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Ok, keeping this thing up to date has not been working for me. Why? Because most of my thoughts are either way abstruse and too dull for the internet, or private. And gushy relationship stuff is boring. So my new thought is to keep a running record of "stuff I read today."
Today's reading:
Moon, Elizabeth. Remnant Population.
This is the only Elizabeth Moon novel I had not yet read. I enjoyed it, though I had trouble getting into it at first. It reminded me of Joanna Russ's "we who are about to die" and several stories by James Triptree Jr. aka Alice Sheldon. Especially her famous story "The women men don't see" about a woman and her daughter choosing to leave earth with unknown aliens on the theory that anything would be better.
Remnant Population made me think that feminism has really moved us forward since the Russ and Tiptree stories were written. Those stories were very fatalistic, positing a negative position for women that could be defined and objected to but not overcome. In the Moon story, the negative ways in which society treats women are contrasted to other possible outcomes which the story chooses to embrace. It's subtle stuff like that of which the victories of feminism are made.
Dunn and Mersky. Legal Research Illustrated.
This is homework. Just a couple pages I had to skim.
Jones, Diana Wynne. Conrad's Fate.
This is the fifth Chrestomanci book. I'd read it before, but just finished rereading it. I love all of her characters. One of those writers whose books make you think "I'd like to live in the worlds of these stories, life is *fun* there".
De Lint, Charles. The Blue Girl.
Just started this while thinking about what to eat for dinner. I'm always suprised how well Charles De Lint manages to update his "Newford" city over time, so that its various subcultures always sound relevant. So many urban fairy tale authors quickly become dated, stuck in an obviously 70s, 80s, or 90s subcultural world. I first read Newford stories in the early 90s, and 10+ years later the new stories still feel fresh.
Hrm. That's all for today. dinner calls.
Today's reading:
Moon, Elizabeth. Remnant Population.
This is the only Elizabeth Moon novel I had not yet read. I enjoyed it, though I had trouble getting into it at first. It reminded me of Joanna Russ's "we who are about to die" and several stories by James Triptree Jr. aka Alice Sheldon. Especially her famous story "The women men don't see" about a woman and her daughter choosing to leave earth with unknown aliens on the theory that anything would be better.
Remnant Population made me think that feminism has really moved us forward since the Russ and Tiptree stories were written. Those stories were very fatalistic, positing a negative position for women that could be defined and objected to but not overcome. In the Moon story, the negative ways in which society treats women are contrasted to other possible outcomes which the story chooses to embrace. It's subtle stuff like that of which the victories of feminism are made.
Dunn and Mersky. Legal Research Illustrated.
This is homework. Just a couple pages I had to skim.
Jones, Diana Wynne. Conrad's Fate.
This is the fifth Chrestomanci book. I'd read it before, but just finished rereading it. I love all of her characters. One of those writers whose books make you think "I'd like to live in the worlds of these stories, life is *fun* there".
De Lint, Charles. The Blue Girl.
Just started this while thinking about what to eat for dinner. I'm always suprised how well Charles De Lint manages to update his "Newford" city over time, so that its various subcultures always sound relevant. So many urban fairy tale authors quickly become dated, stuck in an obviously 70s, 80s, or 90s subcultural world. I first read Newford stories in the early 90s, and 10+ years later the new stories still feel fresh.
Hrm. That's all for today. dinner calls.
