Reading Wednesday
Oct. 22nd, 2014 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhWhat did you just finish?
Don't Let Him Know by Sandip Roy. A novel set partly in Caluctta and partly in America, focusing on three members of a family: mother Romola, father Avinash, and son Amit. Rather than telling a single straight-forward, chronological story, the novel is really a series of disconnected short stories about various points in these characters' lives: Romola as a child dealing with her father's death, Amit as a college student losing his virginity; Avinash's secret relationship with another man, etc. The writing is lovely, and the shifting time periods and perspectives really allows you to get a deep sense of the characters and their relationships, the secrets they keep from one another, their (sometimes wrong and sometimes insightful) perspective on each other. Very well-written and compelling.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. A fantasy novel with a setting very vaguely inspired by medieval Spain (which I approve highly of! I always love fantasy novels that aren't generic England/France, and medieval Spain is a pretty fascinating topic) about Lupe dy Cazaril, who spends the book going from galley slave to Chancellor (basically Prime Minister) but more importantly becomes a literal saint. I liked the world-building a lot (especially this world's version of death magic: you can kill someone with a spell, but only if you die as well), and it has lots of interesting thoughts on gods and spirituality. The main romance didn't work for me (maybe if the narrative hadn't felt the need to mention the age difference in every single scene...) but I did love pretty much every single character. It's a sweet, uplifting book, and very pleasant to read.
Dead Water by Barbara Hambly.This is another one of my favorites! (I have a lot of favorite in this series.) It's just SO GOOD. I feel like the mystery is one of the better ones – everything fits together so neatly and precisely, the steamboat is such a great contained location to limit the number of suspects, and each separate plot thread ends up overlapping. Plus, oh my god, it's such an OT3-y book.
I especially love EVERY SINGLE THING about the duel. From Molloy's first attempt to provoke Hannibal into challenging him (and Hannibal's utter lack of concern about 'honor' or whatever), to Hannibal's failed attempts to get out of it, to the AMAZING Ben/Rose/Hannibal fight about what to do (and the only reason I'm not quoting that scene is because I would need to quote every single piece of it, all five pages. But! Hannibal's conviction that the only way he can be useful to them is by dying! Ben comparing them to suitor and lover! Rose's half-teasing/half-serious threat to just drag him away with them!), and Hannibal and Rose exchanging kisses when they see him off, and Ben and Rose's worry and fear and helplessness (holding hands as they watch!), and then finally Hannibal's breakdown at the entirely unanticipated death of Molloy. And though I do like the poisoning plot, I also would have loved to see what Rose would have said to him (since she must have been trying to get to him, to have found him poisoned) or to see Ben telling him that he's actually innocent. I suppose that one still has to happen sometime, and totally want that fic.
I totally did not realize that Jefferson Davis was THE Jefferson Davis the first time I read this book. To be fair, I think his first name is only mentioned once or twice, and Davis is such a common name it doesn't really stand out.
I love that the pirate treasure from a few books previous – which is sort of too good to be true – is implied here to have been given to them via supernatural means (or whatever you'd call the Virgin Mary's influence) only so they could use it for the good of the Underground Railroad. And I love the contrast of the various abolitionists in this book: the people who only claim the title to make money, like Levi Christmas; the people who talk a lot but do nothing, like Quince and Weems; and the people who are actually helpful and not just either annoying or dangerous, like Lundy and Bredon and Hannibal. And the twist of what Cain was being black-mailed about is my FAVORITE twist ever! "The only thing worse than a slave-dealer", ha!
Hannibal set his cup aside and drew a roll of bills from his breast-pocket, and counted out a hundred and sixty-six onto the counterpane between them as he spoke – the tiny cabin boasted only a single chair, at present doing service as a table for the coffeetray.
"But Byrne was as close to singing and dancing as I've ever seen him," added Hannibal thoughtfully, "since Dodd now trusts him and is ripe for a good plucking. Bank of Louisiana notes, you'll observe." He held the last one up, then handed it to January.
I love that, without discussing it, Hannibal splits the money into thirds. Not even halves! (Of course he probably owes them much more than $166, but still.)
