Books from my bedroom bookshelves: Part 2
Jan. 30th, 2016 04:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckI spent a lot of time yesterday making these lists and making notes about what I remember about these books. I'm posting these mainly so that I don't lose track of them, but I'd welcome comments-- positive or negative-- from anybody who's read any of these.
These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.
I've sometimes got multiple unread volumes in a particular series. The lack of ability to read anxiety inducing books didn't seem real when it first started. I was sure, absolutely sure, that it would go away soon.
In a series I’ve already read part of:
The Gates of Winter by Mark Anthony: I remember nothing about this series except that it is a series and that I liked it reasonably well. This is, I think, book three. To read it now, I’d have to dig up books one and two and reread them.
Hawk by Steven Brust: I’ve heard very good things about this one, and Scott liked it. He’s pretty sure I’ll enjoy it, and he knows my taste. I just have to pick it up and, you know, start.
A Working of Stars by Debra Doyle and James D. McDonald: I don’t know if I remember enough about the rest of this series to read this one. If I recall correctly, this one is widely disconnected from the others in time, but I’m not sure I’m remembering right.
The Empty Chair by Diane Duane: I really loved Duane’s My Enemy My Ally. Spock’s World and The Romulan Way were okay. That was enough to make me very curious about the rest of her Rihannsu series and to dig up this book and then next one on the list.
Swordhunt by Diane Duane
The White Road by Lynn Flewelling: I’ve been hearing very bad things about these Flewelling books, so I’m actually leaning toward getting rid of them without reading them first. I liked the first two a lot, and the next one or two were passable but not more. I think I’d rather not go on.
Casket of Souls by Lynn Flewelling
Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
Castaway Planet by Eric Flint and Ryk E Spoor: I’m very curious as to how this is a sequel to Portal because the jacket blurb seems to require some things that weren’t even vaguely hinted at in the two books before Portal.
The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim Hines: I could have put this one on the partially read list, but… I didn’t get far at all before I realized that I could not read this. I don’t deal well with deep water, boats, risk of drowning, etc. I just can’t read this without panic, so I’m not going to read it.
Red Hood’s Revenge by Jim Hines: I may or may not have started this one. I’m not sure. I liked The Stepsister Scheme enough to want to try this one, anyway, but it got shoved into a corner of my night table and buried, so I lost track of it.
Honor’s Paradox by P. C. Hodgell: I think this one is next after To Ride a Rathorn, but I’m not certain. I need to find out. I also need to get the other books in the series (at least one is entirely out of print).
Journey to the West 2-4 translated by Anthony C. Yu: It’s been about twenty five years since I read v.1, so I kind of think I need to reread it before going on. I’ve got a copy of that on the shelves in the basement. I am under the impression that this is a good translation.
Crystal Soldier by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: I think this is somehow connected to the Liaden books, but I’m not sure. I guess I just assume that all of their books are.
Wolf Hunting by Jane Lindskold: I’m not sure if this is the last book in the series or if it’s just the last one I bought. I’m not sure I’m ever going to finish the series.
The Assassin’s Edge by Juliet McKenna: There may be more unread books in this series in the basement. I’m not sure how far into it Scott got, but I kept buying them because he liked them.
Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix: I was intrigued by the world building and complexity of the first two books of this series, but I didn’t connect strongly enough with the characters to be willing to tackle a book set in a water environment.
Beast Master’s Planet by Andre Norton: I only glanced at the cover of this due to the sheer amount of dust, but I had thought this was co-written with someone. There wasn’t, however, another author on the cover so far as I could see.
Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara: I think there are another four or five books in this series beyond what I’ve bought. They’re on my list of things to buy some day, but I’m not planning to until I’ve read the three I’ve got in queue.
Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara (2 copies): Obviously, I really wanted this one.
Bewitched & Betrayed by Lisa Shearin: Amazon says this is book 4. This might be where I stopped. I’m pretty sure I haven’t read it.
Con & Conjure by Lisa Shearin: Amazon says this is book 5. I’m sure I haven’t read that far. There seem to be at least three more books after this.
Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith: Book one in this series is on my partially read list. I liked what I read enough to get the next two in hardcover. I just have to get myself to sit down and read.
