In which I list for coherency's sake
Oct. 30th, 2009 12:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
megwrites1. I still have no idea which idea to write for NaNoWriMo. I tried flipping a coin. I dropped it and it rolled under my desk never to be found again. I am not even kidding about this.
2. Have realized that enormity of the editing necessary on Soul Machines is epoch. As in, it will probably take me several geologic ages to wrest a coherent, marketable story out of this mess. And I'm not even done with the first draft!
3. I have an orange kitten diligently watching me type. This morning he tried to eat my copy of Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell. At least he has good taste in literature. *badum-ching*
4. I am so behind in posting reviews. I have Thebes at War by Naguib Mahfouz, Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy, and Personal Effects by J.C. Hutchins to review, plus the book I'm near to finishing up.
5. Since I have a few bucks left of wedding money, I'm about to purchase some books - but there are a few books I'm undecided about.
For instance, Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire.
What Sounds Good:
1. The part where the heroine spent fourteen years as a fish sounds. Wonder what that would be like. Would you be more or less fond of water/swimming? What do you do while you're a human who is now a fish? Does it take time to adjust to being human again when you're not a fish. Inquiring minds want to know.
2. No leather, skimpy clothing or tramp stamps to be found on the cover. NONE! Could it be the start of a new, leather-free era for my genre? Is there hope on the horizon? Should I buy this book just to encourage publishers to keep up the de-tramp stamping of urban fantasy?
What Sounds Terrible:
1. The book is written in first person narration by a white, straight, able bodied heroine with special powers/heritage who is as a private investigator. Which is like Every Urban Fantasy Novel That Has Annoyed Me ever. Seriously. Enough with the private investigators, cops, bounty hunters, and other law enforcement positions. You'd think someone who got turned into a fish and wants to avoid faerie things would become, I dunno, a teacher or a clerk or a salesperson in an office.
2. It's about about Faeries and the Faerie court and a heroine trapped between two worlds, forced into a conflict she wants no part of. I think I read this book before. It was called Blood and Iron.
3. It takes place in a major U.S. city and the only mythology mentioned is Celtic faerie mythology. Why is it that all the books about faerie I have ever read are about white authors deciding that people of color don't count and the stories, legends, myths, and tales from their heritages are completely powerless/non-existent in the face of Euro-centric mythology? So far every Faeries-In-The-Big-City type book I've read involves a complete erasure of all other mythologies and the people that go with them. I've been burned by this before, so it's a subgenre I deeply distrust.
4. It's recommended for fans of Jim Butcher and Kim Harrison. Neither of whom I liked. Kim Harrison's "Dead Witch Walking" was the most appalling piece of garbage I've had the misfortune to lay eyes on this year.
So, if anyone has recommendations one way or the other - and I'm willing to be surprised. I just want to know that there's a surprise worth getting to.
2. Have realized that enormity of the editing necessary on Soul Machines is epoch. As in, it will probably take me several geologic ages to wrest a coherent, marketable story out of this mess. And I'm not even done with the first draft!
3. I have an orange kitten diligently watching me type. This morning he tried to eat my copy of Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell. At least he has good taste in literature. *badum-ching*
4. I am so behind in posting reviews. I have Thebes at War by Naguib Mahfouz, Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy, and Personal Effects by J.C. Hutchins to review, plus the book I'm near to finishing up.
5. Since I have a few bucks left of wedding money, I'm about to purchase some books - but there are a few books I'm undecided about.
For instance, Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire.
What Sounds Good:
1. The part where the heroine spent fourteen years as a fish sounds. Wonder what that would be like. Would you be more or less fond of water/swimming? What do you do while you're a human who is now a fish? Does it take time to adjust to being human again when you're not a fish. Inquiring minds want to know.
2. No leather, skimpy clothing or tramp stamps to be found on the cover. NONE! Could it be the start of a new, leather-free era for my genre? Is there hope on the horizon? Should I buy this book just to encourage publishers to keep up the de-tramp stamping of urban fantasy?
What Sounds Terrible:
1. The book is written in first person narration by a white, straight, able bodied heroine with special powers/heritage who is as a private investigator. Which is like Every Urban Fantasy Novel That Has Annoyed Me ever. Seriously. Enough with the private investigators, cops, bounty hunters, and other law enforcement positions. You'd think someone who got turned into a fish and wants to avoid faerie things would become, I dunno, a teacher or a clerk or a salesperson in an office.
2. It's about about Faeries and the Faerie court and a heroine trapped between two worlds, forced into a conflict she wants no part of. I think I read this book before. It was called Blood and Iron.
3. It takes place in a major U.S. city and the only mythology mentioned is Celtic faerie mythology. Why is it that all the books about faerie I have ever read are about white authors deciding that people of color don't count and the stories, legends, myths, and tales from their heritages are completely powerless/non-existent in the face of Euro-centric mythology? So far every Faeries-In-The-Big-City type book I've read involves a complete erasure of all other mythologies and the people that go with them. I've been burned by this before, so it's a subgenre I deeply distrust.
4. It's recommended for fans of Jim Butcher and Kim Harrison. Neither of whom I liked. Kim Harrison's "Dead Witch Walking" was the most appalling piece of garbage I've had the misfortune to lay eyes on this year.
So, if anyone has recommendations one way or the other - and I'm willing to be surprised. I just want to know that there's a surprise worth getting to.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-30 06:16 pm (UTC)