FF: Into a Story

Dandy Dreams

The other day, someone posted the question “What makes you feel better when you are in a bad mood?”  My answer came easily and immediately: I dive into a story.  Not necessarily the one I’m writing (although sometime that), but definitely a story.  Often, it’s a re-read, but it also can be a new book by an author who I trust.  And “story” definitely extends to visual media as well.

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. 

Completed:

Aurora Borealis Bridge by Jane Lindskold.  Mass market paperback proofs.  I gave this some of my usual “fun reading” time for a variety of reasons, including, honestly, that I’m enjoying it.

DreamForge Anvil, issue ten.  Perfect for before bed, since the stories, while often complex, are strongly character driven.

In Progress:

Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold.  Audiobook.  Almost done.  Even better than I remembered it being.

Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher.  It was there when I needed a re-read.

From Sawdust to Stardust: the Biography of DeForest Kelly, Star Trek’s Dr. McCoy by Terry Lee Rioux.  Recommended by a reader on Charles De Lint’s blog.

Also:

I finished Archeology!  Now the next issue will probably arrive.  Just finished Bioscape, the short magazine from our BioPark (zoo, botanical gardens, and aquarium), and am reading AAA trying to convince me that I want to go on a cruise.

Finally, the Shire has been scourged and Frodo has set sail, and Return of the King completed.  I have some fairly serious thoughts about how what Jackson chose to leave out of his movies (which I did enjoy) completely change Tolkien’s underlying tale.  I could share them in a WW if anyone so desires.