silverflight8

This movie was bonkers. I was expecting something like MCU levels of explosions, fantasy/sc-fi explanations and gadgets, etc. I was not prepared.

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Overall though...hey, I enjoyed it. Even if I walked out thinking what just happened?!" (The last stinger contributed.)

(Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/202656.html)

An awful book I read for book club. I say this upfront because I am pretty sure I would never have picked up this book in the first place - I hate fairytale retellings, I last enjoyed a YA book in 2011, it was not fated to be - but also if I had, I'd have dropped it immediately, within the first two pages. Not angrily, like throwing it against the wall. Just the first few pages would have hit me, and then I'd have thought "well I think that's enough for now" and never picked it back up again.

However.

I had to read it, I hated it, I dissected it for book club, I still hate it.

I think the main problem with this book is it that it is just not very well done. Just mechanically, the author can't pull it off. She doesn't seem to know how to construct the story in a way that makes you feel for the protagonist, she doesn't know how to make setting that's interesting or well thought out, her writing on the prose level is tedious to read because she won't stop demonstrating and then re-telling what she wrote. The book has a high concept premise and then utterly fails to execute because the author doesn't have the chops. All my problems with it came down to this.

The plot basically boils down to a kingdom where girls, once they turn sixteen, are mandated to go to a ball where the men choose them as brides. This ball is in celebration of the first Cinderella, who existed, and who met Prince Charming at the ball. Sophia doesn't want to do any of this, she's in love with her friend Erin. But none of them have a choice. She goes to the ball but flees in the middle of it, meets an outlaw girl who is descended from the stepsisters, and they flee into the woods and meet a witch. They come up with a plan to kill Prince Charming.

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1/10

(Cross-post: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/202367.html)

I don't really have much to say for fannish year writing wrap up, except that in 2021 I finally wrote a fic that was not for an exchange. For the first time since 2009! I would link it but I actually put it under a sock and the anon comm >_> But I am really happy with it. It has a whole bunch of private bookmarks! It was really freeing to write without having to think about someone reading it, and I think my decade of not posting anything except a yearly yuletide fic (and in recent years, not even that) made me forget that it was possible to write something and post it and just enjoy what engagement I get. It's probably all the neurotic worrying about and thinking about reception that made writing dry up (okay, also real life and my disposition towards reading books, to be fair). I wrote two fics this year! I wrote 1 in 2020, 0 in 2019, 0 in 2018, 1 in 2017, 0 in 2016...

I did watch a lot of the D+ shows (thanks anticyclone for being my watch buddy and keeping me on track!) We watched Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If?, and Hawkeye. I enjoyed them all! I think overall enjoyment, I loved F&WS the most. It was so enjoyable in characterization and that's really what I care about here - I have other preferences in different media, but once I care enough to follow along all these movies, I absolutely care about characterization most, and F&WS nailed that so well. FFA discussion threads were incredibly fun - I've never been active in the fannish space that way before (always with the book fandoms) and it was amazing. So many fun ideas being thrown about and squeeing over the small details. Thank you for the Winter Soldier Bucky. And of course, I developed a massive crush on Daniel Brühl through it, and watched a bunch more good things because of it. Loki was fun, What If? was fun. I should probably write up a little bit about Hawkeye and I think that it had the most satisfying conclusion - most of the D+ shows really fell down on the conclusions, IMO.

I also finished watching Agent Carter. I watched S1 back in 2016 and never got round to the second season, but again, having a watch buddy kept me on track. We started in Oct and went solidly for several months. I really, really loved it. PEGGY!!

I won't go into detail about reading since I should probably post about it in more depth, but fannishly, I think my mind got eaten by the Taltos books, and OMG thank you so much sholio and hamsterwoman for all the discussion. Honestly, what really got me online ages ago was books - I didn't start on LJ or this corner of fandom, I started on this weird forum about Diana Gabaldon books mostly populated by the kind of older ladies that talk about their DH/DS/DD and wine - and although I've sorta learned to watch and appreciate TV and movies, I really care about books. And screaming about various things that happen in them :D
Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/201954.html.

Two very different books set at rather different times!

I realized when I was reading Jhegaala that I have no idea what a jhegaala is like, and honestly...I'm still confused. All I'm clear on is the metamorphosis but um, I'm not even sure what the bodyplan is like. Some of the animals are just regular Earth animals, some are analogous, some are mythical creatures, and the jhegaala is just confusing.

