Ever since November, I've read through over 18 Terry Pratchett novels. Recently, I've pushed my way through The Monstrous Regiment. It is a pretty nice book which touches the gender discrimination topic, pushed up to a social crisis like a war. There is also a slightly atheistic touch to the theme with a prohibitive God. Even through it all, there are still the jokes, like the vampire who is addicted to coffee. There is still a small thread of believability to the story that makes Pratchett's fantasy enjoyable.
Read through the Night Watch as well. That proved to be a much different story. Except for the villain and the revolution the entire story is just artificial. Though as much as I'd like the Trousers of Time explanation to multiple presents, the story is littered with platitudes such as - It is right, because I'm doing it. But readable and gripping anyway.
Also got my hands on the Bromeliad Trilogy - truckers, diggers, wings
from f3ew. That is more of a child fantasy story which I'd rank below,
much below something like the Carpet People. The clan names in the
store make for some amusement, but you're not likely to read the book
again for it. Though I must say I read the last sentence in
Interesting Times and Maskerade proved to be good reading. The reintroduction of Twoflower from Light Fantastic, sort of brings closure to where the Wizzard chronicles ended up as far as the tourist is concerned. Also parodies of imperial china in terms of names (Lord Hong) as well as the Forbidden City were pushed in late, because the original TwoFlower was never hinted as being such. Also the terracotta soliders rising out of the ground, sort of reminds you of the Qin Terracotta Soldiers. Maskerade had some good ideas, like the fact that people identify the ghost by the mask and that there could be more than one mask wearer. Also it is quite interesting to see why the Three Witches works out - Maiden, Mother and Crone covers women of all ages except for about nine months somewhere in the middle. Not to mention the birth of Perdita who in Carpe Jugulum is the variable X. Inside every fat woman, there's a thin girl trying to escape - thus Agnes had Perdita.
Also, while browsing in Landmark's book piles I noticed two books which had cover images which looked the same. It could be a coincidence, because I was looking for the second book and was taken aback when I recognized the cover as something I read a while back.
I guess good artwork is getting harder to find :)
--It's hard to be religious when certain people aren't incinerated by lightning from above.