"I suppose that is what it is," said Hannibal, "to be a knight-errant at heart. God knows what Sir Galahad dreamed about. It couldn't have been terribly interesting, fighting to rescue a cup. And an empty cup, at that. I think the worst part of trying to give up opium was the dreams – although mind you, I wasn't terribly keen on the throwing up part either."
Or the ghastly blackness of depression that had followed hard upon the physical symptoms, January reflected, considering his friend's gaunt face in the tiny seed of orange light. That Hannibal had, with an improvement in his health last winter, actually attempted to break his opium habit had astonished January; that he had ultimately been unable to do so surprised him not at all. To the girls among whom Hannibal lived, in the attics and back-sheds of the whorehouses and saloons of the Swamp, his resolve to give up laudanum and liquor had appeared merely quixotic in the face of the devastating symptoms of withdrawal: "Just have a bit until you're feeling better" had quickly collapsed the whole effort, leaving him, January thought, more fragile than before.
I really want the story of this (also randomly I love Hannibal calling Ben a 'knight-errant'). How long did the attempt last? Did Hannibal tell Ben and Rose he was doing this – did he ask for their help? – or did he keep it to himself? I like that Hannibal failed in his attempt to quit drinking. I think it's pretty heavily implied by the ending of the previous book that he wants to do so, but with something as hard as dealing with alcoholism, wanting and actually doing are very different things. I do like though that, despite everyone's (including probably his own) expectations, after the duel he actually only drinks a very tiny bit – though perhaps that was just because he got sick before he have more.
Coming around the corner of Rue des Ramparts, seeing the crooked angle of the slate roof, the amber glow of the dining-room window in the sticky cobalt velvet of the evening, January felt his heart lift.
His place. His home. Rose.
The fear of Queen Régines silently dogging tread melted in familiar joy. Sometimes he felt he could just stretch out his arms the way he did in dreams and lift off from the dirty brick banquette, and fly to Rose and to that crooked old Spanish house as lightly as a bird.
Awww, Ben. <3
Of course a white man wouldn't understand, thought January. Certainly not a New Yorker, coming from a town that had a thriving free black population that didn't live looking over their shoulders, worrying about whether they'd be kidnapped into slavery.
At least until the Fugitive Slaw Law gets passed in 1850… Sigh. It's really depressing to think that as bad as Ben's situation is now, things are only going to get worse as time passes.
A huge and comprehensively drunk boatman loomed suddenly in the doorway. "Look out, beautiful, 'cause here comes the very child that coined the name of Thunder! Cock-a-doodle-do!" He let fall his trousers, at which Hannibal promptly began to applaud.
The boatman retreated in confusion.
A huge and comprehensively drunk boatman loomed suddenly in the doorway. "Look out, beautiful, 'cause here comes the very child that coined the name of Thunder! Cock-a-doodle-do!" He let fall his trousers, at which Hannibal promptly began to applaud.
The boatman retreated in confusion.
HAHAHAHAHA.
"I love you and Rose too much"
Sorry, just needed to note this *cough*OT3*cough*
"I beg you, if you love me, get me a cup of coffee... quietly."
"Yes, sir." January threw his humblest accents into his voice [...] "Shall I bring you some supper with that, sir? Pickled pork and cabbage, maybe, with some good fortifying gravy...?”
The pillow smacked against the doorframe as January ducked outside.
OMG SUCH DORKS. They are having a literal pillow fight!
"You are the only one I can trust!"
"My dearest," murmured Hannibal, "I am hardly the most trustworthy man in the world..."
"Ah, but you are!" Theodora insisted, like every other woman to whom Hannibal told the honest truth about himselfafter three and a half years January was still trying to figure out how he did that.
Psssh, Ben, really? You don't think Hannibal is trustworthy? Then you have really put yourself in a terrible position, this book.
For fifteen minutes by January's silver French watch they listened to the account of the family argument that had surrounded the deathbed of the cook's grandmother, which rivaled any stage melodrama January had ever witnessed in violence, greed, and sheer bad taste. When at the end of that time the tale hadn't even reached Grandma's death ("...so she said, What's more, you wasn't even my son, let alone his; I borrowed you from this friend of mine when you was a baby to get your grandpa to marry me... ")
OH MY GOD. I want to know this cook and everything about her.
