First Lines of Kim Stanley Robinson's "Green Mars"

"The point is not to make another Earth. Not another Alaska or Tibet, not a Vermont nor a Venice, not even an Antarctica. The point is to make something new and strange, something Martian."

- Kim Stanley Robinson, Green Mars

I'm re-reading Green Mars, and while it doesn't have the same dynamic excitement of the political and cultural revolution in Red Mars, it takes deep detours into some really fascinating subjects while continuing to ask the deep questions relevant to the transformation of any environment. Like a lot of KSR's work, I don't love all of it - there are a few too many LONG rover trips around Mars for my taste - but I love how he examines how people would react and what they would become when living in a truly alien place.

First Lines of Madeline Miller's "Circe"

"When I was born, the name for what I was did not exist. They called me nymph, assuming I would be like my mother and aunts and thousands of cousins. Least of the lesser goddesses, our powers were so modest they could scarcely ensure our eternities."

 - Madeline Miller, Circe 

Enjoying this tale told from the POV of the goddess best known for turning Odysseus's crew into pigs in the Odyssey. I've always been a sucker for humanizing famous figures in this way, and from what i've read so far Miller has a knack for imagining what life must be like in the world of the Greek gods and goddesses. Hint: a lot of politics, gossip, and backstabbing. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.