Reading Old in the Summer

We are now well into summer–prime reading time. The days are long and getting shorter. It’s vacation time and my wife does not have to go back to work in August–she’s now retired.

Yesterday we went to Barnes and Noble and she stocked up on books (to go along with those still unread from her stock up a couple of weeks ago). I, however, am out of new books to read. Well, I am out of books I currently own that I haven’t yet read, and there are no new current hardcovers that I want to read enough to pay hardcover prices–I’ll wait for them to come out in paperback.

So, I went into our garage and the double stacked bookshelves I built some twenty-five years ago–and I found some things to re-read:

  • The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov. In my humble opinion (and those of you who know me know exactly just how humble my opinion is) it is the best of Asimov’s books. Truly imaginative and truly alien aliens. I like it the best of all of his books I’ve read (and I’ve read most, if not all of them).
  • The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee. I first read this book and the others in its series (Vazkor, Son of Vazkor and Quest for the White Witch) in the mid to late 70s. I’ve completely forgotten their storylines, plots and characters. Gee, “new” books and I don’t even need to go out and buy them!
  • Night’s Master by Tanith Lee. I first read this book and the others in its series–Flat Earth (Death’s Master, Delusion’s Master, Delirium’s Mistress and Night’s Sorceries) in the late 70s to mid-80s. If I can find Night’s Sorceries in the garage, I’ll have another set of “new” books to read without buying them.
  • Merovingen Nights Series by C. J. Cherryh (the complete series) I also found the Fortress, Morgaine & Vanye and Faded Sun series.
  • E. E. “Doc” Smith: Lensman and Skylark series. I couldn’t find any of my Family D’Alembert books.
  • I even found my Cities in Space books by James Blish.

Maybe these will carry me for a few weeks as I await Alliance of Equals and The Gathering Edge by Lee & Miller and X by Sue Grafton. At least, I don’t have to wait a year of two for X, just a couple of months.

Ah, yes, still plenty to read.

NOTE to Glen Cook: I’m still waiting for A Pitiless Rain and Port of Shadows–hint, hint, HINT!