Thought for the Day

“Politicians should read science fiction, not westerns and detective stories.”

Arthur C. Clarke

What am I reading now?

I am currently reading "Lords of the North" by Bernard Cornwell - a continuation of his Saxon series.

Fiction vs Non-fiction

If you have paid any attention at all to this blog you know that I don't like non-fiction very much. I generally read to entertain, escape and relax - and to me that means fiction, especially science fiction and fantasy.

I have several non-fiction books on my future reading list now and they should be in at the library any down now.

In some ways I view reading good non-fiction as a kind of self-improvement. So, let exercising more or eating less junk food I should probably do it. But, just like laying on the couch and eating a big bowl of ice cream - good fiction will always be better!

Opinions?

Review "Black Powder War" By Naomi Novik

"Black Powder War" by Naomi Novik is the third book in her fantasy series about dragons in Napoleonic Europe.

The series is an excellent combination of Horatio Hornblower and Anne McAffrey. Ms. Novik has done an impressive amount of research about how people lived and fought during this time period - an equal amount of time thinking about how dragons would change things.

This book covers Temariare's return from China and his effort to get home to England. In the previous book they journeyed to China by ship but this time they return home by the overland route - and it is a long and challenging trip.

It is entertaining to see how Ms. Novik sees dragons interacting with the different nations at the time. Overall, another excellent book. The only bad part is that now I have to wait until August of 2007 before she publishes the next one!!