iShoes: December 2011

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Bah - humbug!

Christmas Eve – the wonder of a Father Ted evening and the horror of pre-Christmas advertising – too late to buy any of the things they advertise – beautiful fragrant people and far too many pre-sale ads. Now I remember why I don’t watch TV. Even the joy of Father Ted isn’t worth the vile boredom and fatuous inanity of far too many adverts for worthless trash.

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Books

Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner 24/02/2013

I came to these books originally via the short story, 'The Man with the Knives', after which I bought and read Swordspoint. I hadn't intended to read it now. I was saving it for desperate need, but I needed something to take to Lille with me and it was on the top of the pile.

The Mad Duke requires his niece to move to the city and learn to be a swordsman in order to protect him. This is the story of her transformation from a naive and conformist, although always competent, girl to an independent young woman. Yes, it's a coming of age story but it's not a boy with hidden powers and there is no quest. It's set against a non-magic fantasy background and it's splendid. I love that Katherine escapes having to make a good marriage, although not by a route available for anyone much else. It also makes me terrifically grateful that we are no longer in a world where women have about a year to attract, with minimal guarantee of safety, a man who will be her inescapable lot in life. I will keep this.

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer 10/02/2013

I was never for an instant in fear for Sophy's health and wellbeing. And I was unable to put this down from the very first page. What a delightful, character Sophy is. I adore competent women and Sophy is the quintessential adroit and courageous hero. There was no doubt as to the outcome but there was no possibility of putting the book down until it was achieved.

Agyar by Steven Brust 9/02/2013

It's taken me ages to read this. Not because it is not excellent; it is. Not because it is not engaging; it is. But because I was almost instantly concerned for the well-being, both physically and emotionally, of the central character. Jack Agyar is not a nice man but he is commanding and oddly vulnerable and quite fascinating. Luckily it is a short book with short chapters and breaks within these so I was able to struggle my way through it, with frequent distancing breaks to become less deeply attached. It turns out to be the ideal book to read when I've got a lot of work to do and I can't afford to be swallowed up in a novel. I managed to get so much work done whilst reading this because my fear kept driving me away.

Having reached the end, and knowing the outcome, I will be unable to use it in this way again. I will be deeply submerged immediately. What a brilliant book!

The Still Small Voice of Trumpets by Lloyd Biggle Jr 26/01/2013

I borrowed this off Ian who has a fairly comprehensive library of pre-1970s SF books. Short and fun with the best title ever. A book about betrayal and cruelty but not in a way to worry anyone. The characters never make it to three dimensions, as was pretty standard at the time, but the ideas of an underground bureau (IPPR) trying to subvert planets to democracy so that they can join the wider galactic community, and a Cultural Survey Officer whose acute perception and introduction of brass instruments bring down the monarchy, is so amusing and well done that their cardboard nature doesn't matter at all.

Hellspark by Janet Kagan 19/01/2013

I would never have read this if not for Jo Walton's review on Tor.com. I'd not heard of the author before and there are only two other books to track down.

This fits nicely into the anthropological SF category suggested by Jo. This universe is full of divergent human cultures that have produced a myriad conflicting languages, world views, and taboos. The collection of individuals assessing a new planet has not been properly chamfered (delightful word - a woodworking term) and so do not fit together properly.

The story does not feel particularly new to me; a race to prove a species is sentient and so stop the destruction by human exploitation of their world. What is so utterly delightful is the universe built for the telling of this story. You could have set dozens of wonderful novels in this fascinating universe and not have mined it out. I love the Hellsparks who appear to be traders and have developed a language that will allow them to pick up and speak all other languages, not only with the correct words but the right movements, proximity, gestures.

Tocohl, our point of view Hellspark, and her emerging sentient computer, Maggy, arrive at the request of one of the survey team in a last ditch effort to prove that the native life form has language, art and artefacts. The race to do this before the final report is sent is compulsive reading. It's not that an incorrect judgement could not be overturned but it would take years and a fortune to do this whilst the world is torn apart.

Excellent and a definite keeper. I'll be looking for Mirabile and Uhura's Song.

Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold 13/01/2013

It's only 7 months since I read this but I picked it up at the post-Brum-Goup-AGM-book-auction. Given the books auctioned it might be worth joining and sitting through the AGM.

So, I read it again, and it is just as charming the second time round, though I started crying as the guys were chatting in the spaceport. Sigh.

Darkborn, Lightborn, Shadowborn by Alison Sinclair 26,27,28/12/2012

Sally bought me these off my Amazon wish list. I have an Amazon wish list you know.

