No new reviews this week because I got sucked into work and reading and random life craziness, so instead I decided to indulge in a meme. Remember memes? I know right? This popped up on The Speculative Scotsman and I thought, well, here’s a great excuse to talk about myself and procrastinate. It’s not like I have a ton of work and a Hugo ballot to complete or anything. Anyway. There will be new reviews next week, I promise.
1. What was the last sf/f/h book you finished reading?
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. (Which I’m not supposed to review yet, as per the publisher’s request, so I’ll just say: WOW.)
2. What was the last sf/f/h book you did not finish reading and why?
Usually I finish almost everything I start, but American Craftsmen by Tom Doyle really didn’t work for me.
3. What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you liked but most people didn’t?
Weird question. Whatever I put here, someone will likely say “what do you mean, most people don’t like this?!” I’ll take it in the spirit of “most people I *know* don’t like it”, and say the Void trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton. I completely understand why most of my friends don’t like his stuff, but I enjoy it in a “guilty pleasure” sort of way.
4. What was the last sf/f/h book you read that you disliked but most people liked?
The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley. I admired the concept, but the execution just didn’t work for me. Sorry Kameron, I still think you’re awesome.
5. How long do your single-sitting reading sessions usually last?
This is entirely a function of whether my 7 year old is in the vicinity or not.
6. What are you currently reading?
A Crown For Cold Silver by Alex Marshall.
7. Do you like it so far?
Yeah, although the p.o.v. switches around a bit too much for my taste. It’s also driving me completely nuts that I don’t know who the author really is.
8. How long ago did you buy the book you are currently reading (or the last book you read)?
I didn’t buy it — as with most things I read nowadays, the publisher provided me with a review copy. But for the record, the last book I actually bought was an electronic copy of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.
9. What was the last physical sf/f/h book you bought?
Physical book. Hmm. I think it was one of C.J. Cherryh’s Foreigner novels, which I’m mainly buying because I want the entire set in the same format (mass market paperback) for some odd reason I can’t quite figure out. (This is also why I haven’t read book #15 in the series yet — the paperback is only coming out in April.)
10. What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you like the most and why?
Space opera. Good, intelligent space opera just makes me happy and tickles that old sensawunda thrill for me. Ann Leckie, Lois McMaster Bujold, and of course the late, great Iain M. Banks. I’ve been known to persist in reading a bad novel just because it features FTL drives and ancient space-faring civilizations. (See also: Peter F. Hamilton.)
11. What is the sf/f/h sub-genre you dislike the most and why?
Aside from the ones I just don’t read (like most paranormal romance), I’ll probably surprise folks by saying Steampunk. Steampunk has to be really really good to work for me. (Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear is an example of really really good Steampunk, by the way.)
12. What is your favorite electronic reading device?
My Kindle Paperwhite. It’s light and small, I can hold it in one hand, the battery lasts forever, and it works in almost any form of light.
13. What was the last sf/f/h eBook you bought?
Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton. I actually own it in hardcover, but it was so damned BIG and HEAVY that I decided to spring for the Kindle version.
14. Do you read books exclusively in one format (physical/electronic)?
No. I used to read only paper books and resisted the ebook thing for a very long time, but with so many publishers switching over to electronic review copies, I gave in and started reading on my iPad a few years back, then purchased a Kindle when the battery life on the iPad ended up being too short for my usual reading sessions.
15. Do you read ebooks exclusively on a single device, ie. an eBook reader, a smartphone or a tablet?
Mostly on my Kindle, occasionally on my iPad if I forgot to charge up the Kindle, and in dire emergencies on my ancient Android phone.
Touch
Far Beyond Reality 