How to find the time?

I was lying on the floor in my son's bedroom while he went to sleep last night (long story that I think boils down to security). When this happens, I'll usually read something on my iPhone - it's small, light and provides it's own backlight meaning his bedroom light can stay off.

Not wanting to read either of my current long reads, I opened the short story Pretty Polly by Barbara Hambly, which I bought and downloaded from her website. She's releasing electonically some short stories she has written and is writing about characters from her older series that she doesn't currently have contracts to write full books for.

As someone who was developing her reading habits in the days when those early books were new, I'm delighted by this and hope it will be a long term thing. I certainly hope it's going well for her. I'm helping as best I can - buying four copies of one story last year and sending off the other three as Christmas presents surely is a good thing.

Anyway, reading about the survivours in the Keep of Dare made me realise I'd like to read the whole Darwath series if I could find the time. Hambly's Windrose Chronicles are already on this imaginary reread tbr list.

There are many books being published now that are great reads, but there are older books out there that are richly deserving of a reread as well. When you combine the two - well, that's a whole, big lot of books.

But I kind of like making lists, so here's what I'd like to reread (from the 80s and 90s mostly I think).

- The Windrose Chronicles (Barbara Hambly; 1986 - 1988 + 1992)
- Darwath Books (Barbara Hambly; 1982 - 1983 + 1996 & 1998)
- Chronicles of the Cheysuli (Jennifer Roberson; 1984 - 1992)
- Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies (Melanie Rawn; 1988 - 1993)
- Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (Tad Williams; 1988 - 1993)
- Time Master Trilogy (Louise Cooper; 1985 - 1987)
- The Fionavar Tapestry (Guy Gavriel Kay; 1984 - 1986)
- Novels of the Jaran (Kate Elliott; 1992 - 1994)
- Cycle of Fire (Janny Wurts; 1984 – 1988)

Well, I was right about the dates. All the series but the Jaran books were started in the 80s and except for the two extra Darwath books, all were finished by the early 90s. I guess that dates my personal Golden Age of Fantasy.

The problem is, where will I find the time and energy for all that rereading when there are new books I want to read as well?

Like the saying goes:

Too many books, not enough time.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
(Edited to add Cycle of Fire)

Reading orders

Do you struggle with working out what order to read a series? Especially if the books haven’t been written in sequential chronological order?

I’m currently having this problem.

I want to reread Sharon Lee and Steve Miller’s Liaden Universe books, and I have no idea what order I want to do it in.

Strict chronological order doesn’t work for me, since the first two books chronologically, Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon were written much later and I think you really need to have an appreciation of Liad and its “current” universe before going back to those two if you’re going to get the most from them.

I thought I was going to read it in publication order (something I certainly tend to prefer on a first reading) but something is stopping me. I think part of it is that the two I read first (at the suggestion of friends) weren’t published first, but I feel like they should be read first, probably because that’s the way I did it originally. When I started the series, those two were first chronologically, so it made sense to start there. But more books have been written since then which messes up my reading plan even further.

I think I’m just going to have to make up a “Kerry” order and go with that. It won’t be justifiable by any specific logic, but if it’s most comfortable for me, surely that makes it right for me? The authors themselves say that there is no set order, so I’m free to do it my way, right?

It’s starting to feel like one of those logic puzzles where you have to fit everything into place with clues. There are small groupings that go together and do have a set order, but some overlap and there’s one coming up that ends the plot lines of more than one sub group. I’m finding it surprisingly stressful, which reading shouldn’t be.

Thinking out loud…

The Parents’ Generation

1. Local Custom
2. Scout’s Progress
3. Mouse and Dragon (due June)

“Current” Books

1. Agent of Change
2. Conflict of Honors
3. Carpe Diem
4. Plan B
5. I Dare
6. Ghost Ship (due 2011)

Crystal Universe

1. Crystal Soldier
2. Crystal Dragon

Theo Waitley

1. Fledgling
2. Saltation

Stand Alones

1. Balance of Trade

That sequence doesn’t work for me, although I do like having all the mini-sequences laid out clearly. So let’s look at publication order…

Publication Order

1. Agent of Change
2. Conflict of Honors
3. Carpe Diem
4. Plan B
5. Local Custom
6. Scout’s Progress
7. I Dare
8. Balance of Trade
9. Crystal Soldier
10. Crystal Dragon
11. Fledgling
12. Saltation
13. Mouse and Dragon (due June)
14. Ghost Ship (due 2011)

While that makes a certain developmental sense, it isn’t what I want. So let’s try the next option…

