Deirdre > Recent Status Updates

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Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 7 of 320 of White Horse
I'm not too far into this one yet, but so far it seems promising. I find the main character to be very relatable right off the bat, so that seems like a good sign.
Nov 24, 2022 07:59AM Add a comment
White Horse

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 272 of 448 of The Hollow Kind
Andy Davidson's prose here is as lovely as in the Boatman's Daughter, but the characterization and plotting are a definite step up from his previous effort. I love to see a writer improve at their craft. While the plot may be a slow burn, I don't mind that as long as I am entertained and so far I am very entertained.
Nov 24, 2022 07:54AM Add a comment
The Hollow Kind

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 134 of 280 of New Moon (Oran, #1)
Call me a stick-in-the-mud, but typically when fantasy authors try to invent new ways of cursing in a book, the results tend to turn out more laughable than impressive.
Oct 09, 2022 08:13AM Add a comment
New Moon (Oran, #1)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 85 of 338 of Brothers in Arms (Vorkosigan Saga, #5)
Miles Vorkosigan...sometimes I relate to him so hard and sometimes I just wanna throttle that hyper little bullshit artist.
Oct 05, 2022 02:00PM Add a comment
Brothers in Arms (Vorkosigan Saga, #5)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 208 of 436 of Black Mouth
Sep 24, 2022 09:06AM Add a comment
Black Mouth

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 102 of 576 of Wizard of the Grove (Wizard of the Grove #1-2)
So far fairly enjoyable, though bog-standard fantasy fare.
Sep 23, 2022 07:07AM Add a comment
Wizard of the Grove (Wizard of the Grove #1-2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 267 of 391 of The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
Love how scathing and effective a critique this is of capitalism "In a sense, [Azadian society] even recognizes the "sanctity" of the body..but only to violate it. It all boils down to ownership, possession; about taking and having." (pg. 266)
Sep 19, 2022 07:15AM Add a comment
The Player of Games (Culture, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 22 of 313 of China Mountain Zhang
So far I'm really digging the writing. While I don't necessarily consider the garnering of literary awards the indicator of a good book, I can definitely see why so many people liked this one.
Sep 15, 2022 07:20AM Add a comment
China Mountain Zhang

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 242 of 691 of Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)
Right now I'm kinda stalled on this one. I will be getting around to finish my re-read of it and the third book eventually, but for now I'm tabling it.
Sep 15, 2022 07:16AM Add a comment
Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 145 of 232 of The Horsegirl
While the cover makes this book look like some schmaltzy Mercedes Lackey clone, nothing could be further from the truth, my friends. In fact, this novel could be seen as an antidote Lackey's relentless tweeness.
Sep 15, 2022 07:14AM Add a comment
The Horsegirl

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 100 of 391 of The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
Okay, now the plot is really gearing up and I will be very interested to see where this goes.
Sep 15, 2022 07:12AM Add a comment
The Player of Games (Culture, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 257 of 326 of Remnant Population
This is really good. So nice to have an old woman as the protagonist. Ofelia rules.
Sep 13, 2022 07:12AM Add a comment
Remnant Population

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 64 of 391 of The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
Okay, now it's starting to pick up a bit. I would have to say that the Culture drones are the stars of the piece so far to me. I haven't really read a ton of books with sentient AI in them so maybe that's why I find them so fascinating.
Sep 13, 2022 07:11AM Add a comment
The Player of Games (Culture, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 54 of 391 of The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
So far this is not grabbing me the way Consider Phlebas did. Maybe it's because Gurgeh is a bit of a pompous windbag, and not even a very entertaining one at that.
Sep 12, 2022 08:15AM Add a comment
The Player of Games (Culture, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 123 of 264 of Teot's War (The Song of Naga Teot, #1)
This is quite good so far. It's a shame this series is not better known.
Sep 08, 2022 02:57PM Add a comment
Teot's War (The Song of Naga Teot, #1)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 67 of 329 of Midnight Robber
So far this is every bit as good as I remember it being.
Sep 04, 2022 07:16AM Add a comment
Midnight Robber

