kgbooklog

Um, right, I'm supposed to be talking about what I'm reading.

I normally read two books at a time: one at home, and one during breaks at work. My choices for the latter are restricted to books that have section breaks every 15 minutes, which limits things considerably. Pratchett of course works well, and I found out last year that Steven Erikson works too, so after reading Midnight Tides at work, I decided to re-read the previous volumes in the series. I also decided not to booklog my re-reads.

Then two weeks ago I noticed I was only halfway through Deadhouse Gates, and at that pace I wouldn't finish until the end of March, which would only leave me about a month to re-read House of Chains before The Bonehunters arrives. And since I didn't have anything to read at home right then (no one publishes stuff I like this time of year), I brought it home to finish (and took Issola to work so I'd have that re-read before Dzur comes out in August[*]). And just as I was starting HoC, I received my copy of the final electronic edition of The Spriggan Mirror, so I re-read that (I didn't notice any significant changes from the first draft), and the included short story "Sirinita's Dragon", which I should have booklogged, but that night I came down with a bit of stomach flu (or something similar). And since I don't care much for short stories in the first place, it's probably better if I just don't comment on it.

While recovering, I finished HoC, and then last night I read the Prologue and first two chapters of the webcomic A Miracle of Science, (recommended in a discussion of my favorite webcomic, Girl Genius) which is amusing so far.

Speaking of GG and inconsistency, I've decided that I will booklog Agatha Heterodyne and the Circus of Dreams when I get it, even though I've already read it.

[*] Today I heard a rumor that Dzur will be offered as a Baen WebScription in May.

Next Book: Lawrence Watt-Evans, Out of this World

Seen on pnh and nancylebov, here's mine.

kate_nepveu commented here, here, and here about American Book Review's 100 Best First Lines from Novels.

There's not much I can add to Kate's comments, so I'll just offer some lines that I think should be on the list, one for each major category:

Self-referential:
Sometime during your life -- in fact, very soon -- you may find yourself reading a book, and you may notice that a book's first sentence can often tell you what sort of story your book contains.

Terse and in media res:
No shit, there I was...

Profound:
Everything starts somewhere, though many physicists disagree.

Famous:
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

Long and rambling:
When my workday is over, and I have closed my notebook, hidden my pen, and sawed holes in my rented canoe so that it cannot be found, I often like to spend the evening in conversation with my few surviving friends.

Story hook:
The day I died started off bad and got worse in a hurry.

Other people are doing year end awards, and this year I've read a bunch of new stuff (looks like 27 novels), so I thought I'd do the same. Most categories stolen from Patrick.

Most Promising New Voice: Carrie Vaughn (only first novel read)
Most Fun to Read: Laura Resnick, Disappearing Nightly
Most Disappointing Book: Terry Pratchett, Where's My Cow?
Best Finish: Martha Wells, The Gate of Gods
Worst Finish: Sarah Ash, Children of the Serpent Gate
Best Series: Pratchett's Discworld
Fantasy's Best-Kept Secret: Laura Resnick
Most Eager for the Next Book: Lemony Snicket
Favorite Book: Terry Pratchett, Thud!

( Complete List )

Ganked from seawasp. Same basic drill; bold what you've read, strike out what you don't like, italicize what you'd like to read but haven't yet...

( Only 20 books?! )

Where is Chaos: Making a New Science? Or Flatland? And how many young geeks even recognize Dick and Wyndham? What else is missing... oh, duh, Lord of the Rings. How could they forget the greatest novel of the 20th century?

It's another book meme! This time from seawasp.

Bold is what I've read, italics are ones I've heard of, strikeout is for those I wouldn't read if you paid me.

And bold underline for books I read by choice.

( the list )

You know, I think I read more of the banned books list than this.

"If there's a God, and arithmetic is inconsistent, then She is *not* a Nice God."

(Dr. David Tate, in RASFW's annual debate about the proof of God in Carl Sagan's novel Contact.)

It's herbal solution what hasn't side effect, but has 100% guaranteed results!

Don't loose your chance and but know wihtout doubts, you will be impressed with results!

With grammar like that, it has to be good!

(But it doesn't beat the "on-line farm-ah-cee" that wanted my business last year.)

From thomasyan:
- Search your blog archive
- Find your 23rd post
- Find the fifth sentence
- this is apparently meant to say something about you.
- Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions

One thing it says about me is that I don't write much. It took me two months to write 23 posts, and the 23rd only had 3 sentences, so this is the second sentence from my 24th post, Banned Books Meme:

Second list is from the ALA.

I heard about this from a post by kate_nepveu.

( Review )