Space Station Mir

I'm a little late with Top Ten Tuesday... 1. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin 2. The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman 3. Marriage, A History by Stephanie Coontz 4. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 5. Messenger (And Son) by Lois Lowry 6. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 7. Wild by Cheryl Strayed 8. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 10. The End of Men and the Rise of Women by Hanna Rosin (Now the real question is how many books do I want to read that I DO own...)

Just Finished: Well worth reading, it was an impulse library grab, which just goes to show that random browsing is still an effective method for choosing books! It reminded me of when I used to go to the library as a kid. The experience of reading also felt relevant and impactful, in a way that most books haven't since I reached young adulthood. Maybe this is the payoff for scrupulously avoiding non-fiction throughout my childhood? Anyway, review to come. A purposeful library grab, this read was also well worth it. I may also have cried because I will never write with Karen Russell's innovation and grace. A stuttering mouth becomes a "stubborn syllable engine." Oh perfection! I will be grokking this one for some time to come. Currently Reading: It's an ARC from LibraryThing, coming out in September. I'm liking it so far, it does an excellent job of immersing the reader in Talmud era Persia-although there is a lot of misogyny about the period to ...

1. Allegiant by Veronica Roth I've read the other two, and I just need to get on it already. 2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman It's been recommended to me so many times. 3. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss I read and loved The Name of the Wind . I was waiting for the third book to come out, but apparently I should just read it anyway. 4. The Magician King and The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman Again, I read The Magicians on a friend's recommendation, and need to finish. 5. Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman I bought it for my mom, who heartily recommends it, but I still haven't gotten around to it. And then I'll have to read A King's Ransom too. 6. Stoner by John Williams A friend recommended this to me a while ago. 7. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle A number of people have told me to read this, but something about it just makes me sad. 8. Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami (or anything by Haruki Murakami) So many ...

30. The Circuit: Executor Rising by Rhett C. Bruno *Published in June 2014, available now from Mundania Press * The dream of human life after Earth has been realized-within a bedrock of crippling limitations. Humanity cannot travel beyond the solar system, which is replete with dead, lifeless rocks. Impressive, inventive structures allow people to eke out an existence in the barren wastelands of the Moon, Mars, Titan, and an asteroid called Ceres, but only a small elite enjoy anything resembling luxury. There is no Star Trek style terraforming, no warp speed. Yet neither is there an oppressive Central Planet structure, or an evil dictator (yet). Bruno’s tempered vision of life after Earth is interesting because it manages to be pessimistic, but not quite dystopian. The Circuit 's political and economic forces draw on familiar narratives from Herbert and Asimov, but reflect more contemporary sensibilities. The Circuit's economic transports of the necessary Gravitum elem...

Recently Finished: 28. My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira Highly recommended to Civil War and medical history buffs. Mary Sutter is a young midwife who aspires to be a doctor. Rejected by medical schools on the basis of her gender, she volunteers as a nurse during the Civil War and learns the surgeons' art. Accordingly, this is not a book for the squeamish. Some of the best parts include graphic descriptions of Civil War medical procedures, primarily amputations. The author drew on resources from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland, as well as written accounts from doctors and nurses during the war, notably Louisa May Alcott's Civil War Journal and Hospital Sketches. Dorothea Dix features prominently, and Florence Nightingale is an inspiration. I kept waiting and waiting, and Clara Barton, my childhood hero, did finally make an appearance! The male characters, including President Lincoln, are less interesting, and the muted love story ...