Forging an Art

Daily reports on DragonCon 2010 over at BSC: Day One, Day Two, and Day Three.   Over 400 pictures of the Con over at Flickr.

And what was left out of the reports . . .

The best time to arrive and get in line to pick up badges is NOT three o’clock on Friday afternoon.  That being said, there’s plenty to do during that three hour wait, like take pictures of costumed attendees and laugh back at the businessmen pointing and staring from the parking deck above. 

DragonCon is very educational.  I’m not kidding.  Where else can you learn about crossed letters and medieval poisoning techniques?  You can also discover very quickly what sort of fans are on each track and specifics within each track.  For example – fans of certain anime series.  Why were the only ones excited about my ten year old daughter’s Hikaru (Angelic Layer) costume middle-aged men?  In real life it would be creepy to have strange men grabbing my arm and asking to take my child’s picture . . . and at DragonCon it was, yes, a little creepy to have these men asking just that.  Wearing a costume is asking for attention, though, so we played along and enjoyed it, but I secretly hoped a young girl would approach and recognize my battle doll, just once.

Where else can you find a blue Power Ranger, Gandalf, Afro’thulu, and Obi Wan on stage together, never mind throwing footballs painted as gnomes?  At an actual person.  Standing in front of a sign advertising gnome punting.  This was, obviously, the World of Warcraft party.  Later on the same stage, Finn from Adventure Time approached to choose a raffle prize to shouts of “What time is it? Adventure time!”  He looked back out into the crowd to ask, as he pointed to the prizes, “Which one, honey?” which brought on more laughter . . . later, Finn asked ‘honey’ to marry him during the ‘after hours’ Warcraft gig.  Of course she said yes, because what could be more romantic than a man in a white-eared hat costumed as a child from a cartoon series proposing at a World of Warcraft party? 

The logisitics of ordering pizza for delivery during a DragonCon weekend – an hour on hold, and a three hour wait for delivery.  Upon arrival, the stunned teenager holding pizzas stares at the lobbyfull of costumes.  “What is wrong with these people?” he asks me.  That must be the ten thousand dollar question, and not one we actually ask out loud because after all, if we’re there, he’s asking about us, too.

While waiting for my son to take a turn on Mech Corps, a military simulation game that was very reasonably priced and engaging, the man in front of us – who had a gigantic bag that had a list of why Mythbusters is so awesome written on the side – turned around to complain about a woman who had pushed him around on the escalator.  “I’m fat,” he said. “But she was fatter.  Her fault.  A weapon of ass destruction.”

One of the Tolkien-Lewis panelists, M.B. Weston, caught my interest when talking about her Elysian Chronicles titles.  These sound like must haves for fantasy fans – guardian angel warfare and treason.  Speaking of the T-L panel, I have to mention that someone said The Silmarillion was an academic exercise.  I must must must beg to differ – if The Silmarillion isn’t great storytelling – a long, difficult read, yes, but read it out loud and you’ll see what I mean – I’ll give up coffee for a week.  Okay, a day – but it’s a safe bet and my favorite Tolkien title.

Holly Black, an incredibly popular and successful young adult author, has graphic novels illustrated by the very talented and approachable Ted Naifeh, who allowed me to snap a photo as he demonstrated his talents in the comic artists alley.  Shopping opportunities: we returned diligently to the Dragon Pets booth, where we bought a sweet pink and purple dragon last year, twice; once to buy an armored dragon and again for a multicolored one.  We also found an adorable, soft squid from Cyphre Voudou that has been well-loved and spends his nights sharing a bed with two American Girl dolls.  That doesn’t sound quite right but it’s true.  My quest for earrings – usual travel purchase – brought me back to Ravenwing, where I purchased jewelry last year for myself, my daughter, and my mother, so it was easy for me to pick up where I left off and stock up on some beautiful handcrafted items, including these beautiful beautiful fish earrings in my very favorite color.

Noticed in the parade but too quick for me to catch a photo – in the Star Wars group, a woman with a “Hutters” t-shirt that looked very like a “Hooters” t-shirt.  It took a moment before several men behind me started yelling “Hutters!  Hutters!” and caught her attention.  She turned and waved like Miss America, perfectly comfortable as any Hooters girl would be, but obviously, much cooler.  At least with the DragonCon crowd.

Review of Marissa Doyle’s Betraying Season up at BSCreview.

Forget Cliff’s Notes and SparkNotes – breeze through the classics with Sarah Schmelling’s Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float.  This looked amusing as a title, but the book in hand is hilarious.  The treatment of the traditional school reading list torture, including Moby Dick and Little Women, is instructive, with valuable insight regarding characterization in particular, while maintaining snort-inducing humor.  Yes, snort-inducing.  The connections, which are key to the Facebook mindset, make real people out of some pretty cardboard characters, as Schmelling imagines interactions that never could or would happen between a variety of characters and authors.  Where else can you find references to Henry James, Jerry Seinfeld, and Mr. Roper – of Three’s Company fame/infamy – in one volume?  Actually, I don’t think I have ever seen Mr. Roper referenced before, except in TV Guide, and I don’t think that counts.

