A Rainy Day

Yesterday was gray. I stayed inside and read: Valiant by Holly Black, which I liked, and Old Man's War by John Scalzi, which I did not like, though it's a page turner. I read right through to the end.

I am not a fan of military sf, except for The Forever War. I don't like generic bad aliens. Too many of Scalzi's aliens ate humans, which is the behavior of trolls and bogey men. How likely is it that a bunch of unrelated alien species will all find humans edible and tasty?

I had the sense that Scalzi might be planning a twist or surprise, but it didn't happen in the first book, and I don't feel I want to read the rest of the books.

In general, I want a convincing reason for wars, though the ones we have here on Earth often seem to have trivial reasons. Real life can be unconvincing. Fiction can't be.

Today it's raining, a steady all-day rain. I have stayed inside thus far, working on the new Lydia Duluth story, then making a Mexican beans and rice recipe off my basmati rice package.