When I did my two year stint editing the Brum Group News many years ago I picked up Legacies by Alison Sinclair to review. It was an excellent SF book with a rubbish cover, an out of focus photograph of nothing by Fangorn. In those days there was a bit of a scrum for the good SF but having the books delivered to my house, as editor, meant that I heartlessly hogged all three of Alison's books.

When I last googled her there were the three SF I have, a collaboration SF and these three fantasy books. I'm not that drawn to fantasy but I read her explanation of why she, a woman scientist, turned to the fantasy side (a fit of irritation with a clunky and cliched dark/light dichotomy in a fantasy novel) and was fascinated.

In these novels there are darkborn, who burn up in light, and lightborn, who are destroyed by the absence of light and how they live side by side, different perspectives each impinging on the other. The characters are wonderful, the world is fascinating, the story is gripping. This year I happily lost the Christmas holiday to Alison Sinclair. I will keep these books.

Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold 23/12/2012

Deerskin by Robin McKinley 13/12/2012

Momminsummer Madness by Tove Jansson 10/12/2012

Changing Lifestyles by John Seymour 6/12/2012

Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason 24/11/2012

Past the Size of Dreaming by Nina Kiriki Hoffman 21/11/2012

Wild Things by Alyx Dellamonica 13/11/2012

A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman 12/11/2012

In which we meet Susan with the monstrous father, her friends Julio, Edmund, Deirdre, House and Nathan. Nathan is a ghost. House is a house. This was waiting for me when I got home from Novacon. I was unable to resist and now it's finished and lent out so I don't instantly reread it. Susan's story, and the story of the friends, twine around each other beautifully. I bought it in hardback because I knew I'd be keeping it.

A Red Heart of Memories by Nina Kiriki Hoffman 08/11/2012

Fields of Gold by Rachel Swirsky 05/11/2012

Following the trail I found this. Dennis wakes up at his welcome to the afterlife party. It's well written but not really my thing.

Portrait of Lisanne de Patagnia by Rachel Swirsky 05/11/2012

A powerful story about love and betrayal, painting and magic. From the Tor website. It's beautifully written. I'll probably look for more by her.

Permeable Borders by Nina Kiriki Hoffman 04/11/2012

What a truly wonderful book! I picked this out of the pile of loitering books because I'd got lots of reports to write and I thought I could put it down between the end of one story and the beginning of the next. This turns out not to be the case. These are stories of magic and wonder, vulnerability and connections, populated with spiky characters that you can't help but love. The middle section, 'Finding Each Other', which contains seven stories, is my favourite, although I was rather taken by the hideous fear inherent in 'The Weight of Wishes' about a child whose wishes come true. It's not a new idea, but so beautifully done that you could see how the parents could still love the terrifying child. Finding Each Other has a cast of characters who apparently inhabit a couple of novels so I'm wondering whether I could just buy them now as I'm not sure whether I can wait for my birthday. In the meantime I'm rereading.

Miss Mole by E H Young 01/11/2012

This, one of my all time favourite books, was bought because of a review in a women's magazine I flicked through in a dentist's waiting room many years ago. The plot could be thought of as slight but the way the book is written, with a subtlety and sureness, makes it a joy to read.

I shudder to think that I might have missed the joy of Miss Mole. And Hannah Mole is probably my absolute all time favourite character. She is a woman of integrity, fierce intelligence and great competence. When we meet her she has been making the best of a life all but destroyed by a mistake made in her past, and has been living as housekeeper and companion to various elderly ladies for twenty years. She is in the process of losing her current situation, a not uncommon occurrence, and is introduced, by her wealthy cousin, as a housekeeper to the Reverend Corder, a lovely comic creation.

The cast of characters is strong and, I must say, Mr Blenkinsop turns out to be one of the great romantic heroes. I weep over the last page of this book every time I read it. And rejoice.

Foundation by Ann Aguirre 26/10/2012

Nasty idea. Retreat to the tunnels under a city following a non-zombie apocalypse. Very well written. I'll keep an eye out for more but I'm not frantically pursuing.

Too Fond by Leanna Renee Hieber 26/10/2012

Creepy. Obsession and ghosts. I'll be glad when the season changes, though it is powerfully written and leaves a lingering unease as do the best ghost stories.

Faster Gun by Elizabeth Bear 26/10/2012

Brother. Prince. Snake. by Cecil Catellucci 26/10/2012

A well written fairy story with all the required elements. I like dragons, I like clever women, I like witches. This was a pleasant way to pass part of a train journey when I should have been working.

The Mongolian Wizard, The Fire Gown & Day of the Kraken by Michael Swanwick 24/10/2012

Good and amusing short stories all based in the same world of wizardry featuring Sir Tobias Gracchus Willoughby-Quirke and Kapitanleutnant Franz-Karl Ritter of the Werewolf Corps. I'd happily read as many of these as he can write but I have so many other books that I want that I don't think I will be spending my wishes/money on these.