Revenant Eve by Sherwood Smith
Keeper of the Earth by Jenna Solitaire: I’m pretty sure I’m never going to read this. Also, so far as I know, this series was never completed. This was book three, and there needed to be at least four (and likely more) books. The main character shares the author’s name which isn’t a great sign. Also, the main character spends a lot of time with the hots for a priest who wants to stick with his vows but is tempted not to, especially when she actively tries to seduce him. That made me dislike her because it seems like an awful thing to do to push someone that way when they’re in the middle of a personal crisis.
Elfhome by Wen Spencer: I mostly liked Tinker and Wolf Who Rules, but I also had issues with the world building in terms of wanting to poke holes in it. I’m not sure that’s why I haven’t opened this one (or bought the next book), but it might be.
The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells: I liked the first book in this series enough that I bought the next two before I’d finished it. Then I put book one down and forgot about it and buried it under my library books and my to-be-read magazines and all of that.
The Siren Depths by Martha Wells
Three books behind this cut. One of them, I can return, but I’m not sure I can return the other two.
Borrowed books:
Closer to Home: Bisexuality and Feminism ed by Elizabeth Reba Weise: This belongs to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lunargeography, and I think I ought to admit that I’m not going to read it and either mail it back to her or give it to friends who see her regularly so that they can pass it on.
My Dinner with Andre by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory: I don’t think I’m ever going to read this, and I’d return it, but I don’t know how to. It was loaned to me in college (mid to late 1980s) by a friend of my parents who was passing through and took me out for coffee. His name is very common, and my parents have lost touch with him. He was living in the DC area then, I think, but didn’t give me his address at the time. His name was Scott Schneider, and he had studied spiders and parasites at the University of Michigan, but I don’t know if that had anything to do with the job he ended up with. I think he was married to a woman named Miriam and that they had at least one child. I’m kind of assuming that, since he didn’t give me a way to contact him, he didn’t expect the book back, but he called it a loan rather than a gift, so I really don’t know.
A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski: This was a loan from a co-worker, back when I was still working. I have no idea how to reach her to return it. I’ve had it at least fifteen years and possibly as long as twenty years.
I want to read these next three even though they’re not my usual type of thing because the point of the Yuletide swap is to try something I wouldn’t otherwise.
Yuletide book swap books:
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech: I’ve known enough people who love this book that I hope to get to it eventually. I’ve had it about four years now, however, without opening it. There’s a reason I don’t do the Yuletide book swap any more.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore: I quite liked another book by this author, so I’m still hoping to pick this one up.
The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen: This one may be the hardest sell of the book swap books I’ve got. I really love time travel, but I’m not so sure I love Gary Paulsen (stylistically, I mean).
These are listed alphabetically by author, but the title is first because that's how I typed them in to begin with.
I've sometimes got multiple unread volumes in a particular series. The lack of ability to read anxiety inducing books didn't seem real when it first started. I was sure, absolutely sure, that it would go away soon.
In a series I’ve already read part of:
The Gates of Winter by Mark Anthony: I remember nothing about this series except that it is a series and that I liked it reasonably well. This is, I think, book three. To read it now, I’d have to dig up books one and two and reread them.
Hawk by Steven Brust: I’ve heard very good things about this one, and Scott liked it. He’s pretty sure I’ll enjoy it, and he knows my taste. I just have to pick it up and, you know, start.
A Working of Stars by Debra Doyle and James D. McDonald: I don’t know if I remember enough about the rest of this series to read this one. If I recall correctly, this one is widely disconnected from the others in time, but I’m not sure I’m remembering right.
The Empty Chair by Diane Duane: I really loved Duane’s My Enemy My Ally. Spock’s World and The Romulan Way were okay. That was enough to make me very curious about the rest of her Rihannsu series and to dig up this book and then next one on the list.
Swordhunt by Diane Duane
The White Road by Lynn Flewelling: I’ve been hearing very bad things about these Flewelling books, so I’m actually leaning toward getting rid of them without reading them first. I liked the first two a lot, and the next one or two were passable but not more. I think I’d rather not go on.