[Christmas] held out his hand, callused and hard in January's answering grip, a workingman's hand. No milk-fed seminarian, this one, January thought: here was one of the few people January had encountered who looked like he could actually take on Jubal Cain and maybe win.
Considering who both these dudes eventually turn out to be, I'm really amused by January's comparison.
"Rose was going to dump the boilers if you didn't show up by the time the cargo was re-loaded. With everyone on deck it wouldn't have been difficult."
January smiled. "That's my Rose."
[...]
"If we hadn't run aground on that bar, Hannibal was going to light a small fire in the cordwood near the engine-door just as we came within sight of Steele's Bayou so that I could slip in and dump the boilers in the confusion."
January sighed. "It's good to know I have ingenious friends."
I adore Rose and Hannibal's plans to rescue Ben, and how each tells Ben about the other one's. (Also in this scene Ben and Hannibal take a bath together! Fic please.)
[...] and even remembered to walk out onto the promenade and dump the water overside himself rather than hand it to Hannibal to do.
I do love how every time Ben and Hannibal do this undercover thing, they're fairly bad at it. (Which I actually assume is part of the reason why Ben is willing to ask Hannibal.) People keep guessing just by watching them that Ben's really the one in charge.
January helped Hannibal – and Rose, who was dressed in a pair of Hannibal's trousers and a calico shirt – to clamber over the wall, the resurrection fern that grew atop it flicking like ghost fingers at his flesh as he followed them over.
Cross-dressing, I love it! And it is even more appealing when it's in Hannibal's clothes.
"Hire a white teacher and make it into a boys' school; they pay the best. You could even get that worthless fiddler to teach Greek, if you can keep him sober. I don't expect he'd cost much."
Haaaa, oh, Livia. You are so terrible. But I'm amused that it's 'worthless fiddler' here and 'cher Hannibal' when she's speaking directly to him.
(And the link to the FFA discussion, now closed.)
What are you currently reading?
A Place Within: Rediscovering India by M. G. Vassanji. A memoir about Vassanji – who is ethnically Indian, but from East Africa and Canada – visiting India for the first time.
Chef's Table by Lynn Charles. This is a book from Interlude Press, which publishes "repurposed works of fan fiction", as they put it. Since I'm not actually in Glee fandom, it's all new to me. I won this book in a raffle, and it's pretty cute so far.
Don't Let Him Know by Sandip Roy. A novel set partly in Caluctta and partly in America, focusing on three members of a family: mother Romola, father Avinash, and son Amit. Rather than telling a single straight-forward, chronological story, the novel is really a series of disconnected short stories about various points in these characters' lives: Romola as a child dealing with her father's death, Amit as a college student losing his virginity; Avinash's secret relationship with another man, etc. The writing is lovely, and the shifting time periods and perspectives really allows you to get a deep sense of the characters and their relationships, the secrets they keep from one another, their (sometimes wrong and sometimes insightful) perspective on each other. Very well-written and compelling.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. A fantasy novel with a setting very vaguely inspired by medieval Spain (which I approve highly of! I always love fantasy novels that aren't generic England/France, and medieval Spain is a pretty fascinating topic) about Lupe dy Cazaril, who spends the book going from galley slave to Chancellor (basically Prime Minister) but more importantly becomes a literal saint. I liked the world-building a lot (especially this world's version of death magic: you can kill someone with a spell, but only if you die as well), and it has lots of interesting thoughts on gods and spirituality. The main romance didn't work for me (maybe if the narrative hadn't felt the need to mention the age difference in every single scene...) but I did love pretty much every single character. It's a sweet, uplifting book, and very pleasant to read.
Dead Water by Barbara Hambly.
I especially love EVERY SINGLE THING about the duel. From Molloy's first attempt to provoke Hannibal into challenging him (and Hannibal's utter lack of concern about 'honor' or whatever), to Hannibal's failed attempts to get out of it, to the AMAZING Ben/Rose/Hannibal fight about what to do (and the only reason I'm not quoting that scene is because I would need to quote every single piece of it, all five pages. But! Hannibal's conviction that the only way he can be useful to them is by dying! Ben comparing them to suitor and lover! Rose's half-teasing/half-serious threat to just drag him away with them!), and Hannibal and Rose exchanging kisses when they see him off, and Ben and Rose's worry and fear and helplessness (holding hands as they watch!), and then finally Hannibal's breakdown at the entirely unanticipated death of Molloy. And though I do like the poisoning plot, I also would have loved to see what Rose would have said to him (since she must have been trying to get to him, to have found him poisoned) or to see Ben telling him that he's actually innocent. I suppose that one still has to happen sometime, and totally want that fic.
