that Wednesday reading meme

[nilchance]

What I'm Reading
I'm getting many books finished since I joined an audiobook service, what with spending 2-3 hours/day getting to and from work. Right now I'm reading Falling Free (Lois McMaster Bujold), about an uprising in a genetically engineered work colony. IN SPACE. The narrator also did The Stand, so I'm half-expecting horrible death plagues to crop up. The book has an interesting concept but turns out to be just okay; you can definitely see the difference between the Bujold who wrote Mirror Dance and the one on display in Falling Free.

In non-audio version, I'm reading Magic Bleeds (Ilona Andrews), the fourth book in her urban fantasy series set in Atlanta. It's pretty bog-standard, independent free-thinking woman with a secret sparks against snarky mysterious shapeshifter with a heart of gold. What I love about these books, specifically, is that it's violent and bloody as hell. The protagonist kills to protect her people and she doesn't lose sleep over it. It's refreshing. It doesn't require much thought.

What I Just Finished
Magic Burns and Magic Strikes, the 2nd and 3rd Kate Daniels books. The first few chapters of The Human Division (John Scalzi), an episodic sci-fi story released by chapter over 13 weeks. I can snap most of the episodes up on my way to work. I love it when sci-fi talks about human/alien diplomacy and possible extinction events.

What's Next
A Voice in the Wilderness (Scalzi), which is the 4th chapter of the Human Division. I'd like to finally finish IT (Stephen King), which I've been working on since October but keep throwing over for the newest and shiniest thing. IT is a re-read, since I first read the book when I was the age of the protagonists-- 11 or 12-- and gained a lifelong terror of clowns. IDK. I'd like to finish IT so I can start something new and long to chew on.

Comments

[realpestilence]

Have you read Bujold's Vorkosigan saga? It's touted as military science fiction, which it is, nominally; but it's so much more than that, if you're not familiar with it. "Falling Free" is loosely tied with it but can be read separately.

If you're famliar with it, then...you know. I want very much to read 'Captain Vorpatril's Alliance', the newest release; but I'm hesitant in case it's not as good as Ivan deserves.

I didn't read the book before that because I'm pretty sure there's a character death that CAN'T HAPPEN. So if I don't read it, it never happened, lalalalala ~sticks fingers in ears...no, wait, that wouldn't help...covers eyes, instead


Regarding that urban fantasy series, have you ever read any of the Anita Blake series, by Laurel K Hamilton? The first 3-4 were very good supernatural mysteries, with a heroine that reminded me a bit of V.I.Warshawski in her sandpapery tenderness. After that, the series took a huge dive as the author's RL issues took over the plot-she'd modelled one of the main characters after her husband, now ex-husband, and can we say bitter? IT BURNS, PRECIOUS, IT BURNS.

Again, if you've read the series, my condolences. If not, and anyone recs it to you, I'd back away slowly and flee. Any kind of plot arc just devolves into nothing but porn and it's not good porn, nilly. Reader complaints got vocal enough that she's apparently backed off the sex, Mary Sue-ing of Anita and made her problem anti-hero a bit less of an asshole, and so on in the latter few titles. But you'd have to plow through a good dozen bad ones to get there.

Sadly, the Sookie Stackhouse books were heading the same way the last time I picked one up, about 4 titles in. I think the author'd been reading Hamilton.

[nilchance]

Yessss, the Vorkosigan books! I love them. I devoured everything up to Cryoburn in like three weeks, save Falling Free. I love Cordelia. I love Bujold's women. I love her take on disability and trauma and family and love. And yeah, I've been seriously putting off reading Cryoburn because I was spoiled and LA LA LA I can't hear you character death I can't HEAR you. Thankfully, Ivan's book is apparently set concurrant with Cryoburn and pre-Cryoburn's ending so I don't have to leave my island of Denial.

But reading Mirror Dance actually made a big difference at a dark time in my life, so. Yes. I love it! I'm so happy I can squee about it! Eeee.

Ugh, Anita Blake. That was a formative series when I was a teenager, I broke the spine on my poor paperback copy of Guilty Pleasures. I kept reading it way past the shark-jumping of Richard becoming OMG EVIL, until Incubus Dreams, because I wanted to know what became of Edward and Jason and Asher. I don't even know what happened there, it's like Hamilton was slowly becoming a zombie as she typed until it was like "porn porn porn pounding my cervix my new husband is great porn porn porn."

I haven't actually tried the Sookie Stackhouse books? I watched exactly two episodes of the show because Alan Ball! vampires! Aaaaand then no.

Hi!

[realpestilence]

I was excited about Obsidian Butterfly, because it was Edward-centric. I was so mad when I read it, because it sucked. He's DEATH, for fuck's sake, give him someone awesome to be with, and keep him cold and dangerous. Being kinda crazy doesn't mean he can't love somebody.

Hmmm...have you read Tanya Huff's Vicki Nelson series? It's been a long time for me. Supernatural, very strong female character, and it's not badly written for her. She's what I call Mercedes Lackey, edited to be a bit better. Mercedes Lackey is Anne McCaffrey, edited to be a bit better, lol.

[realpestilence]

Duh, I just now spotted the reference to Mirror Dance. So I guess the answer to that question is yes. I get there, eventually.

Have you read 'Ethan of Athos'? It's another loosely associated title in the series, with Elli Quin on a mission, that can be read fairly well on its own.

[nilchance]

I forgot, I actually skipped that one too! Which should be right up my alley, because m/m mpreg planet, but I got it in my brain that I needed to read Falling Free first.