works about the same as those of Andre Norton. Both writers were hugely influential for me, and I still have a soft spot for them, but I have a cut-off date for each of them after which I don't really try to read their (often co-authored) stuff. I've kept most of the Norton books I stole from my mom. I ended up giving all of the McCaffrey back, or else liquidating those books during one of my completist purge phases (can't stand some, so all must go!). And only recently decided to reacquire the Harper Hall trilogy. Hence the re-read. My book-keeping philosophy tends to cycle over the decades.
37PaulCranswick
Just dropped by to try and get your thread ticking along Chris.
Hope you are having a great weekend.
Hope you are having a great weekend.
38justchris
>37 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the thought, Paul. But this has been a very hectic week on top of several hectic weeks, so I'm not even here much right now. I can't even remember the weekend at this point--oh yeah, went to visit dad in hospital. Stayed with friends and caught up with them. Came home, and went into work on Sunday in desperate bid to catch up. More later...
39ronincats
Sorry there is so much RL pressure, Chris. We miss you. I basically just reread the first 5 Pern books. Liked the first Ship Who Sang and the Doona and Sassinak and Dinosaur Planet books. Also the earlier Talent books, not liking Acorna or the Petaybee books much at all and didn't read the later ones. Norton I've kept all her books because she was so influential on me (McCaffrey wasn't around yet during my formative years!), even reacquiring some I don't like such as Dark Piper. I still remember the chills I had the first time I read Galactic Derelict, for example, even if it doesn't hold up now.
40karenmarie
Hi Chris! I'm sorry about the RL pressure too.
I wanted to comment on the cut off period for authors - I just commented on @rretzler's thread about giving up Grisham after The Chamber. I still cherry pick and keep the 'good ones', though, author by author. I do regret getting rid of all my Nero Wolfe mysteries in 1991. They were ratty paperbacks and I've gotten a few back, mostly as hardcover 3-in-ones, but will never reacquire all of them. It does make it hard to cull books now, realizing some of the gems I've gotten rid of.
I wanted to comment on the cut off period for authors - I just commented on @rretzler's thread about giving up Grisham after The Chamber. I still cherry pick and keep the 'good ones', though, author by author. I do regret getting rid of all my Nero Wolfe mysteries in 1991. They were ratty paperbacks and I've gotten a few back, mostly as hardcover 3-in-ones, but will never reacquire all of them. It does make it hard to cull books now, realizing some of the gems I've gotten rid of.
41justchris
>39 ronincats: Sounds like we have similar tastes, Roni. But we already knew that. Norton was probably the first fantasy/science fiction author I read, and the one I read most extensively. My few, limited attempts to write fiction while I was young was very derivative of her works. I really loved the Pern books when I encountered them in middle school, along with the Narnia books and things like the Kjelgaard Irish Red stories.
>40 karenmarie: I've never tried to keep up with Grisham, or Grafton, or Clancy or King or Koontz or Cook or many other very prolific contemporary authors. I read a few to several and then my attention wanders. I am far more likely to keep up with authors of historical or genre fiction.
I hear you on the pain of regretting earlier culls. A collection of old Nero Wolfe paperbacks sounds lovely. I can understand why you miss it now. When I was in college, a roommate had a large collection of Alistair MacLean paperbacks. They were fun to run through. A friend of mine has a girlfriend who has first editions of all the Oz books. She's been saving them to read to her daughters.
>40 karenmarie: I've never tried to keep up with Grisham, or Grafton, or Clancy or King or Koontz or Cook or many other very prolific contemporary authors. I read a few to several and then my attention wanders. I am far more likely to keep up with authors of historical or genre fiction.
I hear you on the pain of regretting earlier culls. A collection of old Nero Wolfe paperbacks sounds lovely. I can understand why you miss it now. When I was in college, a roommate had a large collection of Alistair MacLean paperbacks. They were fun to run through. A friend of mine has a girlfriend who has first editions of all the Oz books. She's been saving them to read to her daughters.
42justchris
Looks like I'm staying up all night. Boarding a bus at 5 am to the city where I catch the train to travel to my annual conference. Been a challenging week, and I had a kitchen full of dirty dishes. Didn't finish dealing with the kitchen until 10 pm. Going to be gone for a full week and don't want to leave ick while I'm gone.
Then I had to organize the paperwork for the meeting first thing Monday. And do laundry so that I have sufficient bandages and compression garments for the trip. Unfortunately, they have to air dry, and I didn't even hang them until almost 11 pm. I put the clothes rack by the hottest radiator, but I am afraid they'll still be damp when they get stowed in the luggage. I'm trying really hard to not overpack for once. My medium suitcase, my large computer bag (lots of page proofs and all my Arabic stuff for class), my usual bag, and my project bag that contains everything I'll need for 36 hours on the train, plus small sewing project. Worst case scenario, I can walk and wheel my bags all the way to the bus stop from my apartment.
Interesting watching old shows. Right now, Ironside, and before this, Mannix. I figured I might as well try to put together a book review.
Spell of the Witch World was published in 1972 and contains the novella "Dragon Scale Silver," divided into 7 chapters and introducing us to Elys. Her parents were rescued from a boat lost at sea, fled from Estcarp and landing in High Halleck. She was raised by the Wise Woman of the local village, along with her twin brother Elyn, after their Witch mother died giving birth to them. Both were trained as fighters by their warrior father, but Elys also trained as a wise woman and received the magical chalice created by their mother to aid in their conception. When war comes to High Halleck, Elys and Elyn are parted and Jervon enters the scene as an injured refugee. Jervon aids Elys in her quest to rescue her brother from some unknown magical harm.
This is followed by the short story "Dream Smith." It features Collard and Lady Jacinda, both disabled and largely hidden away from their fellows. Their young lives have been full of suffering, but they seek a happy ending that is very reminiscent of "Through the Needle's Eye" in the High Sorcery collection.