Chronological Order

1. Crystal Soldier
2. Crystal Dragon
3. Balance of Trade
4. Local Custom
5. Scout’s Progress
6. Mouse and Dragon (due June)
7. Conflict of Honors
8. Fledgling
9. Saltation
10. Agent of Change
11. Carpe Diem
12. Plan B
13. I Dare
14. Ghost Ship (due 2011)

Okay, that’s looking better, but I don’t want to read those first three first. What if I move them to the bottom, take out the two Theo books since I’m reading them now and add in the short story collections? I think that leaves me with something I can work with…

Kerry’s 2010/11 Reread Plan

1. Local Custom
2. Scout’s Progress
3. Mouse and Dragon (due June)
4. Conflict of Honors
5. Agent of Change
6. Carpe Diem
7. Plan B
8. I Dare
9. Crystal Soldier
10. Crystal Dragon
11. Balance of Trade
12. Liaden Unibus I
13. Liaden Unibus II
14. Ghost Ship (due 2011)

I don’t know that this is the slightest bit of interest to anyone, beyond a look into my disordered mind, but writing it down has helped me work out what I want to do. That means it was a useful exercise.

2010 Flashback Challenge

After my health and consequently my reading imploded this year, I swore I wasn’t going to join any challenges for 2010. But…

The fact is I’m weak and tempted by shiny ideas. Aarti’s Flashback challenge is just too good to pass up. All the same, I have learned one lesson from this year and that is that realistically I have to consider challenges to be guidelines rather that hard and fast demands. If I do the latter, I stress myself to the point of taking all the fun out of it – not to mention making myself sick.

The Flashback Challenge will run from January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010. If you're super-excited and want to reread a book before that, feel free, and let me know. If many people do so, then I'll do a December challenge linky post and you can all link to it here. Otherwise, we can hold them over to January.

You can sign up for the following levels:
Bookworm - Up to three books
Scholar - Four to six books
Literati - Over six books

Within these levels, we have mini-challenges! These are:

1. Re-read a favorite book from your childhood
2. Re-read a book assigned to you in high school
3. Re-read a book you loved as an adult

Thus, if you sign up for the Bookworm level, you could ostensibly choose to read one book from each mini-challenge. Or you could choose to do none of the above (though, granted, not sure what you could have possibly read that does not fit into either childhood, high school or adulthood).

Also, would just like to make clear that this isn't specifically limited to books you loved reading previously and want to reread. It could also be a book you don't remember enjoying. Or just don't remember reading. It might be interesting to see how your perceptions may have changed.

Rather than picking a level, I’m going to sign up for the challenge in general and just see how far I get.

I always have a long list of books I wish I had the time to reread, but I never seem to manage to do it. So here come two very long lists and one very short one (I can barely remember what I read at high school and the ones I can remember I don’t wish to reread). Obviously I won’t be reading all of these, but it’s fun to have a long list of old favourites to choose from.

Potential Rereads from Childhood (up to the end of high school)

1. Wraiths of Time – Andre Norton
2. The 101 Dalmations – Dodie Smith
3. The Starlight Barking – Dodie Smith
4. The Changeling Sea – Patricia A. McKillip
5. The Riddle-Master of Hed – Patricia A. McKillip
6. Children of Morrow – H. M. Hoover
7. Children of the Dust – Louise Lawrence
8. The Chrysalids – John Wyndham
9. Trouble with Lichen – John Wyndham
10. Beauty – Robin McKinley
11. The Blue Sword – Robin McKinley
12. The Hero and the Crown – Robin McKinley
13. Magic Flutes – Eva Ibbotson
14. Restoree – Anne McCaffrey
15. The Blue Castle – L. M. Montgomery
16. Barrayar - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in November)
17. The Warriors Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in November)
18. The Vor Game - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in November)
19. Cetaganda - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in December)
20. Ethan of Athos - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in December)
21. Brothers in Arms - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in December)
22. Mirror Dance - Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in January)
23. A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle (reread in January)
24. A Wind in the Door – Madeleine L’Engle (reread in February)
25. A Swiftly Tilting Planet – Madeleine L’Engle (reread in March)
26. Many Waters – Madeleine L’Engle
27. An Acceptable Time – Madeleine L’Engle
28. The Ring of Allaire – Susan Dexter
29. Can I Get There by Candlelight – Jean Slaughter Doty
30. The People Collection – Zenna Henderson
31. A Walk Out of the World – Ruth Nichols
32. The Outlaws of Sherwood – Robin McKinley
33. The Thirteen Problems – Agatha Christie
34. Jaran – Kate Elliott
35. The Gate of Ivory – Doris Egan
36. The Outcast – Louise Cooper
37. Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls – Jane Lindskold
38. Last Act – Jane Aiken Hodge
39. Fool’s Run – Patricia A. McKillip
40. Tea with the Black Dragon – R. A. MacAvoy
41. Shapechangers – Jennifer Roberson
42. Daddy-Long-Legs - Jean Webster