I totally did not realize that Jefferson Davis was THE Jefferson Davis the first time I read this book. To be fair, I think his first name is only mentioned once or twice, and Davis is such a common name it doesn't really stand out.
I love that the pirate treasure from a few books previous – which is sort of too good to be true – is implied here to have been given to them via supernatural means (or whatever you'd call the Virgin Mary's influence) only so they could use it for the good of the Underground Railroad. And I love the contrast of the various abolitionists in this book: the people who only claim the title to make money, like Levi Christmas; the people who talk a lot but do nothing, like Quince and Weems; and the people who are actually helpful and not just either annoying or dangerous, like Lundy and Bredon and Hannibal. And the twist of what Cain was being black-mailed about is my FAVORITE twist ever! "The only thing worse than a slave-dealer", ha!
Hannibal set his cup aside and drew a roll of bills from his breast-pocket, and counted out a hundred and sixty-six onto the counterpane between them as he spoke – the tiny cabin boasted only a single chair, at present doing service as a table for the coffeetray.
"But Byrne was as close to singing and dancing as I've ever seen him," added Hannibal thoughtfully, "since Dodd now trusts him and is ripe for a good plucking. Bank of Louisiana notes, you'll observe." He held the last one up, then handed it to January.
I love that, without discussing it, Hannibal splits the money into thirds. Not even halves! (Of course he probably owes them much more than $166, but still.)
"I suppose that is what it is," said Hannibal, "to be a knight-errant at heart. God knows what Sir Galahad dreamed about. It couldn't have been terribly interesting, fighting to rescue a cup. And an empty cup, at that. I think the worst part of trying to give up opium was the dreams – although mind you, I wasn't terribly keen on the throwing up part either."
Or the ghastly blackness of depression that had followed hard upon the physical symptoms, January reflected, considering his friend's gaunt face in the tiny seed of orange light. That Hannibal had, with an improvement in his health last winter, actually attempted to break his opium habit had astonished January; that he had ultimately been unable to do so surprised him not at all. To the girls among whom Hannibal lived, in the attics and back-sheds of the whorehouses and saloons of the Swamp, his resolve to give up laudanum and liquor had appeared merely quixotic in the face of the devastating symptoms of withdrawal: "Just have a bit until you're feeling better" had quickly collapsed the whole effort, leaving him, January thought, more fragile than before.
I really want the story of this (also randomly I love Hannibal calling Ben a 'knight-errant'). How long did the attempt last? Did Hannibal tell Ben and Rose he was doing this – did he ask for their help? – or did he keep it to himself? I like that Hannibal failed in his attempt to quit drinking. I think it's pretty heavily implied by the ending of the previous book that he wants to do so, but with something as hard as dealing with alcoholism, wanting and actually doing are very different things. I do like though that, despite everyone's (including probably his own) expectations, after the duel he actually only drinks a very tiny bit – though perhaps that was just because he got sick before he have more.
Coming around the corner of Rue des Ramparts, seeing the crooked angle of the slate roof, the amber glow of the dining-room window in the sticky cobalt velvet of the evening, January felt his heart lift.
His place. His home. Rose.
The fear of Queen Régines silently dogging tread melted in familiar joy. Sometimes he felt he could just stretch out his arms the way he did in dreams and lift off from the dirty brick banquette, and fly to Rose and to that crooked old Spanish house as lightly as a bird.
Awww, Ben. <3
Of course a white man wouldn't understand, thought January. Certainly not a New Yorker, coming from a town that had a thriving free black population that didn't live looking over their shoulders, worrying about whether they'd be kidnapped into slavery.
At least until the Fugitive Slaw Law gets passed in 1850… Sigh. It's really depressing to think that as bad as Ben's situation is now, things are only going to get worse as time passes.
A huge and comprehensively drunk boatman loomed suddenly in the doorway. "Look out, beautiful, 'cause here comes the very child that coined the name of Thunder! Cock-a-doodle-do!" He let fall his trousers, at which Hannibal promptly began to applaud.
