Books

[Kathy Li]

So, was at a Terry Pratchett signing last night, and he talked about the latest two books he'd written (both slated for publication next year), Going Postal and A Hatful of Sky and just wanted to let folk know that Hatful is a Tiffany Aching book, where she's apparently learning how to be a witch from Granny Weatherwax. And there's a lovely scene with bees.

[Birdhead]

*gasp* Happiness! Did he say anything about Going Postal? Tiffany Aching. Excellent. And we haven't heard from the witches for ages, either... nice!
Cheers.
T

Tuibird in Aotearoa
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Spelling Freak and Typo Queen

[Kathy Li]

Bits and bobs, but nothing really about what it was about or who was in it. Comments like, yes, in the UK they know what the term means. It's kind of funny, but thinking back on it, he said realatively little about the book the signing was ostensibly for (Monstrous Regiment).

[Birdhead]

I can't remember, but I'm pretty sure I haven't mentioned my impressions of STEKR and S&D. So, here does...

My "basic summary" of STEKR: CSI for fantasy addicts. Hah! Well, not really, but that's one aspect of it that I found really appealing and really enjoyed. I liked Lee (but ooh, boy, much Lee-confusion going on, there...) but I particularly liked her partner, whose naem I have forgotten how to spell and am not going to try. I really liked this...

...but I liked S&D much better. This reminded me exactly how much of an epic fantasy girl I am at heart. A while ago I used to read a _lot_ of epic fantasy (Good, bad and mediocre. Mostly mediocre. Edddings, Kay, Goodkind, Jordan, Rawn...) but just lately I've been reading other stuff- stuff I've really enjoyed (YA fiction, Gibson, Gaiman, Pratchett...) but reading The Sword and the Dragon,, I realised how much I _missed_ epic fantasy. And, a bonus, this stuff wasn't predictable. It was fresh and it was interesting and I loved it. I liked Fire more than the second one, because I liked Herewiss better than Segnbora. There was some familiar stuff (occasional mentions of entropy, and the verb stiho was somehow very familiar... ) I liked ... Lang, I think his name was (Lucy stole it, so I haven't re-read it yet.) I liked a lot of the detail, the incidental scenes, particularly at the beginning- Herewiss's dad and son; the scene with the girl at the inn.
In a nutshell: loved it. *sigh* So, when's the next one? *ducks*

Oh, yeah. What adult content was that again? (No, I don't count one reasonably mild scene.. I have read a lot, lot, lot worse in the YA division... A very good handling of that particular scene, though.)
T

Tuibird in Aotearoa
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Spelling Freak and Typo Queen

[Kathy Li]

I'm probably with you on liking the Tale of the Five better than Stealing the Elf-King's Roses, but that's probably a mere fact of years and waiting and volume. I've been reading the Door books since they first came out, so it's been well over 20 years for me to re-read them and memorize them and love them. By contrast, Roses has been out for less than a year.

But I also have to say that Roses was a beautiful surprise and a joy to read. As I said at the time, much as I love the YW books, it was just swell to have an "adult" DD to read. And with police/court-procedural elements in it. Gosh-golly.

On liking Dusty more than 'Berend, however, I'm not with you. She's my favorite of the Five, and I can't wait to see (rot13 Door into Sunset spoiler) jung ure/Unfnv'f naq Serrybea'f onol vf tbvat gb or yvxr. But the really fun thing is you are now equipped to get an injoke in SYWtBaW. Go back, now, and check out the name of the author on Nita's Manual.

The "next" one was published in 1992. We're just waiting for the fourth book . The series runs: Door Into Fire (1979), Door Into Shadow (1985), Door Into Sunset (1992), and Door Into Starlight (2004?). The Sword and the Dragon was Fire and Shadow; The Lion and the Crown will be Sunset and Starlight.

But...

DD has a few other irons in the fire, including Wizards at War. Welcome to the club of those-who-sit-and-wait-for-Starlight.

[This message was edited by kli6 on 15 October 2003 at 16:19.]

[Birdhead]

Oooh! Excitement! (I have a feeling I shouldn't have read that spoiler. But it's not, like, a plot element, is it? )
I feel very privileged to join the club, but somehow don't think I'm qualified... I still haven't got my hot little hands on Sunset and since Wellington City Libraries doesn't have it, that's a clue it's unavailable in New Zealand. (Speaking of which: is there a way to find out comparative publishing dates for NZ as opposed to the States/UK dates? I should know this, but this is the only series I read apart from Discworld and The Wheel of Time that is still being published... and with Discworld dates are, praise the publishing gods, simultaneous (Monstrous Regiment is good, btw...) and my best friend finds out all the WoT dates for me. Sigh.

