Fortune's Fool; Mercedes Lackey

This author seems to walk the line between fantasy and romance without falling into either category. Fortune's Fool is the third 500 Kingdoms novel I've read, only one of which really seemed romantic (the first one), if that makes any sense. Now that I know what to expect from her, I'm ok with the hybrid style. I'd never read Ms.Lackey's work before the first 500 Kingdoms title, I was disappointed in the second and now that I'm done with the third I feel like I'm on an even keel as far as Ms. Lackey's style and take on the Luna books.

Ekaterina is the seventh daughter of the Sea King's 14 children. As some of you may know, seventh children often have a special fate. Katya is precocious and observant and easily transitions from sea to land. Seeing this, her father makes her his spy. While in Nippon (equivalent to feudal Japan) on a mission, Katya receives a magic origami bird from a Japanese spirit as a gift for her help. Later, on another mission for her father, the bird will be a major player in Katya's efforts.

The hero is Sasha ______, can't remember his surname, but he's the seventh son of the King of Led Belarus. Not only that, Sasha is a Songweaver. Among other duties he roams his father's kingdom singing carefully crafted yet easily remembered singable songs praising the kingdom's positive qualities & traits & other songs that chase off any would be magical predators. These songs help shape the paths the Tradition will take in Led Belarus, thus ensuring the continuing Led Belarus' prosperity. Sasha is definitely what the romance community would call a beta hero- quiet & unassuming & intelligent, but more than capable of catching & holding what he wants.

Sasha & Katya meet at the seaside in a remote part of his father's kingdom. Each is alone & feels isolated for different reasons, but they strike up a friendship & eventually become lovers. The Tradition, around which each person in the 500 Kingdoms must work, has a couple of set storylines Sasha & Katya will be pushed to follow unless they can work out a way around it (the Tradition seems to be composed of known fairytale types; certain storylines have one or two or several possible endings depending on the characters involved). Will Sasha & Katya manage to thwart what the Tradition has in store for them? What happens when a new magical being, foreign to this area, moves in & takes over some other being's castle?

This is one of the few romances where the hero & heroine are both virgins. Not only that, the first time they have intercourse is true to actual experience. That is to say: fumbling, short, painful and unfulfilling for the female. Unlike most first time sex scenes in romances where the hero manages to get the heroine to be multi orgasmic from the start. A tiny bit of realism is always welcome, IMO. The visuals in the first few chapters reminded me very strongly of the Disney movie The Little Mermaid, but fortunately that washed away as I read along. Characters from previous 500 Kingdoms novels appreared: Sergei the ugly little horse and Gina and Adamant the pair of dragons. What else? Baba Yaga appears, as does the katschei from the Firebird Suite (among other places). There is a passing nod to Brian Jacques' series of books about forest animals.

Ms. Lackey's 500 Kingdom novels may not appeal to romance readers expecting a clear depiction of the developing relationship. I approached this book from a fantasy POV & found it highly satisfying. It is set up as a quest fantasy/adventure romance. Published this year by Luna.

Today begins Yom HaShoah

Today marks the start of Holocaust Rememberance Week- Yom HaShoah. Image from The Hatikvah Center.

Kaddish
Prayer for the dead, translated from Hebrew, courtesy of MyJewishLearning.com

Glorified and sanctified be God's great name throughout the world
which He has created according to His will.

May He establish His kingdom in your lifetime and during your days,
and within the life of the entire House of Israel, speedily and soon;
and say, Amen.

May His great name be blessed forever and to all eternity.

Blessed and praised, glorified and exalted, extolled and honored,
adored and lauded be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He,
beyond all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations that
are ever spoken in the world; and say, Amen.

May there be abundant peace from heaven, and life, for us
and for all Israel; and say, Amen.

He who creates peace in His celestial heights,
may He create peace for us and for all Israel;
and say, Amen.

Lest we forget, there are still plenty of places on our little blue marble that have plenty of genocide going on, right in plain sight. Check out google earth & the US Holocuast Museum's newest project on Darfur, Sudan. We are EACH OBLIGATED to do what we can to stop the evil among us.

Miscellaneous

Bumper stickers seen recently:

Republicans for Voldemort

Frodo lost, Bush has the ring

Honor the dead, Heal the Wounded, Stop the War


My local library has NO Tanya Huff and only half of the Assassin and Ship series for Robin Hobb. Sucks. The budget is being cut yet again & I'm betting requesting said titles won't accomplish much. And they only have the first season for Bertie & Jeeves on DVD. *pout*

Am sowly winding my way through Mercedes Lackey's new 500 Kingdoms book, Fortune's Fool. So far so good, but I'm not in much of a reading mood this week so it's been slow on my account.


Hope everyone has a good weekend & better weather!

Family Updates

The Husband~ was offered a position at a hospital on the very northern edge of our part of metro DC. No more $$, but it's day shift (thank you, Jesus!) and has superb bennies incl. full coverage of higher ed. Paid parking- those of you in major metro areas know what a boon this is. Totally different part of medicine, he will be trained in all things related to cardiac diseases, arrhythmias, medicines, symptoms, treatments etc. He has been a women's health specialist for the last 5 years, previously he was med-surg/oncology. We're elated, Hubby has wanted to return to university to eventually become an advance practice RN. Now he's finally getting an opportunity!

Son #1~ Did get the job at the ballpark after all. He's worked two days & loves it, although attendance has been very low due to cold nights. We'll see how he handles it when it's 90 F and the drunks are yelling and obnoxious and the kids throw up everywhere. GF has just returned home from the hospital after yet another cardiac cath & various blood tests. Some rejection in the heart, but not much & her kidneys are exhausted & cranky. They plan to attend his prom in May.

Daughter~ was confirmed last Sat. April 7th on the Great Vigil of Easter. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony, my favorite of the entire church calandar except maybe choral tenebrae. We managed to buy her a new dress & new shoes, and have her hair cut, all courtesy of the wonderful & understanding Grand-Mere. Merci grandmere! No BF, or so she says. Daughter does write fanfic based on manga & anime characters with a GF. The trip with her church youth group is still a go at this point despite the iffy funding.

Son #2~ continues to chug along his merry way- perennially cheerful, smiley and helpful. Also becoming a serious wiseacre in his old age. Not that I'm surprised. He and the Hubby have big bathroom plans: replace the insides of the toilet (Son's favorite!) and fiddle with the showerhead & related plumbing. He sang at nearly every service last week, but says he liked tenebrae best too despite a sore throat. This Link is a clip from the Dominican Priory in DC during tenebrae this last week.

2 Young Adult Reads

Hannah's Garden by Midori Snyder

Cassieopeia Brittman has parented her mother Anne for most of her childhood, which was spent wandering the U.S. barely one step above homelessness. Finally Cassie and Anne have settled into a small university city south of Anne's (and Cassie's) birthplace, a small farm. After promising Cassie she'd spend her student years single and unattached, Anne brings Gunnar the Swedish Viking filmmaker home one morning. Poppie Brittman (Anne's father), a reclusive and eccentric (Aren't they always?) but extrememly talented painter is in ICU in the local communtiy hopsital. Anne and Cassie must drop everything to return to the small rural community Anne fled when Cassie was very small. All is not what it seems, though. Who is Melvin Steiger, really? Why does everyone in town like him when it is immediately obvious he's not helped Poppie around the property as he ought to have? Who is the mysterious fiddler who rescues Cassie more than once and how could he possibly be in a photo of Cassie's grandparents when Poppie was a babe?

This novel reminds me strongly of Solstice Wood by Patricia McKillip (my thoughts on Ms. McKillip's book in the title link). Less intense & less layered perhaps, but they both resonate. Excellent book. Plan to hunt up Ms. Snyder's other works at the library. Published by Viking in 2002.



Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins

A detailed, finely nuanced coming of age tale set in India and California. The Gardner family, most often of Berkeley CA has arranged to spend the summer in India doing various charity projects in the orphanage that raised Sarah Gardner to age 4. Sarah's daughter Jasmine is unhappy about the change of summer scenery, primarily because she's fallen in love with her best friend and business partner Steve Morales- who is being preyed upon by practically every girl that matters at their local school. Jazz would prefer to spend the summer at home & keep Steve safe. Of course, being 15, actually getting up the courage to tell him how she feels is impossible. India is wonderful and scary and interesting and overwhelming all at once. Each member of Jazz's family is compelled to change and grow before the end of summer and the long long flight to CA.

MS really kindled a desire to learn how to make yummy authentic Indian curries, made me reflect on the beautiful Indian women in our area- their saris and gold jewellry & how very feminine they look. Jazz suffers from many of the typical female pychological issues: low self esteem, poor body image, emotional honesty, etc, but what really touched me is Ms. Perkins' portrayal of a girl trying to wall herself into a protective cocoon and the country that helps her gain inner strength and courage.

Definitely planning to look up other works by Ms. Perkins. This title like others she's written are aimed at young adult readers.

