Surtac, I think that if you know and love classical music in all its permutations over the last 100 years you will find the book fascinating. I enjoy a good symphony from time to time but am quite ignorant of the theories and so was not able to relish Orfeo to the extent that it probably deserved.  The science part of it drives the plot but is a much smaller part of the whole, it seems to me. 

starexplorer wrote:

I am sure that our life experience must affect our reading. There is probably some element to skills acquisition as readers as well. I wonder whether this is a double edged sword in some way though? We see things we might have missed as younger readers, but I wonder whether our expectations and new reading experiences are also shaped by past experience, we may be less open to what is new in our reading, and more likely to have expectations built upon years of reading influence us. Perhaps remaining mindful of this peril can partially immunize us from it?
 

I am certain you are correct Star - our life experiences must affect our reading. I know that Younger Me reading Labyrinths then could not have spotted an apparent passing reference to Buddhist philosophy that Current Me noticed because he had not yet read any Buddhist philosophy at that age. 

I wonder now if that then becomes an argument for reading more widely when younger to earlier identify topics and areas of interest for further exploration in later life. I certainly wish I had, for example, read more philosophy and non-English literature to complement what I did read when younger.  I'm trying to make up for it now, but it is always going to be a case of too much choice and too little time. And here is where your second point becomes more manifest - what have we become inured against or less tolerant of simply because of what we have already consumed?  your warning to be mindful of such a peril is entirely apposite in my opinion.

I just finished T Kingfisher's A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking a recommendation from Aja Jin in another thread, and I'm glad I did.. It was a lot of fun and and actually LOL funny in places. She has a nice touch with language and phrasing that appeals to me.

A new author / nom de plume that's now on my radar.  Thanks, mahe!

 

Been plugging away at "The Fitz and the Fool" trilogy/Robin Hobb. Fitz's character is driving me nuts: a morose loose cannon who doesn't know his own mind nor stick to a decision--provided he makes one. Been trying to work around that in the interest of seeing what else is going on in the story. Not real fond of his self-centered, paranoid kid either but I think she's catching onto the fact she's not the center of the universe--unfortunately, the hard way. Found a hardcover 1988 Dragonsdawn at the library for sale ($0.25)--which is now mine. Read a Ben Bova/Leviathans of Jupiter. Not too bad. Characters were pretty flat/stereotypical but it was okay overall.
 

Surtac wrote:

I've just finished Ken MacLeod's Beyond the Reach of Earth and I really want to talk about it but I also really shouldn't because its the middle book of a trilogy and the third part is not out yet and I'd probably end up dropping some massive spoilers.  It's that kind of a book.
So I'll refrain for now and just say that it won't disappoint anyone who has read and enjoyed some of his earlier works such as Newton's Wake, Learning the World, The Restoration Game, The Execution Channel and suchlike.
Now to try and wait patiently for Beyond the Light Horizon.

sounds promising, I’ve always liked his stuff. Haven’t read the first one, so there’s a place to start!