The Adventures of Amir Hamza.  This was required reading, and a long tale to boot, as are most epics.  It is rather repetitive, again, as some epics, with the usual battle, triumph, marriage/feast.  There is a particularly strange line/translation that I just can’t make sense of – “her eyebrows shot out the arrows of her eyelashes and deeply pierced his heart” and one phrase that I really like – “the crocodile of their swords.”  What a great image, and one I have not yet encountered.  I like the dust clouds that, while contrived, magically appear before or during a battle to offer an intermission, if you will, for discussion and consideration between armies and enemies.

How to Take Over Teh Wurld – this is an absolute scream.  Beyond snorting, in fact.  I can’t get enough of these great cat pictures, tagged with brilliantly hysterical captions in LOL-speak.  For someone like me, who responds to my son’s “ROFL” with “MAO” – not via email, but in everyday passing conversation, as if such an exchange could be considered conversation – this is like manna from the sky.  This sort of business keeps me sane, or insane, take your pick.  I need to get my hands on its predecessor, I Can Has Cheezburger? in order to make my life complete.

I made the mistake of re-reading Rebecca West’s Henry James. I really can’t stand Rebecca West, but I know I need to – and want to – know what others think of my man Henry.  As my coworker Miss Terri says, it’s best to know your enemy.  What an obnoxious, self-centered person this one was, too.

More required reading in the form of Efuru, the very concise tale of an African woman that leaves so much unsaid.  Nwapa’s no-nonsense prose is reminiscent of Hemingway and the iceberg; so much under the surface.  This book could be ten times as long as it is, but there is no reason for an expansion.  Efuru’s experience is understood, and the lack of bemoaning her plight or celebrating her triumph – if it is a triumph, and isn’t it pretty to think so – only adds to that which the reader can imagine.

Just finished Jacqueline Kolosov’s A Sweet Disorder, which was, well, sweet, but not as good as The Red Queen’s Daughter.  It was a bit slow to start but I knew that Kolosov would make the time investment worthwhile, and she did.  The focus on needlework made this romance particularly interesting to me, along with the relationship between embroidery and healing, both of which require strong observation and creative skills: “a man must study life if he is to master even a fraction of its complexity,” one of Miranda’s suitors notes, and in this case, it is attention to detail that allows her and other strong female characters to greater agency in their fates. 

Who else can accuse a character of “excessive barbering” but Scott Donaldson?  Just in love with his collection of essays, Fitzgerald and Hemingway: Works and Days.

Review of Julie Berry’s The Amaranth Enchantment at BSCreview.

Latest review up at BSCReview.com.

Originally published thirty years ago, this collection of essays, speeches, and introductions by Ursula K. Le Guin is a must for any writer, student, teacher, or reader of science fiction and fantasy.  My political and religious views could not be more different than this great writer’s, but as one who falls into the four aforementioned categories, I agree with her in most every other way, and am grateful that she has been around to give words to so much that defines the craft.  I can do no better than to note those parts of the collection that speak to me the most closely:

Absolute freedom is absolute responsibility.  The writer’s job, as I see it, is to tell the truth.

Artists are people who are not at all interested in the facts – only in the truth.  You get the facts from the outside.  The truth you get from inside.

If you want to strike out in any new direction – you go alone.  With a machete in your hand and the fear of God in your heart.

When the genuine myth rises into consciousness, that is always its message.  You must change your life.

Fantasy is the natural, the appropriate language for the recounting of the spiritual journey and the struggle of good and evil in the soul.

It is above all by the imagination that we achieve perception, and compassion, and hope.

There are, however, two instances in which I do not quite understand Le Guin’s stance.  Why is poetry held separate from fiction in these situations?  Maybe someone out there can offer insight:

The lovable rogue, the romantic criminal, the revolutionary Satan are essentially literary creations, not met with in daily life.  They are embodiments of desire, types of the soul; thus their vitality is immense and lasting; but they are better suited to poetry and drama than to the novel  (141).

Always the book one imagines and the book one writes are different things.  The one exists objectively, a scribbled manuscript or so many thousand printed copies.  The other exists subjectively.  It is the other’s first cause and final cause.  Toward it the written book, during its writing, continually strives, like the image in a mirror approaching the person moving toward it.  But they do not merge.  Only in poetry, which breaks all barriers, do the two ever meet, each becoming the other (140).

One of my reviewing compatriots at BSC compiled six interviews with a variety of individuals (including me) on the topic of fantasy/sci fi books – and the results, along with his comments, are here.

When I get my hands on these graphic novels, the world stops.  It doesn’t take long to get lost in the Dark Tower series, with Furth’s articulate adaptation (which at times surpasses King’s original – yes, I am inviting trouble, nothing new) and Lee and Isanove’s delicately horrific art.  This may be a fantasy, but much of the time feels all too real.  Cuthbert, pants down, caught unawares by the stubborn Aileen, reminds us that these characters are children, teenagers nowhere near maturity, caught up in a history and tradition that has made them grow up all too soon.  Those moments – and how can readers not laugh at Bert, mouth open, drawers down, with the serious girl behind him, as we imagine her rolling those eyes at the silliness of boys, as teenage girls do – make us suspend any disbelief we may have in the fantastic, for even in this alternate world, these men, women, and children love, hate, and fear just as we do.

