Science Fiction Can Blow Your Mind / Judy

I enjoy many books, but it seems like it's the Sci-Fi / Fantasy ones that really make me think. And one of the great things about reading is that you always have something to think about when you're not reading. So here are some of my favorite authors in this genre in alphabetical order:

1. Isaac Asimov

He has been around forever and was one prolific writer. In fact, he was probably my introduction to this genre. I especially liked his Foundation series and his short story, Nightfall. I think one of the main things his writing did was make science fiction accessible to everyone because they were as much about people as about science.

2. Octavia Butler 

She has several books, but the only ones I've read are two of a trilogy, Dawn: Xenogenesis and Adult Rites: Xenogenesis. I believe the third one is just called Xenogenesis, but I haven't read that one yet. Dawn starts with a woman waking up on what she finally understands is an alien ship, and she has been on it for decades. Earth has been destroyed by war, and these aliens have plucked a few hundred survivors from the ruins. The book mostly deals with how she learns to relate to these new captors? protectors? villains? friends? The whole thing is fascinating, especially as you learn about a completely strange alien culture.

3. Mercedes Lackey

She is probably my favorite author in this genre. In fact, I'm reading one of hers right now, and I keep thinking, I'm SO enjoying this! She has several series and I've read some in three of them.  The first series is called THE VALDEMAR UNIVERSE. There are several sub series within the group and I read the first two of the THE COLLEGIUM CHRONICLES sub series. I liked the first book, Foundation,  a lot, but the second, Intrigues, not so much, so I may not continue that group. I do plan, however, to explore the other series about Valdemar.

The next series I enjoy is her Elemental Masters. I've read The Wizard of London, Reserved for the Cat, and Home from the Sea, all very good. I do plan to read all the books in this series.

But my absolute favorite series is her Tales of the 500 Kingdoms. Right now I'm reading the last one and, like I said, thoroughly liking it. These stories are generally about the fairy tales we all know, but with several twists. For example, my current book is Beauty and the Werewolf. The first one I read, not the first in the series, was One Good Knight and it was very funny.

4. Ursula K. Le Guin

She is the grande old dame of science fiction. She's been around for a long time and probably has about a million books. I've only read two, however, and they are amazing. First was The Left Hand of Darkness and the other was a sequel, Four Paths to Forgiveness. Again, they are about an alien culture, this one with slavery, and what happens to both the slaves and their owners. They are smallish books, around 200 pages, but they are dense, and it took me some time to read them. It was well worth the effort.

5. Terry Prachett

Prachett is absolutely hilarious!  The New York Times calls him, "the purely funniest English writer since Wodehouse." He writes about a weird place called "Discworld," which is a flat planet on the backs of large turtles. I've read three of his: Equal Rites, Snuff, and Going Postal, which I heard as an audio book while driving.  There were several times I was laughing out loud at stop signs and people must have wondered about my sanity. He also wrote another one (not about Discworld) with Neil Gaiman called Good Omens: the nice and accurate prophecies of Agnes Nutter, witch. This was the first one I read and was a good introduction to his hilarious and nonsensical style.

6. Star Trek Novels

I have also read many (many, many) Star Trek novels, but their quality is spotty at best and most of them are pretty forgettable. My favorites, however, are excellent and they are Ishmael by Barbara Hambly, Yesterday's Son and Time for Yesterday (two books about Spock's son) by A.C. Crispin and probably my absolute favorites, and two about Romulans: My Enemy, My Ally and The Romulan Way. 



               And there you have it. Enjoy going to other worlds.

Everyone Needs a Little Romance / Judy

Today I'm going to let you in on my favorite romance authors and some of their books. Frankly, if you choose carefully, they are some of the best stories around. Also I'm telling you about these with the caution that they often contain steamy love scenes. I sure wish the authors would have the decency to let the curtain down in strategic places and let these poor people have their privacy. But they don't, so I suggest you do what I do--skip those parts. 

So here they are in alphabetical order:

Mary Balogh

She was the first romance novelist I read, and her first book I read, Slightly Dangerous, is still one of my favorites. In fact, I bought it, which is unusual. She writes historical fiction about Regency England. The really great thing about her stories is how much you care about the people. The books always start out sort of frothy, but have much more depth as you go along, with the characters becoming more and more complex. There are some of her scenes that I like to read over and over either because they are so much fun or because they are so satisfying. She has several series that are all distantly connected, meaning the author often uses a main character from one book peripherally in another -- a familiar and beloved face.

Catherine Coulter

She is a prolific writer with several different series, from modern thrillers to historical fiction, but the only ones I've read are the Viking series: Lord of Hawkfell Island, Lord of Raven's Peak, and Lord of Falcon Ridge. I think these are more historical and adventure than romance, but whatever, they are fun to read.

Jude Deveraux

Another writer with several series. Mostly I've read her modern-day novels about Edilean, a small town in Virginia close to Williamsburg. There are a bunch of those. But my very favorite of hers is Wild Orchid. It has a supernatural, or fantasy aspect to it but very modern at the same time.

Diana Gabaldon

She has a series of very long books about one family in Scotland. The series begins with Outlander, which is my favorite. It's about a nurse just after World War II who accidentally goes back in time (I'm a sucker for time-travel stories) to Scotland around the time of the Uprising. As much as I liked the book as a whole, I did not like the ending, which was a shame after putting in so much time with this very long book. But I'll let you reserve judgement.

