Soft White

It's been snowing, lightly but steadily, for I don't know how many hours; NWS says it'll keep up until about 6 PM (at which point it'll switch over to sleet/freezing rain). Little tiny flakes, not like the fat ones we had in our last significant snowfall, but enough of them to turn the streets and sidewalks solid white. The grassy areas are fighting a holding action, trying to keep a little green in view, but they're losing ground (pun intended) steadily.

Buster and Gracie are loving it. I'm staying inside.

Gernsbackism

I've been working on my nominations list for the Best Novel Hugo. In the past week or two, I've read three of the possibles and am into a fourth now.

Bujold, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen: A pretty good story, but unexceptional. I will admit that the last sentence of the scene with the, um, fireworks display put me in stitches. (The next chapter made it clear that the situation was a bit more serious than I first realized, but come on - that line was hilarious.)

Tregillis, The Mechanical: A fascinating story, although the setting is pretty nasty. I'll continue on to the rest of the trilogy, but Tregillis had better deliver some payoff for the ugliness. Poor Luuk....

Leckie, Ancillary Mercy: A fine finale to the Ancillary trilogy. The running bit about the Translator and fish was very funny, and the revelation of her actual importance to the story was well-done. Interesting that one of the main themes of this book is also one of the main themes of The Mechanical....

Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Oh, crap, this was published in 2014, so it's not eligible. Oh, well. I'm about a quarter of the way through, and it's a nice relaxer from the heaviness of the previous two. (So far. If this is to change, don't tell me.)

At this point, I think Leckie's in the lead; Wilson's The Affinities is currently my second pick, with Tregillis third. Not the Bujold, I don't think. I've got Seveneves waiting in line (and yes, I know, I've heard the panning for bad biology), and I suppose I should pick up Robinson's Aurora too.

(I'll give MidAmericon one more week to send me my PIN before I start shaking the trees. Abi at Making Light has been kind enough to explain which trees to shake.)

MTA 97?

I'm listening to Woody Guthrie's "Wreck of the Old 97", as sung by the Seekers, and the tune sure resembles that of "The MTA". It's not identical, but there's definitely a resemblance. (If there's any real connection, "97" is older....)