FF: Spared By Bad Luck
Late BloomerSometimes what seems like bad luck turns out to be not so bad. This week, as we enjoy our richly blossoming catalpa tree, I’m appreciating the irony. Normally, our catalpa begins blooming early in the second week in May. However, the cooler temperatures (which have played havoc with my schedule for growing tomatoes from seed and other things) meant that the tree was just beginning to flower when we were hammered by hail storms last Saturday and Sunday. (See this week’s WW for pictures.) So, that was bad luck that turned out to be good… Or something like that.
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 love seeing the tapestry of what people choose.
Completed:
Boundaries of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold. Audiobook. A collection of short stories (some quite long), filling in key events between the novels.
Princess Holy Aura by Ryk E. Spoor.
In Progress:
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold. Audiobook. Miles has a very difficult incident to unravel, especially as no one seems to want to tell him the whole story about anything.
My Brother’s Keeper by Tim Powers. Nope. You haven’t read this, because it isn’t out yet. I have an advanced copy. Powers moves the secret history of various literary figures to embrace the Bronte sisters and their very difficult brother. So far, creepy and engrossing. If you like this sort of thing, you might want to try his novel The Stress of Her Regard.
Also:
The new Smithsonian.