My nine year old was rather disturbed by Gaiman and Grimly‘s “piratical ghost story.”  This is an expected (well, it is Gaiman after all) treat with “a large number of extremely dangerous trolls, monsters, bugbears, creatures, and other such nastiness” as well as “a dangerous flaw” left for the reader to discover.  Of course, there is no mistaking Neverwhere; the frightening city beneath the city, and children who find this suited to their taste will surely grow into the amazing Neverwhere tale.

This is the best of the best, according to The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.  I love these collections but sometimes wonder about the selection process.  I find very few pieces of great merit and think, well, if this is really the best of the past year, the genre(s) are in a bit of trouble.  It is a matter of taste, clearly, and is quite subjective, and my tastes in both SF and F are very particular.  I admit that I didn’t read the nonfiction entries because I had no interest; and much of the rest was marginally entertaining.  I smiled, however, as I read on the treadmill, fan at my back, and stumbled on Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse by Andy Duncan.  I knew, of course, who and what the story would concern, and in this case, the truth was and is stranger than fiction.  I do think it would have been better off ending with the pecking, instead of the shift to a future MFOC and her years later reminder of the incident, but it was still the best of the lot.

Publisher’s previews for July 2009, courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews:

Chick Lit:
Coplin, Kira. Pop Tart
Dean, Zoey. Hollywood is Like High School With Money

Contemporary:
Andersen, Susan. Bending the Rules
Bond, Stephanie, et. al. Sand, Sun . . . Seduction!
Dahl, Victoria. Start Me Up
Langtry, Leslie. I Shot You Babe
Leigh, Lora, et. al. Real Men Last All Night
Mallery, Susan. Straight From the Hip
Maynard, Janice. Mating Game
Shalvis, Jill. Double Play
Shalvis, Jill. Instant Gratification
Shepherd, Kandy. Love is a Four-Legged Word

Erotica:
Betts, Lucinda. What She Wants
Carew, Opal. Secret Ties
Devlin, Delilah. Darkness Burning
Douglas, Kate. Wolf Tales VIII
Evans, Anna J. Skin Deep
Harper, Vonna, et. al. Tempted by a Cowboy
Hart, Megan. Deeper
Lee, Deanna. Games Girls Play
McCarty, Sarah. Wild Instinct

Fantasy:
Mills, K.E. Witches Incorporated

Historical:
Allen, Louise. The Disgraceful Mr. Ravenhurst
Blayney, Mary. Stranger’s Kiss
Brisbin, Terri. The Conqueror’s Lady
Busbee, Shirlee. Surrender Becomes Her
Cameron, Deanna. The Belly Dancer
Chase, Loretta. Don’t Tempt Me
Cornick, Nicola. The Scandals of an Innocent
Duran, Meredith. Bound by Your Touch
Foley, Gaelen. My Wicked Marquess
Garlock, Dorothy. The Moon Looked Down
Grange, Amanda. Colonel Brandon’s Diary
Gray, Allegra. Nothing But Scandal
Healey, Judith Koll. The Rebel Princess
Heath, Lorraine. Surrender to the Devil
Henke, Shirl. Chosen Woman
Jeffries, Sabrina. Wed Him Before You Bed Him
Kalogridis, Jeanne. The Devil’s Queen
Kayne, Stacey. Mountain Wild
Lejeune, Tamara. The Heiress in His Bed
Mallory, Anne. For the Earl’s Pleasure
Mallory, Margaret. Knight of Desire
Marcos, Michelle. Wickedly Ever After
Maxwell, Cathy, et. al. Four Dukes and a Devil
Merrill, Christine. A Wicked Liaison
Putney, Mary Jo. Loving a Lost Lord
Quinn, Julia. What Happens in London
Rice, Patricia. Mystic Warrior
Rickloff, Alix. Dangerous as Sin
Rubenhold, Hallie. The Lady in Red
Scott, Amanda. Tamed by a Laird
Scott, Susan Holloway. The French Mistress
Smith, Bobbi. Runaway
Wells, Christine. Wicked Little Game
Williamson, Beth. The Redemption of Micah

Inspirational:
Smith, Debra White. Texas Heat

Mainstream Fiction:
Carter, Mary. Sunnyside Blues
Frank, Dorothea Benton. Return to Sullivan’s Island
Harbison, Beth. Hope in a Jar
Monroe, Mary Alice. Last Light Over Carolina
Morsi, Pamela. Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar
Page, Jean Reynolds. The Last Summer of Her Other Life
Porter, Jane. Easy on the Eyes
Richards, Emilie. Happiness Key
Sheehan, Jacqueline. Now & Then
Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa. The Husband Habit
Wingate, Lisa. The Summer Kitchen

Mystery:
Alt, Madelyn. Where There’s a Witch
Blackwell, Juliet. Secondhand Spirits
Bowen, Rhys. Royal Flush
Connolly, Sheila. Rotten to the Core
Howell, Dorothy. Purses and Poison
McGee, Chaz. Desolate Angel
Olson, Karen E. The Missing Ink

Paranormal:
Burton, Jaci. Taken by Sin
Day, Alyssa. Atlantis Unmasked
Eden, Cynthia. Midnight’s Master
Feehan, Christine. Hidden Currents
Finn, Lucy. Best Wishes Always
Frank, Jacquelyn. Rapture
Graham, Heather. Dust to Dust
Havens, Candace. Dragons Prefer Blondes
Holly, Emma. Breaking Midnight
Kane, Tammy. Breath of Fire
Madison, Tracy. A Stroke of Magic
O’Shea, Patti. Edge of Dawn
Palmer, Pamela. Desire Untamed
Raye, Kimberly. Sucker for Love
Showalter, Gena. Seduce the Darkness
Singh, Nalini. Branded by Fire