Spell of the Witch World ends with the novelette in 6 chapters, "Amber out of Quayth" In it, Ysmay seeks a new home having been displaced by her ungenerous and greedy sister-in-law too indulged by her brother, the Lord of Uppsdale. She gambles on marriage to the mysterious Hylle, a lordly merchant of amber wares from a distant northern keep. There she encounters ancient magic and unimagined perils.
Lore of the Witch World by Andre Norton came out in 1980, collecting 7 stories that were originally published in the 1970s and with an introduction by C. J. Cherryh, another of my favorite authors. Something that I did not appreciate when I first read this collection as a child is that all of the stories except "Legacy from Sorn Fen" feature female protagonists. In every case, the woman teams up with a man, and they succeed in overcoming obstacles only because they work together, but she's the one driving the action.
The volume contains 4 short stories ("Falcon Blood," "Legacy from Sorn Fen," "Sword of Unbelief," and "Changeling") and 3 novelettes ("Spider Silk," Sand Sister," and "The Toads of Grimmerdale"). The stories involve characters from both the Estcarp side and the High Halleck side of the Witch World.
"Spider Silk" is divided into 5 chapters, featuring Dairine, a girl with traumatic blindness growing up in a remote fishing village in Estcarp after the war is over and seeking the source of a phenomenal textile with the aid of a Sulcar trading ship. "Sand Sister" also has 5 chapters and takes place in Tormarsh, featuring Tursla and Simond, the son of Koris and Loyse, again after the war is over. "Falcon Blood" features Tanree and an anonymous Falconer as the only survivors of a shipwreck and the mysterious home keep of the Falconers, long since fled. "Legacy from Sorn Fen" is set in High Halleck and the peril and promise of dealing with the Old Ones.
"Sword of Unbelief" returns to Elys and Jervon, who first appeared in Spell of the Witch World. It takes place several years later, after they are wedded and wandering the Waste. An acquaintance online speculated that this may have been intended as part of the Trey of Swords collection but then discarded. I think not, considering that the stories in that collection feature the same set of characters in 3 interlocking stories.
"The Toads of Grimmerdale" and "Changeling" are consecutive stories featuring Hertha, who was thrown out of her brother's hall in the Dales of High Halleck because she refused to terminate her pregnancy resulting from being raped by brigands even though the war was over. She travels to Gunnora's shrine to beg the boon that the baby not carry any part of the rapist, but Gunnora will not aid her in seeking vengeance. And so she turns to darker powers. Then she meets Trystan, a holdless man who has survived the war and seeks to become lord of a leaderless Dale.
I still enjoy all of these stories. Sadly, I inadvertently ripped the cover off Lore of the Witch World, so I will have to seek a replacement. Terrible. Anyway, both books are keepers for me.
Then I had to organize the paperwork for the meeting first thing Monday. And do laundry so that I have sufficient bandages and compression garments for the trip. Unfortunately, they have to air dry, and I didn't even hang them until almost 11 pm. I put the clothes rack by the hottest radiator, but I am afraid they'll still be damp when they get stowed in the luggage. I'm trying really hard to not overpack for once. My medium suitcase, my large computer bag (lots of page proofs and all my Arabic stuff for class), my usual bag, and my project bag that contains everything I'll need for 36 hours on the train, plus small sewing project. Worst case scenario, I can walk and wheel my bags all the way to the bus stop from my apartment.
Interesting watching old shows. Right now, Ironside, and before this, Mannix. I figured I might as well try to put together a book review.
Spell of the Witch World was published in 1972 and contains the novella "Dragon Scale Silver," divided into 7 chapters and introducing us to Elys. Her parents were rescued from a boat lost at sea, fled from Estcarp and landing in High Halleck. She was raised by the Wise Woman of the local village, along with her twin brother Elyn, after their Witch mother died giving birth to them. Both were trained as fighters by their warrior father, but Elys also trained as a wise woman and received the magical chalice created by their mother to aid in their conception. When war comes to High Halleck, Elys and Elyn are parted and Jervon enters the scene as an injured refugee. Jervon aids Elys in her quest to rescue her brother from some unknown magical harm.
This is followed by the short story "Dream Smith." It features Collard and Lady Jacinda, both disabled and largely hidden away from their fellows. Their young lives have been full of suffering, but they seek a happy ending that is very reminiscent of "Through the Needle's Eye" in the High Sorcery collection.
Spell of the Witch World ends with the novelette in 6 chapters, "Amber out of Quayth" In it, Ysmay seeks a new home having been displaced by her ungenerous and greedy sister-in-law too indulged by her brother, the Lord of Uppsdale. She gambles on marriage to the mysterious Hylle, a lordly merchant of amber wares from a distant northern keep. There she encounters ancient magic and unimagined perils.
Lore of the Witch World by Andre Norton came out in 1980, collecting 7 stories that were originally published in the 1970s and with an introduction by C. J. Cherryh, another of my favorite authors. Something that I did not appreciate when I first read this collection as a child is that all of the stories except "Legacy from Sorn Fen" feature female protagonists. In every case, the woman teams up with a man, and they succeed in overcoming obstacles only because they work together, but she's the one driving the action.
The volume contains 4 short stories ("Falcon Blood," "Legacy from Sorn Fen," "Sword of Unbelief," and "Changeling") and 3 novelettes ("Spider Silk," Sand Sister," and "The Toads of Grimmerdale"). The stories involve characters from both the Estcarp side and the High Halleck side of the Witch World.
"Spider Silk" is divided into 5 chapters, featuring Dairine, a girl with traumatic blindness growing up in a remote fishing village in Estcarp after the war is over and seeking the source of a phenomenal textile with the aid of a Sulcar trading ship. "Sand Sister" also has 5 chapters and takes place in Tormarsh, featuring Tursla and Simond, the son of Koris and Loyse, again after the war is over. "Falcon Blood" features Tanree and an anonymous Falconer as the only survivors of a shipwreck and the mysterious home keep of the Falconers, long since fled. "Legacy from Sorn Fen" is set in High Halleck and the peril and promise of dealing with the Old Ones.
