It's Monday, What Are You Reading? August 9, 2010

It's Monday, What are you reading is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  

 

It’s Monday!  What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week.  It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This was an unusual week for me in that all of the books I read this week were on my Kindle. I was traveling and the Kindle is wonderful for that. 

Last week I read:

Water Bound by Christine Feehan - This is a paranormal romance with an unusual female lead. Besides being able to control water, she is autistic. The hero is a Russian assassin and spy who also has psychic power. I loved the romance.

Manifest by Artist Arthur is a YA parnormal. The main character communicates with ghosts but just as much of the story deals with her adjustment to her parents' divorce and her mother's remarriage. It was OK.

Then, I purchased the eARC of Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is the much anticipated addition to the Vorkosigan series. Fans have been waiting since 2002 to find out what happens next in this saga. I will be reviewing this book nearer to its publication date in November. I adored it. I think that this would be a good place for new readers to begin reading Lois. I'm sure the experience would be richer if you had all the backstory but, as it is, it is a wonderful epic science fiction story. 

And it triggered a re-read of the entire collection of books.

I have chosen to read them in order of their internal chronology to try to follow the story from beginning to its current point. I bought the ebooks as one of my first purchases after I got my Kindle because I always wanted to have this series available. I have each book in multiple editions on my bookshelves. I think this is my favorite series of all time. The people are so real.

The story began in 1986 with Shards of Honor. In it Cordelia Naismith from advanced Beta Colony and Aral Vorkosigan from backward, militaristic Barrayar meet and fall in love even though their planets are at war. 

Barrayar was written in 1991 and deals with the time just after they married. Aral has been appointed Regent for the young Emperor Gregor and has to end a civil war. Cordelia has become pregnant but her son Miles is damaged by a poison gas assassination attempt (see civil war!) and she must use galactic technology to try to save his life. 

The Warrior's Apprentice written in 1986 jumps ahead to a time when Miles is 17 and has just failed the physical entrance exam to the Imperial Military Academy because of his fetal damage. He travels to Beta Colony and embarks on a career of knight errantry and manages almost accidentally to become admiral of a fleet of mercenary soldiers.

I am currently reading The Vor Game written in 1990. Miles has finished his education at the Imperial Military Academy and failed his first test as weather officer at an isolated military base when he defies the attempts of the commander to torture soldiers under his command. He is assigned to Imperial Security and goes off to become admiral again. This time he has ImpSec's blessing. But, being Miles, a lot more happens than ImpSec wanted.

I have six more books in the Vorkosigan saga to read again. I am planning to cap off the re-read by reading Cryoburn again. This time I will have all the details from the series fresh in my memory.

If you have never tried Lois McMaster Bujold, I very strongly recommend looking for a copy of Shards of Honor. You may find it as an individual book or in Cordelia's Honor (which also includes Barrayar) or in Test of Honor (which also includes The Warrior's Apprentice). If you check out Baen's Free Library, you can read her Hugo Award winning short story "In the Mountains of Mourning" which was my introduction to the series and is a story about Miles that reveals both his strengths and his weaknesses.


I will be reviewing the books after I finish re-reading them. I don't want to stop to write now.


Have a good reading week! I know that I will.