You read a wide variety of stuff! (Second tier Russian classical authors?) How do you decide what to read next on your TBR list? I generally read two books at once, unless one of them really gets going. I have a list of books to read, goes back about 20 years by now, about 120 pages long. So first I try the LA County library system, and then Powell’s, and then Abe’s, a British used book system. Sometimes when I get it, I do wonder […]
Quick Questions with a Cannonballer: Owlizabeth
What has the most impact on your enjoyment of a book: plot, character, writing, other? I have to go with writing – if I don’t enjoy reading the words, nothing else matters. And if I do enjoy reading the words, nothing else matters. Of course, there are preferences but I think there’s very little more exciting than falling in love with a book you’d never have suspected. What’s the first book you recommend to new friends? Probably whatever I’ve just finished or am in the […]
“We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement”
Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold
Is there anything better than introducing a beloved/book/series to a dear friend, and having them enjoy it as much as you do? A friend finally finished all 900 Wheel of Time books, and asked me about the Vorkosigan saga, which he knows is my favorite. I gave him an enthusiastic nutshell overview, and about three different suggestions for where to dive in. (The internet told him to start chronologically, with Falling Free – bah!) He started with Shards of Honor, and loved Cordelia as much […]
Designer babies go about as well as you’d expect
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
This was kind of a weird one. Really good writing, interesting concept and story, and I did finish the book, but it never quite hooked me. None of the characters, even though the book spans several generations, really spoke to me. Genetically engineered babies are all the rage: beauty, brains, anything the rich parents can imagine. Then a fad sweeps the engineered baby community, and a heap of babies designed to never need sleep are born. Due to all the extra time to study, plus […]
530 pages and I wasn’t ready for it to be over
Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Adrian’s stuff is so dense and layered, it’s hard to do a recap/overview. SO MUCH happens, and it’s all smart and dramatic and amazing! The world-building is so cool, the root-for-able characters and interesting plot are almost a bonus. Okay, enough gushing. The very very nutshell version: 40 years ago, ginormous alien ships (if you made a drinking game out of every time they’re described as ‘moon-sized,’ you’d be a puddle by the end) showed up and started making beautiful and deadly sculptures out of […]
Quick Questions with a Cannonballer: RevGirlUtena
You’re the champion of the ‘monster smut’ tag. What would you recommend as a place to start for someone just dipping their toe (claw?) into the genre? I’m not sure if I’m honored or not! Monster Romance has become increasingly mainstream. The Shape of Water won best picture a few years ago, and that movie was absolutely a Monster Romance. She had sex with the fish man! Any romance between a human and a non-human can be described as Monster Romance, so A Court of […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- …
- 56
- Next Page »