Potential Rereads from High School (assigned books)

1. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier
2. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Potential Rereads from Adulthood (after high school)

1. Primary Inversion – Catherine Asaro
2. Daughter of the Blood – Anne Bishop (reread in December)
3. Heir to the Shadows – Anne Bishop (reread in December)
4. Queen of the Darkness – Anne Bishop (reread in December)
5. Dreams Made Flesh - Anne Bishop
6. Moon Called – Patricia Briggs
7. Memory – Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in March)
8. Komarr – Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in March)
9. A Civil Campaign – Lois McMaster Bujold (reread in April)
10. Diplomatic Immunity – Lois McMaster Bujold
11. The Compass Rose – Gail Dayton (reread in January)
12. The Barbed Rose - Gail Dayton (reread in January)
13. Agent of Change – Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
14. Slave to Sensation – Nalini Singh
15. Alien Taste – Wen Spencer
16. Endless Blue – Wen Spencer
17. Persuasion – Jane Austen
18. Changer – Jane Lindskold
19. Lord of the Fading Lands – C. L. Wilson
20. New Moon – Midori Snyder
21. The Heavenly Horse form the Outermost West – Mary Stanton
22. Firebird – Kathy Tyers
23. Stone of Farewell – Tad Williams
24. The Summer Tree – Guy Gavriel Kay
25. The Last Dancer – Daniel Keys Moran
26. The Mirror of Her Dreams – Stephen Donaldson

Those lists are subject to my vague memory of when I read things, but they are probably not wildly inaccurate. Obviously I read a lot more when I was in high school (and some of those titles in the first list may have been read when I was at university; I can’t exactly remember and I’m much too lazy to check copyright dates). Or perhaps, it’s just longer ago and more reason I want to reread them. Or that all that “childhood” reading was done before I developed CFS. Anyway, it’s an interesting history of my reading life and I hope I manage to reread some of them.

ETA: I have set up my list for this challenge and you can find it here.
ETA: List updated 26-3-10

Books I Want to Reread, Part 2

Beauty by Robin McKinley

I'll always stop and look at fairy tale retellings, even if I don't necessarily read them. McKinley's Beauty is a version of Beauty and the Beast, told in delightful, spare but beautiful prose. Like many of the books on the list, I first read this many years ago and I've never taken the time to go back to it. (I don't have the pretty cover shown on my copy, but I can't find a picture of my cover on the 'net and I think this one is very nice, so I've used it instead.)

It's full of lovely moments and little twists on the classic tale that enhance McKinley's version rather than distracting from it. Beauty's real name turns out to be Honor, but when the concept of honour was explained to her when she was a girl, her reaction was to grumble, "I'd rather be a beauty" and the name stuck.

When living with the beast, Beauty discovers his library, which turns out to hold all the books ever written, even if they actually haven't been yet. As Beauty falls into the magic of the place she begins to see these extra books and reads them too, even if she doesn't always fully understand the content. What booklover isn't going to be entranced by the idea of such a library.

This is indeed a fairy tale, with a light and lovely touch and I hope I find time to reread it.

McKinley later wrote another version of Beauty and the Beast called Rose Daughter, which is a much more complicated and layered tale than this one. I never managed to finish it and I much perfer the light, gentle touch of this book. But of course, that's just me and others may not agree.

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Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm

This is yet anothger long ago read, of which I only remember basic details. But like the other books on this list, it left a good impression on me and I'd like to go back to it and see if it holds up.

The cover shown here is from the Gollancz SF Masterworks edition, which shows this is not a new book. It was originally published in 1975. It is an apocalyptic tale about one family's attempts to save itself as human fertility goes into decline and the population begins to fail. It's a book about cloning, still firmly in the realm of science fiction for all by some cutting-edge researchers back in 1975 and does what SF is supposed do - looks at the possibilites inherent in current research and the dangers that might arise.

I don't remember all the details, but one line has stuck with me, from near the end (or possibly the very end) of the book where a character looks down on his community and relects on the wonder of it that "the children were all different".