"Sword of Unbelief" returns to Elys and Jervon, who first appeared in Spell of the Witch World. It takes place several years later, after they are wedded and wandering the Waste. An acquaintance online speculated that this may have been intended as part of the Trey of Swords collection but then discarded. I think not, considering that the stories in that collection feature the same set of characters in 3 interlocking stories.
"The Toads of Grimmerdale" and "Changeling" are consecutive stories featuring Hertha, who was thrown out of her brother's hall in the Dales of High Halleck because she refused to terminate her pregnancy resulting from being raped by brigands even though the war was over. She travels to Gunnora's shrine to beg the boon that the baby not carry any part of the rapist, but Gunnora will not aid her in seeking vengeance. And so she turns to darker powers. Then she meets Trystan, a holdless man who has survived the war and seeks to become lord of a leaderless Dale.
I still enjoy all of these stories. Sadly, I inadvertently ripped the cover off Lore of the Witch World, so I will have to seek a replacement. Terrible. Anyway, both books are keepers for me.
43justchris
An update and checking in as the first quarter starts winding down.
Social:
All of my play dates have happened. I am in conversation with a few people trying to set up get-togethers in the next few months. The local film festival is right around the corner, and I've picked out about a dozen movies that interest me. I've got firm commitments from 2 people for 3 of them, including one in Arabic and one in Spanish to challenge my language skills. Now to reach out to other people about the other movies. Every year I see anywhere from 1 to maybe 6 movies during the film festival. I am also sitting down to figure out my travel plans for the year (ie, tentative weekend plans in broad strokes).
I am terribly behind on my Arabic homework. Spring break and illness have given me extra time. Now I need to do the work. I'm currently reviewing all of my homemade flashcards with the vocabulary from the last class and the first chapter of the new book, trying to correct errors and inconsistencies. But I also need to do the online exercises, which are much more labor intensive in this class than the first one.
The antiracism series is going well. I am in charge of one more topic, and the 2 I already handled went well. I've got another couple of weeks to prepare. Otherwise, I just need to show and participate.
Work is still happening. We've hired the new Editorial Assistant who started yesterday. There are 2 weeks of overlap between my retiring colleague and the new hire so that there's lots of in-person direct training. Unfortunately, they're going to have to find a way to share the office and computer in a way that makes sense. The platform update has been postponed until the fall or later. That's great because I still haven't started testing the new environment.
I just came back from the annual editorial board meeting. Plus, the associate editor meeting. We have 2 new associate editors--a new transition for me to experience. All of that went okay. And I put in serious 12-hour days either telecommuting in the hotel room or proofreading on the train. So good progress was made.
I'm still working weekends, usually both days, trying to catch up with routine tasks. I thought I was just about to catch up on the 3 main duties in January. Instead, I got a major infection and missed even more work than usual, putting me ever further behind. I am now more or less caught up on proofreading, thanks to the big push during the trip. And the revised mss needing to be processed are now in the single digits, so I hope to be caught up this week. So then it's just a question of staying on top of both of these while knocking down the editing queues. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be attending a funeral this weekend, so grief and travel disrupting my weekend work routine. Maybe that's good?
Disentangling is proceeding. I consulted the mortgage holder, the housing counselor, etc. No way to get my name off the mortgage and house title while my ex continues to live there. Now I need to consult a real estate lawyer to assess my risks in case my ex can't keep up with it and foreclosure looms. That's worst case, but very conceivable. In the meantime, we're in the process of moving the automatic mortgage payment from my account to his. And I gave him the official notice that I will be closing the account that pays for the other house bills (utilities, internet, etc). He doesn't actually have enough income to pay for all of those, so it may be that some of those will get turned off before he manages to deal with them. But it won't be my problem. He knows he needs to get a roommate. His inaction is no longer my concern.
Still no sewing or music or beading or writing or photography. Or regular tai chi practice. But I do feel like I am making slow progress in my home to create space for these things.
Plus, all the medical appointments. I am in the process of getting a custom overnight compression sleeve. And I need to build a case for the insurance company to authorize reimbursement for me purchasing off-the-shelf compression sleeves for daytime wear. That's my main goal for this week. I went through 3 weeks of intensive lymphedema therapy. Didn't result in significant improvement from my usual condition. However, coincidentally, the appointments were scheduled right after I finished the antibiotic course for the cellulitis, so my measurements went from the largest ever thanks to the infection back to my usual numbers, giving me hope that I hadn't entered a new, irreversible realm of lymphedema.
I had my consult at the headache clinic last week. For the first time ever, I am getting meds to help with the migraines, which have been increasing in frequency and severity in the last year or so. This week I had the sleep clinic consult, and will be doing an at-home sleep study later this week. I might have sleep apnea.
I need to follow up with my primary and testing for any nutritional deficiencies that might contribute to headaches, plus PT for headaches (thanks, sternocleidomastoid trigger points).
And next month I have a neuropsych eval to figure out if I might be dealing with ADHD or be on the autism spectrum or have other cognitive issues happening.
After I get all that done and wrap up my spring activities, I'll start getting serious about the nutritional/dietary and exercise stuff. The IBS is no fun. Yesterday, migraine and GI discomfort all day. Again. Misery. I want to make this go away, and so I need to work harder on the lifestyle stuff to see if I can get it under control.
Also, I have a new smartphone that I need to figure out how to use. And my new laptop should be shipping soon. So I need to deal with all the new tech and develop my plan for good online habits. And clean up all my files and put a good backup routine into place. See if I can merge all the various iterations of my email over time into a single account.
