FF: Alien Worlds

Roary is Cutatronic

I have to admit it, Keith Richards’ life is far more alien to me than that of the protagonist, Spensa, in Brandon Sanderson’s space adventure series.  I think I could walk into Spensa’s life.  I’m not sure I could handle Richard’s.

For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week.  Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines.  The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.

Once again, this is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.  And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading.  I’m reading Cytonic because an FF reader recommended the first book in the series.

Completed:

Trickster in the Front Yard by Jim Belshaw.  Non-fiction.  A collection of this Albuquerque newspaper columnist’s work from late 1990’s into early 2000’s.  Alternatingly laugh out loud funny and very touching.  The columns post the original September 11 attack are an interesting window into the mindset of that moment.

In Progress:

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson.  Book Three in the Skyward YA series.  Once again, Sanderson has found a way to keep his focus tight, which can be tough in a series with so many characters.

Life by Keith Richards and James Fox.  Memoir.  Audiobook.  I read the book in print soon after its release, but some of the temptation of the audio version is that Keith Richards is listed as among those reading. 

Also:

The latest Archeology magazine.  So far, quite interesting.  And reading in three different books about a craft I’d like to try.  Expanding my skill set always seems to help my writing.