Earth Girl by Janet Edwards 22/10/2012

This is a totally zan book! It's a coming of age novel set on a post exodus Earth where the few inhabitants are Handicapped, unable to live on other worlds. Jarra, a Handicapped girl, joins the foundation year of an off-world university's history degree, pre-history, which is the obligatory year on Earth. This stunner of a book has archaeology (digging up New York), heavy lifters, a Carrington Event and and an amazingly competent female hero. On the shelf already.

Jacks and Queens at the Green Mill by Marie Rutkoski 21/10/2012

Another short story from the Tor.com website. I hadn't even known there had been a Great Chicago Fire or that it had been set to kill the Shades. One of these, however, steps back into our world from her alternate world, intent on causing harm. A beautifully written story of a brief interaction between Shade and Human. I am tempted by the associated novel.

City of Pearl by Karen Traviss 20/10/2012

What a fab book! Shan Frankland is a great central character, an environmental hazard enforcement officer, an ethical cop. She is persuaded to lead a mission to Cavanagh's Star, the purpose of which is undisclosed to her. The mission is funded by various corporations looking to make money from the lifeforms they discover. When they arrive they find a small settlement of christians and the first sentient aliens that humans have encountered. The 'payload' of the mission, the scientists employed to find useful organisms to exploit, find it very difficult to give up the illusion that they are Masters of Creation and behave with crass stupidity, blind to both danger and morality. I vaguely imagine this is how first contact could be, a series of unforgivable mistakes made because self interest overcomes the imperceptible urge to do the right thing. The characters are strong, the story tense and the environmental/ethical subplot very satisfying. I shall be keeping this book and looking for more by the author.

Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman 18/10/2012

A lovely short story available through the Tor.com website. I was pointed to it from Jo Walton's review of 'Permeable Borders' on the same site. I have, of course, ordered the book.

The hedgehog is a boy who has always been able to see ghosts but suddenly starts capturing them, starting with his teacher. The basic premise behind the story is not new (see Paranorman) but is not hopelessly caricatured. I liked this very much. I have downloaded it onto my computer but I'd like it in paper form at some point. And all of Nina's books are now on my Amazon wish list (hint).

Regency Buck by Georgette Heyer 06/10/2012

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer 04/10/2012

I took this away for light relief during a week long audit staying in a hotel in Chester. Truly delightful. I find the whole world as alien as a good SF novel and as fascinating and I very much liked Freddy, a man who does the right thing not because he is very clever but because he has perfect good manners.

Making Home by Sharon Astyk 19/09/2012

Some Sort of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce 20/08/2012

To my shame I have never read one of Graham's novels before although I have a number on the shelf. I liked this one, picked up from Transreal during the Fringe. Tara returns to the home of her parents after being away in 'fairyland' for six months but, unsurprisingly, twenty years have gone by for everyone else. This slow reveal of what happened to her and to her extended family is beautifully written. I'd like to find the Outwoods and explore them. And the characters have joined my cast of imaginary friends. I'm glad I bought it in hardback. I will search for the dust jacket and shelve it for keeping.

Trouble with Lichen by John Wyndham 16/08/2012

I read this book from time to time as much for the glimpses of a world gone by as for the SF content. My uncle once referred to it as old fashioned as a liberty bodice.

What would we do if we found we could extend our lives to several hundred years? Even in 1960 when this was written the population/pollution/resource time bomb was clear. Diana Brackley, the central figure (and a fabulous, clever, strong woman) thinks we would have to sort out the approaching disasters if we were going to be around long enough to live through them. This seems a trifle overoptimistic.

In case it's not clear, this is a keeper, and because my copy's falling apart, maybe even a book to buy again.

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold 12/08/2012

The Cairn in Slater Woods by Gina Rosati 11/08/2012

This was a perfectly nice short story from the Tor.com website, competently written etc. It just feels like I've read it before. Boy moves to new place, meets girl, meets stupid male rival, wins out over rival in haunted wood, haunter turns out to be girl. Recognise the plot? Whatever...

Sanctuary Sparrow by Ellis Peters 07/08/2012

Alchemy by Margaret Mahy 29/07/2012

The Catalogue of the Universe by Margaret Mahy 28/07/2012

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy 28/07/2012

24 Hours by Margaret Mahy 27/07/2012

The Great Piratical Rumbustification by Margaret Mahy 27/07/2012

The Chewing Gum Rescue by Margaret Mahy 27/07/2012

Godbody by Theodore Sturgeon 25/07/2012

Why have I not read this before?

Shockwave Rider by John Brunner 22/07/2012

I want to live in Precipice!

