Read "The Last Colony," the third book in John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series. Like the other two, it's a fluffy bit of space opera fun in the vein of grand, traditional science fiction. Good times were had by all, but it's got about the impact of a Nerf dart in the end. Recommended for times when you just want a fun story with super-tech and space fights.
Also read "The Disappearing Spoon," a sort of helter-skelter history of the periodic table. Very interesting in a sort of ADHD "Science!" kind of mode. It might help if you have some familiarity with the big names in science history, because he throws them at you hard and fast at times. Other than a few awkward prose moments, I found it worthwhile.
Finished "Zoo City." The last few chapters felt like a short story, in that the plot basically resolves itself super-duper fast. I really feel like most of the novel was padding, just stuff happening to fill space and meet the correct wordcount. The setting was intriguing, and the characters' personal dramas were well-drawn, but the protagonist has zero impact on the overall murder-mystery plot. Like, nothing would have been different about that plot if she hadn't been involved at all, and the only thing that changed in HER life because of it was her boyfriend got [redacted], which didn't affect their relationship drama in the slightest. I find it weird to read a whole book with a first-person protagonist and at the end go, "But why was she even THERE?" Definitely well-written, just... I dunno. It bothered me, the way nothing really drew together at the end.
Reread the Darwath trilogy by Barbara Hambly. <3 those books so much. Going to have to continue on with "Mother of Winter" and "Icefalcon's Quest" for the umpteenth time, I'm afraid, just because I love love love the whole flavor of the world and the Keeps and all that.