Casket of Souls by Lynn Flewelling
Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
Castaway Planet by Eric Flint and Ryk E Spoor: I’m very curious as to how this is a sequel to Portal because the jacket blurb seems to require some things that weren’t even vaguely hinted at in the two books before Portal.
The Mermaid’s Madness by Jim Hines: I could have put this one on the partially read list, but… I didn’t get far at all before I realized that I could not read this. I don’t deal well with deep water, boats, risk of drowning, etc. I just can’t read this without panic, so I’m not going to read it.
Red Hood’s Revenge by Jim Hines: I may or may not have started this one. I’m not sure. I liked The Stepsister Scheme enough to want to try this one, anyway, but it got shoved into a corner of my night table and buried, so I lost track of it.
Honor’s Paradox by P. C. Hodgell: I think this one is next after To Ride a Rathorn, but I’m not certain. I need to find out. I also need to get the other books in the series (at least one is entirely out of print).
Journey to the West 2-4 translated by Anthony C. Yu: It’s been about twenty five years since I read v.1, so I kind of think I need to reread it before going on. I’ve got a copy of that on the shelves in the basement. I am under the impression that this is a good translation.
Crystal Soldier by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller: I think this is somehow connected to the Liaden books, but I’m not sure. I guess I just assume that all of their books are.
Wolf Hunting by Jane Lindskold: I’m not sure if this is the last book in the series or if it’s just the last one I bought. I’m not sure I’m ever going to finish the series.
The Assassin’s Edge by Juliet McKenna: There may be more unread books in this series in the basement. I’m not sure how far into it Scott got, but I kept buying them because he liked them.
Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix: I was intrigued by the world building and complexity of the first two books of this series, but I didn’t connect strongly enough with the characters to be willing to tackle a book set in a water environment.
Beast Master’s Planet by Andre Norton: I only glanced at the cover of this due to the sheer amount of dust, but I had thought this was co-written with someone. There wasn’t, however, another author on the cover so far as I could see.
Cast in Silence by Michelle Sagara: I think there are another four or five books in this series beyond what I’ve bought. They’re on my list of things to buy some day, but I’m not planning to until I’ve read the three I’ve got in queue.
Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara (2 copies): Obviously, I really wanted this one.
Bewitched & Betrayed by Lisa Shearin: Amazon says this is book 4. This might be where I stopped. I’m pretty sure I haven’t read it.
Con & Conjure by Lisa Shearin: Amazon says this is book 5. I’m sure I haven’t read that far. There seem to be at least three more books after this.
Blood Spirits by Sherwood Smith: Book one in this series is on my partially read list. I liked what I read enough to get the next two in hardcover. I just have to get myself to sit down and read.
Revenant Eve by Sherwood Smith
Keeper of the Earth by Jenna Solitaire: I’m pretty sure I’m never going to read this. Also, so far as I know, this series was never completed. This was book three, and there needed to be at least four (and likely more) books. The main character shares the author’s name which isn’t a great sign. Also, the main character spends a lot of time with the hots for a priest who wants to stick with his vows but is tempted not to, especially when she actively tries to seduce him. That made me dislike her because it seems like an awful thing to do to push someone that way when they’re in the middle of a personal crisis.
Elfhome by Wen Spencer: I mostly liked Tinker and Wolf Who Rules, but I also had issues with the world building in terms of wanting to poke holes in it. I’m not sure that’s why I haven’t opened this one (or bought the next book), but it might be.
The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells: I liked the first book in this series enough that I bought the next two before I’d finished it. Then I put book one down and forgot about it and buried it under my library books and my to-be-read magazines and all of that.
The Siren Depths by Martha Wells
Three books behind this cut. One of them, I can return, but I’m not sure I can return the other two.
Borrowed books:
Closer to Home: Bisexuality and Feminism ed by Elizabeth Reba Weise: This belongs to
lunargeography, and I think I ought to admit that I’m not going to read it and either mail it back to her or give it to friends who see her regularly so that they can pass it on.My Dinner with Andre by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory: I don’t think I’m ever going to read this, and I’d return it, but I don’t know how to. It was loaned to me in college (mid to late 1980s) by a friend of my parents who was passing through and took me out for coffee. His name is very common, and my parents have lost touch with him. He was living in the DC area then, I think, but didn’t give me his address at the time. His name was Scott Schneider, and he had studied spiders and parasites at the University of Michigan, but I don’t know if that had anything to do with the job he ended up with. I think he was married to a woman named Miriam and that they had at least one child. I’m kind of assuming that, since he didn’t give me a way to contact him, he didn’t expect the book back, but he called it a loan rather than a gift, so I really don’t know.
