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What I've recently finished since my last post:
The World's Best Poetry ed. Bliss Carmen et al., volume V -- all the poems classified as "about" nature. My general impression puts this anthology roughly on par with The Home Book of Verse (first published around the same time, with much the same aims and almost exactly the same size) but with a slightly higher percentage of clunkers and a occasional bouts of intensive sentimentality. I'd have to return to Home Book to be sure, but I suspect World's Best's choices more thoroughly reinforce bourgeois values. Not to mention: in your run of bird poems, no Keats? -- I distrust your editorial taste, sirs. OTOH more (and more varied) translations is always a plus.
Madan no Ô to Vanadis volume 8, which ends with a more blatant cliff-hanger than usual. Which scene doesn't work as well as it ought, because we are entirely outside the head of the linchpin character. Still, plan to continue.
Allison volumes 1-2 by Keiichi Sigsawa, the first of which wraps up well but with room for more adventures -- which I immediately followed up. Though it quickly becomes clear that the mechanics of politics is not the author's forte: the schematic, symbolic systems that would eventually work so well in the existential Kino's Journey are not as good for the backdrop to an adventure yarn. Maybe I should track down the anime.
Log Horizon volumes 1-4 by Mamare Tôno, another entry in the fantasy genre of Game Becomes Real, in this case a MMORPG (comparisons to Sword Art Online are deliberately invited). In this case, the reification is inexplicably triggered by a system update raising the level cap, so a high proportion of capped-out veterans were logged on -- including our main protagonist, the introverted, socially awkward strategist Shiroe. Cue explorations of what it means for a gaming world (and its flat avatars) to become real, including a rather fascinating blending of real-word and gaming mechanics plus the existential question of how "real" the NPCs are. The mix of top-level and beginner characters allows different scales of perspective, though it does defocus the narrative a little as the series progresses.
Toddler Adoption by Mary Hopkins-Best, still for the usual reasons.
What I'm reading now:
Also for the usual reasons, returned to Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections ed. by MacLeod & Macrae.
Log Horizon volume 5, which is still good, though stupid romcom elements have started showing up for this festival episode.
Poems of Places, volume VI -- on to the A-F of Scotland, which taught me that even in the sea of lyrics that are his context and imitators, Burns has distinct enough a voice that his contributions can be picked out just by the sound. My impression of him only grows. Am, what, maybe halfway through? the volume.
What I might read next:
Log Horizon volume 6, which is as far as the fan translations have gotten, and Gakôsen Toshi Asterisk volume 5. Not to mention this volume of Mouse Guard picked up at ComiCon.
The World's Best Poetry ed. Bliss Carmen et al., volume V -- all the poems classified as "about" nature. My general impression puts this anthology roughly on par with The Home Book of Verse (first published around the same time, with much the same aims and almost exactly the same size) but with a slightly higher percentage of clunkers and a occasional bouts of intensive sentimentality. I'd have to return to Home Book to be sure, but I suspect World's Best's choices more thoroughly reinforce bourgeois values. Not to mention: in your run of bird poems, no Keats? -- I distrust your editorial taste, sirs. OTOH more (and more varied) translations is always a plus.
Madan no Ô to Vanadis volume 8, which ends with a more blatant cliff-hanger than usual. Which scene doesn't work as well as it ought, because we are entirely outside the head of the linchpin character. Still, plan to continue.
Allison volumes 1-2 by Keiichi Sigsawa, the first of which wraps up well but with room for more adventures -- which I immediately followed up. Though it quickly becomes clear that the mechanics of politics is not the author's forte: the schematic, symbolic systems that would eventually work so well in the existential Kino's Journey are not as good for the backdrop to an adventure yarn. Maybe I should track down the anime.
Log Horizon volumes 1-4 by Mamare Tôno, another entry in the fantasy genre of Game Becomes Real, in this case a MMORPG (comparisons to Sword Art Online are deliberately invited). In this case, the reification is inexplicably triggered by a system update raising the level cap, so a high proportion of capped-out veterans were logged on -- including our main protagonist, the introverted, socially awkward strategist Shiroe. Cue explorations of what it means for a gaming world (and its flat avatars) to become real, including a rather fascinating blending of real-word and gaming mechanics plus the existential question of how "real" the NPCs are. The mix of top-level and beginner characters allows different scales of perspective, though it does defocus the narrative a little as the series progresses.
Toddler Adoption by Mary Hopkins-Best, still for the usual reasons.
What I'm reading now:
Also for the usual reasons, returned to Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections ed. by MacLeod & Macrae.
Log Horizon volume 5, which is still good, though stupid romcom elements have started showing up for this festival episode.
Poems of Places, volume VI -- on to the A-F of Scotland, which taught me that even in the sea of lyrics that are his context and imitators, Burns has distinct enough a voice that his contributions can be picked out just by the sound. My impression of him only grows. Am, what, maybe halfway through? the volume.
What I might read next:
Log Horizon volume 6, which is as far as the fan translations have gotten, and Gakôsen Toshi Asterisk volume 5. Not to mention this volume of Mouse Guard picked up at ComiCon.