Hello everyone! It has been a very long two weeks away from regular internet access, and I’m thrilled to say that those two weeks are over. I have felt so out of the loop; I know I lurk far too often on others’ blogs, but I love to read what’s going on even if I can’t think of anything intelligent to respond. Missing out on that has been tough, although you may have spotted me trying to comment on my lunch breaks at work. I have a lot of catching up to do this week, as next week I’m off to Amsterdam and Bruges.
Our move is now pretty much complete; boxes as usual still have to be unpacked and everything put away, but we’ve made some progress and we’ll get there eventually. I’ve now been in my new job for a month and it’s going well. Mostly I love having an hour lunch break – an hour feels so long! I can actually manage to write a review in that amount of time if I already have my thoughts together, as I did twice over the past couple of weeks. I have a feeling that hour is going to be filled with blogging quite frequently even with the internet available at home.
While I was busy not having the ability to blog, I spent a lot of time thinking about my reading and the way it’s going. Namely, that I really have almost no interest in historical fiction at all. It’s strange, because I’ve enjoyed a number of historical fiction novels over the past couple of months, but when I head to a bookstore I have no interest in perusing new ones. Covers that once would have made me drool with anticipation are now avoided. I’ve gone completely away from any fiction that has anything to do with medieval history, for instance; I’d just so much rather read non-fiction that I lose interest very quickly.
I suppose what it comes down to is the same subjects recycled over and over. Tudor fiction, for instance, really has nothing left to offer at this point. Medieval history usually is about the Wars of the Roses, which I do adore, but not in fiction any longer, or Eleanor of Aquitaine, who really I already know enough about at this point. Authors I love write these books, and I’m sure they’re wonderful, and yet I have little to no interest about them.
What does interest me? Different time periods, different locations, imaginative storylines; I read The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King last week and it was fantastic. Rules of Civility was similarly amazing. So maybe it’s just that I can’t look in the well-worn grooves of my past favorites for new ones. That wouldn’t surprise me, as I’ve always read widely, and I’ve been reading a majority of historical fiction for a long time now.
I’m definitely swinging back towards speculative fiction. I am absolutely adoring the Vorkosigan saga, which I never expected to like. I cannot wait to tell you about Young Miles, a book which had a surprising number of layers and which I could not put down. It also managed to prove that long books don’t scare me away when I can’t tell how long they actually are (thank you, Kindle), as its apparent 824 pages sped by in a couple of days. I’m now deep in Cordelia’s Honor and wishing I could just read the whole series with no regard to any of the many books I have for review.
I also read The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, which you can imagine was incredibly beautiful and another classic I can’t believe I missed. I’ll read them all, someday, but in the meantime I’d best get on with telling you about these.
In any case, I’ll just roll with what’s been catching my interest, and I hope you’ll roll along with me, even if this blog is now far from what its title promises.
Have a great Sunday, and a fantastic week.
Aw, I’m glad you’re settled! Isn’t different time periods still historical fiction,though?
Amy @ My Friend Amy´s last post …Faith and Fiction Saturday: Let’s Talk Romance
Well, yes; but none of it is as exciting to me as it used to be, is what I suppose I was trying to say. I’m far more excited about the fantasy I see in a shop than I am about anything historical.
Wow, what a lot going on! Hope things settle soon. I haven’t read a lot of medieval fiction so when it does come into my hands it’s a welcome happiness. I can very much imagine getting burnt out on it, though!
Pam (@iwriteinbooks)´s last post …TSS: Weekend with the Bard
You life has certainly been crazy lately — glad you are beginning to settle in and that you seem to like the new job.
Beth F´s last post …Weekend Cooking: Review: Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe by Alisa Huntsman
I read The Beekeeper’s Apprentice and likewise, loved it. As for speculative fiction, if I were to start in that genre, what would you recommend for a beginner?
As for changing the focus of your blog, that happens. My blog basically has stuck to its premise, but not always…and on one front anyway, that of keeping track of my running/walking/exercise, I have been woefully behind on. So I can relate…somewhat.
unfinishedperson´s last post …Ugh…
Hurray you’re back! Hi, hi!:)
I think it’s totally normal that your reading tastes would morph and change as time goes on, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you get back to historical fiction one day in the future. I am also glad that the job is going well, and am very excited that you can get blog posts written during your lunch breaks! I hope that your new reading patterns take you to some great new places!
zibilee´s last post …Marybeth Whalen: An Interview and a Giveaway
Glad you’re back! I’m feeling the same way with romance, and have been for a while. Sad.
I am very interested in Speculative fiction lately, too. I am looking forward to more from the genre.
Kailana´s last post …Week in Review (29)
I totally get it. People and their preferences change as we grow. Also, sometimes I think we can just wear a genre out after we read too much of it!
Amused´s last post …Audio Book Review: The Madonnas of Echo Park
I’m glad you’re getting settled — it’s a lot of work, and sounds like you are very busy! I have an hour lunch break at work now too, which I think is quite odd. I can’t seem to make myself take the whole hour because it feels indulgent or something.
I think we all go through reading phases and shifts. I’ve been in a huge fiction kick lately, which has been fun but also out of character for my recent reading. There are also some nonfiction topics I used to love that just sort of bore me now. It happens
Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)´s last post …Review: ‘The Neighborhood Project’ by David Sloan Wilson
You should watch the Rankin and Bass animated version of The Last Unicorn.
I am crazy excited that you’re loving the Vorkosigan Saga, and a wee bit jealous that you get to discover it for the first time. I started with the Cordelia books, and I still have a raging girlcrush on her, enough so that I get irrationally excited whenever she shows up for a scene in one of Miles’s books.
Also, I’m glad you’re not letting the length scare you… keep in mind that since you’re reading the omnibus editions, you’re actually plowing through 2 or 3 novels in a few days, not just one!
Fyrefly´s last post …H. G. Wells – The Time Machine