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Surprise Found on the Bookshelves
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Robert Woodward
Dec 15, 2017, 1:45:06 AM12/15/17
to
I am in the middle of my yearly racking of books I have read since the
last time I racked books. This involves taking books off the shelves,
inserting the newly (relatively speaking) read books, vacuuming dust,
and putting books back on the shelves.
When I do this, I notice book titles (which are generally of three
types: I remember reading them and remember plot points; I remember NOT
reading them*; and I remember reading them but don't remember much if
anything about the books. This time, a paperback on top of one of the
stacks I took off the shelves was completely unfamiliar. I checked my
book list and discovered that it wasn't the only book I had bought that
day (and I do remember reading the other book).
The book in question is _Dragon's Teeth_ (1990) by Lee Killough. It is
the 3rd and last book in a science fiction police procedural series (I
don't believe it should be called a trilogy). I don't have the other
titles (or anything else by her). So, I have just finished reading it
and found nothing familiar in it at all (a character showed up whose
name is one letter different from my sister's name** and is probably is
pronounced the same and I don't remember that). My confidence in my
memory is shaken.
*Several times I have read one or two chapters of a book and have
decided that buying it was a mistake. As a bibliophile, I had the choice
of selling it to a used book store (and possibly inflicting it on an
innocent victim) or putting putting on a shelf (if there were more, I
might consider putting them in a box in storage somewhere).
**My sister's name is NOT common; I remember being surprised when a
character in a fantasy novel had that name.
--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
ã-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robe...@drizzle.com
last time I racked books. This involves taking books off the shelves,
inserting the newly (relatively speaking) read books, vacuuming dust,
and putting books back on the shelves.
When I do this, I notice book titles (which are generally of three
types: I remember reading them and remember plot points; I remember NOT
reading them*; and I remember reading them but don't remember much if
anything about the books. This time, a paperback on top of one of the
stacks I took off the shelves was completely unfamiliar. I checked my
book list and discovered that it wasn't the only book I had bought that
day (and I do remember reading the other book).
The book in question is _Dragon's Teeth_ (1990) by Lee Killough. It is
the 3rd and last book in a science fiction police procedural series (I
don't believe it should be called a trilogy). I don't have the other
titles (or anything else by her). So, I have just finished reading it
and found nothing familiar in it at all (a character showed up whose
name is one letter different from my sister's name** and is probably is
pronounced the same and I don't remember that). My confidence in my
memory is shaken.
*Several times I have read one or two chapters of a book and have
decided that buying it was a mistake. As a bibliophile, I had the choice
of selling it to a used book store (and possibly inflicting it on an
innocent victim) or putting putting on a shelf (if there were more, I
might consider putting them in a box in storage somewhere).
**My sister's name is NOT common; I remember being surprised when a
character in a fantasy novel had that name.
--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
ã-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robe...@drizzle.com
Robert Carnegie
Dec 16, 2017, 6:38:50 PM12/16/17
to
are available on Kindle (cheaply) but _Dragon's Teeth_ isn't?
Robert Woodward
Dec 17, 2017, 12:35:03 AM12/17/17
to
In article <29231c70-1fb4-49eb...@googlegroups.com>,
> >
> > **My sister's name is NOT common; I remember being surprised when a
> > character in a fantasy novel had that name.
>
> How is it? If I'm reading Amazon right, the two prior books
> are available on Kindle (cheaply) but _Dragon's Teeth_ isn't?
It is a police procedural focused on 2 detectives. One is very
knowledgable about all sorts of plot-useful trivia and has most of the
inspirations; the other is more down to earth (she is also the view
point character). The cover of the paperback edition is misleading (it
appears to be set in free fall, but our two cops didn't leave Missouri).
I believe the setting is late 21st century; the conversations were
sprinkled with made-up slang (the meanings were not hard to figure out).
I can't say much more without revealing the gimmick behind the in-story
plot, but it was rather sneaky. I will say that our heroes spent much of
the book chasing leads that turned into smoke.
BTW, the iBooks store appears to have only the first (I didn't buy it).
--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
—-----------------------------------------------------
Robert Woodward robe...@drizzle.com
Robert Carnegie <rja.ca...@excite.com> wrote:
> On Friday, 15 December 2017 06:45:06 UTC, Robert Woodward wrote:
> > I am in the middle of my yearly racking of books I have read since the
> > last time I racked books. This involves taking books off the shelves,
> > inserting the newly (relatively speaking) read books, vacuuming dust,
> > and putting books back on the shelves.
> >
<SNIP>
> On Friday, 15 December 2017 06:45:06 UTC, Robert Woodward wrote:
> > I am in the middle of my yearly racking of books I have read since the
> > last time I racked books. This involves taking books off the shelves,
> > inserting the newly (relatively speaking) read books, vacuuming dust,
> > and putting books back on the shelves.
> >
> >
> > The book in question is _Dragon's Teeth_ (1990) by Lee Killough. It is
> > the 3rd and last book in a science fiction police procedural series (I
> > don't believe it should be called a trilogy). I don't have the other
> > titles (or anything else by her). So, I have just finished reading it
> > and found nothing familiar in it at all (a character showed up whose
> > name is one letter different from my sister's name** and is probably is
> > pronounced the same and I don't remember that). My confidence in my
> > memory is shaken.
> >
<snip>
> > The book in question is _Dragon's Teeth_ (1990) by Lee Killough. It is
> > the 3rd and last book in a science fiction police procedural series (I
> > don't believe it should be called a trilogy). I don't have the other
> > titles (or anything else by her). So, I have just finished reading it
> > and found nothing familiar in it at all (a character showed up whose
> > name is one letter different from my sister's name** and is probably is
> > pronounced the same and I don't remember that). My confidence in my
> > memory is shaken.
> >
> >
> > **My sister's name is NOT common; I remember being surprised when a
> > character in a fantasy novel had that name.
>
> How is it? If I'm reading Amazon right, the two prior books
> are available on Kindle (cheaply) but _Dragon's Teeth_ isn't?
knowledgable about all sorts of plot-useful trivia and has most of the
inspirations; the other is more down to earth (she is also the view
point character). The cover of the paperback edition is misleading (it
appears to be set in free fall, but our two cops didn't leave Missouri).
I believe the setting is late 21st century; the conversations were
sprinkled with made-up slang (the meanings were not hard to figure out).
I can't say much more without revealing the gimmick behind the in-story
plot, but it was rather sneaky. I will say that our heroes spent much of
the book chasing leads that turned into smoke.
BTW, the iBooks store appears to have only the first (I didn't buy it).
--
"We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_.
Robert Woodward robe...@drizzle.com
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