Something about this book haunted me - and I suspect that at the age I read it, a lot of it went over my head - so I want to go back to it and see what I can discover in it as the person I am now and from the perspective of middle age and parenthood.

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Alien Taste in the Ukiah Oregon series by Wen Spencer (followed by the rest of the series)

For a change, not an old book but still a relatively recent one. Alien Taste was published in 2001 and so far has been followed by another three books. I have no idea if Spencer plans to write any more about Ukiah, but I hope she does at some point.

In this book I found something rare - a completely new idea (at least to me - if it has been done somewhere else, I haven't read it) - and that was part of its appeal. Oh, the basic premise isn't so new, but some of Spencer's applications - the blood mice in particular - were new and clever. And Ukiah is just such a cool character.

The reasons for wanting to reread this time are just that simple. I liked the books, I loved the main character and I'd like to go off adventuring with him again.

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The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

A children's book this time, and while I don't remember exactly when I read it, I suspect I was in the target age group, if at the higher end. Another fairy tale kind of book about orphaned Maria who goes to live in this big old house and gets caught up in a mystery about the history of the house and family. I remember the plot twist, that I think I figured out even when I first read it, but that was okay as it was set up for you to do so if you were paying attention.

I remember the tone as being lovely and not talking down to children who read it - the magic of a children's book that adults can go back and enjoy later. Which is what I want to do.

I remember it as a magical book and I hope it still will be all these years later. I've seen adult bloggers reviewing it and having enoyed it and it is still in print after first being published in 1946, so those are all encourage signs that it will stand the test of time.

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Touch Not the Cat by Mary Stewart

Another old book, but an adult one this time. Mary Stewart wrote modern novels with a mystery and a bit of romance, all with a gothic air, primarily between 1955 and 1975. I've read a lot of them over the years (favourites being The Ivy Tree, Airs Above the Ground and Nine Coaches Waiting) and while this one fits the basic pattern, I always felt it was a little on the different side as well.

It has a touch of the mystic - a psychic heroine who is in touch mentally with one of her cousins but doesn't know which - and a mention of New Zealand, both things to catch my attention.

And while The Ivy Tree will probably remain my favourite Mary Stewart, for some reason this is the one I want to reread.

Books I Want to Reread, Part 1

Emerald Eyes in the Continuing Time series (followed by the rest of the series) - Daniel Keys Moran

Since it was Daniel Keys Moran who started prompted this wild idea, let's start there. A certain friend who has lead me into bibliophilic ruin before today, introduced me to DKM. He started a science fiction series back in the late 1980s called The Continuing Time, which promised to be long, detailed and fascinating. However, only three books were published which quickly became very hard to find. I read the two of these my friend owned, Emerald Eyes and The Last Dancer and was quickly dragged into the story. Then DMK seemed to vanish from sight, there were never any more books and the novels that were already hard to find became scarce and collectible. I never got my hands on any of them - my friend did get hold of the third one, the hardest to track down, but she paid quite a lot for it and I never liked to ask to borrow it.

Now, DKM has reappeared, put up the books for download (I grabbed everything he has up last night) and is talking about producing at least the next book. Of course, all this says nothing about the books themselves, which are hard to describe, so I've borrowed a very, very short summary from a Daniel Keys Moran fan site.

Emerald Eyes, Bantam Books, 1987; (ISBN 0-553-27347-7).
The first Continuing Time novel. It covers the period from about 2030 through 2062, and focuses on the creation and destruction of the Castanaveras telepaths.

The Long Run, Bantam Books, 1989; (ISBN 0-553-28144-5).
The second Continuing Time novel. It follows the exploits of Trent Castanaveras, called the Uncatchable, whom we first met in Emerald Eyes. The time period is 2069 through 2070.

The Last Dancer, Bantam Books, 1993; (ISBN 0-553-56249-5).
The third Continuing Time novel. This book is probably the hardest to summarize - it describes the experiences of Denice Castanaveras (who also appeared in Emerald Eyes and The Long Run) from the years 2072-2076, and the Tricentennial Revolution, but there is a long flashback which takes place in the years 48,800 B.C. to 35,000 B.C., which is in some ways necessary to understand what is happening to Denice in the 2070's.

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Blood Trail in the Vicki Nelson series (followed by the rest of the series) - Tanya Huff

When Blood Ties came on the TV, I was inspired to reread Blood Price, the first book in the series on which the show was based. I gave that reread a 9/10 grade and described it as:

A story that stands up beautifully even 15 years after it was written. I thoroughly enjoyed this reread and may have to go on with rereading the rest of the series now. My only problem was that I kept expecting the characters to pull out cell phones and they all didn't have them.