Romantic Suspense:
Brady, Kate. One Scream Away
Christofferson, April. Alpha Female
Freethy, Barbara. Suddenly One Summer
Howard, Linda. Burn
Johnston, Joan. Outcast
Neggers, Carla. The Mist
Parrish, Leslie. Fade to Black
Reece, Christy. Run to Me
Roberts, Nora. Black Hills
Ross, JoAnn. Breakpoint
Rowe, Stephanie. Ice
Webb, Debra. Everywhere She Turns

Suspense:
Adler, Elizabeth. There’s Something About St. Tropez
Caldwell, Laura. Red Blooded Murder
Hinze, Vicki. Kill Zone
Johanse, Iris and Roy. Storm Cycle
Martin, P.D. Fan Mail

Time Travel:
Montgomerie, Pamela. Sapphire Dream

This picture book is a bright, imaginative, and just plain fun take on the classic “The Night Before Christmas,” complete with a CD of dinosaur-inspired Christmas songs.  Anne Muecke, author and lyricist of said story and songs, was inspired to her prehistoric task by her work as a docent at the American Museum of Natural History.  Nathan Hale, illustrator of this and author/illustrator of several other picture books, also creates murals for museums across the country.  Muecke and Hale together have worked a clever and catchy mix of colors, music, and poetry to bring dinosaurs to life.  I love love love dinosaurs – and this title is a real treat for dino fans.

New Synergy column (Valentine’s special) at Bookspotcentral, along with the first mangakissa column.

With a 2010 release date, Jane Yolen’s original action-fantasy graphic novel, The Last Dragon, will be worth the wait.  The Nebula and Caldecott award-winning writer covers all ages and genres – nothing seems out of her reach.  I am particularly fond of  her children’s and young adult books (How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and Girl in a Cage, to name a couple of my favorites), and I have am pleased that she is in agreement with me on the subject of the Harry Potter series; that is, neither of us think they are well written.  It’s nice to have support from a reputable source in libraryland, especially when most librarians in my system are Rowling fans.

Review of Stephanie Spinner‘s latest at BSC.

Mancusi‘s latest was my treadmill book last night, and for a short time afterwards.  Cute, fun, not too much work, especially considering that my other read at the moment is Lewis’s Arrowsmith, although he’s not exactly James either.  High schooler Maddy moves, reluctantly, with mother and younger sister into grandma’s after messy divorce issues, and has problems at her new high school.  She doesn’t quite fit in with the Aberzombie crowd and goes quite awhile without friends, miserable and angry, bullied and frustrated.  She finds companionship and romance online playing Fields of Fantasy as beautiful Elfin magician Allora, but realizes that reality doesn’t suck too much when she reaches out to find other students who share her interests and will stand with her against the Haters who rule the school.  My only issues with this quick, feel-good read are: this is A Cinderella Story – the Hater-SirLeo-boyfriend is named Chad Murray; and, the manga magazine referenced is actually Shojo Beat, not Sojo Beat.  I hope that this is a typo, but it occurs more than once.  Not good for the street cred.  I must say that the cover (illustrated by Elise Trinh) is way cool.

*Courtesy of Romantic Times Book Reviews, January 2009:

Chick Lit:
Kala, Advaita. Almost Single

Contemporary:
Banks, Leanne. Trouble in High Heels
Hughes, Charlotte. Nutcase
James, Julie. Practice Makes Perfect
Kleypas, Lisa. Smooth Talking Stranger
Ledbetter, Suzann. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Leigh, Lora. Maverick
McLane, LuAnn. Redneck Cinderella
Miller, Linda Lael. Montana Creeds: Dylan

Erotica:
Amber, Elizabeth. Dominic
Devlin, Delilah. Texas Men
Hart, Carole. The Family Jewels
Hart, Megan, et. al. Naughty Bits
Hill, Joey W. A Vampire’s Claim
McCray, Cheyenne. Total Surrender
Mercury, Diana. Pleasures of the Forbidden Valley
Reynolds, Maya. Bad Boy
Schone, Robin. Cry for Passion
Stuart, Amie. Hittin’ It
Teglia, Charlene. Animal Attraction
Zedde, Fiona, et. al. Satisfy Me Tonight

Fantasy:
Lynch, Scott. The Republic of Thieves
Valente, Catherynne M. Palimpsest

Historical:
Balogh, Mary. First Comes Marriage
Barbieri, Elaine. The Rose & the Shield
Bryan, Emily. Vexing the Viscount
Carlyle, Liz. Tempted All Night
Cornick, Nicola. Kidnapped: His Innocent Mistress
Davidson, Carolyn. Eden
Greenwood, Leigh. Someone Like You
Greiman, Lois. Seduced By Your Spell
James, Samantha. Bride of a Wicked Scotsman
Johnson, Susan. Gorgeous as Sin
Jordan, Nicole. To Romance a Charming Rogue
Kelley, Christie. Every Time We Kiss
Laurens, Stephanie. Temptation and Surrender
McCarty, Monica. Highland Outlaw
Maitland, Joanna. His Cavalry Lady
Metzger, Barbara. The Wicked Ways of a True Hero
Nash, Sophie. Love With the Perfect Scoundrel
Neville, Miranda. Never Resist Temptation
Noble, Kate. Revealed
O’Brien, Anne. Conquering Knight, Captive Lady
Page, Sharon. The Club
Raleigh, Deborah. Seducing the Viscount
Raybourn, Deanna. Silent on the Moor
Warren, Tracy Anne. Tempted By His Kiss
Welfonder, Sue-Ellen. Seducing a Scottish Bride
Welsh, Kate. Questions of Honor
Wilkinson, Lisa Marie. Fire at Midnight
Williamson, Beth. The Education of Madeline
Wolf, Pearl. Too Hot For a Spy

