<–The State of the Reader: 3/28/18 The State of the Reader: 4/25/18–>
A weekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list. Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me! I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.
Books Purchased: 2
- Corsets and Cogs: A Steampunk Fiction Collection by Various Authors – $0.99 @ Amazon
- The Prose Edda by Snorri Sturlson – $0.99 @ Amazon
Books Finished: 0
Currently Reading: 4
Title: Preludes &Nocturnes
Series Title: The Sandman
Author: Neil Gaiman
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: April 5. 2018
Media: Paperback (Library)
Progress: 23%
A bunch of mystics attempt to summon and trap Death, but wind up with his younger brother Sleep or rather the titular Sandman. In caging him for 70 or so years, they screw up numerous peoples’ lives as well as endangering their own. It’s really hard to ignore that the Sandman looks a hell of a lot like the author. I don’t know if he’s supposed to be an Author Avatar or self-insert. Either way, I’m enjoying it so far. The character I most sympathize with is one of the ones affected by the occultists’ actions, a woman who’s been asleep the entire time. She was raped and impregnated without even knowing about it (so a Sleeping Beauty motif), giving birth to a daughter (so a Kill Bill motif). Really curious to find out what happens to her.
Title: The Habitation of the Blessed
Series Title: A Dirge for Prester John
Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Date Added: September 28, 2012
Date Started: March 26, 2018
Media: Paperback
Progress: 23%
This is more of a series of vignettes than one cohesive plot, but all the little stories involve the titular character’s adventures in a strange land and what he found and read there. It’s very similar to Valente’s other books (The Orphan’s Tale series) but this one involves multiple storytellers instead of just one.
Title: The Bone Doll’s Twin
Series Title: The Tamir Triad
Author: Lynn Flewelling
Date Added: June 9, 2016
Date Started: March 22, 2018
Media: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 62%
The only issue I really see with this book is how they name the months/seasons. The author decided to give them different ones from what we’d typically use, and it’s hard to keep track. Granted, you can generally tell from context so it’s not that big of a deal. I think Flewelling was attempting to make the world seem more foreign and fantastical, but I don’t think it’s used often enough with familiar connecting concepts to really stick.
Title: Dune
Series Title: Dune Chronicles
Author: Frank Herbert
Date Added: September 4, 2013
Date Started: March 6, 2018
Media: Paperback
Progress: 13%
I’m all in for this now. Herbert is definitely setting up his pieces to heighten the intrigue. I’m going to try to read two chapters a session instead of just one.
I went out to dinner with my brother, his wife, and their friends to celebrate her completing initiation for an academic sorority, so it’s a bit too late to talk too much about the kitties. I will say that every morning Cid lays on my husband’s pillow, waiting for me to wake up. Then once he sees I’m conscious (and checking my phone), he flops over it so I’m obliged to put it on top of his fluff if I’m going to continue. I’ll need to get a picture of this for next week, but here are some beautiful toe beans.
TOE BEANS!
What have you been reading lately? Have you been able to pet any cats? Comments. Discuss. Meow.
<–The State of the Reader: 3/28/18 The State of the Reader: 4/25/18–>
The Shameful Narcissist Speaks 
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The Sandman comics are one of my favorite graphic novels… in fact, they’re one of my favorite things. I agree with the whole looking like the author thing. Once you meet the character Delirium, she’s based on Tori Amos, a very good friend of Neil.
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The jury is still out on how I feel about them. I’m going to try to finish the first volume and then decide if I’m going to continue with it. It took me a while to get into Gaiman to begin with and I’m still a bit iffy on some of his work, but we shall see!
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D’aww!! Kitty. I always get to pet cats since I have two, and one of them likes to sleep on my knee while I browse the interwebz, haha.
