Not sure what to read next: There’s new Neal Stephenson, and Empress of Forever briefly touched its hat to Gene Wolfe, but I’m not sure I want either the commitment or to read another old white dude right now, but I also don’t have anything else lined up.
Empress of Forever was really good. It took a left turn at chapter 3, then fell into a structure so superficially standard that I didn’t notice the very interesting thing Gladstone was doing until about halfway through. Another book I’ll be thinking about in the next weeks.
Now starting Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone.
Ritz & Escoffier was fascinating, a little chatty and gossipy but perhaps that’s appropriate for the subject matter. I wasn’t aware how much those two shaped the modern hotel and restaurant businesses.
Now starting Ritz & Escoffier: The Hotelier, the Chef & the Rise of the Leisure Class by Luke Barr.
The Raven Tower was a fascinating little puzzle-box of betrayal, revenge, and metaphysics. Highly recommended.
Okay. Now starting The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie.
What to read next? Recent releases are (in rough order of how long I think they’ll take to read)
Or, something like Why Buddhism is True from the long list.
Finished reading The Collector by Jack Nisbet, a biography of David Douglas, the naturalist of Douglas-fir fame. Almost more interesting as a window on life as a European in the early-19th-century Pacific Northwest.