Searching for Dragons

 I thought that the sequel to "Dealing with Dragons" was cute. This focuses on the "King of the Enchanted Forest" Mendabar and Cimorene. Mendabar finds that Cimorene isn't the usual princess and falls for her. I found their discovery of the way to get rid of wizards to be whimsical. It has been also a gimmick in the third book which I'm reading now. They get set to rescue her dragon Kazul and also fight evil wizards along the way. So far this The Enchanted Forest Chronicles has been fun. I haven't really been much of a fantasy reader. The series has made me realize that perhaps it is a genre worth investigating.

The Last Mimzy

 

My problem with this best-of collection is that I think that Henry Kuttner did better. I know so because I read the short story collection, "Robots have no tails" and that was better. This does contain "The Proud Robot" which was in that book a funny story about an inventor who only creates wonders when he is drunk. Some of the stories here like "A Gnome there was" are just mediocre. However, there are some gems like "Mimsy were the Borogoves."  The lousy movie "The Last Mimzy" was based loosely on that. The story is much better. Also "The Misguided Halo" about a man who is awarded a halo he doesn't want is pretty funny. Writers like Marion Zimmer Bradley were influenced by Kuttner. This is a good book but I wouldn't stop here.

Dealing with Dragons

 

I decided to read something different for a change. I chose this young adult fantasy book and I liked it. I'm even reading the sequel now. I liked the first half of the book more than the second half. It's about a princess named Cimorene who can't stand leading the life of a princess anymore. She agrees to become the cook for a dragon. However, several men don't get the clue and come to fight the dragon.  The second half was about evil wizards but I liked the first half because it got to meet a cool atypical princess. Independence isn't a quality that you see in literature or movies about princesses. This was enjoyable.  

The Decapitated Chicken

 You know when a book is good when you actually read the introduction of the book.  This is one of my favorite short story collections and books period. Quiroga lived a bizarre life full of loved ones committing suicide, death, and madness. His stories reflect that.  People compare him to Poe but I think he was an original. The introduction said that he wrote around 200 stories. I own two books of his this and The Exiles (which I plan to read soon.)  I want to see more of those stories published. My favorite story here is Juan Darien about a tiger that grows up as a boy. His secret identity is uncovered.  Other favorites include The Feather Pillow about a woman's physical decay but there's a twist in the end.  I love short stories in general and I hate for them to be dismissed as a lower art form than the novel. 

Claudine Married

 

This is the third of the Claudine series. This book shows the beginning of the marriage to Renaud, who was probably based on Colette's former husband Willy. He took credit for the Claudine books initially. (I haven't seen the movie.) Claudine falls for a woman Rezi and her husband encourages the affair. I didn't like Renaud in the last Claudine book and I don't like him in this. The relationship between Rezi and her doesn't end on a good note. I was annoyed with the ending but it still maintained the usual Colette charm. Colette was nominated for the Nobel Prize just why didn't she win?

Robots have no Tails

 

One of my favorite genres is science fiction during the 1950s and 1960s. Henry Kuttner was a very good writer. I'm currently in the process of reading a very best of. "Robots have no Tails" is a short story collection featuring a genius scientist named Galloway Gallegher who does his best work when he is drunk. His stories revolve around him figuring out what the heck did he accomplish while he was drunk. The best story here is "The Proud Robot."  It's about a vain robot and Gallegher tries to figure out just why did he make this robot. There are other stories in this collection too that feature the robot Joe. This book is pretty funny. Henry Kuttner had an influence later on other writers such as Marion Zimmer Bradley. I've got to read more of his work. 

After Leaving Mr. Mackenzie

 

I love Wide Sargasso Sea so I've been reading Jean Rhys' earlier books lately.  If it wasn't for that book she would no doubt be a forgotten author. Her earlier books aren't as amazing as Wide Sargasso Sea but they do show potential and the genius that was to become. In this book, nothing much happens. An aging woman leaves a man who she admits wasn't that bad to her. She bums off family and past lovers. I get the feeling that this book was semi-autobiographical. Reading this I kept hoping that the character would get herself on her own two feet but she is a very dependent woman. I have no doubt this book describes the position of a lot of women around the time this was written and probably even now.