Historical Fiction:
Kyle, Barbara. The King’s Daughter
Lebra, Joyce. The Scent of Sake
Lovejoy, Charlotte. Madame Bliss

Inspirational:
Efken, Meredith. Play It Again, SAHM

Mainstream Fiction:
Ball, Donna. A Year on Ladybug Fam
Barrett, Jo. Don’t Let It Be True
Center, Katherine. Everyone Is Beautiful
Flock, Elizabeth. Sleepwalking in Daylight
Fowler, Earlene. Love Mercy
Kelsey, Linda. Fifty is Not a Four Letter Word
Lopez, Josefina. Hungry Woman in Paris
Mallery, Susan. Sunset Bay
Schieber, Phyllis. Willing Spirits
Steel, Danielle. One Day at a Time
Welling, Tina. Fairy Tale Blues

Mystery:
Ash, Maureen. A Plague of Poison
Ault, Sandi. Wild Sorrow
Brightwell, Emily. Mrs. Jeffries in the Nick of Time
Childs, Laura. Oolong Dead
Dennison, Hannah. Scoop!
Emley, Dianne. The Deepest Cut
Fluke, Joanne. Cream Puff Murder
Laurie, Victoria. Ghouls Just Haunt to Have Fun
McCoy, Judi. Hounding the Pavement
Marberg, Peg. Fatal Flip
Pollero, Rhonda. Fat Chance

Paranormal:
Ashley, Jennifer, et. al. Immortals: The Reckoning
Benson, Tara. Death’s Daughter
Cassidy, Dakota. The Accidental Human
Davis, Lexi. The After Wife
Dayton, Gail. New Blood
Garey, Terri. You’re the One That I Haunt
Henry, Mark. Road Trip of the Living Dead
Ione, Larissa. Desire Unchained
Ivy, Alexandra. Darkness Revealed
Jones, Linda Winstead. Bride by Command
Kittredge, Caitlin. Second Skin
Lyone, Jennifer. Blood Magic
Madison, Tracy. A Taste of Magic
Stenzel, Natale. Between a Rock and a Heart Place
Thompson, Vicki Lewis. Casual Hex
Vaughn, Carrie. Kitty Raises Hell

Romantic Suspense:
Alden, Jami. Kept
Carr, Robyn. Temptation Ridge
Dodd, Christina. Danger in a Red Dress
Kauffman, Donna. Let Me In
Korzenko, Julie. Devil’s Gold
Robards, Karen. Pursuit

Suspense:
Carr, Eileen. Hold Back the Dark
Eisler, Barry. Fault Line
Gross, Andrew. Don’t Look Twice
Pinter, Jason. The Fury
Stevens, Amanda. The Whispering Room
Thompson, Carlene. You Can Run . . .

Time Travel:
Joyce, Brenda. Dark Victory
Mallory, Tess. Highland Rebel

Vampire:
Gleason, Colleen. As Shadows Fade
Showalter, Gena. The Vampire’s Bride
Singh, Nalini. Angel’s Blood

Young Adult:
Cast, P.C. Hunted

As if the title isn’t intriguing enough, I was drawn to this deceptively small well of thought purported as children’s fiction by the back cover endorsement from Joyce Carol Oates: “untimely in the way of a Grimm fairy tale recast by Franz Kafka.”  A Batchelder Honor Book, The Cat comes to us from Germany by the hand of Jutta Richter, translated by Anna Brailovsky, and is illustrated with, indeed, a dry humor reminiscent of Kafka by Rotraut Susanne Berner.
Christine makes her way to and from school, to and from and in and out of relations with her peers, family, and teachers with help of an old white cat whose judgment and advice might not always be relied upon.  Christine finally considers what readers might suspect all along: “The cat was wicked.  She knew no pity.  She knew only herself and the mice.”

