wednesday reads 'n things
What I've recently finished reading:
Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff - This is the one I mentioned last week about a fantasy world Cornell University, with sprites and motorcycle gangs and a fraternity called Tolkien House and the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. There are a lot of narrative threads which intertwine, though sometimes the intertwining seems forced, as though Ruff decided his book wouldn't be long enough without another subplot. I won't argue that it's not inventive, but some of the threads were much less interesting to me than others, and really, the only characters I felt invested in were Luther (a dog) and Blackjack (a cat). Ultimately I finished it more because I was getting near the end, and not because I really cared how it ended (except for Luther and Blackjack). [Note: there is a great deal of animal harm and animal, sprite, and human death in this book.]
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - I picked this up on a whim from the library because I liked Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy. This is the one about the characters who aren't "the chosen one" who save the world etc., and - I had mixed feelings.
Every once in a while, reading a book or watching a movie, something happens to the main character - she turns out to be secret royalty, or he gets a letter from a magical school - and I think, "what a coincidence! What if that had been someone else?" But of course, it's not someone else, because stories are crafted to be about the people who have the interesting things happen to them. The problem with a fantasy book about the people who are not actually involved in saving the world and so on, is that the whole world-saving plot in the background feels like unnecessary gimmick. Because there already is a genre about ordinary people and ordinary problems, and that's mainstream drama.
It felt to me as though Ness wasn't quite sure which kind of book he wanted to write, or maybe he just couldn't let the fantasy aspects go. Why else would you have Jared be essentially the token indie kid? (BTW, I really disliked the "indie kid" terminology, or at least the way it was used here, as a term that everyone instantly recognizes and knows.)
I was impressed by the diversity, and the treatment of homosexuality (though the bit about Mikey having 'fooled around' with Jared felt weirdly fanfictiony), though I really disliked the ending with respect to Mikey and Henna's relationship. Speaking of diversity, I actually noticed how realistic the character names were (perhaps in contrast to Finn, Finn, and Satchel) and so I was amused to discover in the end-note that Jared Shurin and (especially! best name ever!) Henna Silvennoinen are names of actual people who donated the most money in a charity auction to get their names used for characters in this book!
Also, the cover of the hardback edition I borrowed from the library glows in the dark. The fact that this is one of my favorite things about this book probably says everything you need to know.
What I'm reading now:
Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson, since I loved Spin and of the few books of his that the library has, this seemed to be the most well-regarded by people I know on Goodreads. So far...it seems a lot like Spin! (Both in terms of the basic plot set-up of people being isolated without warning for a yet-unknown reason, and in terms of the focus on genuine human drama against the SF backdrop.)
What I'm reading next:
Netgalley was pushing a book that sounded interesting (The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco) so I grabbed it, but haven't looked at it yet. (thistle_chaser, I have requested Gilded Cage but that's still pending.)
Also, I have a novel to beta-read, and so that will take up some of my reading time and brain. I figure I'll have the other for when I need to read less critically.
What I'm listening to and watching:
I didn't mention audiobooks this update because I'm listening to the Patreon-only (so far) chapters of Underwood and Flinch: Underground by Mike Bennett. I'm still enjoying it (and contemplating crossovers with Rivers of London) though I feel as though it tends to wander.
We have gone back to watching The Americans and are about midway through S3.
What I'm writing:
Yuletide story, of course! Unlike in the last few years I suspect it's going to be just the one (though I have a request bookmarked for what will be a NYR if I write it), since I got zero writing done on vacation, and my awesome idea for my awesome recipient requires a lot of words. I think I am within a few thousand words of the end, though. And I have a beta lined up, which I was a little concerned about for, er, Reasons.
Crossposted from isis at Dreamwidth where there are
comments. | Comment at Dreamwidth
Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff - This is the one I mentioned last week about a fantasy world Cornell University, with sprites and motorcycle gangs and a fraternity called Tolkien House and the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. There are a lot of narrative threads which intertwine, though sometimes the intertwining seems forced, as though Ruff decided his book wouldn't be long enough without another subplot. I won't argue that it's not inventive, but some of the threads were much less interesting to me than others, and really, the only characters I felt invested in were Luther (a dog) and Blackjack (a cat). Ultimately I finished it more because I was getting near the end, and not because I really cared how it ended (except for Luther and Blackjack). [Note: there is a great deal of animal harm and animal, sprite, and human death in this book.]
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness - I picked this up on a whim from the library because I liked Ness's Chaos Walking trilogy. This is the one about the characters who aren't "the chosen one" who save the world etc., and - I had mixed feelings.
Every once in a while, reading a book or watching a movie, something happens to the main character - she turns out to be secret royalty, or he gets a letter from a magical school - and I think, "what a coincidence! What if that had been someone else?" But of course, it's not someone else, because stories are crafted to be about the people who have the interesting things happen to them. The problem with a fantasy book about the people who are not actually involved in saving the world and so on, is that the whole world-saving plot in the background feels like unnecessary gimmick. Because there already is a genre about ordinary people and ordinary problems, and that's mainstream drama.
It felt to me as though Ness wasn't quite sure which kind of book he wanted to write, or maybe he just couldn't let the fantasy aspects go. Why else would you have Jared be essentially the token indie kid? (BTW, I really disliked the "indie kid" terminology, or at least the way it was used here, as a term that everyone instantly recognizes and knows.)
I was impressed by the diversity, and the treatment of homosexuality (though the bit about Mikey having 'fooled around' with Jared felt weirdly fanfictiony), though I really disliked the ending with respect to Mikey and Henna's relationship. Speaking of diversity, I actually noticed how realistic the character names were (perhaps in contrast to Finn, Finn, and Satchel) and so I was amused to discover in the end-note that Jared Shurin and (especially! best name ever!) Henna Silvennoinen are names of actual people who donated the most money in a charity auction to get their names used for characters in this book!
Also, the cover of the hardback edition I borrowed from the library glows in the dark. The fact that this is one of my favorite things about this book probably says everything you need to know.
What I'm reading now:
Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson, since I loved Spin and of the few books of his that the library has, this seemed to be the most well-regarded by people I know on Goodreads. So far...it seems a lot like Spin! (Both in terms of the basic plot set-up of people being isolated without warning for a yet-unknown reason, and in terms of the focus on genuine human drama against the SF backdrop.)
What I'm reading next:
Netgalley was pushing a book that sounded interesting (The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco) so I grabbed it, but haven't looked at it yet. (thistle_chaser, I have requested Gilded Cage but that's still pending.)
Also, I have a novel to beta-read, and so that will take up some of my reading time and brain. I figure I'll have the other for when I need to read less critically.
What I'm listening to and watching:
I didn't mention audiobooks this update because I'm listening to the Patreon-only (so far) chapters of Underwood and Flinch: Underground by Mike Bennett. I'm still enjoying it (and contemplating crossovers with Rivers of London) though I feel as though it tends to wander.
We have gone back to watching The Americans and are about midway through S3.
What I'm writing:
Yuletide story, of course! Unlike in the last few years I suspect it's going to be just the one (though I have a request bookmarked for what will be a NYR if I write it), since I got zero writing done on vacation, and my awesome idea for my awesome recipient requires a lot of words. I think I am within a few thousand words of the end, though. And I have a beta lined up, which I was a little concerned about for, er, Reasons.
Crossposted from isis at Dreamwidth where there are
comments. | Comment at Dreamwidth