Dreaming of You; L. Kleypas

I know there are quite a few romance readers out there who feel Derek Craven is the bestest, hottest, most tortured romance hero ever- except maybe Jamie Frazer. I like Derek. I agree he's right up there as far as the deprived, tortured soul aspect. Not so sure on the bestest, hottest part though. Derek Craven is a prostitute's get, raised in the deepest slums of London by sympathetic prostitutes after his mother leaves him in the gutter. After a harrowing childhood on the streets, he's the owner of London's most posh, upscale gambling den. Like many deprived souls before him, Derek finds comfort in amassing material items and money as a hedge against past privations. Derek has also hidden many of his finer qualities behind a protective facade designed to keep the unobservant at bay.

I had the most problems with Derek's love interest, Sara Fielding. Raised by older indulgent parents, Sara manages to be an intrepid adventuress & author- yet Ms. Kleypas asks us to believe that such a woman would seriously consider marrying Percy the henpecked, overindulged, cosseted only child whose every thought is governed by his mother. Why would Sara do this? *eye roll* *insert sarcasm here* Because Percy is safe and solid and no one else could possibly love Sara anyway. *snort* Yet this woman runs around the London slums consorting with thieves and prostitutes and slumlords without qualms or protection (she patently doesn't know how to properly shoot the pistol she carries). Lies to her parents' friends who are trying to keep her safe. Deceives her parents (& Percy, as if that should matter) and seems blithely unconcerned that such deceptions might negatively mark her character and ruin her reputation.

My biggest 'drop you right out of the story' moment occurs when a drunken Sara is in the middle of a riot in the London dockyards with one of Derek's rivals, a man she barely knows & who has an unsavory reputation even in the stews. Jenner, the man she ran out of Derek's club with, has dumped her in the middle of the street when some thugs try to make off with his horses. Derek rescues her & tells the toughs threatening to rape her, "Back off! She's mine!" or some such blather. In the middle of all this hullabaloo, while a quantity of men are trying a) rape you and b) kill you Ms. Kleypas asks the readers to believe that this is Sara's first night drinking alcohol and the first time Sara realizes she loves Derek- that she, Sara, really is his. I had to stop there & I put the book down over the long Easter weekend to try & set aside this bit of inanity. I mean really- you're drunk, you run off with a stranger who abandons you in the middle of the street in a bad part of town and a bunch of toughs try to abduct and rape you. THIS is when you realize who you love.

I did manage to put this series of actions aside & finish DOY. I like Derek (and Sara) quite a lot on either side of this night's actions. Although she continues to like Jenner even after this incident. The ending. The maniacal Joyce & her sociopath husband, who allowed Joyce to nearly murder Derek because Derek deserved it for cuckolding other husbands. The devoted friends. Etc. Almost didn't make it though.

Originally published by Avon in 1994. Haven't decided if it's a keeper since it came so close to being a DNF, but it's on the 'wait and see' shelf. Ms. Kleypas is an author I often either really like or really don't like. This is the first on the fence title (by her) for me.

The Summer Country; J.A. Hetley

This was published by Ace in 2004. James A. Hetley has a webpage, but it appears to be down right now. The link in the title is to an interview. The Summer Country a dark alternate reality/urban fantasy set in contemporary Maine and in a rural alternate world, the Summer Country of the title, where magic and magical beings of all descriptions are the modus operandi.

Maureen and Jo Pierce are sisters living in a tiny town. One night Maureen gets accosted by one stranger and rescued by another. Her rescuer, one Brian Arthur Pendragon Albion, has some fantastical tales to tell. Unfortunately for Brian Maureen isn't the type to give a guy any slack and she tries to send him on his way. Unfortunately, weird things begin to happen to her from that night forward. Maureen gets 'magiced' across the boundary into TSC. Turns out, the majority of the dominant beings in TSC are sterile. Only a select few are fertile- thus they are dying out & are indesperate need of fresh blood. Maureen and Jo happen to be magical beings despite being raised as ordinary humans and are completely illiterate in the ways and means of TSC. Thus, Maureen (but not Jo) is needed to infuse fresh genes into TSC. What happens to her there is the thrust of this story.

Maureen reminds me of Christine Feehan heroines- deeply damaged by childhood trauma, chip on her shoulder, prickly, yet vulnerable too. Maureen is only 28, but has a long history of severe alcoholism & serious mental disorders behind her. Her past history made parts of this novel hard to read, but I thought her issues were senstively handled as is her relationship with her sister. I had some problems with how her emotional and mental state was described toward the end of this novel, but the saga continues in the next installment, which is titled The Winter Oak (already available). I'm hopeful Mr. Hetley will continue with the complexity and depth of Maureen and Jo's characters and I hope he will resist temptation to wrap up these novels into neat little packages with every last little string tied and tucked in.

Test Post

I'm trying for the first time the 'posting via email' feature blogger offers. Sorry I can't remember the exact name blogger gives it. Kinda irritating trying it from my cell phone, but- here we are kids! 8-) Tomorrow I'll post my thoughts on the most recent book I finished: The Summer Country by James A. Hetley.

2 April Books

The Dark Mirror, Juliet Marillier~

Would you send your four year old son far away to be raised by adults whose sole purpose is to mold him into a future monarch? Would you do it of you knew he would be raised ignorant of who his parents are until he became a young adult? Raised without the benefit of laughter or playtime and with only one other child- and a girl six years younger at that? Such a one would be Bridei, whose sole purpose is to be molded into a future monarch whose intention is to ensure the future of the old religion & beliefs and way of life in his kingdom. His childhood companion is Tuala, a child of faery, given directly to Bridei by the Goddess herself on the longest & holiest night of the year. Bridei must fight tooth and nail for the one thing he can claim as his own- Tuala. Tuala must overcome inbred, superstitious fears of her 'otherness' as well as Bridei's foster father's open distrust and dislike of her. Will Tuala and Bridei survive their childhood and achieve their dreams? Can they fulfill their destiny despite the meddling of humans and faeries (much like the meddling in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream)?

Published in 2004 by Tom Doherty Publishing. Link to Ms. Marillier's website in book title above.



Waifs and Strays, Charles de Lint~


Published in 2002 by Viking Books. Link to Mr. de Lint's website in book title above. A collection of short stories by Mr. de Lint themed around young adults. Some set in his fictional city of Newford. All are excellent. Guaranteed to make you want to hunt down Mr. de Lint's backlist- and it's a deep one.

March Synopsis

Below is a list of what I read over the month of March, listed in the order I read them. They are also on the sidebar alphabetically by author.




1.The Semptster's Tale, Margaret Frazer

2.Hunter's Moon, O.R. Melling

3.The Summer King, O.R. Melling

4.Wildwood Dancing, Juliet Marillier

5.They Call Me Naughty Lola, ed. by David Rose

6.The Traitor's Tale, Margaret Frazer

7.Blood Red Horse, K.M. Grant

8.P.S. I Love You, Cecilia Ahern

9.The Faery Reel, ed. Datlow and Windling

10.Oceans of Fire, Christine Feehan

11.Green Jasper, K.M. Grant

Plus there were 2 DNFs this month.

Green Jasper; K.M. Grant

The further adventures of Ellie, Gavin, Will, Kalim and Hosanna the blood red horse. In this, the second installment of their saga, home (England) does not prove to be as welcoming as the brothers might wish. Gavin questions his worthiness as a leader because he lost an arm on Crusade. You'd think it would be seen as an honorable loss, in battle & for God etc. but apparently not. Will proves that it is always wiser to think before you leap into action. Kalim again proves that loyalty and honor can sometimes win out over the desire for vengeance. & Ellie? Well, Ellie and Old Nurse, that ale swilling, obese & beloved old woman? Together they prove that women too can be courageous and honorable and brave. Richard the Lionhearted, Prince John, Saladin and that evil swine Constable de Scabious all make their bows. As does a certain young lady named Marissa (I think. Again, it would be nice if I took notes before returning these books!), who like people everywhere, seems determined to make more trouble than she's worth.

Anyhow- the third in this series is titled Blaze of Silver and will be published next month.

2nd Bloggiversary

I just realized my 2nd bloggiversary was last week on the 21st! I love coming here & chatting about books & life in the wilds of suburban DC. Parenting & unexpected road trips & the horrors of schools who want checks with commas.

Updates

Husband is in the middle of juggling applications at two different hospitals on opposite ends of our area. One is in his medical subspecialty (obstetrics & women's health), one is completely different (cardiac step down & icu). Each location has good points & bad ones, but one has vastly better benefits. The other, though, has two employees husband has worked with previously & respects. Don't know how it will fall out, but the situation where he is currently employed isn't improving, it has deteriorated. So we're on tenterhooks at the moment.

Son #1 continues to muddle along. The ballpark job has hit a snag. He thought the orientation was tonight, but we arrived & the place was empty. Not a soul. He says he tried calling twice to confirm the date and time, but never was able to speak to a live human, only phone trees. Poor guy is disappointed. We'll try & talk to a human tomorrow. OTOH, one of his buddies is trying to line him up with a part time job with a lawn service. We'll see how things shake out. On the college apps- two acceptances, one yet to hear from. We're holding off on decisions until we hear about financial aid packages from each place. GF is sick with stomach flu, but otherwise ok. She's in school part time & trying to hang tough. I'm attempting to get them to decide whose prom they're going to attend.