This is, again, one of my all time favourite books. I reread it regularly. I know Stand on Zanzibar is Brunner's masterwork but this book doesn't depend on a chance genetic modification to reach happily ever after.

And this is one of the things that makes this book so likeable. There is a solution to our problems and it is complete transparency of all government, business and financial interactions. It's a window to a simpler world, although there is the internet and viruses and heartache and stupidity but there is also wisdom and that makes a difference. Sigh.

For me the star of this show is Precipice. I wonder if Brunner had been reading A Pattern Language before writing. A self-sustaining community, people with multiple 'jobs', a complete protection from the foolish whims of the government and designed to be both functional and beautiful. Sigh.

Oh yes, and the book is an upbeat thriller populated by brilliant people with liberal sensibilities who win. Perhaps it's time someone wrote a hack that made available all information that furthered the well being of all people. Sigh.

Four Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula LeGuin 17/07/2012

This is one of my favourites. I read LeGuin when I need to reconnect with the goodness and hmanity in people.

There are four stories in this book, all excellent, based around a society of slavery, although in this book it is the darker skin that is the dominant.

The first story is 'Betrayals', set in the bleak salt marshes of Yeowe, where an old woman and an old man, ex-slaves, find some level of redemption in each other. It's a love story.

'Forgiveness Day' brings Solly, an Ekumen Mobile, and Teyeo, a hereditary soldier of the 'master race' together. Solly is free, Teyeo is disciplined, and they despise each other. This story, set mainly in a three or four (depending on your leg length) stride wide prison cell following capture by terrorists, is how they reconcile themselves, their cultural differences. It's a love story.

The third story is about Havzhiva, a Hainish man. I've wanted to know about these people forever and 'A Man of the People' gives us that opportunity. It starts in the Pueblos of Hain where your father is your mother's brother and the gods walk amongst the people. I was very taken with the god of ball lightening. Havzhiva abandons this life to swim in the river of History, which on Hain is millennia old. When his lover leaves him to go to Terra, once he recovers, he joins the Ekumenical service and heads for Werel and Yeowe. Yeowe, the slave planet, where finally the slaves (assets) had overthrown the masters (owners), declared freedom and were working towards joining the Ecumen before Werel. Here he connects with the women who are working to gain their own freedom. This could have been a story full of horror and loathing of an oppressive society and yet it is not. It's a story of hard work and planning and subversion and moving a society, with love and understanding, towards something much better. Yes, it's a love story.

The final story is 'A Woman's Liberation'. Rakam was born on an Estate, in the slave compound, the child of an asset woman and an owner. This is her life, from a childhood in the dust through an adolescence as a sexual plaything for the owner's wife to a sort of freedom in a big city on Werel where she learns to read and speak out for freedom before having to escape to Yeowe to avoid the authorities closing in on her. Yeowe is a shock. Although it was the women who started the revolution, once won they were owned again, by the freed male assets as they modelled themselves on a mix of their own traditions and the owner's. This is the other side of the story told in 'A Man of the People' as Rakam works to achieve freedom and acknowledgement for the women. It's a wonderful love story.

Four love stories, four ways to forgiveness, not a romance in sight. I adore this book.

The Werewolf Principle by Clifford Simak 14/07/2012

I've carried this around for a couple of weeks. After the terrific grip the Shakespeare books had on me the minute I read each first page this has been a bit of a relief to pick up at stations and waiting for the bus.

I think the book was first presented to me by Harry at Andromeda years ago when I asked for something vampiry or werewolfy after reading all the Tanya Huff books. Oh, those long ago days when I wasn't sick to death of the whole undead schtick.

This is a quite different thing though. In the first chapter we have the confused point of view of a wolf, out of place, frightened, angry. The second chapter begins with a naked man, also confused, coincidentally at the door of the senator backing the bioengineering of colonists to new worlds. It turns out that our naked man had been found, frozen in space, in an escape capsule, with memories of Earth from 200 years ago. As the book progresses he learns more about himself and the other two minds occupying his body.

I didn't really love this book but I did like it. As always with Simak, I liked the countryside and the fact that the protagonists were all decent people. And I liked the wolf. The brownies were interesting and the irritating house was splendid. Lots to like really. Perhaps if I'd read it faster...

Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris

Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

The Blood of the Earth by John Michael Greer

Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris 16/06/2012

Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris 15/06/2012

Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold 6/06/2012

My Own Kind Of Freedom by Steven Brust 2/06/2012

A 'media tie-in novel' to the Firefly universe and wonderful. I can't remember how this came to be downloaded on my computer but I am pleased with the whim that caused it.