Also, I've come to realize that the omnibuses really change my behaviour when it comes to reading. I get what I think of as book hangovers, so consumed with the just-read book that I don't want to start another book, even when I know I'll enjoy it. I also definitely have this inertia where I'll keep reading something even though I don't like it that much, but I'm making progress and every time I open my reading app, it's already open and it's not that bad. (This is how I read all the Michael Scott Rohan books. My opinion kept sliding but I was midway through the book and trilogy already...) I also sometimes feel like I need a certain emotional energy to get started on a new book - to get accustomed to and learn the characters and setting. But when it's an omnibus, I don't even have to open a new file. It doesn't feel like a new book, really. I feel the pressure of "just finish the book" push me over the threshold of energy required to start the new book.

Which is to say, I read Dzur and Jhegaala in two days because they were in one volume. I do like them a lot but I also think the omnibus structure is pushing me to read them faster!

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Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/201450.html.

Another one I really enjoyed. Attempting to talk about involves so many spoilers though so:

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Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/200878.html.

CAN'T STOP WON'T STOP

I think since I read Phoenix I have read the next seven books in a row, and it's only taking this long because I couldn't get hold of these four for a bit (thanks again hamsterwoman for getting me copies!!) I'm trying to pace myself but it's hard.

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Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/200571.html.

I think of this excerpt every time I struggle to write an email at work. I try to get around the issue of "this is going to be so insulting" by trying to find the perfect wording and the truth is just the truth, there's not much I can do with how I convey it.

It was only when, in her own room after Hall, she set about writing to Peter, that she realized how awkward her own task was going to be. To put down a brief explanation of her own acquaintance with Lord Saint-George and a reassuring account of his accident was child’s play. The difficulties began with the matter of the young man’s finances. Her first draft ran easily; it was slightly humorous and rather gave the benefactor to understand that his precious balms were calculated to break the recipient’s head, where other agents had not already broken it. She rather enjoyed writing this one. On reading it over, she was disappointed to find that it had an air of officious impertinence. She tore it up.

The students were making a vast noise of trampling and laughter in the corridor. Harriet briefly cursed them and tried again.

The second draft began stiffly: “Dear Peter—I am writing on behalf of your nephew, who has unfortunately—”

This one, when finished, conveyed the impression that she disapproved strongly of uncle and nephew alike, and was anxious to dissociate herself as far as possible from their affairs.

She tore it up, cursed the students again and made a third draft.

This, when completed, turned out to be a moving, and indeed, powerful piece of special pleading on the young sinner’s behalf, but contained remarkably little of the gratitude and repentance which she had been instructed to convey. The fourth draft, erring in the opposite direction, was merely fulsome.

“What the devil is the matter with me?” she said aloud. “(Damn those noisy brats!) Why can’t I write a straightforward piece of English on a set subject?”

When she had once formulated the difficulty in this plain question, the detached intellect bent meekly to its academic task and produced the answer.

“Because, however you put it, all this is going to hurt his pride damnably.”

Answer adjudged correct.

What she had to say, stripped of its verbiage, was: Your nephew has been behaving foolishly and dishonestly, and I know it; he gets on badly with his parents, and I know that, too; he has taken me into his confidence and, what is more, into yours, where I have no right to be; in fact, I know a great many things you would rather I did not know, and you can’t lift a hand to prevent it.

In fact, for the first time in their acquaintance, she had the upper hand of Peter Wimsey, and could rub his aristocratic nose in the dirt if she wanted to. Since she had been looking for such an opportunity for five years, it would be odd if she did not hasten to take advantage of it.

Slowly and with extreme pains, she started on Draft No. 5.


Dorothy L Sayers, Gaudy Night.

Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/200282.html.

I finished the Book of Jhereg (Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla) a few weeks back and just realized I forgot to post about them here.

The library does not have books 6,7,8 or 9, despite having all the books around it, neither ebook nor print. I'm not sure why and this isn't the first time this library system (big city decent budget) has had these kinds of issues - their SF/F acquisitions seems to be very patchwork. I'm not expecting them to have super obscure or old titles, but this is neither. Also they got all the other books around them! I put in a request for the two as omnibuses and they were approved right away, so I'll read them soon.

On to the thoughts! I really enjoyed them, one of the reasons I'm mad again at acquisitions is I wanted to just keep reading, damn it.

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This entry took ages, I read Athyra last night (thanks to hamsterwoman!) But I'm too tired to write up thoughts about that. Next time!
Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/200013.html.

OK so I finished Phoenix and while I enjoyed Taltos enough to keep reading the next book in the omnibus, reading Phoenix has made me wild to find the other books. I REALLY enjoyed that one.

