This is a bit late today. I blame the whiskey. Not that I drank all that much of it, but when you’re up past your bedtime, conversing with some crazy interesting people about books and whatnot, it does lead to some sleeping in.

But that’s okay. The only thing on the agenda today is to do a lot of reading. I had thought about going for a hike in a nearby park, but it’s been raining off and on again for the last two days, so the trails aren’t so much walking paths as they are minor streams.

So today’s the day I get caught up on some overdue reading. Why is it overdue reading, you ask?

Because, Dear Readers, I am completely and utterly hooked on Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga in a way that I haven’t been hooked on a series of books for a long, long time. So I’ve been almost obsessively listening to the audiobook versions and seeing if I can track down copies of the books. This means that I have been neglecting the other books on my Must Finish These Now list. And it’s not that these books aren’t any good. They’re wonderful. It’s just that Bujold knows how to write a story that hooks you from the first page.

So. What I’ve finished this week:

1. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner
2. The Warrior’s Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner
3. The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold, narrated by Grover Gardner

The Warrior’s Apprentice begins the full story of Miles Vorkosigan, the only son of Cordelia Naismith and Aral Vorkosigan (the main characters of Shards of Honor and Barrayar). Though he deals with stunted growth, brittle bones, and a twisted spine thanks to a chemical attack on his parents before his birth, Miles has endless energy and has a genius for strategy. He sees through his enemy’s schemes and plans, and always seems to find himself in the midst of grand events without seeking them out. There’s adventure, action, drama, and humor, and it’s fascinating to see how Miles gets himself into and out of trouble. There’s no question that I’m looking forward to the rest of this series. I will be hard-pressed to look at anything else, to the detriment of my Read the World challenge…

The other two books that have been languishing on my night stand this week are

1. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng
2. Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Uphadhyay

My goal for this coming week is to finish up both of those books, and see if I can pace myself a little better with The Vorkosigan Saga. Assuming I finish The Garden of Evening Mists and Arresting God in Kathmandu, I’m going to start reading Laurence Cosse’s A Novel Bookstore Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s A Grain of Wheat, and Yukio Mishima’s The Sound of Waves.

I hope. Assuming I don’t get completely wrapped up in audiobooks.

Other than listening to Bujold’s books almost non-stop, I drove up to Omaha to see Riverdance with my sister. We’ve been going to various dance presentations for my birthday for the past five years, starting with the Joffrey Ballet’s production of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for its 100th anniversary. We always have a hilarious time, even if things sometimes go a little awry, like this time, when my sister accidentally bought the worst seats in the house. Fortunately, we were able to move to different seats that wasn’t directly under the spotlight. The dancers and musicians were amazing, and we had a great time.

So that was my week! It was much better– and a lot more fun– than the week before, and I hope I’ll get more actual reading done this coming week. The Garden of Evening Mists, at the least, must be finished because it’s due back at the library next weekend!