Books.

I’ve read a lot recently and because of computer troubles haven’t had a chance to update sooo.

• Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein: I love this book. Loved it the first time I read it, loved it this time. Especially now that I really get it. That book made me love Heinlein. Grade: A

• Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons: Not terribly memorable, but a good portrayal of a group of very different, but strong women during the early twentieth century. Charlie Kate, the narrator's grandmother, is the central figure in this book, and she's a marvelous character. Grade: C+
• Daughters of the New World by Susan Richards Shreeve: Another wonderful portrayal of life during the twentieth century, and four generations of strong American women. This was made into a craptastic Lifetime movie that sucked me in, so I had to read the book. Naturally, the book was a lot better, and a lot less schlocky. In fact, what I really liked about it was that it was a feel-good story without being terribly sentimental. Grade: A-
• A Cure for Dreams by Kaye Gibbons: This one was short. I finished it within a couple of hours of starting. Another story of strong women in the Depression. I liked Charms for the Easy Life better, though. Grade: C
• World's End by Joan Vinge: The sequel to The Snow Queen . This didn't work so well for me because I found the style–that of a journal–insufferable and our hero is extremely whiny throughout and I spent the whole book wanting to smack him upside the head. Grade: D+
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith: I'd read this book before, too. I got a lot more out of it on a second reread. Another nostalgic story about life in the early twentieth century. Smith's book is surprisingly dark, with moments of sweetness throughout. Francie Nolan, the protagonist, really resonated with me, and she led a hard life, but there wasn't really anything noble in her or her family's being poor. Smith also delves into such issues as sex, marital problems, and racial tensions, and I was surprised at how candid and frank the book was in parts. Grade: A

I'm going back and forth between two books now, Joan Vinge's The Summer Queen which I'm finding interesting except that at the part I'm at now, all of her characters are either pregnant or mommies, and I'm finding that a little bit irritating, Elizabeth Haydon's Rhapsody which would be a great book if it weren't for the title character, who is very inconsistently written and who makes me want to stick a fork in her eye. (However, Rhapsody's reluctant companions, Achmed and Grunthor, are worth reading about because Achmed is snarky and Grunthor is a gentle giant and we all know I love that archetype, even if Grunthor is written with an annoying cockney accent. I'm also starting to reread Charles de Lint's The Little Country which I know is going to be great since I've reread it several times.