1. Apparently I don’t care much for space opera; I abandoned C. J. Cherryh’s award-winning Downbelow Station on page 189 of 526 because I still couldn’t figure out who the main character was. The entire first chapter was a historical summary of what happened in the three hundred years of Earth’s history to set up the war between the Earth Corporation and the Union (its former colonies), and while the political situation and setting is over-explained, important things like who all these people are and why we care about them are under-explained. I couldn’t find even one storyline to invest in, so I stopped trying.
2. C. S. Lewis is right: only people who like certain types of books should review them. People who don’t like space operas, for instance, should keep their mouths shut about them and leave the critiquing to someone who would actually know a good space opera when she sees it.
3. Baked sweet potatoes are awesome. How did I forget how much I loved them?
4. My thesis advisor thinks my thesis is in decent shape, which makes me happy since I was concerned I would have to rewrite the whole thing. Now that I don’t, I can say confidently that I’m 90% done. I plan to reward myself by reading a book, which should be pleasant and relaxing, except for the difficult and sometimes even strenuous task of choosing which book to read. Inda by Sherwood Smith? Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett? The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon? Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler? So many possibilities! I can’t decide!
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