This week I’m mostly continuing material from last week, and greatly enjoying. Digger is even better than the last time I read it. Just to quote one small bit: “The Shadowchild just… follows me around. And asks me ethical questions. Hard ethical questions.” Funny and absolutely true all at once.
When I think about it, ethics is an underlying theme in all of this week’s reading.
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:
“High Times in the Low Parliament” by Kelly Robson.
In Progress:
Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold. Audiobook.
Digger by Ursula Vernon. A massive graphic novel. Will make you laugh and cry and think.
Also:
Finished, the latest Archeology magazine, moving on to Smithsonian.
And more Nebula nominated works.
Jane Lindskold: Wednesday Wanderings 
March 17, 2023 at 3:24 am |
This week, I read Hair Raising by Kevin Anderson. Dan Shamble, Zombie PI, takes on a case involving scalped werewolves and a body parts seller. Very entertaining.
March 17, 2023 at 7:31 am |
Sounds creepy! In a good way, I mean.
March 17, 2023 at 7:10 am |
(re-posting reply because I’m not sure it worked)
2 favorite authors both came out with books this month in series I enjoy.
“The Great Gods” (Time Wars Book1) by Daniel Keys Moran. Space opera. Part of his overall series “The Continuing Time” and first in a planned 5-book arc about the Time Wars. After a 30 year break to raise a family, during which time he wrote only one novel and one short story collection in the C.T., he is now “retired” and back to writing books. Set in the year 3000 or so, this is the first novel about Camber Tremodian. While reading his other books and stories would be helpful for background, and there are easter eggs for those who do, you could probably read this one without any others.
“Backpacking through Bedlam” by Seanan McGuire. Book 12 in the InCryptid series. DO NOT start with this one. This one really relies on information from (at minimum) book 2, book 5, book 8, book 10 and book 11. And if you’ve read a bunch of the short stories, that would help, too. Also, if you’ve already read the in-the-same-universe Ghost of Sparrowhill Road seriers, that would also be helpful. Seriously.
March 17, 2023 at 7:34 am |
Sounds good. I haven’t read the InCryptid series, mostly because it seems to be horror??? Is it? I can’t do horror, even by authors (maybe especially by authors) I admire, because they are good and therefore effective.
I haven’t read the Time Wars at all. So many books left to discover!!!
March 17, 2023 at 8:47 am
InCryptid is an urban fantasy series. In the first book, the main character is a competitive ballroom dancer and a cryptozoologist from a family of cryptozoologists. She’s in New York, subletting an apartment from a sasquatch, trying to make a go of her ballroom dancing career and also studying the cryptids who live in New York (those who pass for human and those who don’t).
Usually, McGuire writes under the “Mira Grant” name when she’s writing horror.
If you do read it, you’ll love the mice. Everybody does.
March 17, 2023 at 2:59 pm
I don’t know if our library has these, but if they do, I’ll give it a try, definitely! that’s how I usually test a new to me series.