Plus, reviews. I have the books stacked up by my computer to remind me to write them up. So much to do! Plus, enjoy life. Get out into sunlight. Appreciate the weather. The crocuses are starting to appear! Spring! Maybe actually make it into the woods this year to look for morels.
Social:
All of my play dates have happened. I am in conversation with a few people trying to set up get-togethers in the next few months. The local film festival is right around the corner, and I've picked out about a dozen movies that interest me. I've got firm commitments from 2 people for 3 of them, including one in Arabic and one in Spanish to challenge my language skills. Now to reach out to other people about the other movies. Every year I see anywhere from 1 to maybe 6 movies during the film festival. I am also sitting down to figure out my travel plans for the year (ie, tentative weekend plans in broad strokes).
I am terribly behind on my Arabic homework. Spring break and illness have given me extra time. Now I need to do the work. I'm currently reviewing all of my homemade flashcards with the vocabulary from the last class and the first chapter of the new book, trying to correct errors and inconsistencies. But I also need to do the online exercises, which are much more labor intensive in this class than the first one.
The antiracism series is going well. I am in charge of one more topic, and the 2 I already handled went well. I've got another couple of weeks to prepare. Otherwise, I just need to show and participate.
Work is still happening. We've hired the new Editorial Assistant who started yesterday. There are 2 weeks of overlap between my retiring colleague and the new hire so that there's lots of in-person direct training. Unfortunately, they're going to have to find a way to share the office and computer in a way that makes sense. The platform update has been postponed until the fall or later. That's great because I still haven't started testing the new environment.
I just came back from the annual editorial board meeting. Plus, the associate editor meeting. We have 2 new associate editors--a new transition for me to experience. All of that went okay. And I put in serious 12-hour days either telecommuting in the hotel room or proofreading on the train. So good progress was made.
I'm still working weekends, usually both days, trying to catch up with routine tasks. I thought I was just about to catch up on the 3 main duties in January. Instead, I got a major infection and missed even more work than usual, putting me ever further behind. I am now more or less caught up on proofreading, thanks to the big push during the trip. And the revised mss needing to be processed are now in the single digits, so I hope to be caught up this week. So then it's just a question of staying on top of both of these while knocking down the editing queues. Unfortunately, it looks like I'll be attending a funeral this weekend, so grief and travel disrupting my weekend work routine. Maybe that's good?
Disentangling is proceeding. I consulted the mortgage holder, the housing counselor, etc. No way to get my name off the mortgage and house title while my ex continues to live there. Now I need to consult a real estate lawyer to assess my risks in case my ex can't keep up with it and foreclosure looms. That's worst case, but very conceivable. In the meantime, we're in the process of moving the automatic mortgage payment from my account to his. And I gave him the official notice that I will be closing the account that pays for the other house bills (utilities, internet, etc). He doesn't actually have enough income to pay for all of those, so it may be that some of those will get turned off before he manages to deal with them. But it won't be my problem. He knows he needs to get a roommate. His inaction is no longer my concern.
Still no sewing or music or beading or writing or photography. Or regular tai chi practice. But I do feel like I am making slow progress in my home to create space for these things.
Plus, all the medical appointments. I am in the process of getting a custom overnight compression sleeve. And I need to build a case for the insurance company to authorize reimbursement for me purchasing off-the-shelf compression sleeves for daytime wear. That's my main goal for this week. I went through 3 weeks of intensive lymphedema therapy. Didn't result in significant improvement from my usual condition. However, coincidentally, the appointments were scheduled right after I finished the antibiotic course for the cellulitis, so my measurements went from the largest ever thanks to the infection back to my usual numbers, giving me hope that I hadn't entered a new, irreversible realm of lymphedema.
I had my consult at the headache clinic last week. For the first time ever, I am getting meds to help with the migraines, which have been increasing in frequency and severity in the last year or so. This week I had the sleep clinic consult, and will be doing an at-home sleep study later this week. I might have sleep apnea.
I need to follow up with my primary and testing for any nutritional deficiencies that might contribute to headaches, plus PT for headaches (thanks, sternocleidomastoid trigger points).
And next month I have a neuropsych eval to figure out if I might be dealing with ADHD or be on the autism spectrum or have other cognitive issues happening.
After I get all that done and wrap up my spring activities, I'll start getting serious about the nutritional/dietary and exercise stuff. The IBS is no fun. Yesterday, migraine and GI discomfort all day. Again. Misery. I want to make this go away, and so I need to work harder on the lifestyle stuff to see if I can get it under control.
Also, I have a new smartphone that I need to figure out how to use. And my new laptop should be shipping soon. So I need to deal with all the new tech and develop my plan for good online habits. And clean up all my files and put a good backup routine into place. See if I can merge all the various iterations of my email over time into a single account.
Plus, reviews. I have the books stacked up by my computer to remind me to write them up. So much to do! Plus, enjoy life. Get out into sunlight. Appreciate the weather. The crocuses are starting to appear! Spring! Maybe actually make it into the woods this year to look for morels.
44PaulCranswick
Thanks for sharing that with us Chris.
Life is tough for so many of us these day but kudos to you a plenty for starting your life anew and looking forward instead of backwards or sideways.
Have a lovely, headache free, weekend.
Life is tough for so many of us these day but kudos to you a plenty for starting your life anew and looking forward instead of backwards or sideways.
Have a lovely, headache free, weekend.
45ronincats
{{{{{{{{{{{Chris}}}}}}}}}}}}}
You sound like you can use all the hugs we can send, Chris! Lots of stuff on your plate, still you are putting some positivity on it. You go, girl!
You sound like you can use all the hugs we can send, Chris! Lots of stuff on your plate, still you are putting some positivity on it. You go, girl!
46justchris
>44 PaulCranswick: Thanks for stopping by, Paul. Looking forward is mostly easy because there's so much to see and do!