Winterfair Gift by Lois McMaster Bujold 1/06/2012

I've been aware of this novella for a while and had fully intended to finally seek out the anthology it is in. And then I found it in Baen's free books on-line. Which really means, having read it now, I'm going to have to buy it in paper. Still, I got paid.

This is Taura's second (and probably final) story, this is where Armsman Roic discovers more of Miles life as Admiral Naismith, and this is the story of the wedding of Miles and Ekaterin. It's predictably soppy but you've got to have some happyish endings. Perhaps it's time to revisit a Civil Campaign and Diplomatic Immunity. The first is appallingly difficult to read (unbearably embarrassing dinner party) and the second seemed a bit dull in comparison.

Dress Your Marines in White by Emmy Laybourne 31/05/2012

As someone who writes reports for a living I sympathised with the poor guy writing up this experiment. That went wrong. With chemical weapons. And deaths. This is an excellent short story from the Tor website, taut, terrifying, believable.

After the Coup by John Scalzi 31/05/2012

A fun story about a three round single combat between our guy and an alien, the outcome of which determines future diplomatic relations. It's not an original idea but it's nicely done and I particularly liked the water combat. From Tor.

Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold 29/04/2012

Cordelia's Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold 25/05/2012

After Cryoburn I had to come back to Shards of Honour to see Aral as we first met him, in his forties; vital, fiercely intelligent, driven, gorgeous! Possibly my favourite soppy novel ever. I never tire of this book, of Cordelia and Aral's tender, awkward, painful romance. And I would have tried to drown the psychiatrist in a fish tank too. (Read this on my computer downloaded from Baen's free website hence Cordelia's rather than Shards of).

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman 23/05/2012

Snow White from the step mother's point of view. Best use of necrophilia ever!

Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold 15/05/2012

Just finished and in floods.

Now I've got a bit of perspective, I'm still knocked sideways by the ending of this. It's one of the more lightweight Vorkosigan books but worth reading for all that, based on a world where people frozen awaiting a cure or a better world retain their votes which are then wielded by the cryo-companies. The consequences of this form the background of a Lord Auditor story. Other than Miles, of course, the star of the show is a young run-away, Jin and his menagerie of animals. As you might imagine, Miles investigates the murky machinations of the cryo-companies in an engaging and amusing novel which wraps up with Miles, Roic and Mark hanging out gossiping at the space port and me feeling all warm and happy. Until Colonel Vorventa addresses Miles as Count Vorkosigan. The five drabbles that follow break the heart and even two weeks later I'm looking at my screen through a film of tears.

The Various 14/05/2012

About Fairies by Pat Murphy 10/05/2012

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson 8/05/2012

Six Months and Three Days by Charlie Jane Anders 04/05/2012

Thank you Tor! A short story, rightly Hugo nominated, about a man who knows the future, a woman who sees futures and their doomed relationship. Subtle, funny, wonderful.

The Silver Sword by Ian Serralier 30/04/2012

The Inconstant Moon by Alaya Dawn Johnson 29/04/2012

Vanishing Point by Michaela Roessner 28/04/2012

Found it on the shelf. Not sure where it came from or who recommended it but the blurb was effusive.

The book is set in and around the Winchester Mystery House after The Vanishing when 90% of the human race disappeared overnight. Disregarding the unlikelihood of the set-up, the society growing out of this cataclysmic event is fascinating.

Not Just Dancing by Helen Flint 24/04/2012

A young adult book from the Falkirk Library Sale. A fast and engaging read centred around a weeks work experience. Geraldine reluctantly joins her mother for a week as a home help for the elderly whilst dreaming of romance with her new ballroom dancing partner. Much better than it sounds although I will probably not keep it.

The Forestwife by Theresa Thomlinson 23/04/2012

A book that's been on my shelves for years, bought from Letterbox Library.

The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff 21/04/2012

Timeless by Gail Carriger 15/04/2012

The Game of Thrones by George R R Martin 11/04/2012

The Kindly Ones by Melissa Scott 19/11/2011

A wonderful SF book set on the cold, material poor moons of a gas giant, settled in the distant past by mistake following an uprising on the colony ship. The setting is majestic with the blue green Agememnon dominating the sky. The astronomical day is 142 hours but the people naturally work on a 24 hour day leading to fascinating adjustments. This is all by the by, but it is a beautifully realised backdrop for the action.

In the cold and rigid society necessary to survive on these worlds those who do not conform 'die', that is, they are cast out and must not be recognised by any former friends or kin on pain of their deaths in turn. These people are called 'ghosts' and can only communicate with living people through 'mediums'. With increased trade with the wider galactic society the code has become strained but the society has clung to it. This is the story of how, finally, this breaks down.

I just realised, reading the dust jacket, that the hero is a woman. It takes me back to my youth when I identified with the hero regardless of sex.