The boatman retreated in confusion.
A huge and comprehensively drunk boatman loomed suddenly in the doorway. "Look out, beautiful, 'cause here comes the very child that coined the name of Thunder! Cock-a-doodle-do!" He let fall his trousers, at which Hannibal promptly began to applaud.
The boatman retreated in confusion.
HAHAHAHAHA.
"I love you and Rose too much"
Sorry, just needed to note this *cough*OT3*cough*
"I beg you, if you love me, get me a cup of coffee... quietly."
"Yes, sir." January threw his humblest accents into his voice [...] "Shall I bring you some supper with that, sir? Pickled pork and cabbage, maybe, with some good fortifying gravy...?”
The pillow smacked against the doorframe as January ducked outside.
OMG SUCH DORKS. They are having a literal pillow fight!
"You are the only one I can trust!"
"My dearest," murmured Hannibal, "I am hardly the most trustworthy man in the world..."
"Ah, but you are!" Theodora insisted, like every other woman to whom Hannibal told the honest truth about himselfafter three and a half years January was still trying to figure out how he did that.
Psssh, Ben, really? You don't think Hannibal is trustworthy? Then you have really put yourself in a terrible position, this book.
For fifteen minutes by January's silver French watch they listened to the account of the family argument that had surrounded the deathbed of the cook's grandmother, which rivaled any stage melodrama January had ever witnessed in violence, greed, and sheer bad taste. When at the end of that time the tale hadn't even reached Grandma's death ("...so she said, What's more, you wasn't even my son, let alone his; I borrowed you from this friend of mine when you was a baby to get your grandpa to marry me... ")
OH MY GOD. I want to know this cook and everything about her.
[Christmas] held out his hand, callused and hard in January's answering grip, a workingman's hand. No milk-fed seminarian, this one, January thought: here was one of the few people January had encountered who looked like he could actually take on Jubal Cain and maybe win.
Considering who both these dudes eventually turn out to be, I'm really amused by January's comparison.
"Rose was going to dump the boilers if you didn't show up by the time the cargo was re-loaded. With everyone on deck it wouldn't have been difficult."
January smiled. "That's my Rose."
[...]
"If we hadn't run aground on that bar, Hannibal was going to light a small fire in the cordwood near the engine-door just as we came within sight of Steele's Bayou so that I could slip in and dump the boilers in the confusion."
January sighed. "It's good to know I have ingenious friends."
I adore Rose and Hannibal's plans to rescue Ben, and how each tells Ben about the other one's. (Also in this scene Ben and Hannibal take a bath together! Fic please.)
[...] and even remembered to walk out onto the promenade and dump the water overside himself rather than hand it to Hannibal to do.
I do love how every time Ben and Hannibal do this undercover thing, they're fairly bad at it. (Which I actually assume is part of the reason why Ben is willing to ask Hannibal.) People keep guessing just by watching them that Ben's really the one in charge.
January helped Hannibal – and Rose, who was dressed in a pair of Hannibal's trousers and a calico shirt – to clamber over the wall, the resurrection fern that grew atop it flicking like ghost fingers at his flesh as he followed them over.
Cross-dressing, I love it! And it is even more appealing when it's in Hannibal's clothes.
"Hire a white teacher and make it into a boys' school; they pay the best. You could even get that worthless fiddler to teach Greek, if you can keep him sober. I don't expect he'd cost much."
Haaaa, oh, Livia. You are so terrible. But I'm amused that it's 'worthless fiddler' here and 'cher Hannibal' when she's speaking directly to him.
(And the link to the FFA discussion, now closed.)
What are you currently reading?
A Place Within: Rediscovering India by M. G. Vassanji. A memoir about Vassanji – who is ethnically Indian, but from East Africa and Canada – visiting India for the first time.
Chef's Table by Lynn Charles. This is a book from Interlude Press, which publishes "repurposed works of fan fiction", as they put it. Since I'm not actually in Glee fandom, it's all new to me. I won this book in a raffle, and it's pretty cute so far.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-22 08:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-10-22 08:18 pm (UTC)I am! I was really interested in Ista, so I very much want to read more about her.
no subject
Date: 2014-10-22 08:29 pm (UTC)