Daughter continues to hang tough with geometry. She volunteers at the county animal shelter & is thinking about getting a summer job at the mall, hopefully at her favorite anime store. *eye roll* On Easter Eve, the Great Vigil (April 7th) she will be confirmed at our church & we're planning a big family party to celebrate on Easter Sunday. The big trip her Sunday School class has been planning *snort* has hit that eternal snag- $$$. Supposedly airfares have risen dramatically in the last few weeks, eating into the budget. My problem is that the adults planning this little escape have known for months where the kids wanted to go & ought not have waited so long to pay deposits etc. Now the kids may have to completely retrench & choose another location. I'm angry about the whole situation, it has been mismanaged from the word go & there's no one to blame but the adults in charge, but the kids will pay for the lack of advance planning & guidance.

Son #2 has been accepted into the IBMYP magnet program in our school district. This is the same program Daughter is on the tail end of. It is an excellent program & we respect it highly. He's very very excited. Some of his friends have been accepted as well & he's looking forward to trading homework horror stories & having some of the same teachers Daughter had. Musically he continues to sing & play piano. No voice change yet. There's a new male choir member at church who sings tenor all the way to alto (& beautifully too). He & the Son have traded laughs a time or two, as he started as a boy soprano just as Son is now.

Oceans of Fire; C. Feehan

Finished this one over the weekend. Struggled to overcome wanting to smack the heroine for her self centered, 'me first & your side of the story doesn't count' view of past events with the hero. Previous to this novel Alexsandr & Abigail had a brief relationship in Russia. Apologies if I've mispelled his name. Sacha was a policeman/member of the secret police/spy. Abby fell afoul of the law, became a suspect and ended up being interrogated & then deported. Even four years later, Abby expected Sacha to drop everything & ruin his career to prevent her from being interrogated & imprisoned. Like the other Drake Sisters novels, this one takes place in northern California.

I had a very hard time wrapping my mind around her expectations which were based on a brief but intense relationship. I mean, they were is Russia for goodness sake. What did she think their justice system was going to be?To my mind, there aren't many marriages that would have withstood such events, never mind the fact that almost no one would flush an entire career down the toilet for a person they barely knew (even if the sex was fantastic). I thought Abby's refusal to read Sacha's letters or even to listen him or to consider that his side of the story was equally valid was stupid and juvenile. I'm not saying she had to agree with him or condone his actions, but for heavens' sake, woman, grow up!

Anyhow, the plot is that Abby has returned home to help plan her sisters' upcoming wedding. She witnessed a Russian mafia hit on an Interpol agent & the attempted murder of several locals. Sacha's partner is murdered. Who is smuggling art through the area & why? Why won't they just use a different route to get their goods into the country? That being the typical way things are done- when the route is too 'hot' it's dropped. More than that, now that Sacha's found Abby again he's determined to make her hear his side of the story & regain her trust and love.

I read this series for the relationship between the sisters as opposed to the romances. The hero, Sacha, is typical Feehan in that he's immensely devoted to his love interest & is emotionally wounded. Anyhow, I think I need to reread John Le Carre now!

The Faery Reel; ed. Datlow & Windling

An anthology of short stories, compiled by two prominent editors in the fantasy genre. Originally published by Viking in 2004. Several prominent authors: Patricia McKillip and Neil Gaiman among others. This is a wonderful title for those times when you're overly busy & need something you can pick up & put back down at random. I loved the artwork at the beginning of each story. Favorite pieces: Catnyp by Delia Sherman; the story by Bill Congreve who is an Australian author I'm adding to my library list, his piece was very evocative of his homeland; Never Never by Bruce Glassco, which attempts to set Capt. Hook straight as to the true purpose of Never Never Land. In truth all of the stories in The Faery Reel are good, these simply stick out in my memory more than most. Also included in an appendix is a list of related titles, a few of which I've already borrowed from my library. Each story is followed by an editors note about the author's career & lists titles recently comleted (as of publication date of this volume) or soon to be published as well a awards received.

P.S. I Love You, C. Ahern

I finished this a couple of days ago & needed some time to sort out my thoughts before posting about it. Cecelia Ahern is the Irish Prime Minister's daughter. Not that that affected what I think about the book or the author, I just thought that was an interesting tidbit. Set in contemporary Ireland, P.S. I Love You is about Holly. Just turning thirty, newly & unexpectedly widowed after the sudden death of her husband Gerry, PSILY follows Holly's emergence from grief into a new life of her own. I guess it's a chick lit, but the subject matter was surprisingly serious for what appeared (my mistake for judging the cover & the blurb) to be more light hearted than it turned out to be.

Gerry has written ten letters to Holly & mailed them to her parents' home, Holly doesn't pick them up until Gerry has been dead two months. One letter per month until the end of the year (March through December inclusive), each letter gives Holly a new task to help her move on. Some are funny (karaoke) and some are poignant & painful (sorting through his belongings). Holly & Gerry had quite a close circle of friends who helped her nurse Gerry through his illness & attempt to help her through grief.

My biggest problem is the fact that Holly's friends, while patient & supportive to an extent, all eventually tell Holly she 'needs to get a grip and move on.' One of the friends goes so far as to say so to Holly's face- and then says 'don't tell so & so I was here (his wife) 'cuz she doesn't know I came.' Oh & BTW, the wife is preggers & needs Holly to stop grieving & be a supportive friend. Someone else is getting married & tells Holly to stop moping & help her celebrate the upcoming wedding. Poor Gerry hasn't even been in his grave a year!

All of my problems revolve around Holly's buddies. I don't think they were truly friends. As far as I'm concerned they were shallow & thoughtless & drank like fish. On more than one occaision they drag Holly out to some event & proceed to get so drunk one or more of them black out- friends who help you like that? Don't need 'em. Finally Holly lands a job she loves & works like the devil to earn her boss' respect & help herself move on. What do the friends do? Berate her for suddenly becoming a workaholic. Never mind that Holly needs the cash & has no real work history & so does need to prove her worth to the boss.

In all honesty, I really like Holly. She sees most of her shortcomings & her strengths & copes admirably with all life throws at her. Her family, like everyone else's, is a mixed bag of ok, pain in the bum & supportive. I thought the letters were a wonderful construct to show Holly's personal growth & her close relationship with Gerry. But the friends? Could've been better. Then again, no friend can be everything you need in a time of crisis, but jeez. Too, Holly could've spoken up earlier & more often and told them what for. None of us are perfect though.

For all of my disike of Holly's friends I enjoyed Ms. Ahern's story about Holly & Gerry. Holly was a likeable person who measured up in the end & became a better person. I'm on the lookout for more of Ms. Ahern's work.

Maili- Take care

And return to us soonest. I hope all is well. Brussels must be hectic. Hugs.

In case anyone's wondering, Maili's blog has disappeared. Last I heard she was moving to Brussels in January, but her blog addy was suspended & is now gone. If anyone has heard from her or knows if she has a new blog going please leave a link.

Blood Red Horse, KM Grant

Just a quick synopsis of a young adult book I recently finished. It's first in a trilogy, second is out in pb & the third one comes out next month. Naturally I've lost my notes & therefore my mind, so I'm stuck with whatever I can remember (which usually isn't much).

Blood Red Horse by K. M. Grant an adventure laden coming of age tale set in late 12th century England & Jerusalem. Two brothers, Gavin & Will, set off with their benign & negligent dad to Crusade in the Holy Land, restoring control of Christ's country to the rightful Christians. Their father's ward, Eleanor (Ellie), is left behind at the mercy of Constable de Scabious (who turns out to be as horrible as his name). Will's beloved stallion Hosanna, what a great name for a horse BTW!, goes along and has more adventures all by himself than one would think possible. Young Kalim, an orphaned Muslim under the care of Sultan Saladin himself, proves to be a troubled but sometimes compassionate leader who is fated to love Hosanna as much as Will. Meantime, Ellie gets tutored, on the sly, in reading and ends up in serious trouble as a result. Naturally, Will and Gavin return barely in time to save the day.

I really enjoyed this first volume in the de Granville trilogy, the next one is titled Green Jasper and sits in the library pile waiting its turn. BRH is intense and dark, but also more true to history & (hopefully) less biased against Muslims than many other historical fiction novels, regardless of audience. Some of the early scenes with Hosanna are heartbreaking a la Black Beauty & I really struggled to like Gavin through the entire book. Kalim I liked & understood, but Gavin struck me as an overindulged whiner whose daddy ought to have disciplined more than he did. There are hints at the end, though, that Gavin will change quite a bit as the trilogy moves on.