A rich, thrilling adventure story.

Chanur's Venture by C J Cherryh 12/11/2011

The Pride of Chanur by C J Cherryh 6/11/2011

I considered not staring this on a weekend when I had social engagements but I managed to hold it all together and put the book down occasionally.

City by Clifford Simak 3/11/2011

Another Simak, again borrowed off Ian and I'm looking for the next one. This a a slender book comprised of linked short stories and it's lovely. There are not enough SF books with dogs in the starring role.

A book with robots, mutants, intelligent ants, 'spirits', and dwindling human race and some simply splendid dogs, reflecting all the idealism and goodness of well brought up dogs. I rather liked the idea of people colonising Jupiter, I liked the world empty of people and I adored the academic discussion between various canine scholars of whether men had ever existed or were simply made up to act as gods to the race.

The Downhill Crocodile Whizz by Margaret Mahy 27/10/2011

Another reread. Sharon Astyk had a post about books to read aloud to children and I took this off the pile of books on my bedhead to write about in comments: As you can well imagine, the crocodile in question receives a pair of roller skates from his grandmother who has taken up hang-gliding instead.

'He put the skates on straight away and stood up very confidently. Then he had to stand up all over again. Next he shot across the room and found he was lying on his back with the skates in the air'.

Once he finally stands up, balancing cleverly with his tail, he does not turn the letter over (PTO) to see her wise warning, and sets out from his house on the top of the hill.
What I love about these short story books is that they never talk down and there is plenty for adults to be amused by, from General Confusion, a military man, to Captain Rectitude together with Miss Dignity and her sister Miss Edwina Dignity. There are pirates, dragons, crocodiles, orphans, giants and wonderfully adventurous older women including Miss Celia Slipstitch, who had been a freedom fighter in the Anguish Hills…and had been named Freedom Fighter of the Year in 1925.

Not only am I keeping this copy, dogeared from many years of reading, I have ordered a hardback copy for when this one finally falls apart.

Way Station by Clifford Simak 14/10/2011

Borrowed from Ian, inspired to read by Jo Walton's review. Somehow I've never read any Simak. I think I was put off by everyone calling it 'pastoral' SF. Now that's what draws me to it.

A slim book (oh joy) about a man supervising an alien way station built within his family home. He only ages outside the station and has been around so long that people are starting to notice. He talks to the various aliens, worries about the upcoming (atomic) war and how it will ruin the chances of Earth becoming part of the galactic brotherhood and goes for nice long walks in the increasingly wild countryside around his home. I loved it, except the fairly obvious ending when the 'Talisman', operated by a deaf-mute girl allows access to 'god' to resume and everything to turn out right. Very much a book of its time. I guess a simplistic ending is the price you pay for keeping the book short. If it was mine I would keep it. I might keep Ian to retain access to it. Or buy my own copy.

The Six Fingers of Time by R A Lafferty 13/10/2011

Whilst raiding Ian's SF library I found this. I'd had a copy years ago but it got thrown for being too trashy. Predictable but fun story of a man who finds he can speed up time and move unseen by the everyday world. There is, of course, a conspiracy of long lived six fingered people who our hero almost outs before his time runs out. I'm happy for Ian to take the book back.

Drunkard's Walk by Frederik Pohl 3/10/2011

Another conspiracy book with overpopulation, deliberately released small pox a society split between university and those not up to it and a fairly cardboard hero who keeps trying to kill himself without wanting to. A good book but not great. I'll probably keep it.

The Truth of Valour by Tanya Huff 26/09/2011

Ian scoffs at the Valour books but I adore them. I found this in Forbidden Planet in London and bought it immediately. I ignored the rest of the world, including Ian, until I'd finished it. The fifth in a series of MilSF with a wonderful female lead character, Torin Kerr, recently having resigned as Gunnery Sergeant in the marines. Life outside is a bit of a struggle but then someone kidnaps her partner, Craig Ryder. This is how she gets him back. Excellent!

Brit Wit

A superior bathroom book full of witty quotes. I must think about getting a mini bookcase in the bathroom.

The People's Manifesto by Mark Thomas

The Wild Girls by Ursula K LeGuin 23/08/2011

The second Transreal book, very slender, just what I needed.

Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling 22/08/2011

This is the first of my Transreal haul and I will admit that I wouldn't have read it if the next Jackson Brodie novel hadn't been in Motherwell.

