Shameless Challenge Pimping and an Overdue Book Report

[kmo]

 I realize it has been forever since I posted something of significance aside from the odd "Dear Author" letter. Forgive me oh readers, first semester as a new faculty member has knocked me rather flat on my ass. It's all new preps for me, one of which is totally outside my field of study. (heh, why did i say i'd teach world civ again...) The latter did allow me the opportunity to basically create a lesson plan that may or may not have been inspired by parts of Naamah's Blessing. My colleagues are lovely, my students are a mixed bag as students often are. I'm busy, but overall it's a good busy. I'd rataher this than the daily existential crisis of it's-4pm-and-I-haven't-written-anything-and-am-still-in-my-pajamas that was my life as a grad student. 

While I have your attention- signups for the 1st ever Kushiel's Legacy fanworks exchange are ongoing through Sunday December 17th. As of now, fanworks are due Dec 15th and reveals will be on the Longest Night, Dec 21st. We decided to extend the signup deadline because of wonky AO3 tag issues and may extend the due date accordingly. You can find more information at the kushielexchange comm or you can check out the AO3 signup form here. If you are on the fence about signing up and are unsure of your other fannish commitments, you will also have the opportunity to sign up to beta or pinch hit as the spirit moves you. 

I am very overdue on my book reviews. Work has slowed me down, but I have been reading. 

Indigo Springs, A.M Dellmonica
The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
Point of Honour, Madeleine Robbins
Changeless, Gail Carriger
Grave Mercy, R.L Lefevers
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs

Indigo Springs- This one came rec'd by silverflight8  and it was a great rec. I totally loved it! Astrid the queer lady protagonist of Indigo Springs comes from a line of "chanters"- people who can enchant ordinary objects to make them magical. Her house sits on top of a well of vitagua, the blue liquid that is magic in its purest form. But the magic has a tendency to corrupt and contaminate people and can turn people and things monstrous if they come into contact with it, including Astrid's unrequited ladycrush, Sahara. There were some things that felt a bit contrived and unnecessary to me- for example, the story being told out of order made it overly complicated IMO. But overall I loved it and can't wait to read the sequel. I want more urban fantasy along the lines of Indigo Springs and less people dating werewolves and vampires. 

The Sparrow- Ooof, I did not enjoy this one at all. On paper, it totally seems like my kind of book- Jesuits make first contact with an alien civilization. But if was just written in such a cheesy style. Like a Dan Brown-style thriller. And I couldn't get over what an obvious self-insert one of the characters was for the author. I did kind of like the parts that were more grimdark at the end, but I won't be reading the sequel. 

Point of Honour- this is the first of a series of mysteries/thrillers set in Regency London featuring Sarah Tolerance. Sarah is a fallen woman, disgraced because she eloped with her fencing teacher, now an "agent of inquiry" for London's elite. What you basically need to know about Sarah is that she is sort of like if grown-up Arya Stark accidentally wandered into a Jane Austen novel. In other words, she suits my id perfectly. And i thought this book was getting a bit conventionally romantic in places, but then it took this totally dark turn at the end that absolutely pulled no punches and i LOVED it. 

Changeless- 2nd in the Parasol Protectorate series, I liked it ok. I'm pretty much in it for all the secondary characters and am basically indifferent about the two leads. Please, I just want a book about Lord Akeldama being a fabulous gay vampire and that sexy soft butch inventor lady inventing things and being hot. Oh and Ivy and her hats because they are both adorable. It is nice to have queer secondary characters in a het novel, even if they are relegated to the role of sassy best friend. I wish more series writers would do this---lookin' at you, Lauren Willig. 

Grave Mercy- I was also a bit meh about this one, despite it being my id on paper. So basically the heroine lives in 15th century Brittany and was fathered by the god of Death. So she is taken to a special convent and becomes an assassin-nun. It's like Kushiel's Dart crossed over with the Arya in the House of Black and White chapters and should be the *best thing ever*...but not so much. Maybe because it's written in the style of one of those Phillipa Gregory novels? (Maybe it should be retitled Kushiel's Boleyn Girl)  Or the heroine is about as interesting as a pair of socks? It felt very tell and not enough show. I don't think I'm going to read the rest of the series.  

