What I read -- November 2015

“The 19^th Century Wind Band and Wind Ensemble in Western Europe” by David Whitwell. I’m not sure how Russia counts as Western Europe, but I’m researching for North America anyway, so … shut up. This book was what I needed though. I read this over two Friday afternoons at the Metro Reference Library.

“John Crow’s Devil” by Marlon James. This must be the magic that happens when you win a major literary award… people like me suddenly find out about you and read your book. This book was the sort of thing I could never write – the scatologicalness of it all, the sex, the language. The resolution totally made sense. I dind’t find any characters particularly likeable, but that’s not important to me apparently. Really good. Though I guess I was expecting something a little… more mainstream from a booker prize winner?

“Dreamhunter” by Elizabeth Knox. The sequel has been kicking around my house for years. I guess someone gave it to me, but I didn’t want to read it without reading the first one, and I didn’t have it, so apathy prevailed. I had a little trouble with the first couple of chapters, I think because omniscient POV isn’t in style right now so I’m not used to it. I couldn’t keep track of how many people there were in the picnic party (five that mattered, but I kept feeling like there was another girl). But I managed to get through that and then the story was quite engaging. The comparisons to Garth Nix and Philip Pullman were spot on. I’d be pretty mad if I didn’t have book two, because the ending was quite unsatisfying. It felt like this was written as a single book and was cut in half in editing.

“The Elephanta Suite” by Paul Theroux. My sister gave me this. Based on the receipt that looked like it was used as a bookmark, she bought it at an airport bookstore. She’s a pilot, sohaving an eReader has really improved her life. This book claimed to be about India, but it seemed like it was more about Americans in India. Dislikeable Americans. I found this book odious, and only finished it so I could call it done and get rid of it. I’m not sure whether this book was about awful things India does to Americans, or how awful India is, or what.

What I read -- October 2025

"The Moomins and the Great Flood" by Tove Jansson. eBook. I read this because Marissa Lingen loves them. It was fine? This was the first one in the series and the only one available online; maybe the later ones are better. Maybe they're better if you read them as a child. "The Relentless Moon" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. Read it because Ed had the whole series out of the library. It took a long time to get going, and sometimes I find MRK exhausting. Her white main characters all seem oddly aware of the Black experience. "The Martian Contingency" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. Read it because Ed had the whole series out of the library. I don't often read subsequent books in a series in quick succession, and my reaction to this one is a lot of why: I found Alma's voice too similar to Nicole's -- sure, Nicole obsessed about food much more, but they both went on and on about "must support black guy in management" an...

What I read: September 2025

LHC #295: "The Last to Leave the Room" by Caitlin Starling. Audiobook. Workplace horror? Loved it. "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn-Williams. Hard copy, for office Data Ethics book club. The stories about Sheryl Sandberg really made me like my boss better. LHC #296: "The Fated Sky" by Mary Robinette Kowal. Hard copy. This got moved up the list because Ed had read book 1 in the series and got the rest out of the library. Loved it. He's got the next one in the series upstairs, I suppose I'll read it when he's done. LHC #297: "Bluegrass: A History" by Neil V. Rosenberg. Hard copy. No idea why it was on my list, I don't care that much about bluegrass. Nevertheless, the second half was interesting. I guess the first half was necessary, as it described in great length the way people came and went in Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys band, and also how technology and social pressures affect how music is made and performed. LHC #298: ...

In progress - January 2026

Wind/Water/Salt Chapters 39-51: Nothing Persephone (probably not its real name): NOthing Vinterlys: Worked on Chapter 2 some more. Critted 4 Got back 1 Submissions 0 Out there 0 Rejects 0 Knitting Georgia (Norah Gaughan). Started the month with one sleeve and half a front to go. Finished. Love this sweater. Aberlady (AS Celtic Collection). Did a few rows while listening to podcasts. Summer in Tokyo (Isager): Started. I was looking at the pictures and the charts, and the pattern as written is not what is in the pictures! So odd. I am going to finish up two cones of yarn with this project! Pretty exciting. I hope I don't run out of light blue. I was working along on it, and if you go and look at the sweater, it's knit bottom-up, and I was at the part where I only had two colors, about 5" maybe. And I was thinking, "wow, this is pretty ugly! Maybe I should stop...

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