I've always been very fond of cosy apocalypses and this is another of those. Brave (and attractive) forward thinking people who win through terrible odds to reach happiness and make it through to another three or four books. I enjoyed the idea; that all electricity, explosives (including guns) and even steam engines would suddenly cease to work throwing the world (USA) into chaos. The characters were likeable, the bad guys unequivocally bad, and the action exciting. The serendipitous survival and, indeed, prosperity of our various heros was tremendously unlikely but that is, I guess, how survival during disasters work - if Juniper hadn't inherited an ideal somewhat isolated farm she would not have lived, but it all felt terribly pat at the beginning, much like the self-indulgent catastrophe story I wrote in English O' Level. Things improved once the set-up was complete and, I think, my highspot was attacking a fort using swords, bows & arrows, and hang gliders. I don't know if I'll read any more of the series or even keep this one but I did vastly enjoy it.

When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson 19/08/2011

The third Jackson Brodie book. I'm feeling very ambivalent about the author. On the positive side she creates a wonderful character like Jackson. On the negative she tortures him mercilessly. There are a whole slew of new fascinating people in this book as well as some reappearances. I only hope we meet Dr Hunter and Reggie again in some future book. These novels feel a bit more uncertain than most, where you are assured that only those in the red jersey will die, and this adds an extra frisson. On the shelf already.

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson 14/08/2011

The second Jackson Brodie book set in Edinburgh during the Fringe. A whole new set of fascinating characters and crimes. I'll be keeping this.

Case Histories by Kate Atkinson 20/07/2011 (2am)

OMG! I think I'm in love with Jackson Brodie! What a fabulous book! And three more to read too! Utter bliss...

Buffalo Gals & Other Animal Presences By Ursula K. LeGuin 16/07/2011

This, I admit, is a reread. LeGuin is one of my favourite authors and I return to her books often. This is short stories and poems with an animal theme to them. I really like the title story with the slatternly Coyote as a lovely foster mother but My favourite is 'The Wife's Tale' with a view of weres very different from the usual. Not only will I keep this but I have purchased a hard back to go with my paperback 'reading copy'.

The Incomer by Margaret Elphinstone 13/07/2011

My copy of this was published by the Women's Press SF imprint. I'm not entirely sure how you would class it. It may well be a post apocalyptic tale of a stranger arriving in a small village. It is very beautifully written and powerful for all that the focus is so small and rustic. On the shelf and may be buying more, although she now seems to be solidly in the (Scottish) historical section of the bookshop rather than SF.

The Wealth of Nature by John Michael Greer 10/07/2011

Another look at economics for a world constrained by resource and pollution issues drawing on the wisdom of Schumacher and Gandhi and pointing out the fantasy inherent in modern economic theories. Interesting and well written. It will bear rereading.

Heartless by Gail Carriger 05/07/2011

The fourth Alexia Tarabotti novel. Julian Headlong told me it was released and then with a certain amount of smug crowing produced his copy. Luckily he then sold it to me. This series is one of the few vampire/werewolf/ (or steampunk) books that I can read these days. There has been a surfeit. Alexia, however, is a continuing delight.

The Shores of Another Sea by Chad Oliver 30/06/2011

A quite excellent book following the life of a small family of americans in the depths of Kenya when the aliens land. We never really meet the aliens who take over the bodies of a troop of baboons. I think one of the strengths of this book is that there are no glib conclusions drawn other than that the aliens do not use the baboons any more cruelly than we do. Probably a keeper as much for the depictions of Kenya and the oppressive tension engendered than the SF content.

Nightwalk by Bob Shaw 23/6/2011

I picked this off the shelf because it was thin and I was travelling. I don't remember reading it before but it's what SF seemed to be when I was young - boundless capability and opportunities, a fabulous adventure which ends up with a huge expansion of possibilities. In these tired old days it looks marvellously optimistic. I loved it. And it was short.

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson 13/06/2011

I can't remember what prompted me to buy this. It is, among other things, about cholera, about two men changing the way the world viewed contagion, about our ability to live in cities and the vulnerabilities that result. There will be a proper review and I will mark this down as another keeper.

The Door in the Air by Margaret Mahy 9/06/2011

I bought this book to read aloud to my children many years ago; it has grown to be one of my most treasured. A book of short stories (my favourite being 'The Bridge Builder') that is varied but all good. I'm wondering whether I will ever by able to bake a cake that is a work of art with 'cherries and angelica glow[ing] like rubies and emeralds among the dark, rich crumbs'. I'd like to 'interpret the quality of cakeness and test [my] creation against traditional concepts'.

I recently found this hardback copy for sale, used, on Amazon. I think Charlotte Bishops, 1994 Christmas made a mistake getting rid of it. I'm so glad she did. My original copy is falling apart from regular rereading.

