Book Resolution 2006: Books 9-12

Book #9
Title: The Boy Who Loved Windows
Author: Patricia Stacey
Date Started: February 7, 2006 (yes, I'm quite behind in cataloging what I've been reading)
Date Finished: February 8, 2006
I had just finished Michael Berube's book and found this one next to it in our small "library" at work. Although I'm not a therapist, I do know that several of our therapists use the method that this mother describes using in this book as a therapy technique with autistic children. I thought it was well-written and engaging. I know there are some uncomfortable questions around the issue of hope versus realistic expectation for children with developmental delays, especially autism, but I thought this story was told well and didn't at all present the attitude of, "Well, if only EVERYONE would do this method, autism could be no more!" So, thumbs up.

Book #10
Title: Barrayar
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Date Started: February 15, 2006
Date Finished: February 16, 2006
Dude, I told you I was an adoring fan of her writing. And I am absolutely going to indulge my desire to read this entire series over the next year or so. I liked this one just as much as the first.

Book #11
Title: Teckla
Author: Steven Brust
Date Started: February 17, 2006
Date Finished: February 20, 2006
I need to read this one again more slowly. Brust sets up the plot to drive forward so compellingly that I forget I'm supposed to make myself read slowly to get all the nuances, and hasten forward to see what happens next. I like Vlad well enough--the sense of humor doesn't overlap much with my own, but I'm starting to get used to it. I didn't love this book, but I like the writing and the stories well enough to go ahead and read more of this series.

These reviews are a lot shorter than the last batch, but after all, they're only for my own future reference anyway. Onward:

Book #12
Title: Spin
Author: Robert Charles Wilson
Date Started: February 21, 2006
Date Finished: February 23, 2006
Oh, this book was brilliant. I never would have picked it up if not for a hearty recommendation from Making Light, and I would have missed out on a breathtaking story. One night the stars go out when the Earth is inexplicably wrapped in some sort of shield that slows down the pace of time on earth to about a millionth what it should be--for every million years elsewhere in the galaxy, only one year passes on Earth. Thus the world will end within the span of the characters' lifetime, as the Sun enters its last stages and expands to consume the planets. I enjoyed everything about this book--the characterizations, the story, the philosophy...excellent stuff. I think this might be my favorite yet this year.