What Am I Reading? Episode 4
Betsey Wilcox
I am back with more recommendations for your reading pleasure! But first I want to tell you about a surprising conversation a friend and I had about dystopian and post-apocalyptic books. My friend picked up the Faith Hunter “Shining Smith” Audibles, and we had a texting session about how could I have liked those books because I detest dystopian books. I had to stand my ground and say they were not dystopian, rather they were post-apocalyptic like David Brin’s “The Postman”. Then we discussed the difference between dystopian & post-apocalyptic because apparently current use is interchangeable, but for me there is a big difference between the two and I don’t use them interchangeably! I see post-apocalyptic differing from dystopian in one major way: hope or the lack thereof. The characters live and work toward survival & a better future with hope as a driving force makes it post-apocalyptic. So please don’t expect me to write about dystopian books, because I can’t bring myself to read hopeless books, no matter how well written. Neither of the books below are in that vein so read away.
Alex Kingston- “Doctor Who - The Ruby’s Curse: A River Song & Melody Malone Mystery” - Audible
I picked up this Audible as I was looking for something light & fun and who is more fun than River Song and what could be better than to have it read by the persona of the character. I was still unpacking & moving from room to room while my linked Alexas read to me. The story started out meeting my expectations; River Song narrated first person and then read parts of a book she was writing involving Melody Malone, Private Investigator circa 1939 A.D. I was enjoying the switching back and forth between Stormcage, ad 5147 and Melody Malone in ad 1939 with River being in ad 5147. It was time travel in a way, but it wasn’t giving me a headache. Somewhere around chapter 15 or 17 the tone of the book changed, it was subtle but still a change and then my head started to hurt. There was a lot of jumping around and a new places & times were added (Egypt & Rome, 30 BCE). I think I was actually got time lost for a bit, but finally caught up & my head stopped hurting. For a Doctor Who novel written & read by Alex Kingston, this book in was no way disappointing. Well written & well narrated, it makes me want to try another Doctor Who book.
J. Michael Straczynski- “Together We Will Go” - Audible
This was another whim purchase, and I had no idea what I was going to get. I knew Joe Straczynski’s writing from the TV series “Babylon 5” so I didn’t think it would stink. It did not stink. There was a full cast recording, so it was easy to tell the 12 characters apart but when I bought it, I had no idea it was a journey about suicide with 12 strangers on a bus. The motivation behind each character’s reasons for wanting to die are laid out provocatively and uniquely. Spoiler alert: not all characters die at the end of the journey. There are the unimaginative tropes, i.e., 30 something self-declared failure, the bullied fat girl & the bipolar party girl, then there are the characters who sneak in and take up residence in your mind like the young, very talented writer with a BA in Gender Studies who could have been a trope of gender confusion, but turned out to be so much more and the girl with a pain disorder who finds a way to vanquish her demon spider, and the blue man with a congenital heart defect who I think had been living with a death sentence for so long that everyday he lived was a triumph and you cheered for him. This was not depressing, or angst ridden or even implausible. It was a thoughtful exploration of what makes different people tick. I recommend this for those not faint of heart who wonder, just wonder.
Dean Wesley Smith- Smith's Monthly Magazine
I met Dean Wesley Smith & his partner in life Kristine Kathrine Rusch in the late 1980s and found them both to be smart, friendly and a little mysterious. Their careers were about to take off both as editors and writers, so it has been fun to be vicariously along for the ride. I think my favorite editing and publishing adventure was the original Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine, which I subscribed to and was sorry when it was done. Dean went on to write and write and write as did Kris. I followed them both and when I discovered Dean was doing a series called Smith’s Monthly I had to subscribe. Dean fills this monthly magazine with his own stories, and I found that I really enjoyed all the different characters in all the different settings. My favorite ones are the “Thunder Mountain” stories. These stories take place in late 19th & early 20th Century in the mountains of Idaho. This is not time travel as we know it from Doctor Who, and it doesn’t give me a headache. I highly recommend reading these stories. There isn’t anything that I haven’t enjoyed at some level in Smith’s Monthly and it is up to Issue #52. All issues are available and as Dean says, “never go out of print”. For aspiring writers there are articles and tips. My favorite being Heinlein's Rules: Five Simple Business Rules for Writing: A WMG Writer's Guide. WMG is the publishing company Dean & Kris are currently associated with and where you can go to see the extensive number of stories, books, and magazines available. Why am I telling you all this? Mainly to show that I read things other than books and because I only had two books to offer up for your reading pleasure. I spent a lot reading time the last two months reading back issues of Smith’s Monthly as they got unpacked and put on shelves. So, if you can’t seem to find time to read a book, try reading short stories or serialized stories and give Smith’s Monthly a try.
Until next time,
Betsey Wilcox
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