Jo Walton

[jack]

I just re-read Tooth and Claw. Firstly, does anyone have a nice list of the ranking of the noble titles? I keep getting them in the wrong order.

Secondly, I'm curious, does anyone keep notes on that sort of thing when they read? Possibly I sometimes read too quickly. In an intricate detective novel or similar it would certainly make sense. But it always feels over the top for anything else, even if if there were a list of N things or characters you could keep a lot more straight if you had a little list of the names.

Thirdly, had anyone read any of the Farthing series?

Comments

[lizzip.livejournal.com]

I'm intending to keep notes next time I attempt to read Seven Pillars of Wisdom; I got quite a way into it but have now left it for sufficiently long (too little time! Wah!) that I'll need to redo from start.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Blimy, I expect so. What did you think? It sounds fascinating, but I wouldn't have thought to read it myself.

[lizzip.livejournal.com]

I really, really like his "voice", but I suspect anyone who didn't would find the book utterly impossible and deeply irritating.

Trying to keep track of all the names is the tricksy bit I'm intending to keep notes for!

[bugshaw.livejournal.com]

Have read Farthing. Is bloody marvellous.

ffutures is producing an RPG of Tooth and Claw, which may well list the titles (and many more exciting details you never thought to tabulate!)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, then I may try it. (Do you have it?)

ffutures is producing an RPG of Tooth and Claw, which may well list the titles (and many more exciting details you never thought to tabulate!)

Ooh, shiny. It seems well suited.

[fanf]

In England, Duke, Marquess, Viscount, Earl, Baron.

[rochvelleth.livejournal.com]

No, no, no.

But keeping notes on books seems like such a good idea. I mean, on one level it may detract from the suspension of disbelief if you're interrupting your immersion in the book with frequent trips back to reality to make notes on its content, and of course it could also lead to over-analysis. But on the plus side, it would be very useful for complex books (like detective novels, as you say), and would also be useful if you start reading something and then have to abandon it for a while (I still haven't finished Sharpe's Fury, which I started on my birthday IIRC) :)

For academic purposes, I never read anything without a pen in my hand - it just isn't worth reading an academic article IMO unless you're taking notes at the same time. And then I get all anal and index the notes alphabetically. I told this to a PhD who's a year ahead of where I'm at, and she was quite angry with herself for not doing this all along, so I don't think everyone does it. But it helps me.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL. Notes sound good -- just getting an idea is also good, but if you're trying to grasp an overall point a paper is making, whether it's very clear or not, it's good to record that!

*cuddle*

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

No, no, no.

I expected you to continue with "Oh God! Oh God!" ;)

[atreic.livejournal.com]

I've only once kept notes when reading a book; that was when I read a Civil Campaign by Bujold without having read any of the other Vorkosigan books and I didn't have a clue who was who within a chapter, so I started drawing them all on a family tree.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Wow. I've seen the family tree, and it's literally impossible to keep straight with hints from the author :) Though just, a vague outline must help if you've no idea who the people are.

[atreic.livejournal.com]

Well, angoel (who lent me the book; I still think he should have lent them me in order, but hey, at least he introduced me to them) was quite amused by it.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah! (I didn't know he was a fan, but it makes sense.) In fact, it reminds me a lot of Cordelia trying to encapsulate in a numbered list, Barrayaran etiquette for talking about sex, and how hilarious trying to *write down* this stuff is :)

I find it hard to imagine reading one of the books with that many characters first -- I think I started with Warrior's Apprentice and Shards of Honour. I know there's division in the ranks of where to start people, which of those two "first books", or with another; lending someone the one you think they'd like most might make sense, but I don't know which ones might be as good without knowing the context of the characters, although all are technically standalone.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*hugs*