FF: All Over the Place

The Friday Fragments feature lists of what I’ve read over the past week.  They are not meant to be a recommendation list.  If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive list, you can look on my website.

This is not a book review column.  It’s just a list with, maybe, a few opinions tossed in.

Sirenity Contemplates Bubo the Rat

This week my reading is all over the place – even more than usual.

What are you reading?

Recently Completed:

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.  Audiobook.  Rambled a bit as Riordan tried to deal with the fact that he had seven really powerful protagonists and a limited framework for action.  Piper gets slighted.  Jason spends an amazing amount of time unconscious.  However, I did enjoy and plan to go onto the next book.

Dorsai by Gordon Dickson.  I really enjoyed this.  However, after having read three in a row, I’m troubled more now than I was originally by how little room there is for dynamic women in this future history.  Not enough to keep me from recommending, but it would be with a caveat.

In Progress:

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny.  Trying to hold to one chapter a day for the Twitter book club at #LonesomeOctober.  Finding this very difficult.

Land of Cinnamon Sun by John Nizalowski.  A collection of essays.  I’ve been reading an essay or so before bed.  Enjoying.

The Sphinx of the Ice Realm by Jules Verne, translated by Fredrick Paul Walter.  The first chapter is slow.  After that, it’s lots of fun.  The intro is good, but I think I’d suggest waiting to read it until after reading the novel.  The translators notes are great.  I have them bookmarked, so I can check them as they come up.

Smoking Seventeen by Janet Evanovich.  Audiobook.  I needed a change from teenage demigods.  This is quite the change!

Also:

Some Chinese mythology, especially about the Eight Immortals.  Not sure if it’s going to go anywhere, but fun nonetheless.