The Traitor's Tale; M. Frazer

The Traitor's Tale is the most recent installment in the ongoing Sister Frevisse 15th century historical mystery series. Link to descrption of book and image of book jacket in link in title. This one takes place a few months after The Sempster's Tale, which I read a week or ten days ago. Some of the dangling strings leftover from TST are merely mentioned in passing. I'm not altogether pleased with that, frankly, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Basically this is a political espionage whodunit. Frevisse has been dragged out of her convent again to provide solace and support for her bereaved and beseiged cousin Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk. Joliffe pops up. He and Frevisse and Alice must work together to try and save both Alice's young son John (the new duke) and the Duke of York from unknown but powerful political enemies.

2 DNFs

One is A Factory of Cunning by Philippa Stockley. This is set up so that the story evolves via letters written by the characters. Normally this doesn't bother me, but for some reason I just couldn't submerge myself into Ms. Stockley's creation. Another possible factor: vengeance appears to be a main motivation behind the lead character, "Mrs. Fox." Again, this wouldn't normally be an issue. It simply didn't gel for me. Another time, perhaps.

The second is Secrets of the Night by Jo Beverley. I find the whole premise shaky at best: well off young woman in a comfortable marriage of convenience finds a Malloren injured by the wayside, takes him home and has her way with him for an entire weekend specifically to conceive a child to prevent a sectarian relative from inheriting the estate. Not only that, but they manage to 'fall in love' over the course of the weekend, despite the fact that she insists on wearing a mask, keeps him locked in his room & swears no one can know the true course of events.

Cell phone fun

So, you remember I said I'm not on the 'net much 'cuz of burnout? Ok, yesterday I discover my cell phone has RSS capability (at no extra charge! YAY!). Meaning, I can list a bunch of sites I want to keep track of & the phone stores it- saving me precious hunt & peck typing time, not to mention crackberry thumb (an authentic disorder, BTW). Unlike my Brother, living among the golden waves of grain, who could type 100+ wpm. Or at least, he claims he used to.

Anyhow, I've had fun entering sites & blogs & whatnot into my little phone so I can keep track of youse guys even while away from a full size 'puter. Only one or two hitches. One:I can't leave comments. The phone claims the sites have unauthenticated security certificates. Whatever. So, Jenster's adorable rant about her motormouth kid? Couldn't leave a sympathy comment. Two: some sites whose entries have hyperlinks won't come up. Example- Smartbitches won't come up either on the 'net (the phone surfs too) or on the RSS aggregator. However, Tara's blog comes up on both the RSS and on the phone's 'net fine even with hyperlinks (which work, BTW).

I'm not complaining. The phone was cheap (less than $100), as 'net capable phones go. So a glitch or two, here & there? No biggie. Son #2 has loaded Lemonade Tycoon onto it & plays it in the car. Also. The younger two kids have already beaten the other game (Tropical Madness) I put on it & now regularly beg me to pony up the $$$ for more games. Any reccs for cell phone games with great graphics? That my kids won't beat as soon as its loaded onto the phone?

Updates

Son #1~ Suffering with what is called 'short timers attitude' in the military. In other words, he can't seem to be bothered with homework, projects, etc. because, and I quote, "I'm graduating in June, mom." Well, let me tell you- if he keeps up with the current attitude it'll be a miracle if he makes it. Has been hired for the summer to work selling concessions for the local farm baseball team. Very excited, although the pay is minimum wage. Real life, here we come!

Son's GF~ He keeps telling me, "not really GF/BF, mom", but they talk on the phone an hour a day. I've been married nearly 20 years & we don't talk that much. LOL ;) Anyhow, she's been permitted to return to school on a greatly reduced schedule. Which is good news all 'round. Is back in hospital for a cardiac cath, but supposedly this is a routine check on her heart health & rejection status.

Daughter~ Hanging on in geometry by her fingernails. I've gotta hand it to her, though. She's persistant & disciplined & tries her damndest. I've already advised her not to choose a career field where lots of math is necessary. She tells me calculators are a girl's best friend. She and some GFs spent the night and pulled an all night Supernatural season 1 marathon. Very nearly went to an anime convention, but was derailed at the last minute by a previous obligation to volunteer at the animal shelter.

Son #2~ Still puttering along. Is finally done with his detested piano primers & has moved on to "real music". He has also had his first lesson on the organ at church & talked about stops & pedals & ranks & buttons for days afterwards. Very excited young man, let me tell you. Oh & BTW- he's nearly as tall as Daughter despite being almost 4 years younger. She's not best pleased either. What else? He applied for the same specialty program Daughter is going through. Notification letters to be mailed end of the week. Husband claims Son is nervous about getting in, but I've not seen that from him.

Husband~Works for the Army medical system here in DC. The same one that has been pilloried around the world for lack of adequate care, etc. Needless to say, the whole damn place is in an uproar, which looks to be worsening over time. Not exactly good for his stress level. On the upside, his birthday is coming up soon & he's requested b'fast in bed. After the kids go to school. ;)

They Call Me Naughty Lola; ed. David Rose

They Call Me Naughty Lola, edited by David Rose and published by Scribner in 2006, is a collection of some of the most creative, painful and funny personal ads placed in the London Review of Books. I saw it on a table of new books at the library and couldn't resist. Occasionally I read the personals in our local paper for exactly the same reason- laughs. Yes, I'm mean enough to laugh at other people's desperation. Rarely have I ever seen ads quite as funny as these, though. Then again- I love the Brits' dry, ironic sense of humor. Best read in bed curled up beside your special someone so s/he too can laugh at humanity's gift for creativity even in the face of bleak despair and overwhelming loneliness. Whatever the well of inspiration, this is certainly worthy of a spot on your bedside table.

Wildwood Dancing

Wildwood Dancing was written by Juliet Marillier and published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2007. Link to the publisher page for this book is in the title above. This is an amalgamation of Eastern European fairytales set in Romania during the nineteenth century. I know I've forgotten one or two tales Ms. Mariller refers to, but the ones I recognized while reading WD are: 12 Dancing Princesses, the Frog Prince and Baba Yaga. Like other works in Ms. Mariller's backlist, WD features strong young women on the cusp of adulthood. WD is a young adult fantasy.

Five sisters: Tatiana, Jenica, Paula, Iulia and Stela live in a derelict castle in the Romanian countryside with their widower father and a few elderly servants. Their father is seriously ill with what appears to be a lung infection and must spend the winter at the seaside. Leaving the girls alone at the castle with only their uncle and an older male cousin to turn to for help should they need it. As soon as father leaves odd and sinister events happen. The uncle is killed in an hunting accident (but was it really?), leaving the girls at the mercy of their cousin-a greedy, deliberately intimidating older teen who belittles and bullies his cousins. Their father is out of touch- deliberately perhaps?

Like the best traditional fairytales, before they were judged "too violent" and subsequently rewritten, Wildwood Dancing is full of menace and threats. Yet it also lovingly depicts a close and loving family who care for each other and those they are responsible for. Will Tati and Jena make peace over Sorrow? Will their cousin spoil it all? Who killed the dwarf and the young lady down in the village? Why doesn't their father reply to Jena's letters? Who fixed the fence? Will Jena and Gogu figure it all out before it's too late??

The Summer King; O.R. Melling

Unlike the first book in this series (Hunter's Moon), The Summer King is bittersweet & heartfelt. There are themes galore: grief and mourning, denial and acceptance, life and death, sacrifice for the greater good. All of which are universal, none of which have pat answers. TSK is aimed at young adult audiences and stars a young woman on the brink of adulthood.

Laurel is returning to Ireland on the first anniversary of her twin sister's death. Her twin, Honor, died in what appeared to be a freak accident the previous summer. Laurel is mostly in denial about Honor being gone, an attitude which is not helped when Laurel reads Honor's diary and becomes suspicious about what really happened. There is a push-pull relationship with the male lead (Ian) & a time deadline. Faerie and the fate of humanity is integral, but what stood out most for me was Laurel's struggle to come to terms with Honor's death.

Like Hunter's Moon, The Summer King is a quest storyline. To achieve her goal, though, Laurel is forced to confront her inner demons and external forces working both for her and against her. For me, it was hard to balance Laurel's emotional struggles against the adventures she and Ian have together (and boy are they prickly!). Without giving anything away, I found the denoument simulatneously deflating and a relief & the epilogue sort of confused me yet was hopeful. I'm very muddled about it all, to be honest.

Then again, my own expectations of a stereotypical happily ever after, all problems neatly wrapped into a neat bow color my thoughts. Just as Laurel was stuck in denial, so am I stuck with hoping for a hint at a happy future. The Summer King is a thought inspiring work not easily set aside.

Hunter's Moon; OR Melling

This is the first in the Chronicles of Faerie series, originally pubbed years ago & is now being reworked & repubbed. Orla Melling is the pseudonym of an Irish Canadian author- or could be a Canadian Irish author, depending on how you look at things. Favorite little tidbits: the author supplies a glossary with pronounciation & translations & the book is filled with Gaelic poetry & lyrics & there have been at least two or three new words I had to look up. New vocabulary words for Scrabble games! Yay! Yes, I am a nerd.

