On a brighter note - some things I'm pleased about

[wellinghall]

Good new(-ish) science fiction (eg the "Vatta's War" series by Elizabeth Moon)
Good new fantasy (eg "Temeraire" by Naomi Novik)

Crufts on TV - flyball last night, and gundogs tonight
Repeats of old comedies - The Goodies, The Muppets

Goldfinches on the bird feeders

Friends who comment on LJ entries, and who have comment-worthy entries on their own LJs

Helpful, understanding eBay sellers

Proper mechanical, metal, manual cameras
Getting the odd decent shot

Getting to see my new cousins (one two months old, one five months old) next weekend

Getting to see Leicester Tigers v The Barbarians next weekend

Comments

[pellegrina.livejournal.com]

Is the new Elizabeth Moon good then? I liked the first few Serrano Legacy novels a lot (especially for the unusual OAP perspective on SF) but felt the later ones went a bit stale. I couldn't get into her next SF series and wasn't in a mood for fantasy.

Temeraire sounds very enticing. I'll ensure the library gets it for me the fine people of Dunharrow!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying it. Some longeurs, particularly in the first one of the two (we've read so far - I don't know if there are more). Good rolling space opera, with a little deeper thought coming through in the second book.

Strikes me as being like the 70s / 80s SF RPG Traveller, but by no means a direct lift-off.

Temeraire is fun - an entirely creditable attempt at a first novel, although there are gaps in her historical research, and I'm told it owes a little too much to Anne McCaffery (who I haven't read).

Ah, the days when my OH bought books by the thousand for other people, and we just didn't have to buy any new fantasy / sf retail ...