New in the stacks:
Cyndere’s Midnight by Jeffrey Overstreet.
I cannot wait to read this book. Auralia’s Colors was fantastic!
“When a bloodthirsty beastman discovers Auralia’s colors, his conscience awakens. When the heiress of a powerful kingdom risks everything to help him, their lives–and the lives of a kingdom–hang in the balance.
‘Cyndere walked down to the water to make her daily decision — whether to turn and go back into House Bel Amica, or to climb old Stairway Rock and throw herself into the sea . . .’
In Cyndere’s Midnight, the power of Auralia’s colors brings together a bloodthirsty beastman and a grieving widow in a most unlikely relationship . . . one that not only will change their lives, but could also impact the four kingdoms of The Expanse forever.
Jordam is one of four ferocious brothers from the clan of cursed beastmen. But he is unique: The glory of Auralia’s colors has enchanted him, awakening a noble conscience that clashes with his vicious appetites.
Cyndere, heiress to a great ruling house, and her husband Deuneroi share a dream of helping the beastmen. But when Deuneroi is killed by the very people he sought to help, Cyndere risks her life and reputation to reach out to Jordam. Beside a mysterious well–an apparent source of Auralia’s colors—a beauty and a beast form a cautious bond. Will Jordam be overcome by the dark impulse of his curse, or stand against his brothers to defend House Abascar’s survivors from a deadly assault?
Critics hailed Jeffrey Overstreet’s first fantasy novel, Auralia’s Colors, as ‘exceptionally well crafted,’ ‘beautiful,’ and ‘masterfully told.’ Now he continues weaving this fantastic tapestry with an enchanting fairy tale for ambitious imaginations of all ages.”
Wishlisted:
Up Jim River by Michael Flynn.
“Hugo Award finalist and Robert A. Heinlein Award-winning SF writer Michael Flynn returns to space opera with Up Jim River. There is a river on Dangchao Waypoint, a small world out beyond Die Bold. It is a longish river as such things go, with a multitude of bayous and rapids and waterfalls, and it runs through many a strange and hostile country. Going up it, you can lose everything.
Going up it, you can find anything. The Hound Bridget ban has vanished and her employer, the Kennel (the mysterious superspy agency of the League) has given up the search. But her daughter, the harper Mearana, has not. She enlists the scarred man, Donovan, to aid her in her search. With the reluctant assent and financial aid of the Kennel, they set forth. Bridget ban was following hints of an artifact that would “protect the League from the Confederacy for aye.” Mearana is eager to follow that trail, but Donovan is reluctant, because whatever is at the end of it made a Hound disappear. What it would do to a harper and a drunk is far too easy to imagine.
Donovan’s mind had been shattered by Those of Name, the rulers of the Confederacy, and no fewer than seven quarreling personalities now inhabit his skull. How can he hope to see her through safely? Together, they follow Bridget ban’s trail to the raw worlds of the frontier, edging ever closer to the uncivilized and barbarian planets of the Wild.”
Swords of the Six by Scott Appleton.
“When in ancient times the dragon prophet was betrayed by his choicest warriors, he set in mind a plan to bring the traitors to justice. Nearly one thousand years later he sets new warriors on a quest to mete out justice . . . these warriors’ veins flow not with human blood, but the strength of the dragon’s. Weilding rusted swords whose blades still drip with the blood of the innocents slain by them, the dragon’s human daughters set out to find the first of the traitors.”
The Logic of History: Putting Postmodernism in Perspective by C. Behan McCullagh.
“This book reveals the rational basis for historians’ descriptions, interpretations and explanations of past events. C. Behan McCullagh defends the practice of history as more reliable than has recently been acknowledged. Historians, he argues, make their accounts of the past as fair as they can and avoid misleading their readers. He explains and discusses postmodern criticisms of history, providing students and teachers of history with a renewed validation of their practice. McCullagh takes the history debate to a new stage with bold replies to the major questions historians face today.”
Theism and Humanism by Arthur J. Balfour.
“In 1962, Christian Century asked the well-known Christian writer, C. S. Lewis, to name the books that had most influenced his thought. Among those that Lewis listed was Arthur J. Balfour’s Theism and Humanism (1915). This was no passing whim. Almost twenty years earlier, in 1944, Lewis had lamented in ‘Is Theology Poetry’ that Theism was ‘a book too little read.’
<snip>
Theism and Humanism is based on a 1914 Gifford Lecture that Balfour gave at the University of Glasgow. All the original text is included along with over 50 pages of additional material. There are 11 sketches of Balfour adapted from political cartoons in Punch magazine. There are four appendices taken from his other writings, including the marvelous ‘A Catechism for Naturalism’ (which sent the arch-agnostic Thomas Huxley, better known as ‘Darwin’s Bulldog,’ into a fit of rage). There’s also a glossary of people and terms mentioned in the book and a detailed index. Finally, this new edition includes brief quotes from Balfour’s other writings to highlight what he is saying. The second edition improves on the first by adding to each chapter in the original, the extensive coverage that The Times of London gave to Balfour’s original speech. It also includes three letters by C. S. Lewis on themes closely related to Balfour’s book.”
Read the full description at Amazon.
What I’m Reading:
The Companions of Jehu by Alexandre Dumas.
I’m reading this for Paris in the Spring: Alexandre Dumas on Tour at The Classics Circuit. My stop on the tour is Monday, April 26th. I didn’t realize when I chose it that it was part of C.S. Lewis’s library.
What I’m Writing:
I got thrown off course for about a week, but I’m getting back to Foxglove finally. Ideas for Amaranth (aka Evening Primrose, or whatever I’m calling it now) are nagging at me but for now I’m letting them go.
Around the House:
I’m waiting for it to stop snowing and freezing and such so I can get out and plant in the mini-greenhouse I’m keeping on my deck this year (mostly to keep out ground squirrels which eat everything). I think it’s almost time!
Cooking:
I’m making chicken salad on kale tonight to take to a friend’s house, where we’ll play Mah Jong and watch Howl’s Moving Castle. I think I’m going to put poppy seeds in it along with walnuts and grapes; I got it that way from a deli once and it was wonderful. :) I’m trying hard to eat more real foods but it’s difficult with the way things are right now.
Spirituality:
I think it’s time for me to get serious about some things again: making a routine, being more independent, taking time to pray, etc. I’m hoping something in my romantic situation is going to be resolved before long and I need to be prepared for that.
Up Jim River sounds fascinating!
I’m open to the idea of space opera. ;) Cordelia’s Honor by Bujold was good, and I’d like to read more.