While She Knits

[peggy-2.livejournal.com]

Summer is over, school has started, Megan is back in Ohio knitting a new pair of socks for her upcoming trip to Boston as a Boston-Globe Horn Book Awards Honoree, and thesehnsucht 's recent post brings to mind just how long it has been since we had a WSK conversation.

What books have you read recently that really left an impression on you?  What are the ones on your To Be Read or Upcoming New Release lists that you are simply itching to get at? 

Comments

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Aww, poor Beth. My mother tied me to a chair and read me Earthsea when I was still impressionable, and I loved it, and then in college I read The Left Hand of Darkness and it blew my mind. Earthsea is a series of three (originally three; now there's six of them) books about a famous mage, except that the books make it clear that he's done some amazing things, but we're not going to talk about the "established corpus" - in scare quotes because Le Guin actually never wrote that part - we're going to talk about two adventures he had when he was very young, and then things he did when he was old and trying to hide from his fame. The idea of Kvothe seems very Le Guin to me; sort of Earthsea on steroids. They're lovely books, all of them, but if The Wizard drives you nuts, try The Tombs of Atuan. It's about women, which helps.

Song of Ice and Fire is this massively long series by George RR Martin. It's complicated and messy and twisted, but basically comes down to a kingdom undergoing internal political convulsions and external invasion by fantasy zombies from the north. The size of the books, the comprehensiveness of the world, and the presence of zombie powers in Rothfuss all seem very derivative of GRRM. But, really, I did find the Rothfuss book mostly enjoyable (and I so very wanted to have a crush on Kvothe, because he's just the kind of protagonist I usually crush on). I think you're right that it is a tribute and that it is getting its own foothold. But I want it to be even more than the fairly solid novel it is - which is why the things that bother me bother me SO MUCH.

Also, remember last week Philia mentioned her peeve about martial arts being easy? I feel that way about music - and while I do respect that Kvothe actually puts in practice time (unlike some people), he's just too good too fast and that's annoying. And Denna's mad skillz read pretty Sue-ish too me.

Orson Scott Card has loudly endorsed Rothfuss, here: http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/content/reviews.asp#orsonscott
All respect to Card and Ender, I disagree - although I realize this is probably a debate that can't be resolved. Ever.

My theory is that the male fantasy woman - "guy bait," if you will - is like Denna or the John Green girls: someone smart and funny and gorgeous and pretty much perfect; your unattainable best friend who always goes for the guys that make you feel small and useless, until one day she turns around and falls for you. So Denna isn't supposed to appeal to me anyway, which explains why I dislike her so much.

[beth-shulman.livejournal.com]

My theory is that the male fantasy woman - "guy bait," if you will - is like Denna or the John Green girls: someone smart and funny and gorgeous and pretty much perfect; your unattainable best friend who always goes for the guys that make you feel small and useless, until one day she turns around and falls for you. So Denna isn't supposed to appeal to me anyway, which explains why I dislike her so much.

Honestly, I don't know if girls like that even exist - ya know, perfect ones, not smart and gorgeous - except in guys' imaginations. While they're pining. And at least we know that he doesn't end up with Denna *phew* because he's alone in his inn. Except for his student (who had better have a bigger presence in the next book, because I liked him). Although I guess she might show up again, because it's not just Kvothe telling his story; there's also the monster spider stuff going on, which is another thing I liked about the book.

I'm off to - tentatively - find a copy of Ursula le Guin's book. :)

[brandy-painter.livejournal.com]

Just jumping in here to say I really don't like Denna either and am fervently hoping someone shoves her off a high mountain in the next book. My husband loves this book more than I do but he equally can't stand her character. (He has also read QT and very much likes Irene.) So that bait doesn't work for all guys.

My favorite parts of this book were the ones with Kvothe in his inn. That is why I am so willing to pick up the next volume. I want to know more about that guy. And I agree with Beth. His sidekick?, assistant?, fanboy?, whatever is really fascinating. Want to know more about him.

[traboule.livejournal.com]

Best description of Bast ever. He's probably all of the above, and some kind of supernatural thingy to boot.

I will happily push Denna off a high mountain - although my friend thinks Kvothe is going to kill her at some point. That works too.

[brandy-painter.livejournal.com]

Yes, Bast is definitely supernatural too. My favorite scene in the whole book is probably the one at the end between him and Chronicler.

I like your friend's idea. Maybe Kvothe can push her off the high mountain. :)

[beth-shulman.livejournal.com]

So I know this is about - six months after we talked about Ursula le Guin, but I just read four of the Earthsea books and I just wanted to say THANKS for encouraging me. I loved them, especially the first two.