What Am I Reading Wednesday - July 13

Temperatures in my apartment regularly came close to topping 100 degrees this week; thus, I spent a lot of time in the elsewhere, reading.

What I Just Finished Reading

Miramont's Ghost – Elizabeth Hall
The worst book I have read all year. Everyone from the author to the publisher should be ashamed.

竹光侍 4 - 松本大洋 (Takemitsu-zamurai vol. 4 - Matsumoto Taiyo)　
My palette cleanser. Matsumoto is at the top of his game here. We're treated to some amazing backstory for both our lead protagonist and supporting characters, and an absolute jaw-dropper of a cliffhanger.

終点Unknown 3 - 杉浦 志保 – (Shuten Unknown vol. 3 – Sugiura Shiho)
So last week I was all, Meh about this series. And then Sugiura decided to get serious and I could not put it down. There are plenty other mangaka who do angst and psychological scarring more bombastically than she, but none of them do it so well.

Silver Diamond 25 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond vol. 25 – Sugiura Shiho)　
The previous volume was a bit of a plod (by Sugiura's standards,) but this volume finds her, and the story, back on point. And how. Amazing character development, nail-biting drama, and gut-punches to readers coming so fast and furious it's exhilarating.

Silver Diamond 26 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond vol. 26 – Sugiura Shiho)　
Dear god, this is perhaps the best thing I've read all year. So damn good I didn't even notice the knife in my kidney for a good long while. Sugiura, whenever did you slip that in?

I cried. And I had to put it down multiple times, because I couldn't breathe.


What I Am Currently Reading

Knotwork – Aidan Meehan
I find Meehan's method for constructing knotwork needlessly obtuse and his tone frequently arrogant. And yet I keep reading – it is, in fact, a guilty pleasure.

Younger – Susan Munshower
An Amazon Kindle First book that doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out and curse the invention of written language?!? Like you, I didn't believe it was possible. But this book is not only readable, it's good.

Crown Duel – Sherwood Smith
Every time I return to this book, I'm floored by how good it is. Amazing and fresh worldbuilding, endearing, believable characters, incredibly subtle exposition, and a ripping plot that subverts some of the most fundamental fantasy tropes. Some day, I hope to write like this.

Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar – James Sneddon, K. Alexander Adelaar, Dwi Djenar
Forging ever onward, I now encounter ber-an verbs indicating reciprocity or repetitiveness of action, as well as ber-kan verbs indicating the state of having the base noun.

終点Unknown 4 - 杉浦 志保 – (Shuten Unknown vol. 4 – Sugiura Shiho)
In which the climax becomes visible. The series became massively more compelling in the second half of volume 3, but it also feels like Cliff's Notes of a real Sugiura series. If only her publisher had let her go longer.

There's already talk of a 外伝, so they've apparently come around (belatedly) to this way of thinking.

Silver Diamond 27 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond vol. 27 – Sugiura Shiho)　
A very necessary denouement, given the way the previous volume ripped my beating heart from my chest.


What I'm Reading Next

Wren to the Rescue – Sherwood Smith
I have high hopes that this will be more Crown Duel than Court Duel.

Silver Diamond 外伝 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond Gaiden – Sugiura Shiho)
When I finish this volume, 13 years of my life will be over. It's going to hurt.

これで以上です。

What Am I Reading Wednesday - July 13

Temperatures in my apartment regularly came close to topping 100 degrees this week; thus, I spent a lot of time in the elsewhere, reading.

What I Just Finished Reading

Miramont's Ghost – Elizabeth Hall
The worst book I have read all year. Everyone from the author to the publisher should be ashamed.

竹光侍 4 - 松本大洋 (Takemitsu-zamurai vol. 4 - Matsumoto Taiyo)　
My palette cleanser. Matsumoto is at the top of his game here. We're treated to some amazing backstory for both our lead protagonist and supporting characters, and an absolute jaw-dropper of a cliffhanger.

終点Unknown 3 - 杉浦 志保 – (Shuten Unknown vol. 3 – Sugiura Shiho)
So last week I was all, Meh about this series. And then Sugiura decided to get serious and I could not put it down. There are plenty other mangaka who do angst and psychological scarring more bombastically than she, but none of them do it so well.

Silver Diamond 25 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond vol. 25 – Sugiura Shiho)　
The previous volume was a bit of a plod (by Sugiura's standards,) but this volume finds her, and the story, back on point. And how. Amazing character development, nail-biting drama, and gut-punches to readers coming so fast and furious it's exhilarating.

Silver Diamond 26 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond vol. 26 – Sugiura Shiho)　
Dear god, this is perhaps the best thing I've read all year. So damn good I didn't even notice the knife in my kidney for a good long while. Sugiura, whenever did you slip that in?

I cried. And I had to put it down multiple times, because I couldn't breathe.


What I Am Currently Reading

Knotwork – Aidan Meehan
I find Meehan's method for constructing knotwork needlessly obtuse and his tone frequently arrogant. And yet I keep reading – it is, in fact, a guilty pleasure.

Younger – Susan Munshower
An Amazon Kindle First book that doesn't make me want to gouge my eyes out and curse the invention of written language?!? Like you, I didn't believe it was possible. But this book is not only readable, it's good.

Crown Duel – Sherwood Smith
Every time I return to this book, I'm floored by how good it is. Amazing and fresh worldbuilding, endearing, believable characters, incredibly subtle exposition, and a ripping plot that subverts some of the most fundamental fantasy tropes. Some day, I hope to write like this.

Indonesian: A Comprehensive Grammar – James Sneddon, K. Alexander Adelaar, Dwi Djenar
Forging ever onward, I now encounter ber-an verbs indicating reciprocity or repetitiveness of action, as well as ber-kan verbs indicating the state of having the base noun.

終点Unknown 4 - 杉浦 志保 – (Shuten Unknown vol. 4 – Sugiura Shiho)
In which the climax becomes visible. The series became massively more compelling in the second half of volume 3, but it also feels like Cliff's Notes of a real Sugiura series. If only her publisher had let her go longer.

There's already talk of a 外伝, so they've apparently come around (belatedly) to this way of thinking.

Silver Diamond 27 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond vol. 27 – Sugiura Shiho)　
A very necessary denouement, given the way the previous volume ripped my beating heart from my chest.


What I'm Reading Next

Wren to the Rescue – Sherwood Smith
I have high hopes that this will be more Crown Duel than Court Duel.

Silver Diamond 外伝 - 杉浦 志保 (Silver Diamond Gaiden – Sugiura Shiho)
When I finish this volume, 13 years of my life will be over. It's going to hurt.

これで以上です。