We read a few more fun books this week!

 

Bill: This week I finally finished Seth Dickinson’s The Monster Baru Cormorant, a novel I admired more than enjoyed.  I also read How to Love the Universe: A Scientist’s Odes to the Hidden Beauty Behind the Visible World by Stefan Klein, a nicely written overview of a dozen or so major concepts of modern physics. On audio, I continue to be captivated by Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Our Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky, a truly excellent (so far) work of non-fiction that examines why we do what we do, from the milliseconds prior to our behavior to hereditary factors that may predispose us to certain behaviors.

Kat: I read Neil Gaiman‘s INTERWORLD novels (InterWorld, The Silver Dream, and Eternity’s Wheel). These are fun YA stories. Today I will probably finish Ken MacLeod‘s THE CORPORATION WARS novels: Dissidence, Insurgence, and Emergence.

Marion: I’m reading a collection of novellas set in the Witcher world, Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski. They’re enjoyable, but I’m reminded how much more I like Steven Brust’s Vlad stories. I finished Heirs and Graces, a murder mystery by Rhys Bowen, set in 1930s England. The protagonist is an impoverished Bright Young Thing who is 38th in line to the British throne, so the stories are packed with stuffy aristocrats and scandalous royals.

I reviewed a delightful short story by Suzanne Palmer, “Thirty Three Percent Joe” that appeared in Clarkesworld. You can find it for free online. And I recommend a flash-fiction piece by Abra Staffin-Wiebe that appeared in the Oct/Nov issue of F&SF. “Overwintering Habits of the North American River Mermaid” has a title that is almost longer than the piece. It is nearly a prose-poem, and every word is perfect.

Tim: This week, I finally finished Andrzej Sapkowski‘s WITCHER series with Lady of the Lake. I’m glad I read through the books, but the series’ pacing didn’t entirely agree with me. I think it’ll be a while before I get around to Season of Storms (the prequel novel). I’m frankly just ready for a break from the witcher and his companions. With that in mind, I started reading Brandon Sanderson‘s Skyward this week, which is fun so far. The plot is just a touch old-hat, but I like the protagonist.

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  • Tim Scheidler

    TIM SCHEIDLER, who's been with us since June 2011, holds a Master's Degree in Popular Literature from Trinity College Dublin. Tim enjoys many authors, but particularly loves J.R.R. Tolkien, Robin Hobb, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and Susanna Clarke. When he’s not reading, Tim enjoys traveling, playing music, writing in any shape or form, and pretending he's an athlete.

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