Reading Rainbow

So I took another break from the Dune series to catch up on some other reading, and to help build up some personal momentum for the end of the series.

Brandon Sanderson's completion of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (A Memory of Light) was masterfully done.  Sanderson brought back a lot of my excitement for the series that had dwindled with Jordan's dithering over the series.  I don't know if I'll ever do a straight through reading of this series, but I can say I appreciate the ending.

Then I caught up on my Magic Chick-Lit books with Kim Harrison (Ever After) and Patricia Briggs (Frost Burned).  They're both always fun modern-magic reads.

And then I've been enjoying some comic book compilations on the iPad.  They're all books that I have hard copies of, but are fun to be able to read in bed or at work without carrying the trade paperbacks around with me all of the time.

And just last night, I finished Frank Herbert's Heretics of Dune.  I think this book is what shaped my memory of Frank Herbert's writing style.  When I began reading the books after the movie came out, I had read very little science fiction.  Heretics is an ever accelerating book of action with some of the events left to your imagination, being mentioned only by character's thinking back to them.

At lunch today I started Chapterhouse Dune, and I can remember parts of what is to come that make me want to sit and just read all day.

Laundry Day

... see you there...

Or not.

Anyway, did lots of laundry because I hadn't in a long while.

And I managed to finished Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs. I enjoyed the book, but it left me wanting more. Not in a bad way, but not the great way I am always hoping for. It was still the best of the Mercy Thompson series. And I look forward to more books in the series. Maybe it felt like a bridge to me. It had good action, tied up plot threads, and set a few possibilities up. And then again maybe this is the good feeling of wanting more.

I think what made it hard for me was being in a woman's head who is dealing with the aftermath of being raped. It's something that will (probability willing) remain completely alien to me. And still it is uncomfortable as a man to read about that situation. But certainly it says something for the author to be able to get those emotions across.

Now I move on to the third Kate Daniels book. And maybe I'll give myself permission to read my comic books again.

Little Bits of Joy

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

I've got this reserved at the library now.

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

This one I'll have to wait until October. But how cool! The Patrician as referee. The librarian as Possibly goalie. Rincewind and Ponder Stibbons playing sport. And who are the cheerleaders? This is going to be great.

Unfortunately no word yet on the second Kingkiller book from Patrick Rothfuss. It's even been removed from Amazon.

New book

Last night I finished reading Iron Kissed and was very pleased with it. It was a very touching tale, and an enjoyable read.

Now I am moving on to a book that two webcomics (Real Life being one, and I can't remember the other) have recommended: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

I go into this book knowing nothing about it, other than two webcomics have said it is awesome. It arrived today at the library, and I'll be picking it up soon.

Playing catch-up

So a few things have fallen through the cracks on what's been going on, so I'll try to get to them today.

I finished Blood Bound a few days ago, and enjoyed it much more than Moon Called. It's hard to say why, but it was a better book. I liked some of the sub-plots like the man whose daughter had been turned into a werewolf, and although he and his wife had been keeping her in the basement in a cage, he was searching for a way to take care of her. The strength of the little exchanges between him and Marcy were surprisingly powerful. I'm on to Iron Kissed, and I'm hoping for more of those little bits of magic.

Monday night I watched "Southland Tales" written and directed by Richard Kelly. It's... odd. And this is coming from someone who loved "Donnie Darko". I really wanted to like it, but there are just little bits that still don't mesh. I think in about a month I'll have to watch it again and catch the parts that I missed. There are parts of it that I think are related to the "philosophy of time travel" from "Donnie Darko" too. I need to go over the elements again, but I have identified the artifact, and have some other ideas as well. There are even some images in the background that are silhouettes of Frank's rabbit mask. I think I will reserve complete judgement until a second viewing. And apparently there are three comic books that go ahead of the movie.

"A new quest has been accepted."

Jennifer and I are doing some planning. More news to come as it warrants.

Lycanthropy - that thing with the moon

Over lunch today I finished Moon Called by Patricia Briggs.

If I had bought the book or gotten it from the library, I probably wouldn't read the rest. The protagonist, Mercy Thompson, seems to just be carried along by events in the book, and rarely appears to act on anything.

I'll read the next two just because I have them on loan from a friend, and it's helpful to have a little insight into his head for when he's running our next roleplaying game session.

We'll see how the rest of the series is.