Finished Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen, currently working on Kingfisher. Enjoyed the first, although maybe not as much as I'd hoped. It did feel a little like a rewrite of history, but it was nice to see happy characters and just explore the universe at a more leisurely pace than some of the earlier books. And she still had many sharp and often funny observations. Kingfisher I'm loving, although I should reserve judgement until I see how it wraps up. McKillip's books always make me want to get up in the middle of them and make art, and I have a piece I'm working on that is definitely being influenced by the imagery in the story. Of course, reading it is also slowing down the artwork, and the need to get the artwork done is impeding my reading progress, so I have several other books waiting for me at home, including The Life of Elves, by Muriel Barbery. I managed to read The Portable Veblen recently, too, and really enjoyed it. I've gotten halfway through The Visitors, and had to return it to the library, but it's come in for me again, so I will finish that after Kingfisher, and then move on to The Life of Elves.
But I'm excited to see that Laini Taylor has a new book coming out in September, too: Strange the Dreamer. Woo hoo! I'll be needing something new by then.
