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What Am I Reading Wednesday
What I am reading: Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman, still. But I’m back to work tomorrow after nearly three weeks of flu, so I predict I will finish it soon. And it will be so nice to resume my normal life! I can tell you that I'm very interestingly pale right now. My Mum calls my skin-tone pasty, my husband goes for "skin like cream". I love my husband. I've also lost a few kilos without even trying.
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
What I have finished reading: Motive by Jonathan Kellerman. In fact, I had finished this book last week and that I managed to forget it at once says something about the book… Kellerman is one of those crime writer’s who chug out a book a year and I always read it, mostly out of habit. He has a nice set of characters, the protagonist, Alex, is a retired child psychologist who sometimes help the police with tricky cases. He has a lovely girlfriend who makes instruments and a cute dog and lots of money. His best friend is a gay policeman. When Kellerman started writing in the 1970’s this was a daring move and during the 80’s and early 90’s Milo’s homosexuality was often a plot point. Nowadays it rarely is and I guess that actually says something nice about growing tolerance in our society. However, early Kellerman are often quite innovative and interesting and I can recommend those. Nowadays… Well, now they are written in formula; A horrible murder occurs and Alex is roped in to offer psychological insights. A number of people are suspected and eventually a person who has flickered by earlier turns out to be the murdered. Usually a psycopathic serial killer, often with a female sidekick. Sometimes the formula works and you get a few hours of exitement, but Motive is probably Kellerman’s worst, ever. It felt totally uninspired and it was pretty obvious who the murderer was from the beginning.
Brother’s In Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold. This one is a space opera set on Earth. Miles as Admiral Naismith turns up on Earth and has to stay there, waiting for money. Unfortunately that means that he has to go back to being Miles Vorkosigan and even worse, he has to share a room with his cousin Ivan. Despite that he tries to have a love affair, but then he meets himself and things get very tricky. This is a nice, often exiting, novel, but mainly it sets up the stage for future books. There is some additional information on how reviving people who has been killed in battle, which will be very important in the next book. It also introduces Duv Galeni, a Komarran who has very good reasons to dislike Miles and then there is Miles clone-brother, Mark.
Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold. Set two years after Brother’s In Arms, this book is unusual as it isn’t told just from Miles point of view, but split, half the book is seen from Mark’s eyes. He resurfaces and con his way into the Dedarii Mercenaries as Admiral Naismith and takes them to Jackson’s Whole to rescue a group of young clones, slated to be butchered so that their old originals can put their brains into a young and healthy body. Miles, in hot pursuit, shows up when everything goes down and is promptly killed. Then he is misplaced and everything gets really complicated.
Mirror Dance is a great novel and also a rather hard read. Bujold never shies away from the horrible, there are death, rape and torture in several of her books. Never explicit and never just for the shock value, but this book takes the price as it revolves around child abuse, including sexual assault. Mainly the past abuse of Mark and what it has done to his psyche, but also mirrored in the abuse of the two clone-girls Maree and Lilly. There is also other triggering subjects like eating disorder and mental illness and a very unpleasant torture sequence. It is handled very well and it is good, but it is also really difficult to read. Mark is an extremely interesting character, though.
Thankfully the book has some lighter moments as well, especially when Mark is taken to Barrayar to meet Miles, and his, parents. It has Ivan in it, always good and Gregor and we get to meet Kareen Koudelka of the Koudelka sisters, who is as much delight in human form as Ivan is charm. The Barrayar bits are my favourite part of these books. You get a wonderful sense of everyone living their lifes, having friends and interests and it is never boring, you just want to hang out with them some more. Taking Kareen and her sisters, for example. They are the daughters of the best friends of Miles parent’s, a couple of years younger than he is. With just a few words you get that their relationship with Miles is that near-relative, relaxed relation that I recognise from my own relationship with the children of my parent’s friends. With all the drama and exitement that there are plenty of in Bujold’s books, she never, ever, forget that life is made of the small stuff too.
The Horror at Red Hook by H. P. Lovecraft. One of his worst novellas, ripe with xenophobia and a rather muddled narrative, but with a few strikes of pure horror. Child sacrifice, for example.
What I will be reading next: Komarr by L. M. Bujold
Pickman’s Model by H. P. Lovecraft, one of his best short stories, IMO.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
And, not published yet, but definitly i on my to-read list; The Man Behind The Master,
The Biography of Anthony Ainley by Karen Louise Hollis. It will be available in May and I guess you realise why I want to read it, because I suspect several of you will want that as well…
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
What I have finished reading: Motive by Jonathan Kellerman. In fact, I had finished this book last week and that I managed to forget it at once says something about the book… Kellerman is one of those crime writer’s who chug out a book a year and I always read it, mostly out of habit. He has a nice set of characters, the protagonist, Alex, is a retired child psychologist who sometimes help the police with tricky cases. He has a lovely girlfriend who makes instruments and a cute dog and lots of money. His best friend is a gay policeman. When Kellerman started writing in the 1970’s this was a daring move and during the 80’s and early 90’s Milo’s homosexuality was often a plot point. Nowadays it rarely is and I guess that actually says something nice about growing tolerance in our society. However, early Kellerman are often quite innovative and interesting and I can recommend those. Nowadays… Well, now they are written in formula; A horrible murder occurs and Alex is roped in to offer psychological insights. A number of people are suspected and eventually a person who has flickered by earlier turns out to be the murdered. Usually a psycopathic serial killer, often with a female sidekick. Sometimes the formula works and you get a few hours of exitement, but Motive is probably Kellerman’s worst, ever. It felt totally uninspired and it was pretty obvious who the murderer was from the beginning.
