Recent Acquisitions in My Plot to Gain Immortality

And another long wait between allowing myself to count recent acquisitions as part of the reading backlog. A lot of this is me trying to expand my reading a bit more beyond SFF and historical/fantasy mystery/romance/adventure, with some success, though still somewhat centering around my usual fare even then. That 99 cents book sale a few weeks back helped.

For those newer to the f-list (as there are a decent number): I post my recent acquisitions to give an idea of what I may or may not read soon, and for anyone to cast votes for what I should read first/sooner (though I don’t always follow those instructions!). Some of this is the result of lovely people sending me boxes to clear out their shelf space. I should also mention that I’m kinda aggressive about finding good bargains on books.

ALSO! I have recently acquired 2 small bookcases and will soon get a 3rd. All free. (Chruch nursery director’s son and his family are moving to Florida.) As you can see, this is a good thing. Oh, and the title of the post refers to the fact that I am forbidden to die while I still have a reading backlog.

( list with a few notes )

And since the Adult Literacy Council booksale is in 6 weeks, I will try to not allow myself to buy books in between, as I won’t get around to anything else new before then.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold

Set very shortly after Shards of Honor, Barrayar chronicles the first year or so of Aral’s regency over the Barrayar Empire, and how it affects Cordelia’s pregnancy with their son. (No spoilers that aren’t reveled on the cover jacket of Cordelia’s Honor.) I liked Cordelia’s radical (to them) ideas of motherhood and sexuality clashing with the strict ideas Barrayaran society has about those things, and her liberal ideas clashing with their more medieval ones, especially when it came to Miles.

As was mentioned in my post on Shards of Honor, the difference in writing between the two books really stands out. I also think Bujold handles the conflict much better. Then again, they’re two very different kinds of conflict. Here, it’s something that clearly needs to be done, it’s just coming to the decision that it’s worth the risk, and actually taking the step to do it. There, it was a case of a choice needing to be made, and an easy out (narratively, not for the character) being produced instead.

Bujold is also a lot more willing to dig into the horrors of war here, and the lengths both sides go to. She hinted at it in Shards of Honor, but mostly kept it off the pages. Here, she pretty much digs in. 

( spoilers )

(no subject)

Why has this phone rang more in the last 80 minutes than it usually does my entire shift?  And they aren't even all for us!

*pawns it off on A Boy*

Black Cat Vol 15

( I have determined that Eve's powers are just an excuse for Kentaro Yabuki to have canon cosplay. )

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers

After a copywriter working for Pym’s Publicity, Ltd. mysteriously falls down the stairs to his death, a new copywriter named Death Bredon is hired. Bredon is supercilious and his shoes cost more than a copywriter can make in a week, much less a month, and is clearly Lord Peter Wimsey long before we’re told he is. There to investigate the death of the copywriter, Wimsey finds himself enjoying life as a copywriter-as he tells Parker and Mary, he’s never actually had money he earned before-and the subject of much office gossip (they like to speculate about how someone who’s obviously used to being rich ended up working in their office). Eventually, his investigations lead to him adopting yet another identity-and having to juggle all three-and to uncovering a drug ring.

If it makes sense, something about this book reads more like a recent book written about the 1930s than a book set during the 1930s. I suspect this comes from it being so engrossed in the advertising world. Reading it, I couldn’t tell if Sayers was having the time of her life writing it, or if she was gritting her teeth. According to wikipedia, she hated it, which is interesting because, though not as good as some of the other Wimsey books, I found it to be one of the more fun ones, especially with the office gossip and Peter almost getting too caught up enjoying himself working.

( mild spoilers )