Anyhow, Hunter's Moon is aimed at young adults. Ms. Melling's work reminds me of Tamora Pierce in that the heroines of this tale are young women on the cusp of full adulthood. HM is set in the present though & full of references to current musicians & technology. Gwen & Findabhair, which is pronounced fin-a-veer the book says (God I hope I spell that properly, I don't have the book to check), are cousins on a road trip/adventure in Findabhair's native country of Ireland. Gwen is actually American but the girls nurtured a close relationship despite the distance.

Gwen is a follower, thus when Findabhair changes the agenda Gwen goes along despite misgivings & disiking deceiving her aunt & uncle. Unfortunately, Findabhair has been bespelled by a hunky goth-type fairy guy & she ditches Gwen while they're illicitly camping inside a mound at Tara, the ancient seat of Irish kings (& fairies too). So Gwen wakes up alone in the mound. Where did Findabhair go & how can Gwen get her back? Will she prevail against the ancient magics conspiring to steal her cousin away for good? Also- hunky fairy guy #2 in command vs. young Irish guy who claims to be the hereditary king of his little island?? Decisions, decisions.

After that follows a wonderful road adventure, quest type storyline. Leprechauns and ancient magics older than faerie take their turn onstage. As I said- this book could be a tour guide for those of us in love with ancient places where the veil of the world is thin. Full of lore & poetry. Plus? An ending that made me cry. What more could a girl wish for?!

This is a library book, but I want one of my own. Enjoy!

The Sempster's Tale; M. Frazer

Another Sister Frevisse mystery, this one taking place in London. Sister Frevisse has a dual mission. Buy hard to get supplies for her convent, St. Frideswide's, choose fabric and patterns for vestments honoring the now deceased Duke of Suffolk (a commission from Frevisse's cousin Alice, the Duke's widow) and a secret, unknown mission on Alice's behalf.

The political atmosphere in England is fraught with strife. There are minor uprisings & generalized discontent- aimed primarily at the nobility around the king, but Henry isn't widely loved either. London has been the focus, being both the seat of power and the commercial and economic hub of England. Too, there are rumblings that there are heresies spreading through the kingdom.

Into all of this Frevisse and her fellow travellers from St. Frideswide are dropped. The commercial goods must be ordered and paid for, the vestment cloth and embroidery patterns must be chosen, negotiated and paid for. Not to mention figuring out Alice's secret mission. All in the hustle and bustle of London.

There are really two plots happening in this book. Frevisse must help solve a murder that occurs amid negotiations with a cloth merchant and she must complete Alice's mission too. A teenage boy is found murdered beneath a local church, his body defaced with odd carvings. Could it be a nasty heresy imported from the Continent? Or perhaps connected with the cloth merchant's hidden trade? Part of a political plot, even? This same merchant is also one of the contacts Frevisse had for Alice's mission.

Of the two plots, only the murders are solved. Frevisse's mission on Alice's behalf has been left unfinished, presumably to be continued in the next volume. I'm impatient to see what happens with Frevisse's mission for Alice. What kind of problems must Alice be having for her to ask a cloistered nun for help? Help that is, honestly, a little underhanded and deceitful? I also felt that Frevisse's actions after the murders in London was not as aboveboard & honest as I expected. Her actions, taken in concert with the assistance of the merchant's family, left me out in the cold. I was very surprised that Frevisse's conscience allowed her to go through with what she did. Even so- I want to know if she accomplished Alice's mission. What is happening in Alice's world? And can Frevisse really go through with it all?

Other questions- could you fall in love with someone knowing he lived a double life? That he likely had a family elsewhere? That you & he didn't have a chance at an honest future together? Love him deeply despite knowing he purposely hid things from you? Love him even though he was technically fobidden in your country & that your faith holds him anathema? Is love & sex worth all of these painful questions?? Maybe some of these questions too can be answered next.

The next book in the series is Traitor's Gate.

Dry Spell

I'm going through kind of a dry spell with the blog. Not feeling very motivated to post or surf (say it ain't so!) but I've been reading much more than before. So I decided to slow down with the posting a little and only put up my thoughts about what I'm reading. Hopefully, less time in front of the computer will help the creative juices replenish.

Meantime, I hope everyone else out there is ok & doing fine. I have been surfing a little bit, usually from my cell phone which won't allow me to post messages. So I'm kinda keeping track, but I'm not necessarily leaving messages. I feel kinda guilty about not being here every day, but I'm sure I'll be back to form soon.

February Synopsis

During February, I managed to read the following books. In no particular order they are:


1.The Sharing Knife:Beguilement, Lois McMaster Bujold

2.If Angels Burn, Lynn Viehl

3.Once A Knight, Christina Dodd

4.Ithaka, Adele Geras

5.The Wind Dancer, Iris Johansen

6.My Wicked Fantasy, Karen Ranney

7. Clerk's Tale, Margaret Frazer

8. To The Castle, Joan Wolf

9.A Play of Isaac, Margaret Frazer

10.The Bastard's Tale, Margaret Frazer

11.The Widow's Tale, Margaret Frazer

12.The Hunter's Tale, Margaret Frazer

13.The Merchant's Partner, Michael Jecks

4 Mysteries

The Bastard's Tale
Written by Margaret Frazer and published by Berkley in 2003, TBT is a historical political thriller set in the town of Bury St. Edmonds. The Duke of Gloucester's wife has been held by the King on trumped up charges for the past five years. His Grace, naturally, would like to get her back. Since the King (Henry VI) and his entire court has descended on Bury St. Edmonds, Gloucester travels there from Wales with a retinue to try and win her back. Sister Frevisse is in Bury too- with her cousin Lady Alice de la Pole, Marchioness of Sufflok, trying to woo gifts of land and property for her priory St. Frideswide's. Joliffe, the player (actor) who also has his own book series, is there too. His company has been hired to help keep the court entertained.

The Bastard's Tale has much more of an edge of your seat, urgent feel to it. There are many threads in this plot- Alice & Frevisse's kinship, Joliffe & the players, Joliffe Frevisse & the Bishop's plans. The King, his advisors & the war in France. Best of all, though, was Alice's young son John who strongly reminded me of Nephew #1 down in Richmond.

The Hunter's Tale
Written by Margaret Frazer and published by Berkely in 2004, this story had a dark, melancholy tone the deeper I dug into it. Sir Ralph & Lady Anneys Woderove had two sons & miscellaneous daughters, plus Ralph had a son form his first marriage. Ralph is a violent & brutal man who stops at nothing to terrorize his family & the serfs attached to his land. Unsurprisingly, he is found dead in the woods one day following a hunt. It is declared murder, but no one seems overly inclined to find the murderer. Lady Anneys and Ursula retreat to St. Frideswide's priory to gain some quiet & ease. Too bad for her, one of her sons is murdered while she's there. Frevisse is sent back to Lady Anneys' manor to help & begins digging around for the truth, much like a terrier after a fox. She finds her quarry, but not before asking herself difficult and painful questions about the essential nature of truth. About emotional pain and healing and justice. Excellently done. Highly recommended.

The Widow's Tale

Written by Margaret Frazer and published by Berkley in 2005, this title is similar to The Bastard's Tale above in that it is a political thriller & has an urgent edge of your seat tone. At least- the last half does. The first half is alot of setting the stage for later action & drags a little. Lady Christiana is imprisoned under false pretenses at St. Frideswide's. Later, under duress, she is freed but two of the nuns accompany her home as they lack authority to simply free her. Family issues arise, as well as an unexpected visit from the now Duchess of Suffolk, Sister Frevisse's cousin Alice. Oh yes- the King & Queen are coming too. And- who keeps spying on Christiana & her brother? Will the evil brother in law succeed with his nefarious plot? Can Christiana save her daughters before it's too late?? And how can Alice come to terms with the awful, powerhungry, amoral man her husband has turned into? This is the only book in the series I figured out before the end.

The Merchant's Partner

Written by Michael Jecks and published in 1995, second title in a long series that starts with The Last Templar. Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's Peace, and Simon Puttock, Baliff of Lydgate Castle, are buddies. Puttock & his wife are visiting Furnshill at his manor when an old woman is found murdered at the edge of a meadow. Furnshill falls in lust with a young Frenchwoman married to a local, wealthy merchant. Puttock's wife is preggers & grouchy & likes to meddle. Another person is murdered, in the same manner as the first. Unfortunately for both victims, someone has confessed, but there's no real proof he did it. Gossip complicates matters, as always. Neatly done. Much better than the first.

February: Thinking of Flowers
by Jane Kenyon


Now wind torments the field,
turning the white surface back
on itself, back and back on itself,
like an animal licking a wound.

Nothing but white--the air, the light;
only one brown milkweed pod
bobbing in the gully, smallest
brown boat on the immense tide.

A single green sprouting thing
would restore me. . . .

Then think of the tall delphinium,
swaying, or the bee when it comes
to the tongue of the burgundy lily.

