Books!

[przed]

Finally, as suggested by faramir_boromir, the Book Meme

1. Total number of book I own.

Lots. In fact, lots and lots. On shelves and in boxes in both Toronto and Parry Sound. We're definitely talking several thousand, but beyond that I'm not even going to guess.

2. The last book I bought.

The catalogue for the Caravaggio exhibit at the National Gallery in London. Or if you don't think that counts, Primo Time, Antony Sher's memoir about doing a theatre piece on Primo Levi.

3. The last book I read.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman, which took me way too long to get around to reading, I know. I loved it, of course.

4. Five books that mean a lot to me.

I was going to just go with the classics, but everyone else has had lists that included The Three Musketeers and The Lord of the Rings, not to mention Little Women and Emma. And I'm sure Casino Royale popped up somewhere. (See how I worked all those in there.) But instead, I decided to pick some contemporary novels by writers I care about that not everyone might know. Along with a few ringers that, I hope, everyone has heard of.

The War for the Oaks, by Emma Bull
Bull expertly mixes the world of faerie with a modern urban setting to produce this wonderful story.

Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner
This is like a Dumas novel, with sword masters who just happen to be gay. In other words, it's right up my alley

Trader, by Charles de Lint
De Lint is another purveyor of urban fantasy, a fellow Canadian, and a writer who is very dear to my heart indeed. I could have picked any of his books, but I find Trader lingers in my mind more strongly than his others.

The Sun, the Moon and the Stars, by Steven Brust
I love Brust's Taltos novels, but I think this is my favourite of his books. It's all about why people create, with a suitable amount of magic thrown into the mix.

The Chronoliths, by Robert Charles Wilson
Another Canadian writer, and another case where I could have picked any of his books. But I picked The Chronoliths because it's got an amazing concept--giant monoliths commemorating an as-yet-unknown warlord keep dropping in from the future--and Wilson's usual perfect examination of how the extraordinary affects ordinary lives.

And an honourable mention, because, damn, I wish I'd written this:

Warchild, by Karin Lowachee
A first novel about a space orphan who's caught in the middle of a war between humans and the alien race that took him in. If you haven't read it, do so immediately.

5. Tag five people to do this meme.

I doubt there's five people on my flist who haven't done this, but if nsandik hasn't, I'd love to see her list.

Comments

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Such an interesting list! Have noted several. Warchild sounds especially interesting.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Warchild is very good. Plus, Lowachee is another Canadian. ;)

[ribby.livejournal.com]

*grin* I knew I liked you, this proved it! Three of these are some of my absolute favorites as well--the Bull, the Brust, and Swordspoint (have you read the sequel, Fall of the Kings? Gorgeous in a completely different way). Mine would probably add Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionavar Trilogy, and maybe Diane Duane's Tale of the Five.

You know what they say about great (or at least similarly warped) minds!

~Kris

[przed.livejournal.com]

Fall of the Kings has been near the top of my to read pile for a while, now. I'm determined to find the time to read it this summer.

I haven't read any Kay, but several of Duane's books came very close to making this list. I love her stuff to bits, and have fingers crossed that she gets the full series published.

And now I know why I always love your stories so much. (Great minds, etcetera...) *g*

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

The War for the Oaks, by Emma Bull

Oh, that's one of my favorites too.

[przed.livejournal.com]

You have impeccable taste.

[faramir-boromir.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, Swordspoint. Talk about merging two of my favorite things! Don't know that one, but am adding it to Amazon wishlist right now!!!

[przed.livejournal.com]

You absolutely have to read Swordspoint. In fact, I'm not sure how you've missed it up until now.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner
This is like a Dumas novel, with sword masters who just happen to be gay. In other words, it's right up my alley

Great choice! I've heard there's supposed to be another book in the series. I hope so.

[przed.livejournal.com]

The follow-up is Fall of the Kings. It's on my shelf waiting to be read. With luck, I'll get to it this summer.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Actually, she working on another one that's supposed to be set around year 15 (With Swordspoint as 0, Fall of the Kings as 60.) Her website shows it as novel-in-progress but it's been that way for awhile now.

[przed.livejournal.com]

Oooh, that's good news. Mind you, considering how long Fall of the Kings took, I won't be counting on the new one any time soon. Which is okay, considering how little reading time I have these days.