Hat Tip: Mrs. Darwin - thanks for bringing this one up again!
1. What book are you reading now?
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
So far, a fun read, though I'm stalled in the 'wizard' part of the book. Ready to get back to DEATH and the other plotline now!
2. What book did you just finish?
Virgins by Diana Gabaldon
Decidedly uninspiring, whether because I'm more or less done with the Outlander series, or because this is really a sub-par addition. Virgins is a novella about Jamie Fraser and his childhood friend Ian as mercenaries in France, and how they are hoodwinked while escorting a French Jewess to her fiancé. There was not a lot of substance, and too much discussion of circumcision.
God's Eye by Susan Fanetti
Rather forgettable; I actually couldn't remember what book I read before the Outlander novella above, though I knew it was something that irritated me. The novel had potential - it was about a Norse girl who was considered "marked" by Odin and so shunned and feared, her decision to become a shieldmaiden, her sudden romance, and the fight that she and her husband had for her autonomy (from her lord - not Odin; religion is window dressing). The most troubling thing was how brutal vengeance was celebrated--glorified--upheld as the right path, with no alternative.
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge
There are things I want to say about Crimson Bound, but I first I need to reread it. I found it, initially, too adrenaline-pumping for an evening read, and put it aside. But then I came back--because I had to come back--and found it original, compelling, and darkly enchanting (and, strangely, not too intense for a late-night read!) I highly recommend it, and wish that I could work it in to one of my college-level courses. Also, I want to read it side by side with The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, as I think the comparison would be very interesting.
The Incarnations by Susan Barker
A very disturbing read. This novel, ostensibly set in a China preparing for the Olympics, winds back through Chinese History through the letters to Driver Wu, a taxi driver, from an unknown person bound to him through many past lives. The novel is disturbing in its depictions of sexuality and violence, but both are central to the plot and seem consistent with the time period being depicted. It is a captivating novel, but not one that I am likely to revisit.
3. What do you plan to read next?
No definite plans. Gearing up to teach summer sessions and writing a conference paper on Lord of the Rings.
4. What book do you keep meaning to finish?
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett
I finally gave up and returned it to the library. Although I find Rincewind vaguely amusing, I am not a fan of the wizard thread in Discworld.
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
I'm not sure why this one is so hard for me to stick with when I loved the other three Tiffany Aching books, and anxiously awaited this one. It might be that there is a difference between this one and the novels that Pratchett was actually able to polish himself.
5. What book do you keep meaning to start?
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett
Restarting, in this case.
6. What is your current reading trend?
Mostly Fantasy, some Romance. Some recommendations from Amazon or bargains from those bargain eBook emails. In other words, fairly unfocused.
