Lisa Eckstein > Recent Status Updates

"[Traffic] all moves along, however crowded, quite steadily at the rate of 25 miles per hour (Terran). Gethenians could make their vehicles go faster, but they do not. If asked why not, they answer 'Why?' Like asking Terrans why all our vehicles must go so fast; we answer 'Why not?' No disputing tastes."

Revisiting this (I read it 20+ years ago) for book club, and after reading a lot of Le Guin's other work.

Continuing my Murderbot reread. This installment takes place after Exit Strategy and before Network Effect, though it was published later.

I'm invested by now in all the characters and their problems.

Extremely page-turnery!

Enjoying meeting the various passengers, all conflicted about embarking on a cruise just days after 9/11.

Definitely intriguing to get all these outside perspectives on the family at the center of the story, before we learn what's happened.

Wonder how this scheme is going to turn out...

So interesting to see where we're going after the time jump.

Well, can't wait to see the consequences of these developments!

This is great, such an interesting concept, and a well-paced detective story.

Lots of great character details and moments already!

Really enjoying the developing mystery and the gradual dispensing of details about the fascinating world!

So far we've got agents investigating colorful drugs called psychopigments, in a Daly City located next to "the ruins of San Francisco", in a world where Argentina became a major world power in the wake of the Falklands War. Fascinating!

I do love the return of familiar characters in this installment!

"New York is like the human liver, brilliant at absorbing toxins, forever sloughing off the dead cells of failure and re-growing thriving new tissue in its place." So many great sentences in this novel that draw unexpected connections to bodies and/or food. Another recent one: "This time he needed her like steak needed salt." (p 165)

Rereading (and looking forward to a new installment in May). "Possibly I was overthinking this. I do that; it's the anxiety that comes with being a part-organic murderbot. The upside was paranoid attention to detail. The downside was also was paranoid attention to detail."

This is fascinating, and definitely not for the weak of stomach!

A writer goes to therapy:
"He asks why I'm here, and I tell him about the buzzing under my skin, the ringing—
'You have ringing in your ears?'
'Not actual ringing. It's like my whole body is a bell, like a huge bell in a tower that's been struck and—'
He held up his hand. 'Let's skip the flowery descriptions. You're anxious. Why? When'd it start?'

Fascinating premise, and a fascinating introduction to the characters: a celebrated chef with a complicated life, and the pathologist who performs his autopsy.

Loving all the stuff about writing (and not-writing) and the developing characters.

Immediately intrigued by the writer protagonist, of course!

Anxious about how this is all going to end!

I really hope things are going to turn around for our characters!

Fascinating how this is developing.

A compelling and chilling read.

Already really into these characters as we're getting to know them before things go wrong.

Decent adventure story in a well developed world.

Interesting world and characters being set up.

Much anticipation over what's about to happen!