2016: The Year in Books, Part 2

[evelyn_b]

It's time to keep the spirit of procrastination rolling into the New Year with more book memes! Questions snagged from egelantier and littlerhymes. Head under the cut if you want to hear me say "I don't know" a lot.

Comments

[egelantier]

that was a really great reading year - i think i comment less here than i should because i don't often have something to say, but your reviews (of things that i know about) were a joy this year; you always have this knack of approaching things from a side new to me, and make them - interesting in a different way, you know? i can't wait for you to get rubina, too.

[evelyn_b]

Same for me and your posts! I seldom feel like I have much to say besides "I don't know what this is, but it sounds interesting," but I always enjoy reading them.

Definitely looking forward to Rubina! Unfortunately, it seems to be out of print? nothing at my libraries, and used copies are going for $95 right now, so I'm waiting for Amazon to hunt one up to send to me . . . Fingers crossed.

[lost_spook]

Raise a glass with me to the best detective in fiction at solving completely ridiculous murders with reason, patience and hard work. *raises*

*joins you* Aw, bless.

And yay for Pratchett!

That is indeed a impressive roll call of books for 2016. I'm all admiration, and thanks for sharing it along with us all. Your posts are always a joy, even when I don't know half (or more) of the books.

[evelyn_b]

Aww, thank you! I've been a slacker about commenting lately, but I always enjoy reading your posts, too.

I'm genuinely sorry that I didn't grow up with Pratchett! I can't even blame my own bad taste for this one, since I don't remember ever seeing one of his books, or anyone mentioning him to me, until I was in my mid-twenties. But it's never too late, etc..

[lost_spook]

No - you get all the pleasure of reading him now! :-)

And thank you. ♥

[littlerhymes]

Gosh, some of these questions are HARD. I'm glad I did the shortened down version lol. The distinction between 'favourite' and 'best' is so tricky! Anyway tons here I have to look up and think about one day eventually reading. :)

[evelyn_b]

It might have been better to cut out a few more questions - I feel like it got a little repetitive, even setting aside all the things I didn't know the answer to.

"Favorite" vs "best" is something I could spend all day and all week sorting out, if I didn't feel like getting anything else done, but . . . I don't know if I'll ever get back to being comfortable making claims about literary quality. I used to do it all the time, but that was when I was young and reckless. Now it's much easier just to stick with "how did that make you feel?"

:) I still have to give Dick Francis a try! Maybe 2017 will be The Year of Reading At Least One Dick Francis Novel.

[liadtbunny]

All I know is, Lawrence Durrell wants it to be Lawrence Durrell, but it's not Lol.

The Lonely Chair how could I have forgot!

A busy reading year:)

[evelyn_b]

Lawrence Durrell has kept me in a constant state of being simultaneously compelled to make fun of Durrell and haunted by the certainty that I am being unfair to Durrell. It's a gift!

I've been lucky this year in that my job allowed me to sit around all day and read. There will be a lot less of that in 2017, for better or worse.

[scripsi]

I don't much care for The Warrior's Aprentice either. And even if I like al the books, the ones I LOVE doesn't turn up until Memory.

[evelyn_b]

It had the strangest effect; I don't really know why it tipped the balance so abruptly from "this is a fascinating and flawed series that I have one million thoughts about" to "I don't care whether these people live or die." But it did.

Does the series go back to Cordelia later? I thought she was an interesting character. Someday I'll try again with a different book.

[scripsi]

I felt something similar, actually. By the end of Barryar I only wanted more Cordelia and I was very disappointed with her being relegated to a supportive character. But I persisted and Miles grew on me. You might want to pick up one of the Miles-books which are who-dunnits in SF disguise. :) Memory is the best of those, IMO, and also Cetaganda and Komarr.

[scripsi]

So far we have one more Cordelia-book; Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. It takes place about 45 years after Barryar. I like it, but there is a strong feeling of epilogue about it. There is no real tension in the plot and there are a LOT about Cordelia and Aral's Life together I would like to read a proper novel about, not read about long after it happened.