Don't Forget to Read a Book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Vernor Vinge's  A Deepness in the Sky. The Short of It Plot:  The Qeng Ho embark on a mission to establish trade with the Spiders, who are on the cusp of an industrial revolution, but run into the Emergent Fleet - a competing human faction. Page Count: 775 Award:  2000 Hugo Worth a read : Yes! Primary Driver:  ( Plot ,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  High Review:  Take that sweet sweet sci fi and shoot it into my veins. An extremely ambitious book that sticks the landing. Parallel human and alien stories keep things interesting. Plot stays engaging throughout, though some beats feel like forced obstacles. Semi-omnipotent narration works a charm to ratchet up tension. Interesting societal structures that flow logically from unique physical characteristics of the Spider world. A wide array of great characters, both human and Spider.  The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Ther...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Ursula K. Le Guin's  Tehanu. The Short of It Plot:  Rejecting a life in court, Tenar settles down to be a farmer's wife. When she takes an abused girl as her ward, she sparks the ire of powerful enemies. Page Count:  289 Award:  1990 Nebula Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass. A++++++ Technobabble:  Nah. Review:  A very different Earthsea. Fresh characters and a more intimate setting offer a much clearer image of day to day life, while background rumblings from those in power herald big changes. Excellent characterization all around, including of villains. Le Guin's writing is excellent, as always. Plot is mostly characters reacting to situations beyond their control - but characters are compelling and writing is crisp enough that it works. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! When I first read this book I was probably in fifth grade - and I hated it. Why shi...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Lois McMaster Bujold's  Brothers in Arms. The Short of It Plot:  Hiding out on Earth seems like a good way to avoid the Cetagandans, but Miles ends up embroiled in more politics. Page Count:  338 Award:  Part of  Vorkosigan Saga Worth a read : Integral to the Vorkosigan Saga Primary Driver:  ( Plot , World, or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Mild. Review:  Not the best Vorkosigan  book but one of the most important. World building is less interesting here than in many other volumes but in exchange plot is more engaging. Ivan's increased importance is a welcome addition. Miles's struggles to balance both parts of his life create some of the best scenes in the book. Nice to see characters scarred by past events to make the world feel real and give it some continuity. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! Short 'n' snappy here.  This one is solid. A more involved and nuanced plot kee...

Hello, Stranger. And an extra hello and thank you to the person who donated money a couple days ago! You are awesome. Let's talk about Ursula K. Le Guin's  Earthsea Trilogy. The Short of It Plot: Ged's journey from a young man through to a powerful wizard. Page Count:      A Wizard of Earthsea: 205     The Tombs of Atuan: 180     The Farthest Shore: 259 Award: Books four and five won awards Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Some fantasy babble Review:  A remarkable trilogy. Each short book packs a punch. Excellent character development over all three books. Short enough that pacing is quick but thoughtful. World is intriguing and a careful balance is found of showing enough to inform but not so much that things are not mysterious. Le Guin is an excellent writer, and it shows. Superb atmosphere woven through an intriguing world. Somehow all three book...

I LOVE Nona's Secret Best Carrot Cake, and you will tooo! If there's one thing that I've learned after 17 years of marriage, it's the importance of keeping hubby happy! And as a single parent of seven children, ages two through four, it's always a struggle to get them eating veggies.  I know, you're thinking, "How can I do both?" The secret is to sneak veggies into EVERYTHING but sell it as dessert! My kiddos always think they're getting away with treats for breakfast, but they're actually eating a full serving of veggies in every bite! It's the only way to keep all three of my kids happy and healthy! I named them all Skylar, so it's easy to coordinate because I just say, "Skylar, help!" and six eager beavers show up! And also my four kids. Those beavers are great pets! This recipe was handed down from my great great great grandmother - just my grandmother, but wow was she great! It's a quick, easy bake, which only require...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Oleh Shunkarenko's  Kaharlyk. This is part of a short excursion into Ukrainian SF and fantasy literature, for obvious reasons. The Short of It Plot: Chaos remains after a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Oleksandr's fragmented memories push him to find Olena. Originally published in Ukrainian as a series of 100 word Facebook posts. Page Count: 176 Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  Lots. Review:  Intriguing if difficult read. Lots of cool SF concepts tossed around, but combined with the 100 word block style, often confusing. Equal parts baffling and engaging. Extremely deliberate but sometimes difficult translation choices add to the mess. Nonetheless fascinating and chock full of clever ideas. The Medium/Long of It This is extremely hard to discuss without spoilers, and I'm not going to try.  The book kicks off with a note from the author and another from the transla...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Michael Swanwick's  Stations of the Tide. The Short of It Plot: Someone is breaking interplanetary laws and spreading illegal technology, and the culprit must be found before cyclical tides rise, completely changing a planet. Page Count: 252 Award:  1991 Nebula Worth a read : No Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or Character) Bechdel Test : Fail Technobabble:  High Review:  Plenty of neat ideas that do not sum to more than their parts. Somehow feels both rushed and tedious. A lot of thought went into the broader world and setting, but the same care was not given to any other aspects of this book. After a solid opening chapter it's all downhill. Uninteresting characters with weak motivations butt heads over uninspired conflicts. A lot of unnecessary sex thrown in, hoping to keep the reader engaged.  The Medium of It Spoiler Free! This is an incredibly ambitious work that falls far short of its potential. The wo...

Hello, Stranger. Just a fun thing: happened upon the graves of John Keats and Joseph Severn, who are of course quite vital to the Hyperion Cantos. Also, for, you know, other stuff, because Keats wrote other things. But that's not really my wheelhouse... These are in the Non-Catholic Cemetery of Rome. The graves, side by side. Keats's Inscription Severn's Inscription That's it for this one - just thought it was neat! As a final note, here's a more fun grave from the same cemetery Livin' the death! Have a swell day, Stranger. And don't forget to read a book!

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Lois McMaster Bujold's  Borders of Infinity. The Short of It Plot: In an attempt to balance the books, Miles relates three of his early adventures to Ilyan. Page Count:  311 Award:  Part of the Vorkosigan Saga Worth a read : Yes Primary Driver:  ( Plot ,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Moderate. Review:  A bit all over the place, as the three stories fall at different points in the Vorkosigan timeline. The first is a murder mystery, the second and third are both infiltrations. All of them work on their own, but are a bit awkwardly fit together - the framing narrative is nothing more than a husk. These are non-optional reads, which introduce a number of essential characters. Pacing is good for the first two, drags a bit in the third. It is nice to see more of these smaller stories: a bit less interplanetary conspiracy, a bit more nuance. The Medium of It Spoiler Free! This is a coll...

Hello, Stranger. Let's talk about Marina and Serhiy Dyachenko's Vita Nostra. This is part of a short excursion into Ukrainian SF and fantasy literature, for obvious reasons. The Short of It Plot: Sasha has no choice but to attend the Institute of Special Technologies, and the price of failure is far, far too high. Page Count: 416 Primary Driver:  (Plot,  World , or  Character ) Bechdel Test : Pass Technobabble:  Lots o fantasy babble, but that's the point. Review:  There is something refreshing about a "school of magic" book that is truly about the school. Learning magic should be hard: unlearning reality is a painful process. Vita Nostra  is about the process of learning magic and the cost that people pay for it. There are a handful of compelling characters, including Sasha, but most are flat. Starts slow and spends too much time on everything before the school itself, but once at the school everything picks up.  The Medium of It Spoiler Fre...