Deirdre
Deirdre is finished with Midnight Robber
So far this is every bit as good as I remember it being, and then some.
Sep 04, 2022 07:15AM Add a comment
Midnight Robber

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 18 of 391 of The Player of Games (Culture, #2)
So cool, it looks like this book explores the Culture a bit more from an insider's perspective rather than an outsider's. Looking forward to reading it during my vacation this week.
Sep 04, 2022 07:13AM Add a comment
The Player of Games (Culture, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 202 of 691 of Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)
Okay, I'm more of the way into the re-read and yeah, this book is definitely pushing the "white savior" narrative pretty hard, and it's enough to make me lower my opinion of the book. There are still parts I like and enjoy reading (I appreciate the good parts of the book), but the whole white savior is a huge flaw in a book I once really liked as a teenager but didn't notice at the time.
Aug 29, 2022 07:43PM Add a comment
Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 274 of 467 of Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
I can some narrative and pacing flaws in this book, but honestly I am too blown away by the world-building and the characterization to care. Plus it doesn't hurt that the author was a leftie politically and this informs his book nicely. The Culture seems a bit like the "ambiguous utopia" Annares was in LeGuin's The Dispossessed, only with vastly more material resources.
Aug 29, 2022 07:39PM Add a comment
Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 4 of 329 of Midnight Robber
Read this a few years back and adored it. I am re-reading it again because a) I want to re-read a book I am pretty certain will not disappoint me like many of the books I have been re-reading lately and b) so I can hopefully write a more comprehensive review of how much it rocks. :)
Aug 29, 2022 07:36PM Add a comment
Midnight Robber

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 70 of 276 of Mindplayers
It's so nice to read a book where being fat doesn't constitute a character defect. The MC describes her body as being "well-padded", and when she ribs her overweight parole officer/lawyer for weight, he counters by saying something to the effect of "yeah I could change my appearance if i wanted to, but I don't want to." Refreshing to see.
Aug 28, 2022 07:20AM Add a comment
Mindplayers

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 138 of 318 of Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)
I think some judicious skimming may be in order to avoid the excessive hand-wringing and not very well-written existential angst from these characters. It's not like I'm afraid I'll miss out on anything, given that it's my second time reading this book and I pretty much know how it goes.
Aug 25, 2022 11:53AM Add a comment
Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 131 of 318 of Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)
I am unironically loving the adjudication of farming disputes scene here, if only because it keeps the characters from wallowing in their angst for a few paragraphs/pages at least. Man, I forgot how much Lackey loves angst.
Aug 25, 2022 07:13AM Add a comment
Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 130 of 318 of Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)
The narrative picks up quite a bit once our duo leaves Haven, I am happy to report, <spoiler> though with Talia's wards crumbling, I am sensing more patented Mercedes Lackey melodrama ahead </spoiler>. Also like any self-respecting fantasy Mary-Sue, Talia is an Empath, which is like, the most emo smol bean fantasy superpower ever.
Aug 25, 2022 07:09AM Add a comment
Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 144 of 691 of Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)
I like how Mara is actually being self-reflective about how she treats people below her station. That said, it irks me that this self-reflection comes about because some "Enlightened" White Dude from generic Euro-fantasy world says "hey Mara, has anyone ever told you your caste-based society is kind unfair, mmkay?" This white savior trope is too common in fantasy, but I think kinda belabored that already.
Aug 24, 2022 02:23PM Add a comment
Servant of the Empire (The Empire Trilogy, #2)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 194 of 467 of Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)
I am really perversely entranced by this book. Sure it's gross and weird, but I like gross and weird. The author's description of the Mind's information capacity did almost make my tiny little mind explode.
Aug 24, 2022 02:20PM Add a comment
Consider Phlebas (Culture, #1)

Deirdre
Deirdre is on page 98 of 318 of Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)
I'm going to interrupt my stream of complaints to say that the chirras are very adorable and a good addition to the story. Also, the dialogue is lot less banter-y now that Talia and Kris have hit the road, and that is all to the good.
Aug 24, 2022 02:08PM Add a comment
Arrow's Flight (Heralds of Valdemar, #2)

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