Blogmocracy in Action!
Guest post by: Empire1
I’m quite certain I’m not the only bookworm/bookaholic on The Blogmocracy, so I got curious about what the rest of you might be reading, or aren’t reading at the moment but enjoy.
My own primary reading interest is science fiction, but since so much of what I’ve found recently is either post-apocalyptic or what I call “hard” military, I’ve slid into fantasy as well over the last few years. Note that while I like science fiction with a military slant (Starship Troopers and Ender’s Game come immediately to mind), if it starts getting into details of strategy and tactics, my eyes glaze over and I lose interest about the second or third time the story bogs down that way. For instance, I just finished, and very much enjoyed, Anne McCaffrey and S. M. Stirling’s The City Who Fought, but had to skim over chunks of the David Weber and John Ringo “March” series.
I’m corrently re-reading Dune, and will probably go for Alan Dean Foster’s Reunion next (it’s a Pip & Flinx novel I haven’t read yet; found it at a library sale last Saturday). In no particular order, I’m also fond of Lackey’s “Valdemar” series, and am a complete addict of Pratchett’s “Discworld” books — especially anything having to do with Granny Weatherwax or the Nac Mac Feegle.
Anything by David Eddings. MZB’s “Darkover” books (though I know entirely too much about threshold sickness … )
Other than Judge Dee and Sherlock Holmes, I’m not very much into detective stories, though in my younger days I did love me some Ellery Queen! Horror, not too much either, despite a perverse fondness for Lovecraft, and some of Derleth’s work in that mythos.
As far as non-fiction goes, that’s pretty much anything that catches my interest! Anything by Thomas Sowell (I need to re-read A Conflict of Visions and The Vision of the Anointed Real Soon Now) is a given. English usage, history, and unusual words will snag me every time, as will popularized works on cosmology or astronomy, plus some physics (as long as it doesn’t start using equations — I did say popularized!). Books on whatever hobby or craft I’m working or or may get back into — at the moment it’s woodcarving, but I still have lots of stuff on spinning, weaving, crocheting, beadwork, embroidery, brewing (mead or strawberry wine, anyone?) and a couple I haven’t tried yet, for lack of room or cash.
Oh, yes, and I’ll grab any heraldry book I can get my mitts on!
So now it’s your turn. What do you like? What are you reading now, or plan to soon?
— Empire1
