Reading Wednesday

[brigdh]

What did you just finish?
Cyroburn by Lois McMaster Bujold. This was a lot of fun, though I agree with people who called it lighter than most of the books earlier in the series. I liked getting to see favorite characters again (Kareen and Mark! I want so much more detail about their lives and partnership. Taura! Awwww, Taura. Raven!), though sadly there were few of those, since we're on a new planet and all. The world-building was interesting, and a logical development out of what we already knew about the cryorevival technology. The pet sphinx was a particularly perfect detail that seemed both believable and incredibly horrifying ("Cat genes... mostly."). It reminded me of the living blanket from earlier in the series.

The big development, of course, is at the very end. I didn't at all see it coming, though it makes perfect sense with the themes of the book and how much time has passed in the series. But still. Ow. I love that Bujold used drabbles as an afterword! I'm always super excited to see drabbles outside of fanfiction (and real drabbles: exactly 100 words each). A neat idea, and one that worked very well, I thought.

What are you currently reading?
Raj by Gita Mehta. A novel of Rajasthan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I totally could have finished this one this week, but kept putting it off.

Laura's Wolf by Lia Silver. Werewolves with scars! Con artists with survivor's guilt! Snowed in a cabin together and reading books by the fire! It is the awesome h/c banter-y romance novel I needed in my life. Currently only .99 on Amazon! Go grab a copy!

Comments

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

it's a very neat idea, re: drabbles; but i still maintain that these drabbles SHOULD have been the book; or at least vorpatril's alliance should've been this book.

(you know, it's completely a pipe dream, but i'd kill for a cordelia book instead. iirc it's implied she would go back to beta: WHY. her grief, her dealing with herself as not a part of a whole anymore, her relationship with barrayar without aral, anything. this could've been such a fascinating story).

mmmmmmmmmm ptsd werewolves are definitely somewhere in my future, looking forwards to them :D

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

A Cordelia book would be AMAZING. I'd been hoping for a while that we'd get a Sergyar book, because I really wanted to see more of her and Aral in their new role, and plus I was interested in what little we'd heard about that planet. I suppose Bujold could always skip back in time and write it! But yes, also: Cordelia post-Aral! I want to know! It seems strange to me that she'd go back to Beta; she's been on Barrayar for so long, most of her family and relationships must be there. (Although, hey, on Beta she could hang out with Mark and Kareen, and that would be great.)

PTSD werewolves are AWESOME.

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

it just feels so... defeatist and tone-deaf to me, her going back to beta. i mean, sure, authors knows best, but just... really? she spent most of her life on barrayar, and her children (if you count gregor) are there, and it must be such part of her, by now. is she really not feeling it as her - conquered, learned, earned - home now, even withuot aral? i don't knoooow, but it upsets me.

(otoh, i'm kinda taking vorkosiverse past diplomatic immunity as an author-written fanfiction, so, whatever.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly. She's spent, what, 40 years on Barrayar, and to have it all be just because of one person seems so un-Cordelia. I could see it if Aral had died very early in their relationship, but not after all this time. Also, she was supposed to be Vice-Regine in her own right, not just as Aral's sidekick. I mean, I guess she could resign the post, but it's not like she has no role to play anymore.