Recent reading

[luzula]

Lifelode by Jo Walton (2009)
For book club; reread. I enjoy the worldbuilding of this, with the geographical gradient of magic such that you can move if you want more/less magic, and I enjoy the domesticity of it, too.

A Dalliance With the Duke by AMarguerite (2018)
The pairing of this is Elizabeth Bennet/Duke of Wellington. If you're raising your eyebrows at that, it totally makes sense plot-wise, I promise! This is an AU where Elizabeth married Colonel Fitzwilliam instead of Darcy, and then she was in the Peninsular War, and then Colonel Fitzwilliam died at Waterloo. I don't really know or care much about the historical Duke of Wellington, but this fictional version has great chemistry and banter with Elizabeth. Thoroughly entertaining! I didn't even mind the older male partner with higher social status being dominant in bed, which let me tell you is usually a hard sell for me. Although if I have to choose one of the three choose-your-own-husband endings of this fic, I prefer the one with Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Also I have beta-read two novels by nnozomi, and enjoyed them very much! Hmm, have I read anything else? I can't remember at this point...during that family week, I hardly had time to read anything.

Comments

[author_by_night]

That's great that you beta read two novels!

[luzula]

I mean, I didn't give line-by-line feedback! To be honest, the prose style was so good already that it wasn't necessary--I was giving feedback on larger-scale stuff.

[mergatrude]

I do love those AMarguerite stories, and agree that Colonel Fitzwilliam is the best! :)

[luzula]

He is the best! \o/ Would definitely also want to read Elizabeth/Darcy/Colonel Fitzwilliam, though! Perhaps not in this universe, but in general...

[nnozomi]

Thank you again for the very thoughtful and helpful beta reading! <3

[chestnut_pod]

the geographical gradient of magic -- that makes me think of Robin McKinley's Spindle's End, as well as the Abhorsen books. Always a fun concept!

[luzula]

It was a pleasure! Are you already starting to write on book three, or will you do beta revisions on book two first? Also, thanks for the postcard--I do not in fact know what those flowers are. : )

[luzula]

Walton refers to Vernon Vinge's SF books with the same theme, one of which I have actually read. But there it's not magic, but...the speed of computation, or something? You get AI's at one end and no computers at the other, IIRC.

[nnozomi]

Sorry the flowers were inscrutable! I'll let you know if I ever figure it out.
(And thanks for asking--I am giving my brain a chance to percolate for a while; will probably spend the tail end of the year doing beta revisions on book two, writing unrelated fic for Yuletide etc., and just generally thinking about structures and ideas for book three, so that hopefully I can start writing it properly as the new year starts).