Reading Wednesday
Feb. 18th, 2015 04:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
naathMaybe I'll try this thing...
The thing I am reading at the moment is a Mecca by Ziauddin Sardar. I think I am reading this because the Economist said it was good, it is a history of Mecca... it's quite interesting, and it's certainly a different perspective on history than I am used to. Many Meccans have very similar names, which is quite confusing, but of course many Brits have very similar names too (which is only less confusing when I know who they are anyway)
The thing I most recently finished is Bending by Greta Christina, a collection of erotic stories. This was actually a)hot and b)readable, yay. Also Gulp by Mary Roach (I read these two at much the same time) which is a tour of the alimentary canal from mouth to arse, and which I read on the recommendation of Women's Hour; it was really interesting, but perhaps more chatty than I like my pop-sci.
Next. Er, not sure. Maybe Dance 'til Dawn by Genevievie Griffin, which was mentioned on Mary Robinette Kowal's blog; or maybe a History of Crusade through Arab Eyes, which rjk recommended (but maybe I'll leave off the history books for a bit). or maybe the Just City by Jo Walton if I can actually get ahold of it (doesn't currently seem to be published in the UK, grrr)
also this meme (nicked off liv)
What was the last sf/f/h book you finished reading?
Half a Crown, by Jo Walton; which is volume 3 of the Small Change Trilogy. It's alt-history (and so probably not "really" sff; but Jo is an sff writer in my head), and I found it compulsively readable (I read the whole trilogy very quickly)
What was the last sf/f/h book you did not finish reading?
I rarely give up on books without finishing them (I always want to know what happens!). Looks like I put "the other half of the sky" down half way through, but it's a short story collection, not a novel.
What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you liked but most people didn’t?
I don't pay attention enough to what other people like... perhaps the Wheel of Time, which I like a whole lot of a lot and lots of people hate, but it's some time since I read it.
What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you disliked?
A Stranger in Olondria, by Sofia Samatar is the most recent novel that I read and didn't much like. I found the prose just... really hard to read. I don't know why really. I'm bad at writing reviews, clearly.
How long do your 1-sitting reading sessions usually last?
Lunch. So about an hour.
What are you currently reading?
Mecca
Do you like it so far?
Pretty much.
How long ago did you buy the book you are currently reading?
erm. November last year (says Calibre)
What was the last physical sf/f/h book you bought?
the most recent Terry Pratchett, because I have a collection. I'm trying to give up buying physical copies of novels.
What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you like to read the most?
I like lots of things ;-p I like the whatever-it-is that Jo Walton does so well, which is often almost-but-not-quite sff and hard to put in boxes. And I really like really really long form fantasy, because you can get totally stuck into it, and learn loads of stuff about the world. But I also really like short stories, especially if there is a puzzle or a joke (Asimov excelled at that sort of thing).
What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you dislike the most and why?
I don't like the sort of horror that is all suspense and scaryness, because I don't much like spending an entire novel being scared of the monsters.
What is your favorite electronic reading device?
I don't really have big opinions about "best" ebook devices; I prefer eink screens for reading lots on. I like my Kobo mostly but I dislike that you can't sort your library by "% read" even though it displays that so it must know it! Very irritating, I have to maintain an "unread" tag or things would get lost.
What was the last sf/f/h eBook you bought?
Dance 'til Dawn.
Do you read books exclusively in 1 format (physical/electronic)?
No, but I read novels *almost* exclusively in ebook form. Less to carry (I like fat fantasy epics...) and less house space taken up.
Do you read eBooks exclusively on a single device?
No, but almost exclusively on my Kobo. I do sometimes read on my phone, but I don't like it as much because it isn't eink.
The thing I am reading at the moment is a Mecca by Ziauddin Sardar. I think I am reading this because the Economist said it was good, it is a history of Mecca... it's quite interesting, and it's certainly a different perspective on history than I am used to. Many Meccans have very similar names, which is quite confusing, but of course many Brits have very similar names too (which is only less confusing when I know who they are anyway)
The thing I most recently finished is Bending by Greta Christina, a collection of erotic stories. This was actually a)hot and b)readable, yay. Also Gulp by Mary Roach (I read these two at much the same time) which is a tour of the alimentary canal from mouth to arse, and which I read on the recommendation of Women's Hour; it was really interesting, but perhaps more chatty than I like my pop-sci.
Next. Er, not sure. Maybe Dance 'til Dawn by Genevievie Griffin, which was mentioned on Mary Robinette Kowal's blog; or maybe a History of Crusade through Arab Eyes, which rjk recommended (but maybe I'll leave off the history books for a bit). or maybe the Just City by Jo Walton if I can actually get ahold of it (doesn't currently seem to be published in the UK, grrr)
also this meme (nicked off liv)
What was the last sf/f/h book you finished reading?
Half a Crown, by Jo Walton; which is volume 3 of the Small Change Trilogy. It's alt-history (and so probably not "really" sff; but Jo is an sff writer in my head), and I found it compulsively readable (I read the whole trilogy very quickly)
What was the last sf/f/h book you did not finish reading?
I rarely give up on books without finishing them (I always want to know what happens!). Looks like I put "the other half of the sky" down half way through, but it's a short story collection, not a novel.
What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you liked but most people didn’t?
I don't pay attention enough to what other people like... perhaps the Wheel of Time, which I like a whole lot of a lot and lots of people hate, but it's some time since I read it.
What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you disliked?
A Stranger in Olondria, by Sofia Samatar is the most recent novel that I read and didn't much like. I found the prose just... really hard to read. I don't know why really. I'm bad at writing reviews, clearly.
How long do your 1-sitting reading sessions usually last?
Lunch. So about an hour.
What are you currently reading?
Mecca
Do you like it so far?
Pretty much.
How long ago did you buy the book you are currently reading?
erm. November last year (says Calibre)
What was the last physical sf/f/h book you bought?
the most recent Terry Pratchett, because I have a collection. I'm trying to give up buying physical copies of novels.
What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you like to read the most?
I like lots of things ;-p I like the whatever-it-is that Jo Walton does so well, which is often almost-but-not-quite sff and hard to put in boxes. And I really like really really long form fantasy, because you can get totally stuck into it, and learn loads of stuff about the world. But I also really like short stories, especially if there is a puzzle or a joke (Asimov excelled at that sort of thing).
What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you dislike the most and why?
I don't like the sort of horror that is all suspense and scaryness, because I don't much like spending an entire novel being scared of the monsters.
What is your favorite electronic reading device?
I don't really have big opinions about "best" ebook devices; I prefer eink screens for reading lots on. I like my Kobo mostly but I dislike that you can't sort your library by "% read" even though it displays that so it must know it! Very irritating, I have to maintain an "unread" tag or things would get lost.
What was the last sf/f/h eBook you bought?
Dance 'til Dawn.
Do you read books exclusively in 1 format (physical/electronic)?
No, but I read novels *almost* exclusively in ebook form. Less to carry (I like fat fantasy epics...) and less house space taken up.
Do you read eBooks exclusively on a single device?
No, but almost exclusively on my Kobo. I do sometimes read on my phone, but I don't like it as much because it isn't eink.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-02-18 05:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-02-18 05:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-02-23 05:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2015-02-24 10:48 am (UTC)