Bits from the last 70 books I read (including a bunch of graphic novels and cookbooks).
Shards of Honour, Lois McMaster Bujold, x2
"He wanted to know what I saw in you. I told him..." he paused again, and then continued almost shyly, "that you poured out honor like a fountain, all around you."
"That's weird. I don't feel full of honor, or anything else, except maybe confusion."
"Naturally not. Fountains keep nothing for themselves."
Provenance, Ann Leckie
"So I follow. I am afraid, I do not want to be out of the world, it is terrible to be out of the world. But I look, I see. I hear, I listen. You are very strange, Ingray Human, but you do not seem to live in endless pain and sorrow. No, you swim here as though this were the world, and live your very strange life as though all was right and well."
Valley Verified, Kyla Zhao
"What's Catan?" Zoe interjected.
There was a beat of silence. Then Austin said, "Please tell me you're kidding about not knowing the greatest game in the world."
New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian, Freddie Bitsole & James O Fraioli
If you asked me to make you a dish, I'd ask what kind of wine or beer you like, and how much cream you add to your coffee. These defining bitter flavors tell me all the information I need to know about what your favorite foods might be, and how you like them prepared. This is what I mean when I say cooking is a way of communicating.
A Refiner's Fire, Donna Leon
Brunetti often succumbed to the temptation to joke about the excessive beauty of the city, but tonight he was silenced by it and could do no more than look upon it with wild surmise and turn towards home again.
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label comics. Show all posts
31 December 2024
15 September 2024
Could You Repeat That? CCVI
I did not travel as I'd intended this summer, nor did I do anything that would merit great acclaim. What did I do, instead? I read, friends. I read so many books.
Children of Ruin, Adrian Tchaikovsky
It is the right and proper way of intelligence to be blown on the winds of subconscious whimsy. He does not need to know the deeper workings of his own mind, indeed he cannot, any more than he can know the precise positioning of his arms: the data is simply too complex to be consciously grasped.
The Ninth Metal, Benjamin Percy
"A steak knife magically flew across the street and into his parked SUV and hit him right in the heart. Weirdest thing, right?"
Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me, Aisha Harris
This moment gave me the kind of publicity many people dream of and spend an inordinate amount of time and effort attempting to manufacture; meanwhile, I just stumbled into this attention merely because I said I wanted Santa Claus to be a penguin.
Teach Me, Olivia Dade
Annette patted his hand, then removed hers. "Cause her pain, and we'll make quite certain you regret it."
"So much regret." Alfred offered him a genial smile. "The sort of regret that would cause a man to rethink all his critical life choices to that point."
Count Your Lucky Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur
"Livvy, relax. The doctor says I'm healthy as a horse."
She pursed her lips." Are we talking Seabiscuit, or the Red Pony?"
The Red Scholar's Wake, Aliette de Bodard
It was one thing to make the best of a bad situation--to be civil with pirates and try to build relationships even though all she could see, most days, was Ngà's pale face; it was quite another to boldly go kissing the leader of a pirate banner.
Shattered, Kevin Hearne
There is no way to perform Druidry without knowing how first. To even attempt it would be dangerous. I am beginning to think that much of what these people are doing in the name of convenience might be dangerous also. Magic does not happen free of cost.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, KJ Charles
"Joss, he's a baronet. You can't tup a baronet."
"Someone's got to."
Hook, Line, and Sinker, Tessa Bailey
She pressed her lips into a line.
Fox narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you doing that thing with your mouth because you're trying to trap all the psychological terms you want to throw at me?"
Her expression turned miserable. "Yes."
Children of Ruin, Adrian Tchaikovsky
It is the right and proper way of intelligence to be blown on the winds of subconscious whimsy. He does not need to know the deeper workings of his own mind, indeed he cannot, any more than he can know the precise positioning of his arms: the data is simply too complex to be consciously grasped.
The Ninth Metal, Benjamin Percy
"A steak knife magically flew across the street and into his parked SUV and hit him right in the heart. Weirdest thing, right?"
Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me, Aisha Harris
This moment gave me the kind of publicity many people dream of and spend an inordinate amount of time and effort attempting to manufacture; meanwhile, I just stumbled into this attention merely because I said I wanted Santa Claus to be a penguin.
Teach Me, Olivia Dade
Annette patted his hand, then removed hers. "Cause her pain, and we'll make quite certain you regret it."
"So much regret." Alfred offered him a genial smile. "The sort of regret that would cause a man to rethink all his critical life choices to that point."
Count Your Lucky Stars, Alexandria Bellefleur
"Livvy, relax. The doctor says I'm healthy as a horse."
She pursed her lips." Are we talking Seabiscuit, or the Red Pony?"
The Red Scholar's Wake, Aliette de Bodard
It was one thing to make the best of a bad situation--to be civil with pirates and try to build relationships even though all she could see, most days, was Ngà's pale face; it was quite another to boldly go kissing the leader of a pirate banner.
Shattered, Kevin Hearne
There is no way to perform Druidry without knowing how first. To even attempt it would be dangerous. I am beginning to think that much of what these people are doing in the name of convenience might be dangerous also. Magic does not happen free of cost.
The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, KJ Charles
"Joss, he's a baronet. You can't tup a baronet."
"Someone's got to."
Hook, Line, and Sinker, Tessa Bailey
She pressed her lips into a line.
Fox narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you doing that thing with your mouth because you're trying to trap all the psychological terms you want to throw at me?"
Her expression turned miserable. "Yes."
30 September 2023
Hugos 2023 Voting!
It's Hugos time again! I became a Hugos voter a few years ago after the whole mess before they adjusted the nomination and voting process. It's actually super-easy to become a voting member--if you pay for your annual membership (it's been about $50-60), you get a packet of most of the books and stories that have been nominated (not all of them--providing copies for voters is not required of the nominees; publishers just happen to be quite generous most of the time). And then you get to vote!
There's also the associated possibility of actually, like ATTENDING Worldcon, but that's an additional cost I haven't taken on as yet. (But if they have it in Seattle in the near future, as some have suggested....)
As the host of Worldcon this year is in China--Chengdu, specifically--there have been some interesting hurdles that I won't really grumble about. It's worth noting, however, that because of the location, there was a slightly different body of voters/nominators than before. (Worldcon, in my recollection, has most often been hosted in English-dominant locations.) Which is neato, in that there are many more folks of Chinese nationality (not just descent, mind you--in recent years, the diversity of nominees has been markedly increasing) nominated. Between that AND a short window for nominees to provide materials (I think a couple of the zine/podcast nominees specifically noted in their packets they only had eleven days), that also meant not everyone was able to get their materials translated in time.
Or: There were several nominees who were only able to share their materials in Chinese and not any translations in English. (And, to be fair, vice versa: Several of the nominees who shared things in English only added apology notes.) Some nominees could only share part of their materials in both languages; some folks who shared translations confessed they had to rely on AI/machine-translation in order to get it done before their deadline. In those cases, you could almost feel the absence of nuance. (In the case of one short story, that's almost the point--in the Astounding category, Maijia Lu's story "Left" is specifically about how the pictographic basis of Chinese language means some elements of physics can be expressed more wholly than in phonetic-based scripts like English.)
I find this interesting and not irritating, though YE GODS, can you imagine how I feel, having multiple stories and books in my possession that I cannot read? My heart, she is breaking. But also, this is a cool problem to have, no? From my perspective, anyway.
There's also the associated possibility of actually, like ATTENDING Worldcon, but that's an additional cost I haven't taken on as yet. (But if they have it in Seattle in the near future, as some have suggested....)
As the host of Worldcon this year is in China--Chengdu, specifically--there have been some interesting hurdles that I won't really grumble about. It's worth noting, however, that because of the location, there was a slightly different body of voters/nominators than before. (Worldcon, in my recollection, has most often been hosted in English-dominant locations.) Which is neato, in that there are many more folks of Chinese nationality (not just descent, mind you--in recent years, the diversity of nominees has been markedly increasing) nominated. Between that AND a short window for nominees to provide materials (I think a couple of the zine/podcast nominees specifically noted in their packets they only had eleven days), that also meant not everyone was able to get their materials translated in time.