Amanda Quick

This author goes by at least three names: Amanda Quick - Jayne Ann Krentz - Jayne Castle. The Krentz books are modern romances while the Quick books are historical romances, set in either Regency England or Victorian England. Some of them are also slightly supernatural. Although the Krentz books are good, I like the Quick books the best. In fact, one of hers called Scandal I liked so much that I did something I've never done before. The minute I finished it, I started over at the beginning and read it all through again. I've never read any of her Castle books but I understand they are "futuristic/ paranormal romantic - suspense writing."


And those are my current favorites. I did not mention the most famous ones like Nora Roberts or Danielle Steele since everybody knows about them; and although they're okay, they're not as good as some of these others -- in my opinion.

Reading is a Great Way to Escape / Judy

I was surprised how bad I felt when I saw the election figures and knew Romney had lost. I was so sad! (I wonder if the Democrats would have been sad or angry if Romney had won? Somehow I can hear screams of "election fraud!") Anyway, after a day of mourning, I did what I always do when I feel down--I read a book. Reading is a great way to escape, better than TV or movies in my opinion. In a good book you really can transport yourself to another time or place or become another person.

The main genres I like are Mystery, Science Fiction, Romance (no judging), and General/Family Dramas. In another blog I'll list my favorite authors and their series in each of these genres. But for now, in case anyone else needs such an escape, here are a few individual books that I highly recommend.

1.  Major Pettigrew's Last Stand 

by Helen Simonson

This book is just fun to read. The writing is wonderful and I found myself quoting to Lloyd some of the funnier lines. This is a feel-good book which might be important right now. It's about a retired British major who lives in a small English village and who becomes interested in the Pakistani widow of the grocer. Absolutely delightful.

2. The Guernsey Literary and 
Potato Peel Pie Society 

by Mary Ann Shaffer

Another entry in the "delightful" category. It's the story, told in letters, of Guernsey Island, in the English Channel, that was occupied by Germans during WWII. It begins about 1946-7 and starts out quite funny, then becomes more serious as the protagonist learns more about what happened during the war. Again, the writing is amazing and it's one book you really don't want to end. Although it does have a very satisfactory ending.

3. Dawn by Olivia Butler

For a change of pace, this is good science fiction, which is hard to find. It's about a group of humans who are rescued from the ravages of nuclear war by a race of aliens.I consider a book to be outstanding when I can't predict what will happen next and at the same time I am anxious to find out. And that describes this book.

4. A Discovery of Witches

 & Shadow of Night

 by Deborah Harkness

These are the first two of a planned trilogy and the best way to describe them is to say they are like the Twilight series but for grown-ups. They have a romance between a vampire and a human, but that is not the main part of the story. There is a lot of history and even science, which made them even more fun. 

5. Miss Buncle's Book

 by D.E. Stephenson

This is an older one that takes place in England probably in the 50's. It's another fun read, not serious, but very well-done, about a spinster who needs money and decides to write a book about the people she knows in her village. Chaos ensues.

In each of these books, as great as the story-line is, the really wonderful aspect is the characterization. They all have people you like a lot and want to spend time with. I find I won't read a book about someone I wouldn't want around for whatever reason. It's better to be with people who make you laugh or inspire you somehow, or are just plain interesting to listen to. And all these books have those kinds of people.

Fun Books by Australian Author Kerry Greenwood / Judy

I wanted to tell you about a series of mystery books I’m reading that I’m thoroughly enjoying. I know I should put this kind of thing onto “Good Reads” but I don’t know how (sigh). Besides, I wanted to post something…

So, the author’s name is Kerry Greenwood and her protagonist and main detective is named Phryne (rhymes with “Briny”) Fisher and she lives in Australia in the 1920’s.  Her maid, friend and confident is Dot, an older, very down-to-earth person. I’m afraid there is an occasional sex scene, but as usual, I just skip them and I recommend  you do the same. The stories themselves are fun, but I especially enjoy the writing. Let me give you a few examples:

Murder in Montparnasse

about an extremely skinny French chef

“Plus de crème!” Sauce must have curdled, she thought. The remedy for anything short of a cholera outbreak in a French kitchen was, “Add more cream!”

The chef was a man of goodwill, even though he resembled a shabby vulture who had just missed out on the last beakful of dead wildebeest.

Dot always worried about Phryne. There had been raised male voices in the parlor, and Dot didn’t like it one bit. Raised male voices, in Dot’s experience, meant raised male fists. And then Miss Phryne might have to hurt someone.

Phryne was reading a tabloid that, if it had ever employed a proofreader, he had retired in tears after the first day and could never bring himself to go back.

Raisins and Almonds

a mystery among the Jewish population in Australia

Phryne attends a dance competition at a Jewish culture center. The main judge pronounces: “It’s decided…the best dancers are Simon Abraham and his partner, Miss Fisher, but the heat goes to Rose Weinberg and Chaim Wasserman, because they are both members of the Jewish Young People’s Society.”

…The room then broke into at least three arguments, all of which had ferocious supporters…

One faction was for awarding the prize to Simon and Phryne; after all, they were the best dancers and who were we to start discriminating against non-Jews, for goodness’ sake?

Another was to award it to Chaim and Rose, who danced well and were both members and good persons besides if you overlooked their uncle Marek, and anyway Marek was not anyone’s fault except maybe God’s and He presumably had a purpose in creating even such persons as Marek.

A third was denouncing the chairman, not for making such a decision, but for having the bad manners to say that that was how he made it, the chairman having been a schlemiel since early childhood, it was well known.