Not really headache free, but mostly background noise that's easy to ignore after the major flare-up midweek last week. Hoping for better this week. Not starting the new meds yet, though, because I like to thoroughly read up on them (plus, I want to check out the other options the doc mentioned but didn't prescribe). I am leery of starting a med with lethargy as a common side effect when I already struggle with exhaustion so much.
>45 ronincats: Thanks for the hugs, Roni. I imagine everyone has plates as full, they just don't necessarily stop to list the contents as they're chewing their ways through or pausing to digest a little. I figure I'll probably try to do an update quarterly to remind myself of what my goals are, that I've actually made progress, and see better where I get stuck.
Not really headache free, but mostly background noise that's easy to ignore after the major flare-up midweek last week. Hoping for better this week. Not starting the new meds yet, though, because I like to thoroughly read up on them (plus, I want to check out the other options the doc mentioned but didn't prescribe). I am leery of starting a med with lethargy as a common side effect when I already struggle with exhaustion so much.
>45 ronincats: Thanks for the hugs, Roni. I imagine everyone has plates as full, they just don't necessarily stop to list the contents as they're chewing their ways through or pausing to digest a little. I figure I'll probably try to do an update quarterly to remind myself of what my goals are, that I've actually made progress, and see better where I get stuck.
47karenmarie
Wow, Chris, you have way too much going on. I'm sorry about your health problems, but it sounds like you've got good evaluations happening and good plans to take care of it all as best you can.
I'm glad you realize that the problems your ex is facing re the utilities bills aren't yours. I did that when I left a bad situation in 1986.
I like your idea of making a quarterly update of goals, progress, and obstacles. I should probably formalize that for myself, too.
So, Happy Monday and I hope things go well this week for you.
I'm glad you realize that the problems your ex is facing re the utilities bills aren't yours. I did that when I left a bad situation in 1986.
I like your idea of making a quarterly update of goals, progress, and obstacles. I should probably formalize that for myself, too.
So, Happy Monday and I hope things go well this week for you.
48justchris
>47 karenmarie: Thanks for stopping by and the words of encouragement, Karen.
My ex has people looking out for him even without him doing the work. He's had someone approach him about renting a room. Mind you, he keeps talking about not being able to rent before doing the home repairs/improvements, and his lack of action on said projects for many years was a contributing factor to our breakup. His inertia was settled even deeper into place by the water damage from a leaking roof last year that didn't get fixed for 5 months and brought more water in every time it rained. I think someone looking for a good deal would be willing to put up with a hole in the living room ceiling for a discount. And my ex maybe heard that. Plus, me reiterating the deadline. So I am hopeful that he will be able to stumble on, and my foreclosure fears will never be realized.
I finished up my re-read of Sheri Tepper's 3 trilogies set on Lom. I'd love to write up a review on them in the next month. Plus, the reviews of the other books already read. That will be a goal (ok, 2 months).
I overbooked myself this weekend. Seriously overbooked, with double commitments both Friday night and throughout Saturday. Sigh. I won't be getting much reading done.
My ex has people looking out for him even without him doing the work. He's had someone approach him about renting a room. Mind you, he keeps talking about not being able to rent before doing the home repairs/improvements, and his lack of action on said projects for many years was a contributing factor to our breakup. His inertia was settled even deeper into place by the water damage from a leaking roof last year that didn't get fixed for 5 months and brought more water in every time it rained. I think someone looking for a good deal would be willing to put up with a hole in the living room ceiling for a discount. And my ex maybe heard that. Plus, me reiterating the deadline. So I am hopeful that he will be able to stumble on, and my foreclosure fears will never be realized.
I finished up my re-read of Sheri Tepper's 3 trilogies set on Lom. I'd love to write up a review on them in the next month. Plus, the reviews of the other books already read. That will be a goal (ok, 2 months).
I overbooked myself this weekend. Seriously overbooked, with double commitments both Friday night and throughout Saturday. Sigh. I won't be getting much reading done.
49justchris
I'm halfway through A Presumption of Death. My conclusion so far: Paton Walsh is no Sayers. She's put together one of those mysteries that is particularly irritating to me: lots of obvious foreshadowing and neon-blinking clues that the protagonist fails to notice or follow up so that it feels quite painful and there wouldn't even be an extended plot but for the obliviousness of the protagonist. Sure, it's all painted as distractions because wartime privations and disruptions and what-not, but still.
It kinda reminds me of the scene in Gaudy Night when Harriet is struggling with the plot of her latest story. It hinges on the hero hiding a key piece of evidence because he thinks it implicates his love interest. All mistaken assumptions and lack of communication to move events along. And Peter helps her redefine her hero and his motivation and it results in a completely different but much more powerful story. But that's not happening here.
And lots more telling than showing. Lots of references to moments in earlier stories. I am never sure whether that's a strength or a weakness in a story, to be so self-referential in terms of the overall series.
And characterizations that just don't strike the right note for me. I had to go back and double-check the name of one of the letter writers at the opening because the writing didn't sound like anyone in particular--at first I thought it was from Helen but was too friendly, and it wasn't eccentric and nearly circular enough to be from the Dowager Duchess, and yet it was. Sigh.
It kinda reminds me of the scene in Gaudy Night when Harriet is struggling with the plot of her latest story. It hinges on the hero hiding a key piece of evidence because he thinks it implicates his love interest. All mistaken assumptions and lack of communication to move events along. And Peter helps her redefine her hero and his motivation and it results in a completely different but much more powerful story. But that's not happening here.
And lots more telling than showing. Lots of references to moments in earlier stories. I am never sure whether that's a strength or a weakness in a story, to be so self-referential in terms of the overall series.
And characterizations that just don't strike the right note for me. I had to go back and double-check the name of one of the letter writers at the opening because the writing didn't sound like anyone in particular--at first I thought it was from Helen but was too friendly, and it wasn't eccentric and nearly circular enough to be from the Dowager Duchess, and yet it was. Sigh.
50alcottacre
Hello, Chris! Happy weekend!
