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Sally Strange

SallyStrange@bookwyrm.social

Joined 1 year, 4 months ago

Interests: climate, science, sci-fi, fantasy, LGBTQIA+, history, anarchism, anti-racism, labor politics

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Sally Strange's books

Currently Reading (View all 6)

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Alexandra Rowland: A Taste of Gold and Iron (Paperback, 2023, Tordotcom) 4 stars

Adorable, romantic, gay fun

4 stars

A fairy tale of MLM romance between a prince and his loyal retainer. I started reading because I thoroughly enjoyed Rowland's "Running Close to the Wind," which was less romance and more adventure and humor than this. While "A Taste of Gold and Iron" still has moments of funny and a fair amount of dangerous knife fights and such, the focus is really on the growing affection between Kadou the prince with the anxiety disorder and Evemer, his emotionally repressed bodyguard. Bonus gay points to Rowland for making Kadou's ex-boyfriend a major part of how the couple solidify their romance. One point deducted because I wanted more swashbuckling and I also wanted Kadou's sister's (she's the Sultan) triumphant return to her court not to happen offstage, as it were. Still, if you want something lighthearted and gay to read, you can't go wrong with this. Rowland has a great knack …

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Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice (Paperback, 1986, Baen Books) 4 stars

The Warrior's Apprentice is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part …

The Warrior's Apprentice

3 stars

With Cordelia and Aral's story mostly backgrounded, we now get to the Miles Vorkosigan stretch of novels. Miles washes out of military school due to his physical disabilities and easily broken bones; he ends up on a trip to Beta Colony as a vacation with his bodyguard Bothari, and Bothari's daughter and Miles' childhood friend Elena.

This was the first book in this series I ever read, and I almost bounced off of it the first time through. My partner also stopped reading two thirds of the way through and then came back and finished much much later. This book has big "it gets better in season 3 I promise" energy.

For me, it's a weaker book than the two Cordelia books prior in a number of ways, and honestly there's really only so much I can take of teenager Miles. It's partially his self-loathing--internalizing the way that Barrayar treats …

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Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice (Paperback, 1986, Baen Books) 4 stars

The Warrior's Apprentice is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part …

He gave his draftee his most encouraging smile, as if the offer of two days locked in struggle with the electronic labyrinth of Betan business practices was a high treat.

Elena looked doubtful. "I've never outfitted a ship before."

"It'll be easy," he assured her airily. "Just bang into it--you'll have it figured out in no time. If I can do it, you can do it." He zipped lightly over this argument, giving her no time to reflect on the fact that he had never outfitted a ship either.

The Warrior's Apprentice by  (Vorkosigan Saga (4))

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@lapis I shall definitely post updates and a review once I'm done! Yes, the Russian Revolution is so fascinating. I recently read the book 1917, which isn't about the revolution itself but rather about the year 1917 and comparing Lenin to Woodrow Wilson. Did you know, I didn't quite realize until I read that, that the revolution took place during World War I?

...I just realized I hadn't written a review of 1917, so I did, here: bookwyrm.social/user/SallyStrange/review/5964846/s/engaging-but-suffers-from-big-man-fascination#anchor-5964846

Arthur Herman: 1917 (2017) 4 stars

Engaging but suffers from Big Man fascination

4 stars

This book works best as a sort of 30,000 foot view of history with the year 1917 as a fulcrum on which swings the trajectory of multiple nations and millions of people. That's good because I believe it was the author's goal. It is an entertaining read and contains many fascinating anecdotes about Woodrow Wilson and Vladimir Lenin, who are the book's main focus. I took one star away because such close focus on leaders isn't to my taste and I felt some of the close focus on the minutiae of their lives left me wondering about some larger questions vis-a-vis the historical events happening around them. Definitely worth a read, it's not overly academic in its language.