Sorry about that, everyone. I kept meaning to blog more, and kept not getting to it. Sometimes that seems like the story of my life. . . .
Anyway. I've got two more books to talk about:
First,
Prince Ombra by Roderick MacLeish. It's about a boy named Bentley who is the next in a long line of heroes including people like King Arthur, and what happens when an ancient evil, Prince Ombra, threatens his town and the people he loves. It's a great story, a big good vs. evil plotline. Prince Ombra mostly operates covertly by corrupting the people around Bentley. And I'll admit, reading about all those good people going bad in various ways was . . . well, it was uncomfortable. But I think that was the point. Often, what we're battling against isn't an evil knight in black armor, or something equally obvious. It's more insidious than that. It's the anger, the despair, the bitterness that can creep into our heartsand take root there, then lash out at others. Watching Bentley struggle against Ombra's corruption was difficult too, but not as much so. (He's the hero! Of course he'll win!) This YA book doesn't hold back, either. There is some violence, and a couple of deaths. Some wicked arguing matches between the adults in Bentley's life. This is not a comfortable book at all. But it's not supposed to be. It illustrates how easy it is to fall into evil, and how hard it is (yet also worthwhile!) to stay true to yourself and your beliefs. Worth reading, definitely. I don't know if I'll read it again, but I'm glad it found its way into my hands.
Second,
All the Windwracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear. This was the first book of hers that I've read. And you know what? This book is great! Good characters; the grief that both Muire and Mingan carry is palpable and complex. Cathoair is a live wire; what a great character. And the moreaux, Selene and Crostokos and the others, could have ended up flat, but instead they were vibrant and easy to empathize with. I absolutely cried at the end of this one. So good! Such closure, sort of! I can't wait to read the prequel,
By the Mountain Bound, and see how Muire and Mingan became the hollows of who they used to be. I would recommend this to anyone at all who has a remote interest in sci-fi or fantasy books. The language is lovely and gritty at the same time. It's so easy to see everything she's written. . . . I hope someday I can write like that.
So that's books twenty and twenty-one. I'm hoping to get through at least one more this month. I think we're going to the beach again next weekend for a day, so more reading time shouldn't be a problem.
Work is finally picking up a bit. Finally! I'm not sure why it's been so slow, but I'm definitely ready for some busyness.
I've been working on Nor. You know, I was frustrated with how long of a hiatus I ended up taking from it, but now I'm actually happy about it. I have a much more fresh persepctive, and it's serving me very well in terms of revising. I'm a couple pages behind where I'd like to be, but I'll make up the time over the weekend. And, yeah. That's about it for now. Next time I write I'll try to have something deep and meaningful to discuss, but for now, happy weekend, and I'll try to be back soon.