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl- ok, so I had my students read this one for class. I had read portions of it before, but this was the first time I read it all the way through. askuhakhjdaskdkdfjaasjha! I can't even, it's so powerful and amazing. Very hard to read at times, especially because of the constant threats of sexual violence Harriet lived under. It is perhaps the most comprehensive slave narrative ever written and the one that really makes the gender and sexual dynamics of slavery clear. It's also really well written and engaging and is maybe now my favorite thing ever written in the 19th c. So read it if you want to learn about slavery. But also read it if you love underdog stories and love to learn about women who used their wits and their bodies, whatever they had to make a life for themselves. I would love to see Harriet Jacobs' story get the same level of attention that 12 Years a Slave is getting right now. 
 

Comments

[likeadeuce]

And I couldn't get over what an obvious self-insert one of the characters was for the author.

Which character did you think was a self-insert ???

[kmo]

the older academic lady who seemed to serve as wise mother figure and matchmaker for half the cast. i'm not totally opposed to author avatars- i'm a Mary Russell fan for heaven's sake. but this one seemed like something out of a bad fanfic, where the OC is suddenly best friends with all the characters, even if they are not playing the mary sue love interest role.

[likeadeuce]

I was probably just too impressed at having an older academic lady in a SF novel to consider that point of view.

[kmo]

her style of writing just was not for me. and i'd love to see more older women in sci fi and fantasy, but that particular character just did not feel 3-dimensional, so much so that i can't even remember her name.

[likeadeuce]

Heh, well, style is subjective I guess.

[kmo]

if i recall, she had multiple POV shifts within the same chapter/scene. it's become almost a deal breaker for me. i'd honestly rather read 2nd person than total omniscient 3rd.

[likeadeuce]

It takes all kinds! I always get a thrill from an author who can actually handle omniscient and wish I could do it myself. I've gotten to the point where I hate chapter to chapter POV shifts if there's not a reason for them.

[muccamukk]

The non-linear nature of Indigo Springs was one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved fitting all the bits together. I can see how it could come off as overly fussy though. Have you read her short story Cage? It's awesome. There are werewolves, but they're awesome werewolves (spoken by someone who goes out of her way to avoid the genre). Haven't quite gotten to Blue Magic yet.

Will check out Life of a Slave Girl when I'm feeling up to it.

[kmo]

yeah, often non-linear structure is one of my favorite things. i like it in non-fiction, too, some of my favorite history books tell the story out of order. But for Indigo Springs, I think it would have worked just fine to have Astrid tell her story in one long stretch. and i also read this i think on the heels of The Sparrow, which also had unnecessary flashbacks and forwards.

i will make a note of Cage. i really liked the author. and i keep thinking Indigo Springs would make a wonderful tv show. Jacobs is intense. but one of the things i loved about it was how very modern and unsentimental it felt despite being written in 1860. like seriously, why did i have to read Uncle Tom's Cabin in HS when i could be reading this? my students really liked it, too, and most of them preferred it to Frederick Douglass' narrative, which they also read.

[muccamukk]

I think Indigo Springs was frankly helped by going in with a false impression. I thought it was going to be a blatant self-insert who gets fluffy magic powers and possibly also fairy wings, and was only reading it because nice cover and local author. But I did like the structure a lot in any case, and (according to the review I made at the time, which I have just looked up) felt like it added to the characterisation of the magic users who were looking at things out of order as well, and I felt it added to the tension. Anyway, need to read the next one.

I was homeschooled in Canada, but eventually wandered into Uncle Tom's Cabin on my own, and wandered out pretty fast. I understand why it was important at the time, but it comes across as didactic nonsense now (possibly too harsh, but seriously?. It seemed a lot more something you'd study for Victorian literary conventions then for history). The Canadian equivalent is probably Susannah Moodey's Roughing it in the Bush, which is at least enjoyably bitchy.

[kmo]

UTC (as we in the 19th c biz call it) has many problems that make it unsuitable for teaching. yes, it is a good example of an "issue novel" and can provide good insight into how many northerners viewed slavery, but it is so preachy and didactic. not to mention its portrayals of african-americans are straight out of a minstrel show. its flaws outweigh its benefits IMO- at least for teaching. The Jungle and nonfiction like The Feminine Mystique are probably better examples of the "issue book" that are more easily accessible. (though the last quarter of The Jungle is a straight up socialist screed)

had not heard of Susannah Moodey but i will save it for future reference. i teach women's history too and i'm always on the lookout of first-hand accounts of women to assign.