*from Romantic Times Book Reviews, 9/08

Contemporary:
Allison, Liz et. al. A NASCAR Holiday 3
Bacus, Kathleen. Anchors Aweigh
Bevarly, Elizabeth. Ready & Willing
Carr, Robyn. A Virgin River Christmas
Chapman, Janet. The Man Must Marry
Dimon, HelenKay. Hot as Hell
Holm, Stef Ann. All That Matters
McCarthy, Erin. Flat-Out Sexy
Michaels, Fern. Silver Bells
Michaels, Kasey. Mischief Becomes Her
Rich, Lani Diane. Wish You Were Here
Ridgway, Christie. Unravel Me
Stuart, Anne et. al. Christmas Getaway
Erotica:
Banks, Maya. Be With Me
Devlin, Delilah. Down in Texas
Dupree, Delta. Strip
Fox, Cathryn, et al. Alluring Tales: Hot Holiday Nights
Fox, Cathryn. Sun Stroked
Kozak, P.F. Do It to Me
Madore, Nancy. Enchanted Again
Pearce, Kate. Simply Sinful
Tabke, Karin. Have Yourself a Naughty Little Santa
Fantasy:
Arthur, Keri. Destiny Kills
Hoyt, Sarah A. Heart and Soul
Smith-Ready, Jeri. The Reawakened
Futuristic:
Menden, A.J. Phenomenal Girl 5
Historical:
Bennett, Sara. Her Secret Lover
Blayney, Mary. Traitor’s Kiss/Lover’s Kiss
Chase, Allison. Dark Temptation
Drake, Shannon. The Pirate Bride
Feather, Jane. et. al. Snowy Night With a Stranger
Garrett, Tracy. Touched by Love
Grasso, Patricia. Enticing the Prince
Henke, Shirl. Pale Moon Stalker
Henley, Virginia. The Decadent Duke
Howell, Hannah. Highland Captive
Hoyt, Elizabeth. To Seduce a Sinner
Justiss, Julia. One Candlelit Christmas
Lane, Elizabeth. The Borrowed Bride
Long, Julie Ann. Like No Other Lover 
MacTavish, Dawn. Prisoner of the Flames
Mallory, Anne. The Bride Price
Mason, Connie. Viking Warrior
Maxwell, Cathy. A Seduction at Christmas
McPhee, Margaret. Untouched Mistress
Miller, Linda Lael. A McKettrick Christmas
Rodale, Maya. The Rogue and the Rival
Rosenthal, Pam. The Edge of Impropriety
Thomas, Jodi. Tall, Dark and Texan
Willingham, Michelle. Her Warrior Slave
Historical Fiction:
Robards, Elizabeth. With Violets
Inspirational:
Snelling, Lauraine. Yuletide Treasure
Mainstream Fiction:
Bostwick, Marie. A Single Thread
Gaskell, Whitney. Good Luck
Goldreich, Gloria. Open Doors
Landvik, Lorna. ‘Tis the Season!
Roth, Ann. My Sisters
Steel, Danielle. A Good Woman
Washburn, Livia. Frankly My Dear, I’m Dead
Mystery:
Alt, Madelyn. No Rest for the Wiccan
Atwell, Sarah. Pane of Death
Baxter, Cynthia. Murder Packs a Suitcase
Brown, Rita Mae. Santa Clawed
Glazer, Melissa. A Fatal Slip
Kellerman, Jonathan. Bones
Olson, Karen E.  Shot Girl
Perry, Anne. A Christmas Grace
Viets, Elaine. Murder With All the Trimmings
Paranormal:
Armstrong, Kelley. Living With the Dead
Bardsley, Michele. Wait Till Your Vampire Gets Home
Bretton, Barbara. Casting Spells
Brook, Meljean. Demon Bound
Burton, Jaci. The Darkest Touch
Graham, Heather. Deadly Harvest
Hamilton, Laurell K. Swallowing Darkness
Handeland, Lori. Any Given Doomsday
Havens, Candace. The Demon King and I
Hendrix, Lisa. Immortal Warrior
Hill, Joey W. A Mermaid’s Kiss
Holling, Jen. My Immortal Promise
James, Allyson. The Dragon Master
Kenyon, Sherrilyn. One Silent Night
Laurenston, Shelly. The Mane Attraction
McCray, Cheyenne. Dark Magic
Popp, Robin T. Immortals: The Haunting
Pratt, T.A. Dead Reign
Robb, J.D. et. al. Suite 606
Summers, Jordan. Red
Weis, Margaret. Fallen Angel
Wilds, Elissa. Between Light and Dark
Romantic Suspense:
Adair, Cherry. Night Secrets
Burton, Mary. Dead Ringer
Gerard, Cindy. Take No Prisoners
Harper, Karen. The Hiding Place
McKenna, Shannon. Ultimate Weapon
Melton, Marliss. Too Far Gone
Neggers, Carla. Cold Pursuit
Robinson, Gina. Spy Candy
Sala, Sharon. Bad Penny
Walker, Shiloh. The Missing
Suspense:
MacGregor, T.J. Running Time
Rose, M.J. The Memoirist
Ruttan, Sandra. The Frailty of Flesh
Time Travel:
MacKay, Allie. Tall, Dark, and Kilted
Vampire:
Sparks, Kerrelyn. All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire

“Your number was up the first time I met you.”