A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski: This was a loan from a co-worker, back when I was still working. I have no idea how to reach her to return it. I’ve had it at least fifteen years and possibly as long as twenty years.
I want to read these next three even though they’re not my usual type of thing because the point of the Yuletide swap is to try something I wouldn’t otherwise.
Yuletide book swap books:
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech: I’ve known enough people who love this book that I hope to get to it eventually. I’ve had it about four years now, however, without opening it. There’s a reason I don’t do the Yuletide book swap any more.
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore: I quite liked another book by this author, so I’m still hoping to pick this one up.
The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen: This one may be the hardest sell of the book swap books I’ve got. I really love time travel, but I’m not so sure I love Gary Paulsen (stylistically, I mean).
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no subject
Date: 2016-01-31 12:52 am (UTC)There's some lovely Moon/Jade (and Chime/Moon/Jade) stuff on AO3, btw.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-31 01:07 am (UTC)Wells is on LJ,
I'll have to take a look at the fic. Thanks for the rec!
no subject
Date: 2016-01-31 01:26 pm (UTC)Alas, I probably can't read her LJ - any time I've followed creators I like, I end up really disliking them and their work by association. While I'm sure she's a lovely person, I need the distance. I lost a couple fave authors about a decade ago by getting too close and realizing they were just insufferable people that I really shouldn't have even attempted to engage with or seek out.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-31 01:49 pm (UTC)I can see how that might happen with finding out more about authors. It bites me occasionally (I just tried a fantasy author's blog and found her complaining about SJW and forced diversity. I deleted that from my feed before I could get more ticked off with her). I think Ursula Vernon has been the author I'm happiest following. I also follow a couple of authors whose blogs I enjoy but whose books I haven't had much luck reading (specifically Jim Hines and John Scalzi).
no subject
Date: 2016-01-30 10:33 pm (UTC)Re: the Flewelling books -- yeah, the White Road/Shadows Return didn't work super well for me -- White Road had kind of a slavefic feel to it; the second one is better, but not spectacular. And I guess I never got to Casket of Souls?
Cast in Chaos by Michelle Sagara (2 copies): Obviously, I really wanted this one.
LOL
no subject
Date: 2016-01-30 10:53 pm (UTC)I really hated The Bone Doll's Twin, so I was already hesitant about Flewelling. I have no idea why I bought three more books without reading any of them. Two, I can maybe see but not three.
The copies of Cast in Chaos are even both trade paperbacks, so I spent $$ on them. They're in pretty pristine condition, so I doubt I got either used.
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Date: 2016-01-31 08:55 pm (UTC)I am looking forward to your thoughts on Hawk! It was definitely a book that made me want to talk to other fans about what happened and the implications and so on.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-04 02:37 pm (UTC)I will let you know when I get around to Hawk.
no subject
Date: 2016-02-04 08:26 pm (UTC)Ah, I could definitely see that! There are definitely some books where I was happy I was not pregnant or TTC when I read them (Barrayar being one of them).
no subject
Date: 2016-02-02 07:50 am (UTC)This is the first of two books that are the prequel to the Liaden universe. I read it and Crystal Dragon, its sequel. They're a bit different than the regular Liaden books - more spaceships and war than the "later" books - and emotionally I still disagree with the decision of one of the key characters (although I guess it had to be that way for the backstory to make sense). Still, for a fan like me I think they're well worth reading. I did cry though, and they're more painful for me to reread than most of the other Liaden books. Not painful because of torture or anything - just a bittersweet ending. I think the plot is a bit rough in spots too - I'm not sure if it's related to the quality of the writing or not. But it's definitely a grimmer, grittier world in these 2 books than the others. But some parts are super fun to read.
Sorry for the verbosity! I love the Liad Universe.