As for the in-joke: yeah, I knew about that...... *GRIN*
T

Tuibird in Aotearoa
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Spelling Freak and Typo Queen

[Kathy Li]

No, it's not a big plot thang.

And don't worry. You read one Door book, it counts. No idea about how to check NZ vs. other publication dates. As far as I know Sunset only had three editions: the Corgi UK (1992), the US hardcover (1993) and the US paperback (1994).

You'll just have to read DD's Trek books to fill in the wait. I'd suggest starting with My Enemy, My Ally.

[Kathy Li]

So, what's everybody reading? I'm finally down to the last two titles of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, so I've got high hopes of being done before Master and Commander hits the screens. (I've been waiting for years to read this series, and when I heard they were borrowing from all the books in the series for the movie, I wanted to finish 'em before the flick spoiled anything for me.) [NOT that I have high hopes for the film. I'm actually figuring on the Hornblowers on A&E helping me to get over my disappointment with Russell Crowe).

I'm also working my way steadily through Discworld (with a sidetrip to the Bromeliad trilogy). I'm up to Men-at-Arms, although I skipped ahead with Wee Free Men. Tui, I now get why you were so happy about Tiffany reappearing.

I also read a little of a book called Shakespeare's Shakespeare that I got for my birthday, which is all about editing Shakespeare, and I gotta say it's an absolute hoot. And for the first time, I found I actually needed my Riverside, my Oxford, and my First Folio facsimile all out on the floor in front of me, simultaneously. Usually I only need two at a time if I'm comparing stuff.

[Aurora]

I haven't been reading a lot these days, actually.

I finished something by Stephen King last week. Carrie. Pretty good.

Reading Pride and Prejudice right now because a teacher I respect asked me to.

Kitsune Rei~In love and hating it~

[Kathy Li]

Austen's great fun, but, while I do love P&P, I've always preferred Persuasion. I like the setup in Persuasion more (a couple that broke up 8 years ago meets again), as well as all the naval stuff that leaks in and the setting of Bath. And there's nothing to beat the concert scene and Wentworth's letter.

[Birdhead]

What _am_ I reading? Lord, I can't remember. I re-read Abroad yesterday, but I hvae a feeling you're really enquiring after new stuff...

OK, the latest new thing I think I read was *blush* the Tad Williams sotry in the new (look ye, NEW) Legends. (Others: it's a good collection, or that one story was and the original collection I liked a lot... great Pratchett story) Oh, and I'm reading Ca va, but that's a French Learnign Magazine (groan) so not really very interesting... oh, I'm half-way through Gibson's Neuromancer and enjoying it, though I'm taking a break from it at the moment due to headachy feelings; I read Robin Klein's absolutely hilarious Hating Alison Ashley (recommended, especially if you're a girl of aroung 1-15 but other ages too... I somehow feel it's not a guy book. Anyway, IIRC RK is an AUssie so it may not be available.) Oh, and next up on my list of "Science Books to Improve Me Muchly" is Bill Bryson's A Brief History of Nearly Everything. However I suspect that, along with everything else of real substance, will have to hold off till after The Dreaded Exams... Shame.
T

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
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[Rysade]

Neuromancer! Now that's a weird one. Gibson makes more sense with his newer stuff. When I was in french class, we had "Allons Y!"

--Dai Stihó

Bishie
'Mancer
Foam Poet
"It was a bad line and a prank call, someone spouting insane babble; I couldn't make sense of it. But I had an overwhelmeing sense of deja vu, and the caller's voice sounded oddly familiar."

[Kathy Li]

No, no doesn't have to be new stuff, rereads are fine. I mean, hell, I was talking about reading Shakespeare.

Have never read Williams or Gibson. Or Kay for that matter. You'll have to tell me if it's worth it.

[Aurora]

speaking of Shakespeare...

there's one quote from him that's driving me NUTS.

"Fate plays strange games with the hearts of men."

Now..... WHAT DID IT COME FROM???

Kitsune Rei~In love and hating it~

[papercrane]

Am reading Wyrd Sisters...good, of course. And I'd love to come up with something substantial and conducive to the continuation of this discussion, but I don't have time.
However, I do have time to collect my scattered wits enough to say this: I love Pride and Prejudice! I didn't like how they handled it in the movie all that much, but then I never do.

"That's right," he said. "We're philosophers. We think, therefore we am."
-- (Terry Pratchett, Small Gods)
*Look kindly upon the decaffienated one*
http://pub15.ezboard.com/ftimeheartf...opicID=3.topic