A Play of Isaac; M. Frazer

Yes, I'm glomming Margaret Frazer's backlist. This is a newer series featuring a former Oxford scholar turned itinerant actor Joliffe. The feast of Corpus Christi is nearing and Joliffe's company has been hired to perform several features for a wealthy merchant and another play, Abraham & Isaac, on the feast day itself. Meantime the company will be housed & fed by the merchant. Old heresies, hidden friendships, Down's Syndrome (referred to as being an Eden Child, a phrase I really love), marriage and inheritance problems each take their turn. Joliffe is an observant loner who uses his classical education to help him solve problems by asking irritating questions others might hesitate over.

The reputation of the players and culture of the time means that the acting companies are often outsiders, openly reviled & blamed for many things (much like tinkers)- giving Ms. Frazer an opportunity to showcase a view of medieval life from a viewpoint vastly different than the more commonly written of Lord of the Manor. A more intersting and varied one, IMO. Highly recommended.

2 Reads

The Clerk's Tale

Written by Margaret Frazer and published by Berkeley in 2002, this is part of an ongoing mystery series featuring a nun, Sister Frevisse, as the sleuth. This particular book is pretty much in the center of the series, but is a standalone. TCT is set in the town of Goring in the year 1446. The king's crowner (official who investigates deaths) has been found murdered in a garden in a convent. His son Christopher steps into his shoes & is forced to investigate his own father's death. Sister Frevisse is pulled into this by virtue of being at St. Mary's with her Domina (Mother Superior) to visit the Domina's elderly cousin Sister Ysobel, dying of tuberculosis. Sometimes justice delayed isn't in fact justice denied. Features greed, lust and legitimacy issues. Plus- just how long can one hold on to grudges from their youth? Apparently quite a long time. Excellent. Longer than Ellis Peters, but shorter than Michael Jecks. Deceptively light in tone. Very well researched.

To the Castle

Written by Joan Wolf and published by Mira in 2005. Set in the early 12th century in England. Ms. Wolf has brought the feud between King Stephan and Empress Maud (or Matilda, I don't remember) from earlier times for plot purposes. Ordinarily it might not have bothered me so much except that I am an avid fan of Ellis Peters, whose Brother Cadfael books are all set in the 9th century & prominently discuss this feud. So that was the first problem. Eleanor de Bonvile (2nd problem- I continually thought of her as vile instead of ville which is the more common spelling of this name), anyway, has been removed from the convent after 9 years & is er..persuaded to marry Roger de Roche for dynastic purposes. Only 6 months away from her final vows, Nell feels angry, betrayed and abandoned by her parents. Roger, OTOH, is merely happy that she is attractive enough to bed & 'get children on' as his grandpa puts it. They are both of an age, she 18 & he 22- so that worked. This was well done, and normally I love medievals, but somehow TTC simply didn't grab me. Nell & Roger are a cute couple facing arduous political and personal circumstances. Their characterization was well & realistically drawn.

My Wicked Fantasy; K. Ranney

Written by Karen Ranney and published by Avon in 1998, at left is the original cover, but I believe there is another, newer one too. I think the title is weird & totally unrelated to the story. There were a couple of other odd quirks about this book, but in the end I liked it. More than I liked the last Karen Ranney book I tried. This one is set in the early to mid 1790's. The hero, Archer, changes & opens quite a lot by the end. The heroine was a stock character, comprised mainly of cliches, despite the odd events in her life.

Archer St. John, Earl of Sanderhurst, shuns & is shunned by the Ton because his wife is missing. Everyone who is Anyone presumes he killed her, supposedly because theirs was an arranged marriage & Alice made good time with her version of happenings. Personally, I didn't see that there was any 'real proof' of his bad intentions, other than gossip. However, St. John has spent good money on lawyers who are supposedly hunting for the missing Alice.

Mary Kate Bennett, abused orange haired Irish orphan cum governess' foster child cum early married-early widowed young woman, is en route to the tiny village where her enormous group of sibs lives. Due to lack of provisions in her lawyer husband's will, she is pretty much penniless and in need of a post. The farmer's cart she's riding in & St. John's coach are caught in a horrific crash. Mary Kate suffers a terrific blow on the head & is rendered unconscious.

From there, Archer ends up holding her hostage at his estate believing Mary Kate to be in cahoots with Alice to bilk him of money or a divorce proceeding or some such dreadful scheme. When St. John discovers Mary Kate's deceased husband was a) his lawyer & b) had done nothing despite recieving plenty of $$ to find Alice? Well, St. John is more & more convinced Mary Kate is not being honest.

My thoughts are complicated, honestly. As linked to above, the last Ranney book I read was a DNF & left such a bad taste inmy mouth it has been over a year since I've tried to read her work. In MWF the 'paranormal' element left me totally cold- but Archer &, to a lesser extent, Mary Kate, had hooked me. Setting aside MK's stock cliche-ness, her dialogue & interior life fascinated me. Her devotion to what remains of her family. Her desire to be independant & accepted for her own worth on her own terms resonated with me.

As I've mentioned previously I love emotionally tortured, damaged heroes, so Archer was fine. I loved that his secret passion is hothouse gardening. The ending, however, was not at all what I expected when I began this book. I was surprised, honestly, because I totally fell for the red herring. In the end, as a complete package, this books goes a long, long way to restoring Ms. Ranney to readable status but it isn't a keeper.

Thursday 13 #26- Winter bad behavior rant

Bookwormom's winter bad behavior rant. All I really want to do is live somewhere where life *gasp* goes on pretty much as normal if & when precipitation falls out of the sky in winter.

Click title above to see a list of other Thursday 13 participants. Leave a link here & I'll link back to you. The purpose of TT is for bloggers worldwide to get to know each other better.


1. That road crews would plow the major roads from shoulder to shoulder not one lane down the middle giving drivers half a lane per side of the yellow lines & thereby forcing drivers to play chicken.

2. That road crews would make multiple passes along highways and major local roads. One pass per road simply isn't cutting it.

3. That road crews would apply sand or salt or whatever more than once- especially if the forecast is for heavy sleet & ice.

4. That the local authorities would pass & enforce ordinances mandating public right of ways, ie: sidewalks, be cleared within so many hours of a snowfall & mandating application of sand or salt to the same. Don't laugh- these announcements were made over the tv & radio news when we lived in Colorado. From my observations, citizens were generally compliant & I know at least one person who was cited for noncompliance.

5. That developers/owners of large businesses contract snow plowers to clear the entire lot before the business opens. Having your car plowed around, leaving it stranded in a tiny island of snow & ice & slush past your ankles is not fun. The eldery lady parked beside me was furious.

6. That utility companies should not claim 'storm related damages' as a reason for days long power outages while in the same statement claim 'many improvements on the power distribution system had already been made' before the storm. Luckily this did not happen with our utility company, but one over the river. I feel sorry for their luckless customers.

7. That service stations place actual windshield washer fluid- the nonfreezing kind- on the islands outside. Usable squeegees & paper towels would be nice too. Frozen water & lack of squeegees are not helpful to the driving public who might like to see the vehicles they are forced to play chicken with.

8. That parents should be responsible enough to purchase hats, mittens & scarves for their young children before the weather turned bitter. The number of parents ranting & raving about the lack of appropriate snow gear amazed me. Little tiny ones bundled into blankets- but no coats, hats, mitties, etc. is appalling. "But this is the SOUTH," one mum whined. "It isn't supposed to get cold here." Well, it is. Your lack of forethought penalizes your child.

9. That drivers would allow ample space between vehicles & not continue to drive as though the roads were dry & clean, ie: total insanity.

10. That family members or neighbors would assist the elderly living near them. Being a compassionate human would be nice.

11. Related to #8. Parents should always know where their children are, no matter what their ages are, and NEVER allow them near bodies of water. Ever. You do not want to plan their funerals.

12. If all of the hype and hysteria that goes into reporting 'weather events' went into, say- allieviating hunger or tutoring adults to read or something else equally helpful- the world would be (could be) a much better place.

13. Receptionists or other front line 'coping with the public' type employees need to be coached that prospective guests/patrons/patients do not wish to be attacked for having the nerve to enter your business & wish for friendly, respectful service despite the horrible, life threatening (she really did say that) weather. Shouldn't I just turn around & go home now?.

For My Valentine

My Funny Valentine, Linda Ronstadt




Frank Sinatra, Stangers in the Night



Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce

The Wind Dancer; Iris Johansen

Originally published by Bantam in 1991, The Wind Dancer is the first book in a trilogy (the other titles are Storm Winds and Reap the Winds) written by author Iris Johansen. Link to her site is in title above. Ms. Johansen has now moved on to write thrillers. This book is set in 16th century Italy & centers around one man's obsession with a legendary family statue called, naturally enough, The Wind Dancer.

