Over our recent vacation, I actually did get in some reading, some of which I found intriguing and enjoyable, including Aliete de Bodard’s The House of Binding Thorns, which I suspect contains more allusions to Vietnamese/Indochinese history and culture than those I did recognize. I also enjoyed The Guns Above, by Robyn Bemis. I can’t say I actually enjoyed Paul Cornell’s The Severed Streets, rather that I appreciated what he’s done with the settings and premises. Implied Spaces by Walter Jon Williams raised some interesting issues in a fun way. For different reasons, I also liked Cherie Priest’s Brimstone, Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Jinni, and Tom Pollock’s The City’s Son. I also read a number of other books, which others have found excellent and/or enjoyable and which I did not. Nor will I mention them, except to say that I intend, for the most part [reserving the right to make exceptions], only to list positive mentions here