Threerings Reads the Vorkosigan Saga: A Civil Campaign
I FINALLY GOT THE NEXT BOOK, OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've been anxiously waiting to get this book from Paperbackswap for freaking MONTHS. Ok, A Civil Campaign.
Here's the thing, I got this book in the mail Friday evening and I was so excited I pretty much stopped whatever I was doing to immediately read it. And I totally forgot that I used to stop every chapter or two to write stuff. I was having the best time reading this and I essentially read until my eyes couldn't stay open anymore. Then yesterday I read until I had to leave for lunch and then I got back and read until I finished the book. It was SO ENJOYABLE to devour a book that way and just sit and read, not because I didn't have anything else to do, but because reading that book was what I most wanted to be doing right then.
Anyway, so you get no liveblog. But I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. Like, it may be my favorite in the series. Or my favorite since The Warrior's Apprentice. The tagline is "A Comedy of Manners and Biology" and it SO IS. It's a perfect comedy of manners and I love every second of it. There is something Jane Austen-y about it. And I really enjoyed spending so much time on Barrayar, watching the clash of a super-traditional culture coming in contact with ultra-modern technologies and philosophies.
Oh Miles! He's head over heels for Ekaterin, but has enough sense to know she's not ready for romance. Yes, after ten years of an abusive marriage, she has some shit to work through. And yet he goes around telling EVERYONE IN TOWN that she's going to be his next wife, but WAIT, don't tell her that, cause she doesn't know. SMH. I don't actually fault him for setting her up to do the garden, because I think he genuinely liked her skills and ideas. And yes, he had ulterior motives, but....eh, it doesn't bother me. It's the talking about her to everyone thing that is so fucked up.
And there's so many other plot threads. Seriously, every plot in this book comes together so well. Mark and Kareen are pretty adorable, although I'm still skeezed out by Mark's "Black Gang". I love the Betan earring code. We should institute that.
The butter bugs...were pretty much entirely hilarious throughout. Like Bujold said, 'hmm, I need one utterly uncontrollable absurd element in this story' and that was the butter bugs.
That dinner party....OMG. So Much Disaster. And I appreciate that for a while things get awfully serious with the accusations of murder and all the politicking. And everyone in despair.
I'm rather amazed that Bujold managed to make Ekaterin and Miles' reunion be believable and not forced. And Ekaterin's development is awesome. I was not at all sure about her in the previous book and by the end of this one (OMG THAT SCENE IN THE COUNCIL OF COUNTS) I was cheering for her.
Ivan saved the day!! He's almost not totally useless. He might one day be really awesome!
Gregor is amazing. All leaders should be Gregor.
Seriously this book makes me so happy. Everything is happy! Couples are together and in love! Bug butter is selling! People are independant! Everything is awesome! Oh, this is totally going to become a comfort book for me.
I can't think of anything else to say. I really should have made myself write while I was reading. Oh well. Next one. (WHICH IS ON ITS WAY TO ME NOW!!!!!!!!!!)
I just bought "Winterfair Gifts" for Kindle. NO REGRETS.
I've been anxiously waiting to get this book from Paperbackswap for freaking MONTHS. Ok, A Civil Campaign.
Here's the thing, I got this book in the mail Friday evening and I was so excited I pretty much stopped whatever I was doing to immediately read it. And I totally forgot that I used to stop every chapter or two to write stuff. I was having the best time reading this and I essentially read until my eyes couldn't stay open anymore. Then yesterday I read until I had to leave for lunch and then I got back and read until I finished the book. It was SO ENJOYABLE to devour a book that way and just sit and read, not because I didn't have anything else to do, but because reading that book was what I most wanted to be doing right then.
Anyway, so you get no liveblog. But I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. Like, it may be my favorite in the series. Or my favorite since The Warrior's Apprentice. The tagline is "A Comedy of Manners and Biology" and it SO IS. It's a perfect comedy of manners and I love every second of it. There is something Jane Austen-y about it. And I really enjoyed spending so much time on Barrayar, watching the clash of a super-traditional culture coming in contact with ultra-modern technologies and philosophies.
Oh Miles! He's head over heels for Ekaterin, but has enough sense to know she's not ready for romance. Yes, after ten years of an abusive marriage, she has some shit to work through. And yet he goes around telling EVERYONE IN TOWN that she's going to be his next wife, but WAIT, don't tell her that, cause she doesn't know. SMH. I don't actually fault him for setting her up to do the garden, because I think he genuinely liked her skills and ideas. And yes, he had ulterior motives, but....eh, it doesn't bother me. It's the talking about her to everyone thing that is so fucked up.
And there's so many other plot threads. Seriously, every plot in this book comes together so well. Mark and Kareen are pretty adorable, although I'm still skeezed out by Mark's "Black Gang". I love the Betan earring code. We should institute that.
The butter bugs...were pretty much entirely hilarious throughout. Like Bujold said, 'hmm, I need one utterly uncontrollable absurd element in this story' and that was the butter bugs.
That dinner party....OMG. So Much Disaster. And I appreciate that for a while things get awfully serious with the accusations of murder and all the politicking. And everyone in despair.
I'm rather amazed that Bujold managed to make Ekaterin and Miles' reunion be believable and not forced. And Ekaterin's development is awesome. I was not at all sure about her in the previous book and by the end of this one (OMG THAT SCENE IN THE COUNCIL OF COUNTS) I was cheering for her.
Ivan saved the day!! He's almost not totally useless. He might one day be really awesome!
Gregor is amazing. All leaders should be Gregor.
Seriously this book makes me so happy. Everything is happy! Couples are together and in love! Bug butter is selling! People are independant! Everything is awesome! Oh, this is totally going to become a comfort book for me.
I can't think of anything else to say. I really should have made myself write while I was reading. Oh well. Next one. (WHICH IS ON ITS WAY TO ME NOW!!!!!!!!!!)
I just bought "Winterfair Gifts" for Kindle. NO REGRETS.