This book reminded me strongly of The Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey, et al. which I read last fall. The Wind Dancer, though, is truly a romance novel in that the relationship takes center stage despite the strong current of menace that runs through the novel. Lionello Andreas, sometime Lord of Mandara and hopeful shipbuilding magnate, must steal back his family's precious statue. To do this, he buys a 16 year old female thief named Sanchia. Sanchia, daughter of a slave, has accepted her fate as a slave, never to be a freewoman. Nevertheless Sanchia strives to protect those under her care- even if it means compromising what morals & ideals a slave can nurture in 16th century Italy.

Lion, confronted by Sanchia's honest assessments of life, loyalty, sex and duty as a slave, is newly uncomfortable with the thought of humans as chattel- expendable in his efforts to restore the statue to Mandara. Sanchia, meanwhile, resolves that Lion isn't half bad & at least he feeds her & clothes her & hasn't beaten her. Events overtake Sanchia and Lion. Events that cause Sanchia to change, much like pruning a rosebush will force renewed vigour and more blossoms. Lion struggles to figure out how to keep her, both literally and figuratively. Torn between familial duty and lust, Lion too must grow and change.

This novel has strong themes: slavery, violence, familial duty, devestating disease, vengeance, germ warfare, politics. The violence isn't stark, but it is there. The degredation of slavery & its fundamental inhumanity are discussed. Lion never accepts Sanchia's fundamental emotional & intellectual need to chose her own path- which trait I didn't appreciate. The May-December aspect didn't bother me as much as the slavery issue. Lion's age is not given, but it's probably safe to assume he's at least in his mid to late twenties or early thirties.

I bought these (Wind Dancer & Storm Winds) a while ago as part of a 'two-fer' sale. If the second is as gripping as the first, I'll have to hunt up the third as well. I do reccommend this one wholeheartedly, with the caveat that it isn't light or for the faint of heart. If you like your romances meaty, though, this is a good one.

Ithaka; Adele Geras

Written by Adele Geras and published in 2005 by Harcourt, Ithaka is young adult fiction that tells the story of the Odyssey from the viewpoint of those left behind. I do recommend reading this summary if the original epic before beginning Ithaka. Odysseus' wife Penelope & son Telemachus & the royal household are forced to carry on without him as the war rages.

Years and years go by. The war ends. Still Odysseus doesn't return. Penelope & her father in law & their faithful servants continue day to day, month to month. Patiently waiting for Odysseus to walk up from the beach as though he'd gone for a swim. The children grow. Teenage worries & crushes & obsessions come and go like the tide.

How long can you maintain faith and hope in the face of impossible odds? How long can you stop your world from spinning in the hope that long ago promises can be kept? How long can you live in the past before you're forced to acknowledge that moving forward is in the best interest for all?

I enjoyed the first part of this book quite a bit. Youth, divided loyalties, crushes, lusts and personal growth fill the first sections of this book. I really struggled with Penelope starting in the middle when the suitors move in to their home. Penelope looses her focus, becomes distracted. Her involvement with Leodes I completely understood & was sensitively dealt with. However, she stops weaving the tapestry and focuses on Laertes' shroud. She dithers. Despite earlier promises & previous years of dedication- the tapestry barely makes progress.

So I started to wonder about the depth and truth of her devotion to Odysseus. In other words- why did she stop weaving the tapesrty when she was warned that as long as she wove it Odysseus would be safe and would return to her? Has her dithering actually delayed Odysseus' progress towards home? Penelope turns into both someone I could identify with (as a woman whose husband goes to war and must wait at home) and someone I felt needed to continue weaving that damn tapestry no matter how lost I felt- forcing Odysseus and the Gods to push on towards Ithaka.

In the end I enjoyed this book quite a lot. All of the central characters were normal, everyday, flawed people muddling their way through a difficult situation. Penelope, both dithering and dedicated. Telemachus angry yet loyal. Melantho, now, she deserved a fate worse than she got, IMO. There was truly a scheming, faithless..Never mind. Read Ithaka if you really want to know why I think Melantho got off light. This was a library book, but I may look for one to keep. I already have Troy by Geras & it'd be nice to have the set.

10 Weird Things About Me

I was tagged by Holly. I have to tag 10 people: Tara, Jenster, Marg, Angry Woman (from Random Ramblings), Aikoinuzuka, Road Called Life, ag, EAP, Fiona, & Meaganomics.

1. I absolutely hate the phone & almost never answer unless the caller starts to leave a message. Even then I always think, "Nah. I'll catch up with them later."

2. I name all of our fish. Frick, Frack, Dino, Saladeen, Cake, Imperial, Sol, Lune, Hector, Caesar, Aragorn & Achilles (those last 4 are Bettas & thus the warrior names). Plus 5 Tetras who are impossible to differentiate, and thus remain nameless.

3. I collect Tasha Tudor & Jan Brett children's books.

4. I've a large collection of souvenir tourist spoons- most given to me by other travelers since we're hermits. Furthest away spoon- New Zealand. Closest- Skyline Drive (part of Shenandoah National Park).

5. I HATE spiders

6. Homemade macaroni & cheese requires catsup & worcestershire sauce.

7. Diet Dr. Pepper & coffee are my favorites, but not at the same time.

8. I talk to the computer. Also- my cell phone & books I"m reading.

9. I love electronica, house & other club music.

10. I want to learn how to make soap & lotions.

Once A Knight; C. Dodd

Written by Christina Dodd and published by Harper Torch in 1996, this is a medieval set in Henry III's England. Click link in title above to read an excerpt from Ms. Dodd's website. It is a little unusual in that the heroine, Lady Alisoun, is a wealthy widow and the hero, Sir David, is a poor minor baron. A rare circumstance in Romanceland.

The set up- Lady Alisoun needs a real knight to defend her people from a threat she refuses to specify or explain. Sir David desperately needs money to support the people on his minor holding because two years of drought have rendered the people (& him) in terrible need. There are problems. Lady Alisoun has an older male steward who resents Sir David. David was defeated in a tourney by a prominent knight & has issues Alisoun isn't initally aware of.

Alisoun spends much of this novel emotionaly unaware and isolated- as well as smug and condescending. David has his fair share of loutish moments I must admit, but what endeared me the most was his overriding concern for his people and his daughter. Mostly, Alisoun and David are well rounded adults whose relationship develops amid stressful happenings.

ETA~ I had some problems warming up to this at first, but in the end I was very involved and glad I'd stuck it out.

Thursday 13 #25- Books in my TBR

The newest 13 books in my TBR, all are an early Valentine's Day gift from Hubby. He took me to my favorite UBS & let me splurge a little. Twelve books have some type of paranormal element. Listed in random order.

Click title above to see a list of others who participate. Leave a link here & I'll link back to you. The purpose of Thursday 13 is to get to know other bloggers around the world a little bit better.

1. Storm Prince- Terri Lynn Wilhelm; historical, mythical creature

2. Virtual Desire- Ann Lawrence; contemporary alternate reality

3. Stolen Magic- M.J. Putney; historical, Wicca type practices

4. Magic at Midnight- Sandra Heath; Trad. Regency, mythical creature

5. The Haunting of Henrietta- Sandra Heath; Trad. Regency; ghosts

6. Snow in Summer- Tess Farraday; contemporary, ghosts

7. The Ruby Ghost- June Calvin; Trad. Regency, ghosts

8. Shadows of Camelot- Quinn Taylor Evans; medieval, alternate reality

9. Daughter of Camelot- Quinn Taylor Evans; medieval, alternate reality

10. Private Demon- Lynne Viehl; contemporary alternate reality-vampire

11. Spell of the Highlander- Karen Marie Moning; contemporary alternate reality

12. Another Chance to Dream- Lynn Kurland; medieval

13. The Midnight Work- Kassandra Sims; Contemporary alternate reality- vampire

If Angels Burn; Lynn Viehl

Written by Lynn Viehl and published by Signet in 2005, If Angels Burn seems to me more urban fantasy with strong romantic elements as opposed to paranormal romance. Whichever label you hang on it, whatever subgenre you care to place in in, I really love it.

Scotchopping across the eastern US, IAB pairs an emotionally wounded & prickly plastic surgeon heroine with a 700 year old Darkyn Suzerain (a leader of a group of Darkyn) in New Orleans. Alexandra Keller must literally remake Michael Cyprien in to the man he once was. Michael resorts to kidnapping her to force her into operating on him.

Never once does Ms. Viehl, whose blog can be found here, insult the readers intelligence by waving her magic wand and erasing Alex's intelligence or suddenly making Alex succumb to the magic of Michael's l'attrait (the scent that marks all Darkyn, unique to each individual) or, worse, wiping her personality blank as soon as they have sex.

Michael isn't used to human women except as er.. mobile blood banks or as easy to control sexual partners. When Alex enters his life permanently, Michael seems as much confused by this new & different relationship as Alex wonders what in the hell is happening to her. Luckily, Philippe, a member of Michael's jardin in New Orleans convinces Michael to give Alexandra some space & time & eventually Michael & Alex come to an understanding.

