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Most of this week I devoted to the print newspapers and Economists that have accumulated since January, so the book-reading consequently suffered.
What I Just Finished Reading
N/A
What I Am Currently Reading
The Goblin Emperor – Katherine Addison
I'm taking my time with this reread so that I hit my favorite scenes during optimal moments. All the characters are wonderful, and I should be gaga over Maia and Csevet, because theirs is a dynamic that just does it for me. But for some reason, it's Beshelar. I <3 all over Beshelar.
These Heroic, Happy Dead - Luke Mogelson
Being a short story anthology in the "how war breaks men" genre. Eighty pages into the 180-page book, the "how" appears to be "by turning them into drunks who lose their jobs, houses, and kids, and threaten and/or beat the women in their lives." Not a lot of variation here or ground that hasn't been covered before, but the writing is spare and beautiful.
Trees - Warren Ellis
That I may think Transmetropolitian is better than Sandman is one of my dark little secrets. Like Gaiman, though, Ellis often coasts on that triumph and it looks like he's doing so here: the characters thus far are all cookie-cutter types (sassy female scientist! jaded older male scientist! ambitious NYC mayoral candidate! his wry lackey!) and thus forgettable. Hopefully it improves in later chapters.
幸村殿、艶にて候 4 - 秋月こお (Yukimura-dono, En nite Soro vol. 4 - Akizuki Koh)
One of the great pleasures of this series is all the historical accuracy Akizuki includes alongside the supernatural bits and BL elements, and how interesting she makes it seem. The passages I read this week have included the challenges of travel and communication in an era without post, roads, or even rule of law, and several charming scenes where characters for the first time in their lives see a map and try to grok a Portuguese missionary's beliefs through the medium of Buddhism. It's delightful stuff.
竹光侍 3 - 松本大洋 (Takemitsu-zamurai vol. 3 - Matsumoto Taiyo)
This volume opens with Soichiro's mother telling her five-year-old son that there's a demon inside of him, that like his father, he'll become a beast when he carries a sword, that he'll be less and less of this world the longer he's in it. Is it a dream or a memory? Either way, it's chilling stuff, especially when Matsumoto juxtaposes it with present-day scenes of Soichiro.
세상에 없는 아이 - 김미승 (Sesang-e Eomnun Ai - Kim Misung)
A woman gives birth to a daughter who may be a whale, or maybe she just resembles one. Either way, neighbors and residents of nearby villages consider her an omen of ill fortune, and she's teased and bullied as she grows up, despite her selflessness. It's all very typically "put upon young woman maintains her Confucian virtues in the face of adversity" Korean. That said, trees were just discussing her plight when I had to put it down, so I'm hoping it goes off in more fantastic and interesting direction.
What I'm Reading Next
TBD as I wrap up the current batch.
これで以上です。
What I Just Finished Reading
N/A
What I Am Currently Reading
The Goblin Emperor – Katherine Addison
I'm taking my time with this reread so that I hit my favorite scenes during optimal moments. All the characters are wonderful, and I should be gaga over Maia and Csevet, because theirs is a dynamic that just does it for me. But for some reason, it's Beshelar. I <3 all over Beshelar.
These Heroic, Happy Dead - Luke Mogelson
Being a short story anthology in the "how war breaks men" genre. Eighty pages into the 180-page book, the "how" appears to be "by turning them into drunks who lose their jobs, houses, and kids, and threaten and/or beat the women in their lives." Not a lot of variation here or ground that hasn't been covered before, but the writing is spare and beautiful.
Trees - Warren Ellis
That I may think Transmetropolitian is better than Sandman is one of my dark little secrets. Like Gaiman, though, Ellis often coasts on that triumph and it looks like he's doing so here: the characters thus far are all cookie-cutter types (sassy female scientist! jaded older male scientist! ambitious NYC mayoral candidate! his wry lackey!) and thus forgettable. Hopefully it improves in later chapters.
幸村殿、艶にて候 4 - 秋月こお (Yukimura-dono, En nite Soro vol. 4 - Akizuki Koh)
One of the great pleasures of this series is all the historical accuracy Akizuki includes alongside the supernatural bits and BL elements, and how interesting she makes it seem. The passages I read this week have included the challenges of travel and communication in an era without post, roads, or even rule of law, and several charming scenes where characters for the first time in their lives see a map and try to grok a Portuguese missionary's beliefs through the medium of Buddhism. It's delightful stuff.
竹光侍 3 - 松本大洋 (Takemitsu-zamurai vol. 3 - Matsumoto Taiyo)
This volume opens with Soichiro's mother telling her five-year-old son that there's a demon inside of him, that like his father, he'll become a beast when he carries a sword, that he'll be less and less of this world the longer he's in it. Is it a dream or a memory? Either way, it's chilling stuff, especially when Matsumoto juxtaposes it with present-day scenes of Soichiro.
세상에 없는 아이 - 김미승 (Sesang-e Eomnun Ai - Kim Misung)
A woman gives birth to a daughter who may be a whale, or maybe she just resembles one. Either way, neighbors and residents of nearby villages consider her an omen of ill fortune, and she's teased and bullied as she grows up, despite her selflessness. It's all very typically "put upon young woman maintains her Confucian virtues in the face of adversity" Korean. That said, trees were just discussing her plight when I had to put it down, so I'm hoping it goes off in more fantastic and interesting direction.
What I'm Reading Next
TBD as I wrap up the current batch.
これで以上です。