I wasn’t April Fooling you when I said that the official release date for Aurora Borealis Bridge, print edition, had been set back to April 12th, due to problems at the printer. (The e-book version should be available as of April 5th.) However, my author’s copies arrived this week, so it’s possible some brick-and-mortar stores may have their copies sooner.
And, for those of you in New Mexico, remember, I’m presenting tonight at the ASFS meeting. I invite questions, will be reading from Library of the Sapphire Wind, and I even have a few nifty things to give away.
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in. And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading.
Completed:
Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark. Audiobook. Enjoyed. A good plot, a rich setting, characters I was absolutely rooting for all the way.
The Broken Vase by Rex Stout. A non-Nero Wolfe mystery. Despite one element I absolutely could not believe, I enjoyed this.
DreamForge Anvil, issue 7. A variety of looks at the question of what is the meaning of a life.
In Progress:
Juniper Wiles and the Ghost Girls by Charles De Lint. ARC. So far, very hard to put down.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. Recommended by a friend. Halfway.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. Audiobook. Just started.
Also:
American Archeology Magazine, an earlier issue I somehow missed finishing.
Jane Lindskold: Wednesday Wanderings 
April 1, 2022 at 5:18 am |
I had a good reading week. First, I read The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune. I liked the cover and that made me want to see what the book was about. The Government decided magical people needed to be registered and any magical children needed to be places in special orphanages. The protagonist was a government inspector who visits the orphanages. I had feelings for the characters and the plot keep me engaged. I intend to look for more works by this author.
Second was A Call to Arms (Honorverse: Manticore Ascendant #2) by David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope. This novel has many of the same characters as the first Manticore novel, including
Lt. Travis Long. The political battle over funding for the Royal Manticoran Navy produces some ugly fruit when mercenaries invade the Star Kingdom. Very exciting. Looking forward to the next book.
The Grand Finale was LIBRARY OF THE SAPPHIRE WIND! I had been saving this for a special treat and it was worth the wait. It was refreshing to have three main characters who were mature women. They didn’t have any special powers, other than being smart, observant and well read. The young people they were helping were realistic. Their attitudes, secretiveness, and family battles are common to young people everywhere. Yes, there was a cliff hanger, but I was prepared for it. Besides, the next book will be here in a couple of weeks. Thanks, Jane, for a fun and interesting fantasy book!
April 1, 2022 at 7:27 am |
So glad you liked LSW! I liked The House in the Cerulean Sea; somewhat predictable, but warm, and I loved the would-be-bellhop SO much.
April 1, 2022 at 5:20 am |
I read Robbins a couple years ago. I still have five of his books on my shelves. Enjoy!
April 1, 2022 at 7:27 am |
Glad to hear that, and to hear from you. Hope you are well!
April 3, 2022 at 11:27 am |
Plugging away at any number of things this week, but nothing except a couple of journal articles finished.
However, I did get caught up – again! – on Wot i red. Alan, if you’re listening: your remark about the paucity of Korean War literature immediately brought The Bridges at Toko Ri to mind. I should probably revisit it, since it was Required Reading in high school, which tends to taint things with an odour of literature – and I know I dismissed some key elements as of no interest [nothing blew up, except maybe somebody’s marriage]. But not only was it rather well-regarded by people who were there, it must be quite the shortest book Mitchener ever wrote. By about 600 pages!
April 4, 2022 at 7:54 am |
Alan Robson… Did you see this?