Yes, I read Stephenie Meyer‘s Twilight series, including the most recent and last in the series, Breaking Dawn.  I read them primarily because as a librarian, I felt it was important to see for myself what the hype was about.  Unlike the Harry Potter titles, I was actually able to read these to the end, but was not excited about doing so.  The writing isn’t awful, it just isn’t compelling, and neither is the story.  What is compelling, I think, for fans is the ordinariness of the heroine, Bella.  She isn’t popular or beautiful, but she isn’t a complete social misfit, either.  She seems to give hope to all the ‘regular’ girls out there who believe that nothing exciting will ever happen to them because they are ordinary.  She is rather flat, though, as the other characters are, which for me makes or breaks a story.  It’s all about the characters – the story can be as far out or ordinary as it pleases the author, but without compelling characters who live and breathe through the pages, the party’s over.  Some critics are upset by the rescue fantasy the series invokes, as well as parallels to abusive relationships, which in turn would make Bella’s continued excuses for Edward and her obsession with him a poor model for women in such situations.  None of this bothers me; in fact, I couldn’t care less about any of the characters.  The story is trite, the characterization inconsistent and often contradictory (explained perhaps by the unpredictable moods of vampires, I suppose), and the writing is empty. 
All of that aside – I am thrilled to be hosting a party here at work this afternoon to celebrate the end of the long wait for Breaking Dawn.  With so many library patrons on the waiting list for all four books in the series, it only makes sense to mark the light at the end of the tunnel.  Red velvet cupcakes and Hawaiian punch, served with trivia questions, a costume contest, and prizes that include copies of Breaking Dawn, I can get past my personal opinion of the books and enjoy the afternoon with some young Meyer fans.

Part of the Cambridge Forum series, this lecture explores the ways fantasy helps children understand the world of adulthood.   Unriddling the World  is also about Cooper’s personal experience as a writer of fantasy, the how and why she creates fantasy fiction and her perception of its necessity for the exploration of good and evil and all that lies in between.

Latest review at BSC

After much swearing and chasing of my cat off my keyboard, the Pullman reviews are up at BSC.

Lyra’s Oxford
Once Upon a Time in the North

Francesca Lia Block’s latest short story collection is very predictably strange and creepy and scary and comforting, all those usual Block-like elements and emotions that make her work so attractive and foreboding.  These “nine tales of transformation” include teenagers in traditionally dysfunctional situations who either go off the deep end or have their perspectives widened and developed – it all depends, of course, on that perspective.  This is a deceptively quick read that lingers after the last word (“changed” – of course) and may induce dreams or nightmares, or both.

Francesca Lia Block

by William Nicholson, book two in The Wind on Fire trilogy, is the large child’s latest finish. It was “good” and yes, he looks forward to finishing the series, because he “always likes to get to the end of the story.” That’s not exactly true, though, because he has read series/trilogies before and been frustrated with the end, not because he didn’t like the end but because he wanted the story to continue afterwards. Been there.

The LC has also read (with great interest and impatience for each installment) the Noble Warriors series, Nicholson’s more recent series. As a screenwriter, Nicholson is also responsible for Gladiator, First Knight, Elizabeth: the Golden Age, and several plays and television movies.

William Nicholson

“At the end of her life she is aware of heat but not pain, and she thinks of you laughing with an ease and freedom you will never find again in your long life . . . ”

An appropriate description is elusive as I try to capture a way to explain the beauty of The Gunslinger Born. Much anticipated and feared overrated, this graphic novel is nothing less than a masterpiece. I am awe struck by all that it is, the writing, the artwork, the adaptation of an amazing story and sometimes bizarre method of communicating said story by originator Stephen King. Fourteen year old Roland Deschain finds death and love in a world vastly different but not too unlike our own – this is one of many contradictions in the story that is reflective of “real” life. Why do we follow Roland, why do we care? Why did some of us read every Dark Tower installment fervently, even when it was a struggle, searching for answers for Roland, and for ourselves? Family, honor, trust, self-control, prudence, passion, fury, anger – it’s all there, carefully and stunningly represented by Robin Furth, Peter David, Jae Lee, and Richard Isanove. This collection of seven issues chronicles Roland’s traumatic experiences at home that bring him to leave Gilead and travel to Hambry, where his life is forever rocked by emotions and events that are both within and beyond his control. The map and letter from Stephen King, along with the individual and alternate covers are nice additions to the back of the book, but the real deal is Roland, who at fourteen faces challenges we might think are unrealistic for his age, but we don’t need to question the story or Roland. We believe in his strength, his pain, his struggle; we long to stand beside him. This is the beauty of the tale; the connection forged between Roland and the reader is a bond woven over years of study, of an investment of time and emotion that make his story part of who we are at each stage of our reading. We might not understand all that is Roland, and we might not agree with all that he does or all that he believes, but we can relate to him and find solace in that connection as we wrestle with our own Man in Black or long for our own lost Susan Delgado.