Let’s see reading… (I need to update Goodreads). I finished Icefall (the cool book you recommended) and Saga Vol 8 (wow). Currently, I’m still reading the Goddess of Wisdom’s Dragon Age fanfiction as she releases chapters (it just keeps getting better!!), and I started reading another blogger’s fanfiction. It’s a Final Fantasy VII and Sonic crossover. It’s a really neat idea and I’m enjoying the author’s creative take on it (it’s Games with Coffee if you follow them). Tails is Cloud, Barret is a badass polar bear… It’s really fun to read 🙂
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I saw your review! I’m hoping the rest of the series maintains the same quality. I haven’t had a chance to read anymore of that Dragon Age fanfic
I’m so far behind now, not even halfway through (maybe around chapter 30).
That’s an interesting crossover. I’ve never heard of one of those before lol, but it seems like they’re doing it pretty well. Speaking of FFVII crossovers, I got a message from someone on tumblr asking if I took fanfiction requests, because they wanted me to write a Seph/Light fanfic. Errrrrrmmmm, I politely declined. I haven’t checked Twitter since yesterday, but I saw that conversation about Lightning pairings. It’s one thing to know they exist, because people can do what they want, but people who know you should know you don”t have any interest in them. I feel the same way about non-Aeriseph Sepiroth pairings…except Cloud and him, because those pictures are just lovely hehe.
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Aww, kitty toe beans are the cutest! ^__^
I am indeed petting my own little monster (er, I mean cat) right now. 😛 She keeps licking my hand as I try to type. lol
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I love/hate when you’re trying to do something and they keep pushing your hand away.
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We recently purchased this super plushy blanket and Zelda will sit there and creepily kneed it while staring us in the eyes. We call it “beanin'” (Rubbing her toe beans in it.)
“Look, she’s beanin!”
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Gah, I’m using that! I love when randomly knead stuff. I’m trying to keep mine from stealing my super fuzzy blanket. They have enough stuff.
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But they must own all the things!
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The Sandman! Looking forward to reading your take on this, since it’s years since I read it. Gaiman always did seem like a bit of a narcissist, writing to glorify himself as much as tell a story. It’s a good world to get lost in though, feeds the imagination.
Glad to know your kitty is doing what kitties do – making demands and being cute 🙂
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I’m so glad I’m not the only one who noticed that. I didn’t like him when I first started reading him, but Star Dust was decent and I liked American Gods when I gave it another try. I’m not sure how I feel about The Sandman yet. Jury’s still out :p
They’re so little and adorable.
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I need to read American Gods, shocked that I haven’t yet. Good Omens, that was good. I think him and Terry Pratchett balanced each other out – Pratchett stopped Gaiman from taking himself too seriously and Gaiman calmed Pratchett’s silliness.
Furballs! 😀
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Now that’s funny; I didn’t like Good Omens that much! I’ve tried to read it twice and I always ended up putting it aside. I love Terry Pratchett and I enjoyed Star Dust, but together just didn’t work for me. I’ve heard many people sing its praises though, and I heard rumblings that they were going to make a miniseries about it. I’d check it out because sometimes a different medium makes you look at a story a different way.
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Well, it would dull if we all liked the same things 😉 I agree with a different medium giving a new perspective, and I’m quite excited at the thought of a miniseries, although these things get talked about for years before anything happens. It must drive the people writing them nuts!
Have fun playing with the Sandman! 🙂
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My uncle recommended Dune to me, and it’s been on my want-to-read list for quite awhile, but it’s a struggle to keep up with everything!
Also, TOE BEANS! Soo cute!! 😉 My husband and I always call our cat’s toes “jelly bean toesies.” LOL!
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When I first started it, I couldn’t get into it, but now I’m really interested. There’s a lot of intrigue, assassination plots, and political machinations. I think I had problems with the writing style at first, but now that I’m past that, it’s much easier to read.
Have you noticed their entire pad looks like a teddy bear?!
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That’s good! There’s quite a few books in the series, isn’t there?
Haha yes it does look like a teddy bear! 😉 So cute!!
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I’ve heard I should stay away from Children of Dune :p I’ll probably give them a try though just to judge for myself!
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