An open book

[dolorosa_12]

Today, I've been completely charmed and entranced by this video of European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti preparing a meal in space. The food itself looks kind of yucky (I'm sure it tastes fine, but it's hard to make rehydrated goo look aesthetically appealling), but the actual preparation made me smile — the food and utensils keep floating around while she's talking, but she eventually notices them and grabs them, only to absentmindedly let them float off again a minute later.

I don't know how many other people here are fans of Roshani Chokshi's books, but she's going to be doing a live Q&A on Instagram today at 8pm EST. That's unfortunately a bit too late for me in the UK, but it may be more congenial for those of you located in the American continents. Her account is roshanichokshi, and I believe she will record it later to watch.

Also, Tor.com have reprinted an old P. Djèlí Clark short story set in the same universe as his forthcoming A Dead Djinn in Cairo novel. You can read 'The Angel of Khan el-Khalili' for free here.

We're down to the third-last book meme prompt:

28. A book you adore that people are surprised by

This one is a weird one for me. I feel I'm so open about my reading preferences — whether stylistic, characterisation, character relationship dynamics, genres, tropes, or themes explored — that nothing I say I like would surprise anyone.

So instead I'm going to throw this open to you. Based on what you know of me, suggest a book you think I adore (or might adore if I read it in the future). If it's a book I've read already, I'll tell you if you're right or not, and why. If it's something I haven't read, I'll look at the Goodreads summary and tell you if I think I'm likely to enjoy it. That way, I'll maybe end up with a pile of recs to add to my to-read list!


29. A book that led you home

30. A book you detest that people are surprised by

Comments

[evewithanapple]

It's funny you mention Roshani Chokshi because I'm actually in the middle of reading Gilded Wolves right now. It's okay - there's a LOT of worldbuilding to keep track of and I'm a little uneasy with the way the autistic character is being written - but I'm also only a third of the way through, so that might change.

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, I'll be interested to hear what you think when you've finished the book. I liked The Gilded Wolves a lot — what with the heists, found family of dispossessed, damaged misfits, and critique of empire, it felt almost as if it were written with me in mind as its reader — but I can see why you have problems with the characterisation of Zofia.

[evewithanapple]

It seems well-intentioned and I'm not precisely offended by it, it's just . . . her really stiff/formal syntax is very weird. I'm not going to say "no autistic person talks like that," but I don't talk like that and neither do any of the autistic people I know.

[schneefink]

Oof, that is hard: I'm going back through my Goodreads books and most books I think you might like you've read already (and liked, according to your ratings), and several I got from your recs ^^ "The Fire's Stone" by Tanya Huff, maybe?

[dolorosa_12]

The interesting thing is that I actually think I've read this book. It would have been before I had a Goodreads account, or at least before I started properly using it to log everything I'd read, and I have a vague memory that one of my friends lent it to me during our MPhil year. We were both very fannish and had similar tastes in books, and she knew I was suffering without access to my collection of books (back in Australia) and lent me huge piles of her own favourites. The names and description ring a vague bell.

I can see from reviews from you and eglantiere that it's epic fantasy with queer characters and forced soulbonds, and if it deals with what in a lesser author's hands would have been a tedious love triangle in a sensible way, I think this book sounds right up my alley! As I say, I think I've read it before, but so long ago that the memory has receded. However, based on the description and friends' reviews, I think it's a book that I am likely to enjoy immensely on the reread.

Now to see if it's easily available at the library, or cheaply as an ebook!

[schneefink]

If you find it, I'm very curious if you'll like it :)

[aimedatthestars]

Ooooooooh more in the Dead Djinn in Cairo 'verse!! *zooms off* Thanks.

[dolorosa_12]

Hopefully it's enough to tide you over until the novel gets published!

[chestnut_pod]

Ooh, Dead Djinn material! Exciting :)

[dolorosa_12]

It's really great! I only stumbled upon it by accident, and I'm so glad that I did!