Brother’s In Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold. This one is a space opera set on Earth. Miles as Admiral Naismith turns up on Earth and has to stay there, waiting for money. Unfortunately that means that he has to go back to being Miles Vorkosigan and even worse, he has to share a room with his cousin Ivan. Despite that he tries to have a love affair, but then he meets himself and things get very tricky. This is a nice, often exiting, novel, but mainly it sets up the stage for future books. There is some additional information on how reviving people who has been killed in battle, which will be very important in the next book. It also introduces Duv Galeni, a Komarran who has very good reasons to dislike Miles and then there is Miles clone-brother, Mark.
Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold. Set two years after Brother’s In Arms, this book is unusual as it isn’t told just from Miles point of view, but split, half the book is seen from Mark’s eyes. He resurfaces and con his way into the Dedarii Mercenaries as Admiral Naismith and takes them to Jackson’s Whole to rescue a group of young clones, slated to be butchered so that their old originals can put their brains into a young and healthy body. Miles, in hot pursuit, shows up when everything goes down and is promptly killed. Then he is misplaced and everything gets really complicated.
Mirror Dance is a great novel and also a rather hard read. Bujold never shies away from the horrible, there are death, rape and torture in several of her books. Never explicit and never just for the shock value, but this book takes the price as it revolves around child abuse, including sexual assault. Mainly the past abuse of Mark and what it has done to his psyche, but also mirrored in the abuse of the two clone-girls Maree and Lilly. There is also other triggering subjects like eating disorder and mental illness and a very unpleasant torture sequence. It is handled very well and it is good, but it is also really difficult to read. Mark is an extremely interesting character, though.
Thankfully the book has some lighter moments as well, especially when Mark is taken to Barrayar to meet Miles, and his, parents. It has Ivan in it, always good and Gregor and we get to meet Kareen Koudelka of the Koudelka sisters, who is as much delight in human form as Ivan is charm. The Barrayar bits are my favourite part of these books. You get a wonderful sense of everyone living their lifes, having friends and interests and it is never boring, you just want to hang out with them some more. Taking Kareen and her sisters, for example. They are the daughters of the best friends of Miles parent’s, a couple of years younger than he is. With just a few words you get that their relationship with Miles is that near-relative, relaxed relation that I recognise from my own relationship with the children of my parent’s friends. With all the drama and exitement that there are plenty of in Bujold’s books, she never, ever, forget that life is made of the small stuff too.
The Horror at Red Hook by H. P. Lovecraft. One of his worst novellas, ripe with xenophobia and a rather muddled narrative, but with a few strikes of pure horror. Child sacrifice, for example.
What I will be reading next: Komarr by L. M. Bujold
Pickman’s Model by H. P. Lovecraft, one of his best short stories, IMO.
Soulless by Gail Carriger
And, not published yet, but definitly i on my to-read list; The Man Behind The Master,
The Biography of Anthony Ainley by Karen Louise Hollis. It will be available in May and I guess you realise why I want to read it, because I suspect several of you will want that as well…
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Gabrielle
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Re: Kellerman: formula books, such a shame :/ I have that problem with one of my favourite contemporary authors, also churns out one book a year. I wish she didn't, she's way more awesome than her latest have proved.
Mirror Dance sounds both really hard and quite fascinating…
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Oh yes! I feel fine now, but still dreadfully tired. I tried one of the long dog walks yeaterday and got a bit wobbly in my legs... *hugs*
have that problem with one of my favourite contemporary authors, also churns out one book a year. I wish she didn't, she's way more awesome than her latest have proved.
And you still keep Reading because you hope they will be awesome again. Very sad. :/
Mirror Dance sounds both really hard and quite fascinating…
It is. So many layers. You can probably pick up any book in the series and read without Reading and of the pervious ones. They have a very defined chronology but Bujold Always make sure to put in a few explanations to clarify if one hasn't read any of the pervious books.
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Well get back into things slow, get your strength back! ♥
.And you still keep Reading because you hope they will be awesome again. Very sad. :/
Indeed! :/ It's still good, but not that good, and you just know they could do much better if they got down to it…
It is. So many layers. You can probably pick up any book in the series and read without Reading and of the pervious ones. They have a very defined chronology but Bujold Always make sure to put in a few explanations to clarify if one hasn't read any of the pervious books.
Sounds quite helpful! I have quite an extensive reading list but I'll keep that in mind :)
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It is. Bujold jump a bit back and forth in Miles timeline and wanted, from the start, to make it possible to start to read whenever.
I have huge pile of books to-read. But I have felt more inclined to re-read recently.
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