WWW Wed May 29

Do be a friend and ignore that this is Thursday. And now that we’ve gotten that out of the way:

What are you currently reading? Cybele’s Secret by Juliet Marillier. First you should read Wildwood Dancing about Tati, then you should read the sequel, set six years later, about her sister Paula. I am only a couple of chapters in, but it is so far excellent. A hunt for a one-of-a-kind legendary artifact? Yes, please.

What did you recently finish reading? Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay. This second of two books set in a fantasy Byzantium called Sarantium were so fantastic that I wish there were a third and a fourth. If you know anything about Justinian, Theodora, and their times, the Sarantine Mosaic duology is even more of a treat. I liked these equally as well as Kay’s two Chinese-history-based novels, Under Heaven and River of Stars.

What do you think you’ll read next? Wool by Hugh Howey or 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson, two recent acquisitions by new-to-me authors.

Meanwhile, I’m at my first week in a new job and loving it so much more than working at a law office. Consider: shorter commute, better hours, better pay, and coworkers I already know and like. Plus, I haven’t had to set my alarm clock once; and as a consequence of waking up naturally, I am feeling more awake throughout the day. Circadian rhythms, people. Don’t ignore ’em.

WWW Wed May 22

Since last week I have finished at one job, moved into a house, and begun another job. I have also read exactly one book since the previous Wednesday, a lamentable report, and yet I feel, on the whole, that this is not altogether without justification, considering the circumstances.

What are you currently reading? Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay, the second of two books of the Sarantine Mosaic. This Byzantine-inspired historical fantasy is pretty fantastic, especially the court intrigue.

What did you recently finish reading? Sailing to Sarantium, the first of see above. Concurrently, my husband and I finished reading aloud in the car Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, easily one of the five funniest novels ever written. We’d been working on it since Christmas, so it feels like a bit of an achievement.

What do you think you’ll read next? 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson, which just won the Nebula Award. While I was trading in some books at Recycled (hunting, in vain, for Cybele’s Secret by Juliet Marillier), a pristine hardback copy snagged my eye. To make things more perfect, the amount of credit I received for my books sold exactly equaled the price of this award-winner. And since Iain M. Banks endorsed him on the back cover, I plan to give this author another try after my foiled attempt to enjoy Red Mars.

WWW Wed May 15

Oh, hello. It is Wednesday. I am moving. And going out of town tomorrow. Also, I have seven articles to write before Monday. Let us be brief.

What are you currently reading? Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay. Historical fantasy based on Byzantium. Forty pages in to the first of the two books of the Sarantine Mosaic, I think I will like it.

What did you recently finish reading? The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. This book was fantastic. Fantastic. The best read of the month so far, by far.

What do you think you’ll read next? Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay. I suspect the Sarantine Mosaic is one story in two volumes, so I’m planning to read straight through.

The End

April 2013

Here’s April’s Stuff I’ve Been Reading list.

1. Ironskin by Connolly, Tina
2. The Snow Child by Ivey, Eowyn
3. The Escapement by Parker, K. J.
4. A Hat Full of Sky by Pratchett, Terry*
5. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Moggach, Deborah
6. The Golden Egg by Leon, Donna
7. Without a Summer by Kowal, Mary Robinette
8. River of Stars by Kay, Guy Gavriel
9. Wintersmith by Pratchett, Terry*
10. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Fowler, Therese Anne
11. Pride and Prejudice by Austen, Jane

Italics indicate library books, asterisks indicate audiobooks, and I didn’t finish reading number 10.

The best read was River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay, though it had stiff competition. The conclusion to the Engineer Trilogy (The Escapement) was great, but not quite as great as its beginning; and Jane Austen has her own class, of course. The third Glamourist History (Without a Summer) was a very fun read too, but it did not have that sense of destiny, of fatedness, that often attracts me.

Also I’ve listened to so many Terry Pratchett audiobooks excellently narrated by Stephen Briggs that I definitely had at least one dream in his voice.

WWW Wed May 1

I drafted this post on Tuesday for the WWW Wednesday meme, but so much has been going on, I haven’t had a chance to publish it until now. April’s “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” post will also soon be forthcoming.

What are you currently reading? It’s a secret. I will probably be giving this book as a gift to someone who reads this blog. If you receive a book from me, there is a close to 100% chance that I have just finished reading it. But at least you know it has been approved.

What did you recently finish reading? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I hadn’t read this book in quite a while, but I was surprised to find how much of it was word-for-word familiar. I don’t memorize books, but I do believe I could closely relate every event of this story with some quite similar phrasing to the original. Although my most recently read Austen is always my favorite Austen, I have to say that this one is as close to narratively perfect as one can get. Plus, it always makes me laugh out loud.

What do you think you’ll read next? East by Edith Pattou, as it has a library deadline. Recommended by a friend who read it on recommendation from a friend, this book has the potential for “highly enjoyable,” even though I haven’t read anything by this author before.

And if you were wondering how many boxes it takes to pack every single fiction and reference book I own (excluding my husband’s history section and Among Others by Jo Walton, which I kept out for potential rereading), the number is twenty five (25). Yes, I will be moving shortly, and none too soon. When I told the mover over the phone that we would be vacating a third-floor apartment in favor of a one-story house, he said, “Congratulations.” Why thank you. Thank you very much.