Freedom & Necessity (1997) Steven Brust and Emma Bull

Delving back into Brust section of my bookshelves, I came back with Freedom and Necessity, a book that I remember as complicated, although good. And since I remembered nothing of the plot, I figured it was a good candidate for re-reading.

I have to admit that as much as I like this novel, reading it makes me feel stupid.

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The Phoenix Guards (1991) & Five Hundred Years After (1994) Steven Brust

Sometimes you just need to read a book that you know is going to make you happy. When those times come upon me, I frequently read Steven Brust.

The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After are two of the ‘Khaavren Romances’ centered around Khaavren the Tiassa, and written in the style of Alexandre Dumas.

(S)omeone once asked, in all seriousness, which was the best translation of Dumas’ The Three Musketeers into English. The two fastest answers she got were “Learn French, as nobody’s managed to make a translation that’s half as good as the original”, and “The Phoenix Guards.”

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A rather ecclectic collection of books that I’ve finished recently, but hadn’t gotten around to posting.

The Ethics of Star Trek Judith Barad with Ed Robertson

This book was definitely a disappointment. I’ve read The Physics of Star Trek and The Metaphysics of Star Trek both of which I found interesting. Perhaps because of this I had high hopes for this book. I was, unfortunately, disappointed.

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Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis

I realized that I’d actually finished this book several months ago, but managed to forget that I had done so. Take that as you will.

Mere Christianity puts forth some interesting arguments, but I find that although they may have been convincing at the time C.C. Lewis wrote them, I found them less so, in the 21st century.

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An Open Heart: Practicing Compassion in Everyday Life The Dalai Lama

Unlike the previous book I read by the Dalai Lama, this book only took me about nine months to read. They’re not long books, I just tend to set them aside for something else, and then have to go back an re-read portions to get caught up again.

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(If I say “in my copious spare time”, can we all agree that it should be read as if someone had actually invented the sarcasm mark as a unit of punctuation, and that “in my copious spare time” can be assumed to be inside sarcasm marks?)

The Initiate Brother (1991) Gatherer of Clouds (1992) Sean Russell

I love to re-read books. There is something about recapturing the joy they gave me the first time, that allows me to pick up some books again and again. But sometimes, time passes, and other books are read, until all that remains is the memory of enjoyment–when I go back to read a book, an occasional passage is familiar, but for the most part it is as if I am reading the book for the first time.

And that is an even bigger joy.

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Magician: Apprentice (1982), Magician: Master (1982)
Raymond E. Feist

I wanted something that I’d read before as my vacation wound down. For some reason, this book wasn’t as I remembered it. Not that it wasn’t good, only that it wasn’t what I wanted at the time.

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Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword And Sorceress XXI edited by Diana L. Paxson

I wasn’t sure that I was going to get the 21st edition of Sword And Sorceress. MZB died, and so I wasn’t certain whether the books were going to be continued because they were a quality anthology, or because they were looking to sell on her name.

I’m pleased to say it was the former. Diana L. Paxson, who was chosen as the as the editor, is not only an author I like, but has also edited several anthologies that I have read and enjoyed.

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I went on the mental equivilent of a drinking binge last night. I stayed up to finished Robin Hobb’s Liveship trilogy. As a result I skipped exercise this morning, because I cannot function on four hours of sleep.

Saddest part, is that I didn’t particularly like the series, which is why I had to finish it. So I could hurry up and read something else.

Jason has made a resoultion to read 52 books in 52 weeks, which lead me to wonder just how many books I’d read last year. I worried that I hadn’t made 52 (I have to restrain my reading during the semester, or I won’t get any school work done), until I remembered that I’d read all the Robert Parker Spenser mysteries (All 28 of them).

So just to satisfy my curiosity I went back and counted.

Not including textbooks, I read 117 books last year. Not all of them were new books that I hadn’t read before, but still, not too bad.

And I’ve read three (new) books already this year!

No, not the beach or Paris. I spent my vacation reading.

Still enjoying my vacation. Spent a few days in Baltimore/VA visiting my grandmother and other family–it’s good to see my cousin after his 2 years in the Peace Corps. Lots of pictures were taken with the new camera Michael got my for Christmas, but I haven’t installed the software and downloaded the pictures yet.

Why haven’t I?

Because I’m reading Robin Hobb’s ‘Tawny Man’ series. We’d been waiting for the third book to come out in paperback, so now we have the third book, I’m absorbed. (In fact the only reason I’m not reading right now is that I have to go to the grocery store, and knew that if I picked up my book, I’ll not make it to the store this morning.

So no serious posts (in fact I’m hardly checking my e-mail), no dwelling on the news, just enjoying my vacation. Hope that others are able to do the same.

Year’s Best Fantasy edited by David G. Hartwell (2001)

I’m a sucker for short story collections–I love short stories, and fantasy collections are my favorite, so if I come across a collection, I usually buy it. This has, of course, led to some rather poor choices, such as “The Sorcerer’s Academy” and “Earth, Air, Fire, Water”, neither of which I’ve been able to finish. But for the most part collections tend to be good, and help to give me that reading fix, at times when I just can’t get involved in a novel.

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Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner (1990)

Thomas the Rhymer is one of the books that managed to be precisely what I want to read. The tale is of Thomas the Rhymer, minstrel who falls for the queen of Elfland. The story is told from four different points of view: The longest narrative is from the point of view of Thomas, but the other three are those around Thomas, two of whom are an older couple who take Thomas in.

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We’ve got tickets to see Ani Defranco tonight at the CAC.

Which explains why I’m tired and just want to go home and lie on the couch reading.

I’ve actually been reading. At least after we get our daily dose of DS9. (We’re holding off on starting Season 7 of Buffy and any of the Angel, but that may start this weekend.) But I’ve read some good anthologies, which I’ve been meaning to write more about, but have not yet managed to do so. But for now, I highly recommend ‘Firebirds’ edited by Sharyn November as well as Ellen Kushner’s ‘Thomas the Rhymer’. And despite my earlier protestations, I picked up Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword And Sorceress XXI. Mostly because Diana L. Paxson has taken over as editor, although partially because I have a hard time finding anthologies that I really like, and I’ve always enjoyed the Sword And Sorceress series. The other book I’m reading is ‘Year’s Best Fantasy I’ edited by David Hartwell.

And I’m not quite sure what I’m going to read after that. I’ve got several mystery series that look good, as well as (ahem) some new fantasy series that I haven’t read before. Although the temptation is to go back and reread ‘Thieves World’… HEY! VOLUME II IS OUT! MUST BUY! (runs off)