Went over to Steve's last night. He's leaving for Singapore to get an MBA soon. He was giving away books and spices. So in addition to having a fun chat with him, Alex, and Derek (a friend of theirs who did try out board games once but has other interests) I got some bouillons and masala and cumin. And rescued some books.
A Concise History of China by J.A.G. Roberts, should be good reading as I prep my Flying Swordsmen world info.
The Scar by China Mieville, the only things I've read by Mieville are essays, where he sounds like a complete pompous arrogant asshole, but I've heard his fiction's good so I'm curious to see if it lives up to the hype.
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists, by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Sister Nivedita, just because I can never pass up a book about mythology.
The Gathering Storm (WoT book 12), by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, even though I had decided I didn't care any more how it ended when Jordan died, Steve had it, no one else wanted it, and what can I say? Sometimes I'm a glutton for punishment. But seriously, RJ planned to write ONE more volume, Sanderson wrote three, and this first of them is 1000 pages? I maybe should have just left the book at Steve's...
Play as Sculpture, Play as Prism
1 hour ago
Mieville's books are good - I can't stand him when it comes to politics or anything else, but he is a good writer.
ReplyDeleteThe Scar is the best of Miéville's books, I reckon. It combines his talent for world-building with a good, solid story. I'd also recommend Kraken, which isn't part of the series, but is almost as good.
ReplyDeleteMieville? Highly educated, intelligent, good with words, applies his standards of fairness to people not process. He's a typical European lefty.
ReplyDeleteDon't like his books much, but the world certainly needs more like him. A LOT more.