Or: There were several nominees who were only able to share their materials in Chinese and not any translations in English. (And, to be fair, vice versa: Several of the nominees who shared things in English only added apology notes.) Some nominees could only share part of their materials in both languages; some folks who shared translations confessed they had to rely on AI/machine-translation in order to get it done before their deadline. In those cases, you could almost feel the absence of nuance. (In the case of one short story, that's almost the point--in the Astounding category, Maijia Lu's story "Left" is specifically about how the pictographic basis of Chinese language means some elements of physics can be expressed more wholly than in phonetic-based scripts like English.)
I find this interesting and not irritating, though YE GODS, can you imagine how I feel, having multiple stories and books in my possession that I cannot read? My heart, she is breaking. But also, this is a cool problem to have, no? From my perspective, anyway.
02 January 2023
Could You Repeat That? CXCIX: Favorite Lines of Recent Reads
Just Cook It!, Justin Chapple
Once, when I was making my Fingerlings with 40 Cloves of Garlic (page 138) for houseguests, I accidentally overcooked the potatoes--a martini distracted me, my friends reported.
Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen, Josef Centeno & Betty Hallock
Tex-Mex was largely dismissed by the culinary elite in the 1970s as inauthentic Mexican food. But that's the point. The only authentic thing about Tex-Mex is that it isn't authentic: It evolves and adapts.
Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
"I don't like having feelings," Eric said coldly, and he left.
That was a tough exit line to top.
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, Matt Kracht
This ice-cold motherfucker is what's called a "predatory songbird." It really should be called a "Murder-Bird" because the homicidal little shrike feeds on small mammals and other birds and, I swear I am not making this up, often impales them on thorns or barbed wires. That is some sick shit right there.
Once, when I was making my Fingerlings with 40 Cloves of Garlic (page 138) for houseguests, I accidentally overcooked the potatoes--a martini distracted me, my friends reported.
Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen, Josef Centeno & Betty Hallock
Tex-Mex was largely dismissed by the culinary elite in the 1970s as inauthentic Mexican food. But that's the point. The only authentic thing about Tex-Mex is that it isn't authentic: It evolves and adapts.
Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
"I don't like having feelings," Eric said coldly, and he left.
That was a tough exit line to top.
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, Matt Kracht
This ice-cold motherfucker is what's called a "predatory songbird." It really should be called a "Murder-Bird" because the homicidal little shrike feeds on small mammals and other birds and, I swear I am not making this up, often impales them on thorns or barbed wires. That is some sick shit right there.
01 January 2023
Media Consumed 2022
What things have I kept count of this year?
316 Books | 21 Cities Visited | 27 Comics | Two Concerts (ish) | 6 Conferences and Festivals | 77 Movies | 21 Museums and Cultural/Historic Sites | 15 Readings and Talks | 1 Sports Match | 6 Theatre Productions | 801 TV Episodes
03 September 2022
Could You Repeat That? CXCVII
A lot of these were Hugos nominations reading, and then a TON of urban fantasy. Summer reading at its best, as far as I'm concerned.
Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris
"I think it's pretty amazing that you're saying this," I told him bluntly.
"Oh, I took some night school courses in psychology," said Bill Compton, vampire.
The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave
"And all the details are different too, right?" She pauses "Like...my birthday?"
That stops me. The heartbreak in her voice when she asks the question.
"Like my birthday's not really my birthday?" she says.
"No, probably not."
She looks down. She looks away from me. "That seems like something a person should know about themselves," she says.
Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist, Tim Federle
Set aside your beer (sorry: your Stelllllaaaaa!) and combine all the ingredients with ice in a shaker.
Witchmark, CL Polk
"Do you have any idea how much work it is to be majestic? The high court is exhausting."
Stormsong, CL Polk
"They can't know," I whispered. "If they knew what our parents and grandparents did, they'd never forgive us."
"Do we deserve forgiveness?"
Soulstar, CL Polk
The word "uza" meant something that didn't quite translate to Aelander. It meant solidarity. It meant unity. But something more than that--it meant that the people banded together in a community had a moral duty to each other, to serve one another.
