Quarterly Reading Update

( What I have been reading )

Some kid reading

A recent favorite kid book in my house was The boy who was raised by librarians, written by Carla Morris and illustrated by Brad Sneed. It made me (and peaseblossom) sniffle. The starchild just loves it. This amusing, warm-hearted picture book celebrates the impact that public libraries and librarians can have on the lives of children, and I’d guess most of my friends would resonate with it.

The boy continues his fascination with comics, space, robots, bionicles and the like. I really should post some of his comics some day.

The Bestiary by Nicholas Christopher

Nicholas Christopher is on the list of authors that I don’t understand why he’s not more popular amongst fantasy fans. Probably because he is firmly in the literary camp and thus ignored by most genre people. It’s a pity because he writes good fantasy of history. A literary omnivore (which I always appreciate), he is versed in classical lore and pulp fiction, and his books are a thrilling amalgam of the two: erudite, lyrical and breathlessly paced. Unlike Christopher’s previous novels, The Bestiary merely teeters on the edge of fantasy. But it teeters in such a delightful way.

The Bestiary concerns a medieval manuscript with a whiff of heresy, suppressed and possibly destroyed by order of the pope. And the story is primarily that of a fable. The main character’s – Xeno - hunt for this bestiary is quixotic — it is, he soon realizes, a thinly veiled quest for his own identity — and the novel is less a detective story than a kind of theme and variations on the failure of man’s dominion over nature.

I recommend folks read this book, I also really recommend going out and finding Veronica and A Trip to the Stars, which are on my must list of book recommendations.

Nobilis update

Peaseblossom and I have been playing A long Road to When, our one-on-one Nobilis game. Her session summaries can be found here. Things are going well though there have been certainly some rough spots in characterization. Its really forcing me to break out of some established habits and try new stuff out. I also find the need to prep for a 1:1 game a lot heavier than group style, which is probably good for my lazy bones.