Incredibly scattered thoughts:

*I've clearly missed a ton about Cawti & Vlad's relationship and even so, that conversation at the end where they attempt to have a conversation again about the two of them was...well, I respected a lot out of Vlad (and honestly - Brust)

*If Kragar betrays Vlad in one of the books I'm gonna be so upset. Melestav :( Nooo

*The names of Vlad's various enforcers gives me great joy. Poor Sticks. Glowbug!

*I am so fond of Loiosh?? Not to mention, I want a dragon who can fly around and poison people and who I can psionically talk to! Life is so unfair. I don't want a pony. I want a dragon. (Dragons that can fly and carry me on their back also acceptable.)

"Two toughs in here waiting for you, boss. We're distracting them, but--yikes!"
"You all right, Loiosh?"
"Near miss, boss."
Why is Loiosh saying yikes adorable??? Also adorable - he called Vlad mama when he was a fledgling I guess but then substituted it for boss once Loiosh grew up.

*The fight scenes were awesome. So much fun. This is absolutely my jam.

*I don't think I ever want to call Vlad's bluff. He's pretty good at backing them up.
"Is there some reason I should answer you?"
"I'll kill you if you don't."
"You'd never make it out of here alive."
"I know."

*Aibynn made me laugh a lot. I love that Vlad honestly had no clue the entire book whether Aibynn was an amazingly good spy or literally just that obsessed with drums. Also Aibynn is obviously based off a real person (with exaggerations) but the combination of the always innocent demeanor, laid back attitude about everything from having to stay somewhere else because assassins are after his only friend in the country or being thrown into jail because a man fell out of a tree near him, and complete focus on drumming, it is so entertaining. Lmao at Sethra and the others examining gold Phoenix stone carefully and trying to figure out how it works and Aibynn answering Morrolan ("what do you call it?") with "In my land, we call it a rock". Probably an annoying character if he appears in every book but for this quantity, so much entertainment.

ANYWAY I have obtained Book of Jhereg, which is apparently Jhereg, Yendi, and Tekla so I'm reading those next!! I'm looking forward to finding out more about the world since I think these two books are further along in the series. I am damning next month's book club and have decided I'm not gonna even bother reading it - it's the Six of Crows book, there are eighty holds on fifty copies, and I haven't enjoyed a YA book (much less a YA book published in the last 10 years) in many years.

I'm mildly annoyed the library does not appear to have e-books of each of the books (how dare!) but I have to cross-reference a bit and check the other local library system. I'm pretty sure main library system has all the books, just some in physical copy. Looks like the e-books are available to buy if the library can't get them in electronic copy.
Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/199570.html.

I finished the first half of Book of Taltos which (after some wikipedia-ing) I think was originally published as a novel, and I've got the omnibus, where Taltos is paired with Phoenix. Normally you can just tell from the whole outside packaging but when I read in ebook I have no idea how long anything is and I skip the frontismatter anyway :P

I enjoyed it a lot! It's about Vlad, an Easterner (human) who lives in Dragaera (elf city) and who gets roped into a very dangerous rescue mission with someone he's basically just met.

One thing I really enjoyed is the utter deadpan of the narration, which is first person from Vlad. Especially because he's an assassin. There's so much where Vlad is describing what's going on, and what he thinks is going to happen, it's a ridiculous situation and very dangerous, and then he just goes, "So then I just nailed [killed] him." Everything is so casual, even when it's clearly a ton of work to go about killing his target, or it's life-or-death. I really am into super competent characters, so this was Excellent. Vlad also has a way of understatement at all times, so it's fun to read between the lines and think about what he's actually saying. A lot of what he says isn't what he feels - either because he doesn't want to admit it or he just wants to tell you something entertaining, I suppose. The prose is otherwise pretty light on description and the writing is very transparent/modern - there's not a lot to look at there. The interest is mostly in what happens and how Vlad talks about it, and it was really entertaining.

The other interesting thing was the three storylines - past, present, future. Each chapter is fairly short and mostly has all three happening. It took me until awhile into the book to realize the 'past' parts were gonna show up in each chapter, and then near the end I realized how the 'future' sections linked in. Eventually the 'present' and 'future' sections joined up, and I really enjoyed that. It's gave the book a different dimension and I also think it was a great way to explain something (magic working) which is hard to explain without infodumping and not have it bog down the action, which is reaching a climax at that particular point. I also quite like the device generally - I think the last time I read it was Ancillary Justice (which is exceptional), but where the two lines of the story met was such a great moment, and you really understood what was going on.

Also for some reason I kept reading this at the very end of the day when I was almost asleep so I probably will find a lot more to enjoy in the re-reads. Now reading Phoenix!
Crosspost: https://silverflight8.dreamwidth.org/199287.html.