Amph What book are you reading right now?

The Corellian Trilogy Part I: Ambush at Corellia

 

X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble by Michael A. Stackpole

 

Gracling by Kristin Cashore, read by Emma Powell

Young Adult fantasy about young woman with super-human killing abilities in a medieval-style world.

I thought this was pretty good. It seems to be number one in a series, but it doesn't leave you with a cliffhanger or unfinished story.

 

Currently listening to The Complete Sherlock Holmes, read by David Timson. I got it for Christmas and over all its been an excellent listen, although I would be curious to know why they diverged from presenting the Sherlockian canon in the order of publication.

 

Just finished the Chronicles of Narnia. Despite how depressing the first half of "The Last Battle" is, its last few chapters are beautiful and just keeping getting better, and it was rejuvenating to read. The reunion with all the beloved dead characters still gets me, and discovering the "real Narnia" within Narmia, keep going further up and further in, and being able to see "real Earth" and their parents, and being able to explore all the interconnected eternal worlds. Then Aslan telling the children that they're aren't going back this time, they are home, they have died. Ending with this:

And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever in which every chapter is better than the one before. ​

 

White Sand Volume 1 by Brandon Sanderson (script by Rik Hoskin, art by Julius Gopez)

 

Finished it a few days ago. It was good, and shows how some scientists didn't really give a damn about some populations of people as long as they were ignorant lab rats that could further their research. The Lacks family got a raw deal, but hopefully the later generations can understand that even though Henrietta died, her cells have saved countless people over the years.

 

Listening to S.P.Q.R. by Mary Beard, read by Phyllida Nash.

It's interesting, though I'm not sure how much information I will retain.

 

I read S.P.Q.R. when it came out in paper here in the UK. I thought it was pretty interesting but I'm not a Roman history scholar so I didn't retain a whole lot.

 

The Swarm by Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston

 

Transmetropolitan was just lots of wicked good fun.

Now reading Dreaming Metal by Melissa Scott

 

Finished; Jackaby by William Ritter. Has many of the weaknesses and missteps common w/first time authors. Ritter has a pleasant writing style and builds a colorful, if jumbled, world, but the nuts and bolts too often get short shrift in favor quirk and flair. With a bit more experience I've no doubt that Ritter's Jackaby could be a fun series, but I don't know if I have the desire to go on another case with him just yet. - 6/10

Starting; Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston. Not a character I ever warmed up to on Clone Wars, I found her more interesting--or at least more tolerable--on Rebels. Two chapters in and I can pretty much see every path we're gonna take here. I'll give it a fair shake as I've got a bit of a SW itch that needs scratched and no other prospects at the moment.

 

The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, by Gordon S. Wood. A major 1960s work of political history, it examines the massive developments in American political theory between the outbreak of the Revolution and the creation of the Constitution. Wood has a lot of interesting insights on the way political theory was forced to evolve under the pressure of events, and the way that a gradual, largely unperceived shift in thinking made for radical differences in underlying assumptions over the course of a decade. He pays a lot of attention to the formation of the state constitutions during the war, an aspect of political development that's too often overlooked, and what it says about American ideology. The way it tracks the development of republican theory is fascinating and of huge value to anybody interested in political theory. I could have stood to see him write more on the development of the Constitution itself, but it's an excellent book.

 

I thought that Jackaby was a good effort for a first time novelist. My only issue was that I thought that he made it a little too easy for Jackaby to catch Commissioner Swift.

 

Things Done Read:

Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan. After finishing up my reread of RotTK (ask me about my newly developed belief that the last 16 chapters are essential to the theme despite simultaneously being weaker owing to a lack of authorial interest in the historical material) this was the kind of short, comedic, scattershot work I needed for a reset. Murakami often cites Brautigan as an influence and... yeah, I can see it.

Dubliners by James Joyce. Joyce is my favorite author but my preference for his books goes in reverse chronological order. This reread did not change that opinion, although it was an audiobook so that was pleasant enough.