Blueheart by Alison Sinclair 8/06/2011

Another look at a fascinating 'alien' society through the eyes of some interesting characters. This is true SF based on a water world where humans have been adapted to live in the seas. Now, though, it is time for terraforming to begin and the adapted people don't want to lose their world to the unadapted humans. It took a while to get started but it was well worth persevering. A political thriller with a satisfactory realistic ending. A keeper.

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner 25/05/2011

A 'classic melodrama of manners' according to the blurb. I ordered this after reading the short 'The Man with the Knives' posted temptingly by Tor. You wouldn't guess this was fantasy other than the reviewers quoted on the cover. This is the story of Richard St Vier, master swordsman, and his lover, Alec. It takes hardly any time at all to be enthralled by the characters and fascinated by the society. I wouldn't want to live there. I'll keep this and maybe buy some more...

The Perfumier and the Stinkhorn by Richard Mabey 23/05/2011

This was an impulse buy. A slim hardback containing six elegantly written essays about nature perceived through our senses. Mabey admits to being drawn two ways, to the scientific and towards the romantic. This is a perfectly balanced book informed by both viewpoints and richer because of it. Another one to treasure.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi 29/04/2011

What an excellent book! No wonder it won both the Nebula and Hugo (jointly with The City and the City). Set in Thailand where the Kingdom is holding out against the Caloriemen and heightened sea levels this is a book giving a view into a future of fossil fuels replaced by human & animal power, raised sea levels and the horrific effects of gene manipulation as a means of both profit and warfare. Against this background the author has set a thrilling story of intrigue and politics seen from multiple viewpoints. It's taken me ages to read this because of all the other demands on my time and yet it has stayed compelling throughout. Keep.

A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer 26/03/2011

A truly splendid historical romance. Viscount Lynton finds, on his father's death that his noble family is almost penniless. Unable to pursue his lovely Julia he marries the 'common' but wealthy Jenny to save losing the family home. This is the story of how the three reconcile themselves. It's already on the shelf.

Among Others by Jo Walton 23/03/2011

Julian Headlong recommended this & I am very grateful. More in Journey Planet. Not only a keeper but a buy multiple copies and give to all my female fannish friends sort of book. Wow!

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 19/03/2011

Another reread. A book about parties, a book about life, a book rich with sea life and sacred music. I love this book and will continue to keep and reread. More comments in the main blog.

Dune by Frank Herbert 08/03/2011

Reread of a classic. I remember this as a mindblowing book (in my teenage years) and it still holds up pretty well. A classic villain (Baron Harkonnen), a classic conspiracy (the Bene Gesserit quest for the Kwisatz Haderach) and a classic young-man-discovers-he-is-special-and-has-a-destiny story. The background of the desert planet is the star although I wished to know Duke Leto better. I've kept it for over 30 years. Still a keeper.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingslover 21/02/2011

A completely delightful book based around three strong characters, one with a farm, one living and working on a nature reserve, one grouchy old guy working to retrieve the American Chestnut from disease. This is a book rich in sex, ecology and bugs. There couldn't have been a better way to spend the tail end of my awful cold although I could have done without reading most of the night to finish it. Keeper!

Though Smoke Shall Hide the Sun by Brit Mandelo 20/02/2011

A short story from Tor.com. Quite an interesting story as a teaser but I'm getting very tired of macho females/vampires and probably wouldn't buy a novel. I might look for the name at the library. These free short stories have worked in the past to make me buy the author's books which is, of course, the point.

Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold 18/02/2011

This is not a new book. It arrived through my postbox in 2003 and is falling apart. I've read and reread it and will probably continue to do so. I get tired of the callow youth who finds (s)he's talented beyond expectations and goes on to win fortune and fame. This is the antidote - one of the few books where a middle-aged woman breaks through the meaningless social strictures, and is seen to be competent and worthy of respect. My favourite comfort book, read this time because I felt so ill (just a cold) and needed cheering up. Oh, and the Bastard is my all time favourite god.

Thinking in Systems by Donella H Meadows 17/02/2011

I came across this book on an IT site via Ran Prieur and bought it on the basis of a precis of chapter 6; Leverage points - places to intervene in a system. This is a fascinating short book about systems and not only is it a keeper, it's a read again and try to embed the ideas RSN book. There may be a review in the mid-future.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 13/02/2011

Apparently there is a film but I will definitely avoid it. This is a story of two people coming together over vast distance, both in terms of culture and miles. The writing is exquisite, redolent with the beauty and loneliness of the natural world and the fragility of life. It also serves as a strong anti-war book. Another keeper.

Weeds by Richard Mabey 7/02/2011

Another keeper even though I borrowed it from the library. A review will be up soon.

Moonfall by Stephen Baxter 17/01/2011
A keeper mainly for rainfall on the moon and despite the total destruction of Edinburgh - Very Bad Stephen!