Books read 2012

[rolanni]

*The Reluctant Widow, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve)
Friday’s Child, Georgette Heyer (read aloud with Steve)
Dragon Ship manuscript, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (e)
Kim, Rudyard Kipling (e)
Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (read aloud w/Steve)
Pollyanna, Eleanor H. Porter (e)
Chimera, Rob Thurman (e)

———-
*The Reluctant Widow was the very first Heyer I ever read and includes the character on which Pat Rin yos’Phelium is based. In which “is based” obviously does not mean “was snabbled up and copied, word-for-word and action-by-action” but does mean that I thought a very great deal about what sort of man would behave in the way this character is shown as behaving, what sort of training he must have had, with a side dish of how doing the right thing is so very often thankless, and even personally painful.

Edited to add:  Steve reminds me that the character above also got me to thinking about the dangerous person who doesn’t present as dangerous — something that we play with quite a lot in the Liaden Universe® — and indeed isn’t dangerous. . .until and unless necessity exists.

Originally published at Sharon Lee, Writer. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[estara.livejournal.com]

Oh interesting - is that manipulative son who is much more dangerous than the father (who is a traitor for money)? Pat Rin definitely came across totally differently if that guy was the inspiration... can't remember his name...

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

Stopped in at the Borders-replacement Books-a-Million the other day. They had a couple of copies of CAROUSEL TIDES and some other Lee and Miller titles. Not a large selection of F&SF, though.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Francis Cheviot

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

It's been my experience of Books-a-million that they don't have a large SF/F section. It's also been my experience of Books-a-million that the staff isn't actually used to dealing with authors. I was kinda hoping BAM would hire the displaced Borders folk up here.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

This is the first BaM I have entered. Can't say I was impressed. Their "Christian" section was larger than "Reference" . . .

BAM

[margaret thomson (from livejournal.com)]

I think that the quality of the SF/F section at BAM depends to a large degree on the manager(s) of the store. The BAM here in Harrisburg, PA, took over the former Borders location. When I went in to check out the newly-opened store late last November, I discovered that one of the new managers had been the manager of the former Waldenbbooks in the Colonial Park Mall. She had done a wonderful job of learning to know her customers, and their preferences, and had always striven to give excellent customer service. The SF/F selection at the new BAM store, which is the same size as the SF/F selection at the former Borders, I believe reflects her experience in serving her customers at Waldenbooks. She still remembers her old customers from Waldenbooks by name (!) and every time she sees me in the store she asks me if there is anything she can do for me.

Try finding out who the store manager is, become acquainted with him/her, and once the relationship is established try making some suggestions to improve their "service". Service is everything, and if you phrase your suggestions in that manner, you may be able to make some headway in improving their SF/F selection.

[estara.livejournal.com]

Right! so it was him? Cool!

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

Having been rather troubled by that Heyer character myself, I'm glad to see his influence on Pat Rin, who I find really interesting. I'm not sure I would have seen the connection, but it's obvious now that you mention it.

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

"...about the dangerous person who doesn’t present as dangerous ...and indeed isn’t dangerous...until and unless necessity exists."

It is my considered opinion that every person has that inside them. They just need to be confronted with the right necessity before expressing it. The veneer of civilization is very thin.

Heyer

[claire774.livejournal.com]

Pat Rin is one of my very favorite characters. Such an interesting person. He had to overcome so much and then was able to accomplish an incredible amount.

Pat Rin

[claire774.livejournal.com]

I have to write a bit more about Pat Rin. He is like the heroes of the old West...the gun slingers who protect the town from the bad men, the Marshalls who maintain the law when there is no law, the punishers of the evil doers who prey on the weak and defenseless.

In Buddhism it is said that the Buddha converted lots of demons to the Dharma or the Law. They became known as the Dharmapala the protectors of the Law. They can be recognized by their belts of skulls dripping with blood. Fearsome types you don't want to meet if you are up to no good.

The Scarlett Pimpernell who saves aristocrats from the evils of the French Revolution.

Nicholas Cage is reprising his role these days as the Ghost Rider in "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance". When chasing after evil doing demons the Ghost Rider turns into a man with a skull of flame who rides a motorcycle and hunts down the bad demons wherever he finds them.

Pat Rin reminds me of all of those. And, if you are a good person? Well then, Pat Rin isn't dangerous to you.