It’s WWW Wednesday – May 18, 2016

WWW is a meme hosted by Sam A. Stevens at Taking on a World of Words. To participate, answer these 3 questions, and add your blog link to the comments on the linked article above.  If you’d like to participate and don’t have a blog, never fear!  You can visit Sam Stevens’ blog and leave your W’s in a comment on her Wednesday posts.

I’d love to hear about what you are reading, as well, so please leave me a comment, too!

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The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

What I’m currently reading:
Our Lady of Darkness, Fritz Lieber

I read this novel for the first time before I moved to California, and the descriptions of San Francisco in the early 70s captured my imagination. I thoroughly enjoyed tracing some of the scenes on my early sight-seeing visits to the City. Rereading the book this week is rekindling – not my love of San Francisco – but my early infatuation. The description of Sutro Tower at the start of the story:

“The TV tower — San Francisco’s Eiffel, you could call it — was broad-shouldered, slender-waisted, and long-legged like a beautiful and stylish woman — or demigoddess.”

is dated in some ways, and his description was far more complimentary than many of his contemporaries, who thought the tower was a blight on the San Francisco skyline. The main character in the story goes on to imagine the tower stepping off its foundations and walking down Sutro Hill. The tower is not the only inanimate object he personifies as a beautiful woman. In his small apartment, he’s run out of room for his books, and has all his current reads spread out on one side of his bed. He imagines the books to be a beautiful and sophisticated woman – a mistress. This pile of books figures heavily in the story, but I will say no more for fear of spoilers.

As I mentioned last week, the reason this novel bubbled up to the top of my reread pile is because I am fascinated with the way San Francisco became as much a character in the story as a setting. This is something I’m striving to do in the novel I’m editing right now, The Gideon Effect.

What I recently Finished Reading:
The Uplift War, David Brin

Of the original Uplift Trilogy, this novel is my favorite. The sibling relationship between humans and neochimpanzees in this story are arresting. The “bad guy” alien species are described with depth and fondness. Things don’t look good for the Wolflings from Earth, but help comes from unexpected places. When a writer is able to paint an alien race in such a way that their motivations are both understandable and not at all human, it’s magic. And David Brin is one of a handful of writers who do this well in my opinion.

What I think I’ll Read Next:
Guinevere, Queen of the Summer Country, Rosalind MIles


I found this book nestled on a dusty shelf with a few other books I bought a few years ago, forgot about, and never read. It’s time to correct this matter, so I’ll work my way through the shelf over the next few weeks.  Starting with Guenevere.

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What are you reading and how are you enjoying it?  What have you read recently that you would recommend?  Please post your blog link, or answers in the comments.  I’d love to hear from you!

photo credit: open book via photopin (license)

3 thoughts on “It’s WWW Wednesday – May 18, 2016”

  1. I’m currently reading Madeline Dyer’s “Untamed” (blew through the first 10 chapters even though I could barely keep my eyes open last night! It is THAT GOOD!)
    I recently finished “Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer” by Rick Riordan. Always a pleasure!
    Next up, I’ll be reading “Memory Man” by David Baldacci. I either end up LOVING his books, or not really enjoying the subject matter. But his style is marvelous and I think I’ll just keep reading till I’ve read all of his novels. My favorite mystery/thriller author!

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