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, Becky Chambers
'You know, on the subject of Humans, there's something I've long wanted to ask someone about.' He paused in thought. 'Cheese. Is that a real thing?'
"I think it's pretty amazing that you're saying this," I told him bluntly.
"Oh, I took some night school courses in psychology," said Bill Compton, vampire.
The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave
"And all the details are different too, right?" She pauses "Like...my birthday?"
That stops me. The heartbreak in her voice when she asks the question.
"Like my birthday's not really my birthday?" she says.
"No, probably not."
She looks down. She looks away from me. "That seems like something a person should know about themselves," she says.
Gone with the Gin: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist, Tim Federle
Set aside your beer (sorry: your Stelllllaaaaa!) and combine all the ingredients with ice in a shaker.
Witchmark, CL Polk
"Do you have any idea how much work it is to be majestic? The high court is exhausting."
Stormsong, CL Polk
"They can't know," I whispered. "If they knew what our parents and grandparents did, they'd never forgive us."
"Do we deserve forgiveness?"
Soulstar, CL Polk
The word "uza" meant something that didn't quite translate to Aelander. It meant solidarity. It meant unity. But something more than that--it meant that the people banded together in a community had a moral duty to each other, to serve one another.
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, Becky Chambers
'You know, on the subject of Humans, there's something I've long wanted to ask someone about.' He paused in thought. 'Cheese. Is that a real thing?'
11 August 2022
Chicon 8 AKA Hugo Awards 2022!
Fun fact: the Hugo award voting is via ranking, which I honestly find pretty satisfying. And I managed to read/watch/listen to all of them! Yay for me!
As with the Oscars, I'm marking texts (in all formats) consumed previously to the nominations in green and those consumed afterwards in blue. I am, however, also going to add in purple to indicate stuff I already owned but hadn't read because, as all book lovers know, at least a third of one's own library is built upon intention. (It's worth distinguishing which ones I owned because one of the nicest perks of being a voting member is getting a packet of most of the texts prior to voting.)
Largely, I've ranked things in terms of my enjoyment. I've tried to explain my rationale for some, but AS IS MY WAY, I've included snippets of the texts to give you a sense of how I feel about them.
Best Novel
As with the Oscars, I'm marking texts (in all formats) consumed previously to the nominations in green and those consumed afterwards in blue. I am, however, also going to add in purple to indicate stuff I already owned but hadn't read because, as all book lovers know, at least a third of one's own library is built upon intention. (It's worth distinguishing which ones I owned because one of the nicest perks of being a voting member is getting a packet of most of the texts prior to voting.)
Largely, I've ranked things in terms of my enjoyment. I've tried to explain my rationale for some, but AS IS MY WAY, I've included snippets of the texts to give you a sense of how I feel about them.
Best Novel
- The Galaxy, and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers
The thing that held a society together, Roveg had been taught, was shared narrative. A common history, a bedrock of ethics. This was the shell that held the world together, and protected all that was soft and fragile. Turning away from your own story was to open yourself to chaos. This was not academic opinion, his teachers had told him. This was observable fact.
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
I can't imagine explaining "sleep" to someone who had never heard of it. Hey, I'm going to fall unconscious and hallucinate for a while. By the way, I spend a third of my time doing this. And if I can't do it for a while, I go insane and eventually die. No need for concern.
- Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Lucy was tempted to ask if she'd had a nice date, but she was still Shizuka Satomi, and one does not casually ask the Queen of Hell about her relationship with the donut lady.
- A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
"Half-blood. Your sire was djinn."
"I prefer double-blood. And the djinn who 'sired' me was hardly superior."
"Still, you are djinn-touched. Even if lesser, you may share in the coming glory."
"How gracious. But you can keep your glory." - A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine
The adjutant, Twenty Cicada, made an entirely remarkable noise, like he'd drowned a laugh and swallowed its corpse.
- She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Lady Rui's jaw was tight with the same intensity Zhu had glimpsed earlier: a compressed rage that had as its heart the female desire to survive all that sought to make her nothing.
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