Recent reading and stuff
Nov. 9th, 2006 07:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunrabWell, I attempted Thackeray's The Newcomes but I couldn't read the whole thing. I slogged through the first couple of chapters, and found it rough going. Skimmed through, stopping anywhere there was an illustration, to read the page opposite it and see if there was anything particularly fascinating that would have inspired the illustration. Nope. Read the last two chapters, to see if it would be an interesting enough ending that I'd want to go back and find out how the characters got from point X at the beginning to point Z at the end. That usually works for Dickens when the beginning alone doesn't catch me, but it didn't work here. All in all, I can see why Dickens remains popular and Thackeray doesn't - I just didn't find it interesting. I can stand long, I can stand old-fashioned (hello, I read Dickens, I read Austen) but I can't seem to stand this particular style. I still have Vanity Fair waiting to be tried - since it was his MOST popular, perhaps it's more readable? We shall see.
Meanwhile, I finally got around to reading Sharon Lee & Steve Miller's Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon, the two prequels in their Liaden series. I had been hesitant about them, since I'm not usually enchanted with prequels and since from the title of the first, I was afraid it would be too much military SF, but I was happily surprised to find them the same space-opera romance blend as the later-on-the-timeline, written-earlier books in the series. Reasonably lighthearted, charming, provides good background for the later books, although I still have some questions about the whole timeline, and there were a few inconsistencies. I detected what I believe is an extremely strong Larry Niven influence on both volumes.
Also finally got around to reading Only You Can Save Mankind, the first in Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell series. It was OK, but I like the two others better - I think my favorite remains Johnny and the Dead.
And a couple of knitting pattern books - one with lovely pictures and awful instructions; you can read the review I wrote for 45 Fine & Fanciful Hats to Knit here. I've also added reviews for Death in West Wheeling and for both Johnny and the Bomb and Johnny and the Dead. As usual, a shameless plea for "yes, it's helpful" voted for my reviews...
Went back over to DE yesterday to visit with Dad again. They wound up sending him home early, since he was doing so well. He still has a lot of recovery to do, and even after this, still needs a certain amount of nagging to stick to his diet, damn it! He put in a request for a pumpkin pie he can eat for Thanksgiving, and I believe I can produce a pumpkin pie that is low-fat, low-sodium, virtually sugarless, and still tasty. Let's hear it for Splenda!!
Today, we went to the library and got more books. What a surprise! Tomorrow night, we have tickets for the symphony. What we're doing for the weekend is still up in the air.
And did I mention that we seem to have been roped into doing Arbitron radio ratings for the next 6 days?
Meanwhile, I finally got around to reading Sharon Lee & Steve Miller's Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon, the two prequels in their Liaden series. I had been hesitant about them, since I'm not usually enchanted with prequels and since from the title of the first, I was afraid it would be too much military SF, but I was happily surprised to find them the same space-opera romance blend as the later-on-the-timeline, written-earlier books in the series. Reasonably lighthearted, charming, provides good background for the later books, although I still have some questions about the whole timeline, and there were a few inconsistencies. I detected what I believe is an extremely strong Larry Niven influence on both volumes.
Also finally got around to reading Only You Can Save Mankind, the first in Terry Pratchett's Johnny Maxwell series. It was OK, but I like the two others better - I think my favorite remains Johnny and the Dead.
And a couple of knitting pattern books - one with lovely pictures and awful instructions; you can read the review I wrote for 45 Fine & Fanciful Hats to Knit here. I've also added reviews for Death in West Wheeling and for both Johnny and the Bomb and Johnny and the Dead. As usual, a shameless plea for "yes, it's helpful" voted for my reviews...
Went back over to DE yesterday to visit with Dad again. They wound up sending him home early, since he was doing so well. He still has a lot of recovery to do, and even after this, still needs a certain amount of nagging to stick to his diet, damn it! He put in a request for a pumpkin pie he can eat for Thanksgiving, and I believe I can produce a pumpkin pie that is low-fat, low-sodium, virtually sugarless, and still tasty. Let's hear it for Splenda!!
Today, we went to the library and got more books. What a surprise! Tomorrow night, we have tickets for the symphony. What we're doing for the weekend is still up in the air.
And did I mention that we seem to have been roped into doing Arbitron radio ratings for the next 6 days?
