So, after reading this List of 10 Awesome Fantasy Series, I am even more convinced that my New Year's Resolution (which was not to re-read, as is my perpetual habit, but to read new things) was right on the mark! However, I am at the moment caught re-reading a book in order to read a new book in the series. The book is Cyteen, by C.J. Cherryh, which was recommended to me by my sister (my guru for SF that I might actually like) quite some time ago. I read it, I enjoyed it--it was originally published in the 80s, won the Hugo Award, and it is awesome! End of story.
However, I read recently that Cherryh was coming out with a direct sequel, Regenesis. Well, that caused a quandary. Is it worth it to read a 680 page book (which had been split for publication into three shorter books at some point, but not apparently at Cherryh's will) to catch up on everything that happened? The answer is, of course, yes. Especially for Cherryh, who is dense, and asking her readers tough questions about cloning, and nature vs. nurture, and expansionism, and human psychology. I have deliberately avoided reading plot summaries for Regenesis, as I do not want to be spoiled for the rest of Cyteen. If it sucks, I don't want to know until I get to the last page. When I'm done, I'll go back to tackling one of the 80+ items on my immediate "to-read" list, none of which I have read before.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Inauguration Blues
Well, to turn to a subject other than spam (and that is very difficult, as you can imagine), I'd like to touch on something more serious for a moment: the impending inauguration of our (*checks references*) 44th president. Yes, I just spent a lot of time setting up a Barack Obama Book Club display in the rotunda of my library. Yes, people seem really enthusiastic, and I'm willing to help them by trying to figure out how to get a TV or steaming internet version of the inauguration for them to see, especially if they don't have a TV at home or can't watch for some other reason (like they're in the library to work on their resume because they lost their job). However, after receiving numerous holiday cards and letters in which people celebrated the aura of change and "yay! January 20th" and basically oozed hope out of their cheery family photos, I'm getting really tired of all this hoopla (especially considering I didn't even vote for him). In addition, "inauguration" is a difficult word to spell! Yes, maybe things will be Different after Jan. 20th, and maybe they won't--I'm going to reserve judgment. I'm sure there were people somewhere who voted for G.W. Bush in 2000 who thought he was going to be a force for change, and clean up Washington after that nasty Clinton administration (which is now reincarnated by the not at all radical Obama picks). History will be our judge, as usual. In the meantime, I hope that all the people driving or flying to DC have a wonderful time, there are no international incidents, and we can get this whole mess over with and move on with our recession and endless wars and overall gloomy future.
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