Recent reading
Recently finished
The Martian by Andy Weir. I wouldn't be surprised if this were optioned for a film. It's a very straightforward adventure story with a host of supporting characters, sort of a mashup of Gravity and Apollo 13, in which a single astronaut gets abandoned on Mars by himself when a mission goes sideways, and then everyone on Earth pulls together to try to rescue him. Despite the somewhat clinical nature of the narrative (the narrator spends a LOT of time running numbers--oxygen, potatoes, water, etc), the voice is engaging (if not very self-reflective), the secondary characters fairly distinctive, and the suspense enough to keep me along for the ride. I enjoyed it, but it's definitely one of those books where you'd like it, if it's the kind of thing you like.
Last weekend, I reread what there is of the yet-unfinished Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation, by Vera Rozalsky, an epic post-Deathly Hallows story about Hermione, abuse of time-turners, and the aftermath of an ugly little war. It's also Hermione/Neville/Draco, although Rozalsky doesn't try very hard to make Draco likeable, and she does acknowledge all the ethically dubious things Hermione, Harry, and the others did during the course of the war. I really hope she finishes it at some point...
Currently reading
I have had this on my Kindle forever, and never got around to it until just recently. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson is, I suspect, the perfect summer reading for anyone who really misses Vikings. It's the story of Orm Tostesson, who is the younger son of a small Viking nobleman in the 9th Century, and his adventures after he gets kidnapped from his father's farm by some Vikings who were just looking for some sheep to eat. Christianity is just beginning to take hold among the Norse peoples, and there's a lot of entertaining discussion about the relative value of following the god of Christ versus the old Norse gods. I am really enjoying it: it's a very old-school kind of novel, very forthright and unsentimental, with plenty of action and a fair amount of humor. Definitely recommended--again, for those who like this sort of thing.
Next up
Probably a reread of The Left Hand of Darkness, as I finally convinced my book club to read it.
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments; comment here or there.
The Martian by Andy Weir. I wouldn't be surprised if this were optioned for a film. It's a very straightforward adventure story with a host of supporting characters, sort of a mashup of Gravity and Apollo 13, in which a single astronaut gets abandoned on Mars by himself when a mission goes sideways, and then everyone on Earth pulls together to try to rescue him. Despite the somewhat clinical nature of the narrative (the narrator spends a LOT of time running numbers--oxygen, potatoes, water, etc), the voice is engaging (if not very self-reflective), the secondary characters fairly distinctive, and the suspense enough to keep me along for the ride. I enjoyed it, but it's definitely one of those books where you'd like it, if it's the kind of thing you like.
Last weekend, I reread what there is of the yet-unfinished Amends, or Truth and Reconciliation, by Vera Rozalsky, an epic post-Deathly Hallows story about Hermione, abuse of time-turners, and the aftermath of an ugly little war. It's also Hermione/Neville/Draco, although Rozalsky doesn't try very hard to make Draco likeable, and she does acknowledge all the ethically dubious things Hermione, Harry, and the others did during the course of the war. I really hope she finishes it at some point...
Currently reading
I have had this on my Kindle forever, and never got around to it until just recently. The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson is, I suspect, the perfect summer reading for anyone who really misses Vikings. It's the story of Orm Tostesson, who is the younger son of a small Viking nobleman in the 9th Century, and his adventures after he gets kidnapped from his father's farm by some Vikings who were just looking for some sheep to eat. Christianity is just beginning to take hold among the Norse peoples, and there's a lot of entertaining discussion about the relative value of following the god of Christ versus the old Norse gods. I am really enjoying it: it's a very old-school kind of novel, very forthright and unsentimental, with plenty of action and a fair amount of humor. Definitely recommended--again, for those who like this sort of thing.
Next up
Probably a reread of The Left Hand of Darkness, as I finally convinced my book club to read it.
Crossposted from DW, where there are
comments; comment here or there.