Reading patterns, season shift

After three weeks of travel, some distressing, some energizing, I'm back in Mpls for a while. I shan't say "to stay," because I'm starting to become geographically unstuck, waiting for news on jobs and possibilities, and rethinking where I want to be and how I want to live (eg, I desperately need to have a garden). Things are stable at home, thanks for asking.

I'm still studiedly not thinking about my dissertation. I'm not at all ready to come back to it. Another week, maybe? I'm also studiedly not seeing my advisor, who wants to set a new schedule asap. I have an interview this week with the one job that actually requires me to have this degree, so how that goes could also energize me to want to finish.

My reading habits are changing a bit as well. I always think I can find solutions, or at least solace, in a book. Before I left for Detroit I was reading tons of career books and find-your-passion books. I think I've pretty well found my passion(s) by now and am reading Staying on Top When Your World Turns Upside Down. Also, I've been reading the YA blogs like crazy, so I'm reading everything folks have recommended. This is not new, but since I'm not attempting to write this week I can inhale teen vampire novels like popcorn. I'm also super excited that the 5th book in Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series, Lady Friday, is out. I just picked it up at the library.

There is a lilac bush in my front yard. Things are looking up.

More to read

The Locus recommended reading list is up.

I've read about a dozen of books on this enormous list, which is almost entirely due to my having read all the YAs. Many things I've wanted to read are on there, but it's totally impossible until I finish that diss thing.

Things to get me as gifts after I finish my diss

The new Pynchon novel
A book on cheesemaking
heirloom vegetable seeds
kefir grains, koji, sourdough, natto, other cultures
a new bow for my saw (viola or cello please)
music lessons
a nice touring bike
three weeks of catsitting so I can bike around Lake Superior on above
a camp stove
that beautiful old movie theater on East Lake St. that I've always wanted to buy and turn into an art space

I say after the diss because all of these things involve time and energy that I need to put into writing. I think that's all for now. I'll link you back to this when I actually do finish (countdown: April!).

Critical Distance/The Tough Guide to Fantasyland

My reading of the otherwise charming Waterless Sea by Kate Constable * was marred by my concurrent reading of The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, the hilarious how-not-to write fantasy book by Diana Wynne Jones. Justine Larbalestier was recently talking about it, and it was the only one of DWJ's books I'd never read, so I ran by the library.

The Waterless Sea is a sequel to The Singer of All Songs, a fantasy about a young woman who knows ice magic coming into other magical powers and facing off against an evil wizard. There's a very nicely sketched story about the kinds of magic in this world, all tied to particular places--except our heroine Calwyn has the ability to pick up all of the magics. Anyway, in the Waterless Sea, Calwyn and her friends go to a desert continent to rescue imprisoned children who can do 'ironcrafting' magic, and this involves her sort-of lover Darrow, was once one of the imprisoned children.

The characters are compelling, the story is interesting, but I kept thinking of The Tough Guide: ooh, this is a Vestigial Empire crossed with Desert Tribes, and ooh look, she sings for someone when they die, and ooh yes, he must be a Missing Heir. Being fully cognizant of some of the genre conventions, and in an (albeit gently) mocking sort of way, made it very hard to suspend my disbelief and enjoy the book. I'm learning that I read for plot more than I'd like to, racing through to find out what happens; giving myself that sort of critical distance really changes the experience. This may be linked to my compulsive re-reading: maybe I save the thinking for the re-reads? I'll try to be more reflective about my reading process and see if pleasure and critical thinking can't co-exist.



*I'm sick of being linked to amazon pages for books folks talk about. I want to start a trend of linking to book information through librarything.