Things Am Read:

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Everybody talks about how this is better than Crime and Punishment and I'm a third through the book and I'm unconvinced. Mostly it's a lot of bellyaching by straw atheists and something something Christian forgiveness something something where is my goddamn psychological torment?! WHERE IS IT?! Possibly coming up based on a shocking twist that just occurred, maybe. Notably, also, despite my complaints I've stuck with it, so it's not bad in any sense, just kind of a let down so far. Edit: Turns out that sweet, sweet torment is all in the back half. Aww yeah.

The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero & Tom Bissell. The guy who played Mark in The Room relays his experiences, although mostly he concludes that he has no goddamn idea what Tommy Wiseau is thinking, either. Funny stuff, though.

Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock. I put the Elric collection aside for a while and picked it back up again. It's kind of weird to think about how this, despite the whole introductory story about killing his lady love and being exiled blah blah blah, is really where the whole "everything sucks for Elric" thing started. He was doing pretty okay by the end of the short stories! People forget that part. Moorcock arguably forgets that part. It didn't go to hell until here.

Anyway that BÖC song is pretty rad, is my point.

 

X-Wing: The Krytos Trap

 

God Killers by Liam Sharp. Quick history in case you're bored. I found THIS piece of art in a Spectrum book but the title was wrong and the artist name was not given. I searched every few months when it occurred to me and finally it turned up. "Sayer by Liam Sharp". It is not the cover to the book but is a scene from the book. Currently he is the artist for Rebirth Wonder Woman.

 

The Chewbacca TPB Marvel comic

 

The Corellian Trilogy Part II: Assault at Selonia

 

What, did you think there wasn't going to be some psychological torment in a Dostoevsky novel? PUH-LEASE.

Yeah, it wasn't ALL doom and gloom for him. That's a good book though.

Speaking of musical Melnibonean goodness:

 

X-Wing: The Bacta War by Michael A. Stackpole

 

I just really loved it in C&P and wanted it to fly thick and fast! In any case I thought the second half was spectacular. I just wish we'd actually gotten that crazy sequel where Alyosha tried to kill the Tsar.

Anyway:

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace. I was only ever going to love a book that kicks off with an essay about how living in the Midwest imparts mathematical intuition, but also it's tennis or whatever. It's criminal, in a way, that Infinite Jest so overshadows the rest of his work, because every essay I've ever read by the man is brilliant.

Mind you IJ is also pretty brilliant. I don't know where I was going with that point.

The History of Jazz by Ted Gioia. Seems pretty solid so far, but we have yet to get to jazz. Or, rather, there have been lengthy discussion on African American musical forms that are intrinsically bound up in the development of jazz, that Gioia is willing to concede bleed into jazz depending on the artist (he is not so hung up on preserving the purity of the genre the way, say, Ken Burns' documentary series is), that have to occur prior to a meaningful discussion of jazz. He seems to be developing a somewhat uncontroversial thesis that blackness is central to the music but also there had to be a certain amount of cultural cross-pollination with other demographics that New Orleans in particular facilitated at the dawn of the genre. SYNCRETISM.

 

Did you see The End of the Tour with Jason Segal & Jesse Eisenberg? I saw it and really loved it, but I've never read the guy really. I'm curious what you thought as someone's who has read the guy substantially.

 

I have not, but it appears to be on Amazon Instant so I'll try to rectify that and get back to you.

 

I've yet to read Infinite Jest (it's just so damn daunting!) but I've read a few of his essays and I agree they are absolutely brilliant. I need to read more of them.


Just finished:
Hamilton- The Revolution by Lin Manuel Miranda and Jeremy Carter
It's the story of how the musical got made, how they cast the show, songs that were taken out of the show, etc. It includes the entire libretto with notes from Lin-Manuel on inspiration, changes made, and just interesting tidbits about that song.
If you like the music of Hamilton, it's quite an interesting read.

Now Reading:
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
I'm not very far into it, but Chernow writes a very readable biography. While he includes a lot of detail, I've not felt bogged down by it, nor does the writing feel dry as I often find historical biographies.