51justchris
>50 alcottacre: Thank you, Stasia!
I am happy to see you around. I had wondered what had happened to you when I noticed I couldn't find your name anywhere at the beginning of the year. Hope you are doing well.
I am happy to see you around. I had wondered what had happened to you when I noticed I couldn't find your name anywhere at the beginning of the year. Hope you are doing well.
52ronincats
I'm assuming the Lom books are the True Game series by Tepper. I have all of those in the original paperbacks, read them several times through but not for many years now. I'll be interested to see your review!
53justchris
>52 ronincats: Dead on.
I acquired Jinian Footseer randomly during my peripatetic youth and loved it. When I settled in my current city, I found omnibus hardcovers of The True Game and The End of the Game and loved reading about Peter as well as Jinian. Then I spent years searching bookstores for the Mavin books. I finally found the whole trilogy of paperbacks together at Half-Price Books, obviously culled together from someone's collection.
So I acquired the 3 trilogies in reverse order and still tend to read them that way. I've re-read the Jinian books many times, but I think this is only the second or third time I've read the Mavin and Peter books. I understand the Peter stories were published first, then the Mavin and finally Jinian books.
Reading them in reverse order chronologically, and then comparing and contrasting later plot moments while reading the Mavin books and thus doing a close reading of the entire 9-book series was a very interesting experience.
I acquired Jinian Footseer randomly during my peripatetic youth and loved it. When I settled in my current city, I found omnibus hardcovers of The True Game and The End of the Game and loved reading about Peter as well as Jinian. Then I spent years searching bookstores for the Mavin books. I finally found the whole trilogy of paperbacks together at Half-Price Books, obviously culled together from someone's collection.
So I acquired the 3 trilogies in reverse order and still tend to read them that way. I've re-read the Jinian books many times, but I think this is only the second or third time I've read the Mavin and Peter books. I understand the Peter stories were published first, then the Mavin and finally Jinian books.
Reading them in reverse order chronologically, and then comparing and contrasting later plot moments while reading the Mavin books and thus doing a close reading of the entire 9-book series was a very interesting experience.
54ronincats
>53 justchris: Yes, I read them as they came out. The Peter books were, I think, Tepper's first published work and, after loving the first, I got each one as it was published, those being the days when almost all sff came out in mass market paperbacks only. I rather miss those days! So the Jinian books are the ones I have read the least often.
55PaulCranswick
Just a quick catch up Chris to wish you a glorious weekend.
56justchris
>54 ronincats: Ha! So our habits with these particular books are exactly reversed. Funny.
Most of my collection is mmpb, and I am stuck at the decision point--end up with books that are not uniform sizes by caving to the trend of trade paperbacks for new works? stop buying paperbacks and start delving into e-readers? give up collecting books? It's a dilemma. I've been picking up anthologies as trade paperbacks, but it's much harder for me to have a series in mixed formats. Sigh.
>55 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the weekend wishes, Paul! It was beautiful weather today. I got to spend some time outside. But mostly feeling miserable with a cold and exhaustion.
Most of my collection is mmpb, and I am stuck at the decision point--end up with books that are not uniform sizes by caving to the trend of trade paperbacks for new works? stop buying paperbacks and start delving into e-readers? give up collecting books? It's a dilemma. I've been picking up anthologies as trade paperbacks, but it's much harder for me to have a series in mixed formats. Sigh.
>55 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the weekend wishes, Paul! It was beautiful weather today. I got to spend some time outside. But mostly feeling miserable with a cold and exhaustion.
57justchris
I am finding that even the very basic stats I am collecting are an additional barrier to my keeping up. Sigh.
Anyway, a quick and easy review for a book read in January.
Perilous Dreams is a 1976 collection of 4 stories, which I always forget. The first two feature Tamisan, which is what I always remember. Tamisen is an A class dreamer rated to the 10th degree (A for Action!) of the Foostmam's Hive in the city of Ty-Kry. These dreamers are basically virtual reality devices for the ultra-wealthy leisure class. The dreamer and client put on computerized helmets and are medically monitored during the dream sessions, including IV nutrition, for up to a week maximum.
The cover art by George Barr and frontis-piece reflects the second of these, the novelette "Ship of Mist"). The first story is the novella of 8 chapters, "Toys of Tamisan," which first appeared in If magazine and then was included in High Sorcery.
Tamisen is unusual in having self-awareness and personhood instead of being perpetually wrapped up in her own fantasy world. She is hired by Lord Starrex at the behest of his cousin Kas. Wanting to make her apparently indifferent new client respect her abilities, she decides to create a dream based on an alternate history of their planet. Then she finds that she doesn't control the dream but is trapped alongside her client. "Toys of Tamisan" leads directly into 'Ship of Mist" as Tamisen and Starrex jump straight from one alternate history dream/reality to another.
The third story is the short story "Get Out of My Dream." It features Itlothis Sb, the Per-Search agent hired to bring Oslan Sb Atto back home to the planet Benold immediately for time-sensitive reasons of inheritance and politics. Since the Hive will not allow the dream to be terminated prematurely, she convinces them to add her to the dream. It seems that Oslan has researched his home planet's history and brought the material to the dreamer to recreate an ancient past when an alien culture still lived on the planet. He is convinced that the ruins of that ancient civilization contain a threat to humanity in the present, and he will end the threat in the past. Not surpisingly, Itlothis thinks he's delusional--how can a dream on a different planet affect the past on their home planet?
The fourth is the Novelette "Nightmare." It features Burr Necklass going undercover as a wealthy off-planet elite seeking novelty, and Ludia Tanguly, an esper going undercover as the dreamer Uahach, who has been returned home to the hive after her off-world client died suspiciously during a dream. A series of "accidental" dream deaths have occurred to a handful of extremely wealthy and powerful clients, and off-world law enforcement are determined to find and stop the perpetrators.