The series stars Vicki Nelson, an ex-homicide detective who is now a private investigator after night blindness forced her out of the police force. She remains in contact with her ex-partner, Detective Mike Celluci and in the course of the first book, meets Henry Fitzroy, the bastard son of Henry VIII and a vampire. (In the novels, Henry makes a living writing "bodice rippers"; in the TV show they've updated that to writing and illustrating graphic novels.)

Each book features a classic "monster" and tells a story around that premise - demons (and vampires) in Blood Price, werewolves in Blood Trail, mummies in Blood Lines, Frankenstein's monster in Blood Pact and I can't remember what it is in the last one, Blood Debt. There is also the issue of Vicki's attraction to both Mike and Henry, both of whom love/come to love her in return. It is neatly and well-resolved by the end of the series and I certainly can't complain about Huff's final conclusion to the triangle.

After Blood Price stood the test of time so nicely - and it takes me so long to fit in rereads that most of these books will indeed be facing the "how does it stand up over time" test - I am looking forward to fitting in the rest of the series somewhere, starting with Blood Trail.

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Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls by Jane Lindskold

This is a book that I first read a long time ago (many of the books on the list will be). It was loaned to me by a friend and was the first Jane Lindskold I ever read - I've read more since then and another two will appear on this list later. In all honesty, I don't remember a lot of the details about it, just a sense of wonder and a kind of delightful weirdness that goes with the beautifully evocative title.

Sarah has grown up in a mental instution, but is released due to cutbacks and left to fend for herself. Unable to communicate normally, she falls in with a street gang and slowly finds a place for herself. Accompanied by her two-headed stuffed dragon, to whom she talks - and who may just talk back to her - she begins to make her way in the world and learn unexpected truths about herself and her abilities (or lack thereof).

At least, that's as best as I can remember it, helped along by the blurb on Fantastic Fiction (the link shows the nice new cover of the rerelease, although I have a soft spot for my cover). I read it a long time ago and want to find out if that sense of wonder I remember was real - and if I can recapture it.

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The Gate of Ivory in the Ivory series by Doris Egan (followed by rest of the series)

Again, books I read a long time ago, this is the first of three books about Theodora of Pyrene and her adventures on the planet Ivory. There is a lovely blend of science fiction and fantasy in these books, something that I love when it is done well.

Theodora finds herself stranded on Ivory when (I think) her spaceship leaves without her and she is unable to get home. Also unable to get help from her consulate, she finds herself needing to find a way to feed herself. Ivory is a strange planet, especially from an off-world perspective, because magic works there. And Theodora finds herself with an unexpected talent at reading cards. She finds herself caught up in the fortunes of an Ivory native and things spiral out of control from there.

Doris Egan wrote three Ivory books (The Gate of Ivory, Two-Bit Heroes and Guilt-Edged Ivory)and would have been happy to write more about Theodora and Ran, but this wasn't what publishers were wanting to publish, leaving fans unhappy and Egan going on to write and do other things. That leaves me with books to reread since there aren't any new ones. The problem is that I'll probably eventually get to the end and find myself lamenting the lack of more books all over again.

I love the SF/fantasy blend and Theodora, who finds herself doing things she doesn't really even believe in, is a lovely character. There's a nice, light quirkiness to these books as I recall and they were a lot of fun with a good dose of culture-shock and a little bit of crazy thrown in to spice up the mix.

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Song for the Basilisk by Patricia McKillip

This is my second-favourite book by Patricia McKillip (and yes, the first-favourite will show up on the list too, along with about three others). It was the first I bought in hardcover - I saw it on a bookseller's table at a convention actually, and it was so beautiful, with its small size and Kinuko Y. Craft cover that I snapped it up and went back to my room to caress it (okay, that didn't come out exactly as I intended).

I generally love McKillip. She writes strange, magical stories in strange and magical places. Her prose is generally beautiful, although sometimes it can be a bit too opaque and the reader is never sure if something is action, metaphor or dream. Some of her books I've never managed to finish because of that, but Song for the Basilisk is definitely not one of those.

It has all the requirements for a high fantasy, with a deposed line of princes, a villain who is partially sympathetic (and who has a daughter who is, while still being an adversary), a young boy grown into a man, music that can be magic, and a quest for restoration and revenge (not necessarily in that order).

I remember moments in this book more than lots of details, but they were imprinted on my mind, especially the images of dead ashes in a hearth that (if I recall correctly) are used at the beginning and end. I got lost in this book, and I'm hoping I'll be able to do so again.