Now, by preference I'm leaving alot of things out. Alex's brother is a weirded out Roman Catholic priest who has some serious sexual & psychiatric perversions. The Catholic Church, like many old bureaucratic institutions, is full of odd perversions & hides many old & venal sins. I was a little uncomfortable with this, but the Church as enemy works under Ms. Viehl's pen. I wish more attention had been paid to Alex and Michael's relationship, specifically, I wish he'd courted her more. This is marked as paranormal romance so I expected it to be heavier on the romance side than it was. One other quibble, the scene at the small church near the end wraps up a few too many loose ends in a neat bow- a few loose ends would have added to the sense of foreboding.

Overall If Angels Burn is tightly plotted, with a modern heroine I feel is realistically drawn, a Darkyn any red blooded woman would like to meet in a New Orleans cemetary and an evil menace worthy of late night shivers.

30 Things Stressed Women Say

Stolen from an email sent to Hubby. This has been around once or twice, but I need a laugh today.Gotta say I like 'em all.

1. Ok, Ok! I take it back. Unfuck you.

2. You say I'm a bitch like it's a bad thing.

3. Well, this day was a total waste of makeup.

4. Well, aren't we a damn ray of sunshine?

5. Don't bother me I'm living happily ever after.

6. Do I look like a people person?

7. This isn't an office. It's hell with flourescent lighting.

8. I started out with nothing and I have most of it left.

9. Therapy is expensive. Popping bubblewrap is cheap. You choose.

10. Why don't you try practicing random acts of intelligence and senseless acts of self control?

11. I'm not crazy. I've been in a very bad mood for 30 years.

12. Sarcasm is one more service I offer.

13. Do they ever shut up on your planet?

14. I'm not your type. I'm not inflatable.

15. Stress is what you have when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't gone to sleep yet.

16. Back off! You're standing in my aura!

17. Don't worry. I forgot your name too.

18. I work 45 hours a week to be this poor.

19. Not all men are annoying. Some of them are dead.

20. Wait..I'm trying to imagine you with a personality.

21. Chaos, panic and disorder, my work here is done.

22. Ambivalent? Well, yes and no.

23. You look like shit. Is that the style now?

24. Earth is full. Go home.

25. Aw. Did I Step on your itty bitty ego?

26. I'm not tense. I'm just terribly terribly alert.

27. A hard on doens't count as personal growth.

28. You are depriving some village of an idiot.

29. If assholes could fly this place would be an airport.

30. Look in my eyes- do you see one ounce of gives-a-shit?

Public Service Announcement

Below is a request from Karen (link in the title above & in the text below), which I'm happy to pass along.


Racism In Publishing, How Does It Affect You?

Are you an African American author who’s been published for at least one year? If so Karen Scott wants to hear from you.

She’s conducting a survey based on the racism within the publishing industry, and whether or not it’s as prevalent as some believe. She’s looking for black or African American authors who have been published for at least one year.


She would like to know about your specific experiences within the industry thus far. She wants to know how AA authors feel about the current shelving policies, and niche marketing. She wants to know who you feel is to blame for the problems that you face. She also wants your suggestions on how things can be improved upon.


In all, there are twenty questions in the survey, and all that she asks is that people be as honest as possible. Confidentiality is assured if requested, but for the findings to yield more weight, she would request that she be granted permission to directly quote from the answers given by the authors.


She’s hoping to poll at least 100 AA authors, in an effort to ensure that a fair representation is achieved.


If enough authors agree to partcipate, (and depending on the findings) the results may well be sent to representatives within media and press. No promises that Oprah will hear about it, but all efforts will be made to get the message out.


If there are AA authors out there interested in participating in this poll, please e-mail Karen at hairylemony @ gmail. com (without the spaces) with the subject header ‘Please send me the survey'.


The deadline for the survey to be completed and returned to Karen is March 1st 2007

The Sharing Knife: Beguilement

This is the first in a fantasy duology, written by Lois McMaster Bujold and published in 2006 by Eos. I've spent much of the fall and winter glomming Ms. Bujold's backlist, Vorkosigan etc., & I've enjoyed nearly all of it. This book is no exception.

Ms. McMaster gives the reader tantalizing glimpses of a fascinating and destructive distant history of the world where these books are set. Large tracts of wasteland. Ruins of cities submerged in water. Legends and myths surround the long lost peoples. Mysterious beings who suck power, life and vitality out of the very soil. Sorta like The Force in reverse.

Golem like creatures who terrorize, kidnap and murder the peasants. Mysterious & despised protectors called Lakewalkers who use unusual weapons & live itinerant lifestyles- similar to the Rangers (ie: Strider) in Tolkien's fiction. Anyone who isn't a Lakewalker is called a Farmer no matter what their actual occupation. Much mutual animosity & little inclination to dialogue.

Into this comes a confused young woman running from an unhappy home life. A widowed Lakewalker physically healed but nonetheless only half alive since the death of his beloved wife many years ago. Together they defeat a vicious foe. Both wounded, they depend on each other to survive. Thus, intimacy (not sex, mind you) breeds understanding.

In this unlikely secenario is set one of the most touching and deeply felt love scenes I've read in many a book- more's the pity. An unusual May-December road/adventure romance, but one that works. For me, the characterization is roundly written & believeable. The couple can be observed happily riding off lost in the mutual lust of early love.

This is only book one, so much of the plot is left hanging. I wonder if Dag & Fawn will be allowed the luxury of a romance genre HEA. Even if it is dearly earned. The mysterious golem makers, called malices among other names- where do they all come from? What is their ultimate goal? Will Dag's people accept Fawn? How does beloved Aunt Nattie have such a rare Lakewalker gift & how did she become mired among the Farmers? How is all of this tied into the past history of their nation?

All of these questions and more will have to be answered in The Sharing Knife, Volume 2: Legacy due out in July 2007.

You're Kidding, Right?!

According to several articles, one linked here, McDonalds' coffee has been chosen as the best coffee available from a national chain- apparently including such giants as Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc. McDonald's!! I just can't believe it.

However, if this article is to be believed, McDonald's gets its coffee from Starbucks. Which possibility can't be double checked on the McDonald's website- at least not so that I found. I didn't really dig much though. I'm still in shock, truth be told.

McDonalds. Horrifying.

Summertime

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

Ella Fitzgerald sings Melancholy Serenade

A favorite

January Synopsis

Below is a list of what I read this month, in the order I read them. Also linked on the sidebar by author's last name.



The Perfect Husband, Jeanne Savery

A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust, Elizabeth Bevarly, et al

The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold

Valiant, Holly Black

Paladin of Souls, Lois McMaster Bujold

The Hallowed Hunt, Lois McMaster Bujold

The Dragon King's Palace, Laura Joh Rowland

Bookwormom's Texas Red Chili

Due to requests, here is my recipe for traditional Texas red. Chili is often a catch all dish here in the US. Recipes vary greatly by region. Texas, being its own country, has strict rules as to what is allowed in chili. I can't give you exact amounts as I cook this by sight & taste. This chili is supposed to be extremely spicy- make sure you have lots of your favorite beverage ice cold & ready.

Ingredients

Butter or canola oil
Well marbled beef roast, cut into small bite sized cubes
4 oz. tomato paste
1-2 bottles Beer- Mexican for authenticity, if not use a light tasting beer
1 mug (11-16 oz depending on taste) very strong brewed coffee
2 large white onions, minced
chili powder (maybe 1/4 cup)- Make sure it's good quality & fresh
cumin- 2 Tbsp? This is available as either seeds or ground. I've no preference.
salt to taste
1-2 fresh HOT peppers (Scotch bonnet, habanero, etc), cubed, whatever is best quality & easily bought. If desired, seed before adding to pot- use gloves & seed under running water if this is your preference. Be very careful. The oils are very painful if you get them in your eyes or nose or mouth.

NO BEANS or other veggies allowed. No exceptions.

Instructions

Rule #1~ Do not use ground beef. Buy a good quality roast. How much roast you buy depends on how many people you're feeding. I usually buy 5 lbs minimum for the 5 of us. Lightly brown (not thoroughly cook) the meat in butter or canola (not olive oil). A cast iron pan is best because of even heating & browning. Brown in small batches. Set aside. Brown onions in remaining juice. In a large Dutch oven or crock pot, combine beef bites & onions & hot peppers. Blend beer, coffee, tomato paste & spices. Pour over beef mixture. Stir thoroughly.Rule #2~The chili should be thick & meaty, do not add so much liquid that the chili is soupy. Taste once or twice & adjust spices as needed. If you're using a Dutch oven, cook at 200 F overnight or at least 8 hours. In a crock pot, set on low and cook 8-10 hours. Chili should cook up very thick and extremely spicy.

Notes

This chili is spiciest if you serve it straight out of the oven without letting it rest in the fridge. I often cook this overnight a day ahead, two if I can arrange it. Let it rest in the 'fridge 10-12 hours, preferably a day. Rewarm slowly and serve with cornbread, tortillas, Fritos, etc. Whichever way you serve it, it's great. Excellent with sour cream & cheese & extra onions. If you can let it rest the spice factor will tone down as it cools in the fridge.