I apologize for my lack of activity here lately, but I have been so busy the past week with school work and late meetings, including one with the probate lawyer, that I have had virtually no time to catch up on either postal mail or email, much less sit at my computer and blog. In fact, this weekend looms as one hectic catch-up period.

Most of my relaxation time consists of reading books and listening to cds while working at the computer. So here are some of my recent purchases:

Stephen Baxter writes exciting future histories, so I bought his latest collection Resplendent at Amazon.uk, since it is sadly unavailable in this country. This is the book I plan to read during my week-long Christmas vacation.

Two historical fantasies have gotten rave reviews both in the sf press and the historical fiction press, so how could I resist either of them? Naomi Novik’s Temeraire is actually a trilogy but is available through the Science Fiction Book Club as one of their very affordable three-in-one volumes. This is a series of adventures set during the Napoleanic Wars in which the British air force consists of a fleet of dragons.

The other historical fantasy is James Morrow’s The Last Witchfinder, ostensibly the story of the Salem Witch Trials, but spreading its tentacles to include everybody from Benjamin Franklin to Sir Isaac Newton.

Jean has read and enjoyed several of Edward Rutherfurd’s books, including Sarum and The Princes of Ireland. The Rebels of Ireland is a sequel to the latter, so I have ordered it as part of her Christmas present (relax, she does not read my blog ☺)

Willie Nile is one of my favorite recording artists, but his first two albums under that name have always been hard to find. Now they are available as part of a two-cd set Arista Columbia Recordings which also includes his third album (which I own on tape), so I have ordered it at Amazon.com as part of my own Christmas present.