Four stories featuring the dreamers of the Hive of the Foostmam in Ty-Kry. It was an interesting concept in its day. Not much for characterization, but that isn't the goal. It replicates the usual gender dynamics--the rich clients are always men. The dreamers are always young women. And it explores questions of the nature of reality, and how blurry the edge is between dream, reality, past, future, alternate worlds, and so on. Very common themes done well here. Each story features a man and a woman who end up connecting for ultimately a happy ending paired up. Very traditional in that sense.
Anyway, a quick and easy review for a book read in January.
Perilous Dreams is a 1976 collection of 4 stories, which I always forget. The first two feature Tamisan, which is what I always remember. Tamisen is an A class dreamer rated to the 10th degree (A for Action!) of the Foostmam's Hive in the city of Ty-Kry. These dreamers are basically virtual reality devices for the ultra-wealthy leisure class. The dreamer and client put on computerized helmets and are medically monitored during the dream sessions, including IV nutrition, for up to a week maximum.
The cover art by George Barr and frontis-piece reflects the second of these, the novelette "Ship of Mist"). The first story is the novella of 8 chapters, "Toys of Tamisan," which first appeared in If magazine and then was included in High Sorcery.
Tamisen is unusual in having self-awareness and personhood instead of being perpetually wrapped up in her own fantasy world. She is hired by Lord Starrex at the behest of his cousin Kas. Wanting to make her apparently indifferent new client respect her abilities, she decides to create a dream based on an alternate history of their planet. Then she finds that she doesn't control the dream but is trapped alongside her client. "Toys of Tamisan" leads directly into 'Ship of Mist" as Tamisen and Starrex jump straight from one alternate history dream/reality to another.
The third story is the short story "Get Out of My Dream." It features Itlothis Sb, the Per-Search agent hired to bring Oslan Sb Atto back home to the planet Benold immediately for time-sensitive reasons of inheritance and politics. Since the Hive will not allow the dream to be terminated prematurely, she convinces them to add her to the dream. It seems that Oslan has researched his home planet's history and brought the material to the dreamer to recreate an ancient past when an alien culture still lived on the planet. He is convinced that the ruins of that ancient civilization contain a threat to humanity in the present, and he will end the threat in the past. Not surpisingly, Itlothis thinks he's delusional--how can a dream on a different planet affect the past on their home planet?
The fourth is the Novelette "Nightmare." It features Burr Necklass going undercover as a wealthy off-planet elite seeking novelty, and Ludia Tanguly, an esper going undercover as the dreamer Uahach, who has been returned home to the hive after her off-world client died suspiciously during a dream. A series of "accidental" dream deaths have occurred to a handful of extremely wealthy and powerful clients, and off-world law enforcement are determined to find and stop the perpetrators.
Four stories featuring the dreamers of the Hive of the Foostmam in Ty-Kry. It was an interesting concept in its day. Not much for characterization, but that isn't the goal. It replicates the usual gender dynamics--the rich clients are always men. The dreamers are always young women. And it explores questions of the nature of reality, and how blurry the edge is between dream, reality, past, future, alternate worlds, and so on. Very common themes done well here. Each story features a man and a woman who end up connecting for ultimately a happy ending paired up. Very traditional in that sense.
58souloftherose
Hi Chris. Only just now finding your thread for this year - sorry to hear you have such a lot on your plate at the moment.
I discovered the Tepper True Game series for the first time last year and really enjoyed them so I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.
I discovered the Tepper True Game series for the first time last year and really enjoyed them so I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.
59justchris
Not sure what's going on. I just entered 3 books that I bought as a gift for a recently retired colleague. They're not showing up in my LT collection, but when I try to add them again, I get the notice that the second one is a duplicate. Right after adding them, I tried to edit so that I could add a private note about the retirement gift, but all I can access is basic book facts. Weird.
60PaulCranswick
Wishing you a great weekend, Chris.
61justchris
>60 PaulCranswick: Thanks for stopping by, Paul! And in the midst of your own transcontinental arrangements!
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Been overwhelmed by all the things.
Good news: I've caught up on 1 of my 3 major work tasks that has been chronically backlogged the last year. And making progress on the second. Bad news: briefly caught up on the third, but now behind and getting queries about it again.
Bad news: delivery of my new laptop has been postponed yet again, this time until late June. I now realize with hindsight that renting a laptop for the interim was a bad decision compared to just buying a cheap laptop and then donating it when finally done. Good news: my mom has loaned me her laptop, and I've returned the rental.
Good news: I finally bought and activated a new smartphone. Goodbye agonizing texting with an old alphanumeric keypad and many, many taps. Bad news: there were problems with the battery, and I've just shipped the smartphone back to be replaced.
Good news: my dad is back home in his apartment. Bad news: the nursing home and my brother didn't get the paperwork done to get my dad enrolled in one or more assistance programs. I am now trying to handle this after the fact and without the necessary information. As per usual, my brother isn't returning calls.
Good news: I read a new book this weekend and didn't stay up until the wee hours to finish it. Bad news: I have stacks of books falling over by the computer awaiting my reviews. Time for a new plan.
I could go on...but first I need to update my stats at the top.
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. Been overwhelmed by all the things.
Good news: I've caught up on 1 of my 3 major work tasks that has been chronically backlogged the last year. And making progress on the second. Bad news: briefly caught up on the third, but now behind and getting queries about it again.
Bad news: delivery of my new laptop has been postponed yet again, this time until late June. I now realize with hindsight that renting a laptop for the interim was a bad decision compared to just buying a cheap laptop and then donating it when finally done. Good news: my mom has loaned me her laptop, and I've returned the rental.
Good news: I finally bought and activated a new smartphone. Goodbye agonizing texting with an old alphanumeric keypad and many, many taps. Bad news: there were problems with the battery, and I've just shipped the smartphone back to be replaced.
