Reading, good

At Blue Heaven, I told Sarah Prineas that I'd never read any of the Miles Vorkosigan books (actually, had never read any Lois McMaster Bujold), and Sarah looked at me as though I'd just sprouted a second head, and it was wearing a dorky hat. But she kindly sent me Young Miles, an omnibus containing two Vorkosigan novels and a novella, and I just finished the first of the novels, Warrior's Apprentice. And Sarah was right -- Miles is a fantastic character. Physically stunted, smart, and hyperactive, he's an enormously fun and engaging protagonist who protags his ass off through this book. Absolutely perfect summer reading.

I also recently read Jenn Reese's chapbook from Tropism Press, Tales of the Chinese Zodiac. I was a fan of these stories when they appeared in Strange Horizons, and the new framing material and two new tales are very nice additions.

And also from Tropism Press, I've been going through the fiction in the latest issue of the fine zine Flytrap. I was particularly fond of Barth Anderson's and Meghan McCarron's stories, but every piece in this issue features a strong, unique voice. These are stories that could only be written in the way they're written by the writers who wrote them.

And finally, Tim and Heather, the keepers of Tropism, continue to send me a few flash pieces per day as we work on our short-short collab, which is turning my email in-box into my favorite fiction venue of the moment.

Reading. Good.

And here's a bird I doodled: