The Reading of Books

This year, I haven't done much reading of books.  In four months, four books were read.  Rather pathetic.  I must do better.  What I did read was all very good, so that's something...

(1) Elizabeth Bear, Range of Ghosts.  First book of the Eternal Sky trilogy.  (Book two is in the TBR pile even now.)  Ms Bear uses a Central Asian basis for the culture of the story.  It's wonderfully done.  (Are you as tired as I am of Euro-Medieval-based fantasy?  I'm so glad there are authors who feel this way, too.)

(2) Jared Diamond, The World Until Yesterday.  Basically, this is a big book of comparative anthropology.  I learned a great deal about the world view of hunter-gatherers, which at some point will be incorporated into my novel Shadows. 

(3) Ursula K. Le Guin, The Unreal and the Real, Volume One: Where on Earth.  A collection of realism and magical realism short stories, some of Ms Le Guin's favorites.  I love this author.  She's so versatile - science fiction, fantasy, lit fic, poetry, translations, essays.  Her book on writing (Steering the Craft) is excellent. 

(4) Ursula K. Le Guin, The Unreal and the Real, Volume Two: Outer Space, Inner Lands.  Fantasy and science fiction short stories selected by the author.

I want to write more short fiction, but I'm very much out of practice.  Reading more of it will remind me how this form works.  At least theoretically.  And even if it doesn't, I'll have read a lot of great stories!