Good news: my dad is back home in his apartment. Bad news: the nursing home and my brother didn't get the paperwork done to get my dad enrolled in one or more assistance programs. I am now trying to handle this after the fact and without the necessary information. As per usual, my brother isn't returning calls.
Good news: I read a new book this weekend and didn't stay up until the wee hours to finish it. Bad news: I have stacks of books falling over by the computer awaiting my reviews. Time for a new plan.
I could go on...but first I need to update my stats at the top.
62ronincats
Well, at least there is good new to leaven the bad news. Hope the situations all work themselves out asap!
63justchris
>62 ronincats: Thanks for stopping by, Roni! Yes, there's always something good happening, even with all the hassles and static.
People keep asking what I'm doing these days, and the answer is work and medical appointments. I am working 7 days a week except when I have to travel out of town for something. And I have tons of follow-up appointments and PT appointments related to lymphedema, headaches, sleep apnea, port flushes, and checkups. Keeps me busy I guess. I really hope I can catch up at work sufficiently to get my weekends back. My target date is the end of June. Not sure how achievable that is, especially with 1-2 weekends away.
People keep asking what I'm doing these days, and the answer is work and medical appointments. I am working 7 days a week except when I have to travel out of town for something. And I have tons of follow-up appointments and PT appointments related to lymphedema, headaches, sleep apnea, port flushes, and checkups. Keeps me busy I guess. I really hope I can catch up at work sufficiently to get my weekends back. My target date is the end of June. Not sure how achievable that is, especially with 1-2 weekends away.
64PaulCranswick
>63 justchris: Make sure that you remember to take a little bit of time out for yourself too. I have found to my cost recently that I need to shut off for a while every now and then just to cope.
65justchris
>64 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the reminder. I do manage to take some time for myself. I read a book this last weekend!
I've dropped off LT the last few weeks, so I've missed your last couple of threads. I will try to check back in. I hope you are doing okay.
I've dropped off LT the last few weeks, so I've missed your last couple of threads. I will try to check back in. I hope you are doing okay.
66justchris
Well, turns out I wasn't doing a good job of tracking incoming books. Comparing my list here vs the books added to my collection, I see I missed several. Hopefully, I've caught up now. And not surprisingly, the number of incoming greatly exceed the outgoing. Sigh.
67ronincats
Well, we are pretty even in acquiring books--I'm at 35 with one on the way from PaperBackSwap on the way still.
I see you just read Sisters of the Raven by Barbara Hambly; what did you think?
I see you just read Sisters of the Raven by Barbara Hambly; what did you think?
68justchris
>67 ronincats: I read it and realized that many of Barbara Hambly's fantasy stories have been explorations of how do societies deal with the collapse or massive transformation of the way of things, whether fairly sudden (Darwath trilogy) or gradual (Dragonsbane trilogy) and now Sisters of the Raven. The other major theme that she often explores is gender politics in terms of women existing in very patriarchal societies, plus the very real and significant class differences in traditional societies and what separates the aristocracy from the merchant class from the lower classes. The Raven/Moon duology books are an extreme version of that, what with the women not even getting their own names as people, but more like decorative names of pets (and slaves). It kinda makes me think that when she developed the Empire of Alketch in the Darwath trilogy, she wanted to dig deeper into the implications of it and thus wrote this duology in a completely different setting.
When I first read the back and saw Corn Tassel Woman as one of the characters, I thought it was going to be drawn from cultural traditions of the Americas so was rather surprised to discover more like Mesopotamia, with the closest to the Americas being the Polynesians appearing toward the end of Circle of the Moon.
In general, I liked it and will be keeping it. But it's much of a muchness with Hambly's other works.
When I first read the back and saw Corn Tassel Woman as one of the characters, I thought it was going to be drawn from cultural traditions of the Americas so was rather surprised to discover more like Mesopotamia, with the closest to the Americas being the Polynesians appearing toward the end of Circle of the Moon.
In general, I liked it and will be keeping it. But it's much of a muchness with Hambly's other works.
69karenmarie
Hi Chris and happy Sunday to you.
I hope that the good-news/bad-news scenario in >61 justchris: has settled down for you. (I am deliberately avoiding making a good-news/bad-news list. It's tempting, for sure.)
I hope that the good-news/bad-news scenario in >61 justchris: has settled down for you. (I am deliberately avoiding making a good-news/bad-news list. It's tempting, for sure.)
70justchris
>69 karenmarie: I see that I am 2 months late. Sorry about that. It's been a busy summer. It's mostly been good. I hope your summer is going well. And that you are enjoying your reading.
71karenmarie
Hi Chris! Better late than ever, and thank you for visiting my thread.
Busy and mostly good sounds like mine, too.
Busy and mostly good sounds like mine, too.
72ronincats
Hugo Awards are out! My comments here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/265555#6143033
73justchris
>72 ronincats: Thanks for letting me know the Hugos have been announced. I don't keep up with current reading, but I enjoy hearing about what's hot right now.
>73 justchris: Thanks, Paul! Sorry it's taken me until Thursday to respond. It was a great Sunday, last day of a tai chi workshop.
I just finished 2 books suggested for the reading list of our antiracism workshop. Both good reads though not happy material.
>73 justchris: Thanks, Paul! Sorry it's taken me until Thursday to respond. It was a great Sunday, last day of a tai chi workshop.
I just finished 2 books suggested for the reading list of our antiracism workshop. Both good reads though not happy material.
74PaulCranswick
This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.
I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.
I am thankful that you are part of this group.
I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.
I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.
I am thankful that you are part of this group.
I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.
75ronincats
It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:
76karenmarie
Hi Chris!
Stopping by to wish you and yours all good things this holiday season.
Stopping by to wish you and yours all good things this holiday season.
77PaulCranswick
Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.
78ronincats
The God Stalk group read thread is up in the 2018 group, Chris, here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/279620
https://www.librarything.com/topic/279620
