never_be_parted | Member Posts

We managed to have a book group session at the office today, so that's a success, but I'm still not sure if I'll get much out of it. Even then, I'm happy to go along for now.

Finished since the last reading post
Blood Meridian, which I don't feel I got much out of. Flat characters, endless violence, killing, destruction.

Thinking Straight by Robin Reardon, a YA novel about a Christian conversion therapy camp, pretty much, with a protagonist who's determined to fight it, as long as he can manage to do it without being sent to a military school instead.

Currently reading
Still reading Young Alexander

Reading next
I have a library book waiting but beyond that I'm not sure.

duskpeterson

I wish I could be more complimentary about Emor's stadium.

As a feat of architecture and engineering, it is on par with the Chara's palace. As a place of entertainment, it is appalling.

Out of all the dismal spectacles that take place here, I can only recommend the chariot races. These can be quite as bloody as the other acts that take place here, but at least they do not involve beasts and prisoners. Charioteers are highly esteemed and highly paid for their skillful work, and they care for their horses tenderly. The chariots – works of art unto themselves – achieve speeds that are said to rival that of royal messengers. I'd recommend keeping your small children and sensitive women away; crashing chariots often result in mangled bodies. But a chariot race is certainly worth witnessing, at least once.

[Translator's note: A chariot race will appear in an upcoming novel, Motley Mayhem.]

queen_ypolita

The book group at work is struggling to gather momentum. Intended to be fortnightly, it was pushed from last week to this, and then cancelled at very short notice. The goal is now to try monthly.

Finished since the last reading post
Finished Spinning Silver, which I really liked for its brave protagonists and imaginative story borrowing from folktales and such.

Also finished Challenger. When I originally picked it up, I thought it was unlikely it would tell me anything really new about the accident, but it did such a thorough job from multiple points of view that I feel it actually did.

And also finished From Coast to Coast, which I didn't really warm to at any point, with its contrived plot and shallow characters.

Currently reading
Picked up Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy in the library last week, after failing to locate it there a couple of times before until I found it exactly where the shelf reference suggested it should be. Also started reading The Young Alexander by Alex Rowson. No progress on anything else.

Reading next
I have another library book waiting, so probably that.

duskpeterson

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

Free at my website.

The Motley Crew (The Thousand Nations). When a young man named Dolan flees from the north, he faces danger on all sides. The Northern Army wants him back. The Empire of Emor wants him dead. His native homeland of Koretia may not want him at all. And his only protection is a man with motives that are mysterious and possibly deadly.

New installment:

3 | Suspicion of the Guards. Why bother to guard a man who has the ability to torment you?

REISSUES

Already available free at my website, these two omnibuses are now also available at AO3, SqWA, and Ream.

Law Links: Novel and Side Stories (The Three Lands). Few events are more thrilling in a young man's life than a blood feud between two villages. Or so Adrian thought.

Death Mask: Novel and Side Stories (Death Mask). For eighteen years, he has survived in an army unit where few soldiers live more than two or three years. Now he finds himself in circumstances where his life is a living hell. Will the soldier who defied death find that life is too great a challenge?

BLOG FICTION

Tempestuous Tours (Crossing Worlds: A Visitor's Guide to the Three Lands #2). A whirlwind tour of the sites in the Three Lands that are most steeped in history, culture, and the occasional pickpocket.

New installments:

Capital of Emor.

The City Court and Law Academy.

Physicians' Quarters and Medical Academy.

Engineers' Rooms and Engineering Academy.

NEWS & UPCOMING FICTION

As of January 20, Amazon Kindle began allowing customers to download some of its DRM-free ebooks in epub and pdf. I've opted in my e-books to this program.

My apologies to Ream readers for the formatting quirks in the Ream editions of Law Links and Death Mask. I worked with Ream's forever-patient customer service for eight months to try to work out the conversion problems I encountered, before I had to give up. The text isn't affected by the formatting issues, you'll be happy to know.

"Heir" (The Three Lands: Blood Vow side story) – delayed because of my concussion last year – will be my next release.

queen_ypolita

Browsing London musical theatre offering a while back, I ended up booking a ticket to see SIX the Musical at the Vaudeville Theatre for this afternoon. I did think about going to see an exhibition or something as well, but I never got round to deciding if there was anything I wanted to see. So I only went to the Piccadilly Waterstones to browse for a while before going to the theatre.

The musical was fun, but felt a little like a good idea stretched too thin. But there are worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon, and I'd been curious about the musical before.

Friends

Wednesday reading

FIC: Stadium (Tempestuous Tours)

Wednesday reading

UPDATE: Suspicion of the Guards (The Motley Crew #3) + online fic reissues

ONLINE E-BOOK (html, epub, mobi, pdf, and xhtml)

REISSUES

BLOG FICTION

NEWS & UPCOMING FICTION

Went to see a musical

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