The Dark Tower
Dark Tower Comics

. . . releases, per Booklist and Advance Magazine, 6/2008:
*contains science fiction/fantasy elements
*Adrienne – D. Renee Bagby
Alexia’s Secrets – Una-Mary Parker
*The Angel – Carla Neggers
The Art of Desire – Cherie Feather
Barefoot – Elin Hilderbrand
Beyond the Night – Sharon Long
The Black Moth – Georgette Heyer (reissue)
Blame it on Paris – Jennifer Greene
Blush – Opal Carew
The Cat – Jean Johnson
A Desperate Longing – Brenda Williamson
Devil’s Playground – Arianna Hart
*A Distant Magic – Mary Jo Putney
The Divorce Party – Laura Dave
Don’t Tempt Me – Sylvia Day
Driven to Distraction – Ashleigh Raine
Edge of Regret – Janet Woods
Fearless – Diana Palmer
Finding Strength – Annmarie McKenna
*Ghost Moon – Rebecca York
Highland Fire – Hannah Howell
*Highland Knight – Cindy Miles
His Convenient Affair – Tricia Jones
His Dark and Dangerous Ways – Edith Layton
Hitting the Brakes – Ken Casper (Harlequin NASCAR)
Hot Date – Amy Garvey
The Importance of Almack’s – Denise Patrick
Last Chance, My Love – Lynne Connelly
The Last Thing I Wanted – Heather Rae Scott
Let Me Love You – Mary Wine
Letters to a Secret Lover – Toni Blake
Lord Scandal – Kalen Hughes
Making Chase – Lauren Dane
Meet Me in Venice – Elizabeth Adler
Midnight Legacy – Dee Tenorio
*Moonstruck – Susan Grant
*Nightkeepers – Jessica Andersen
*The Nightwalkers: Damien – Jacquelyn Frank
Not Another Bad Date – Rachel Gibson
One Night in Boston – Allie Boniface
One with the Darkness – Susan Squires
Out of Line – Michele Dunaway (Harlequin NASCAR)
Overnight Male – Elizabeth Bevarly
*Phantom – Lindsay Randall
Pitch Black – Susan Crandall
*The Price of Eternity – Devyn Quinn
Questions to Ask Before Marrying – Melissa Senate
A Rake’s Guide to Seduction – Caroline Linden
Reilly’s Promise – Christyne Butler
Release Me – Farrah Rochon
*Revealing Skills – Summer Devon
Reversing Over Liberace – Jane Lovering
Rivals for the Crown – Kathleen Givens
Rookhurst Hall – Elizabeth Jeffrey
Running with the Devil – Lorelei James
The Scandalous Life of a True Lady – Barbara Metzger
Secrets – Jude Deveraux
Secrets of Surrender – Madeline Hunter
Seduction – Geneva Holliday
*Seratis Flame – T.J. Michaels
The Sleeping Beauty Proposal – Sarah Strohmeyer
*The Snow Queen – Mercedes Lackey
Something Good – Fiona Gibson
*Soul of a Highlander – Melissa Mayhue
Stranded – Eve Vaughn
Superb and Sexy – Jill Shalvis
Sweet Love – Sarah Strohmeyer
*Sword of the Highlands – Veronica Wolff
Tall Tales and Wedding Veils – Jane Graves
Temperature’s Rising – Karen Kelley
Tempting Evil – Allison Brennan
*Through the Veil – Shiloh Walker
To Commit – Carolyn Brown
*The Trouble with Moonlight – Donna MacMeans
Trust Me – Brenda Novak
Tumbleweed – Jane Candia Coleman
Twenty Wishes – Debbie Macomber
Under Your Spell – Lois Greiman
*The Velvet Chair – Jennifer Stevenson
*Walk on the Wild Side – Christine Warren
*When He Was Bad – Cynthia Eden
Where One Road Leads – Ceri Hebert
Wild for Him – Janelle Denison
*Wild & Hexy – Vicki Lewis Thompson
Wine, Tarts & Sex – Susan Johnson
*With Every Breath – Lynn Kurland
Your Scandalous Ways – Loretta Chase

. . . releases, per Booklist and Advance Magazine, 6/2008:

Amber and Blood – Margaret Weis
Blood Noir – Laurell K. Hamilton
Bloodheir – Brian Ruckley
The Books of the South – Glen Cook
Cosmos Incorporated – Maurice G. Dantec
Daemons are Forever – Simon R. Green
The Dark Ferryman – Jenna Rhodes
The Discworld Graphic Novels – Terry Pratchett
Dmitri: A Tale of Old Russia – Olive Jeanfreau Alexander
Dragon Forge – James Wyatt
Dragon Moon – Carole Wilkinson (YA)
Dragonforge – James Maxey
Dragonlight – Donita K. Paul
Escapement – Jay Lake
The Essential Batman Encyclopedia – Robert Greenberger
Ever – Gail Carson Levine (YA)
A Fire in the North – David Bilsborough
Goddess – Fiona McIntosh
Grantville Gazette IV – Eric Flint
Havemercy – Danielle Bennett
Hawkspar – Holly Lisle
The Host – Stephenie Meyer
In at the Death – Harry Turtledove
Invincible: Star Wars Legacy of the Force – Troy Denning
Kushiel’s Mercy – Jacqueline Carey
Midnight Never Come – Marie Brennan
Mind the Gap – Christopher Golden
The Mirrored Heavens – David J. Williams
Promise of the Wolves – Dorothy Hearst
The Ruby Key – Holly Lisle (YA)
Scarlet – Stephen R. Lawhead
Soon I Will Be Invincible – Austin Grossman
Spectre – Phaedra Weldon
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: These Haunted Seas – David R. George III
The Starry Rift: Tales of New Tomorrows – ed. Jonathan Strahan
The Summer Palace – Lawrence Watt-Evans
The Sword Lord – Robert Leader
The Swordmage – Richard Baker
Tales Before Narnia: the Roots of Modern Fantasy and Science Fiction – ed. Douglas A. Anderson
Thirteen – Richard K. Morgan
Valor’s Trial – Tanya Huff
The Vanities – Terence Lawlor (YA)
The Wolverine and the Flame – Rebecca Goings

*worth noting:  Vampires of Mars by Gustave le Rouge, adapted by Brian Stableford, released in January 2008.  This volume contains Le Rouge’s 1908 and 1909 masterworks Le Prisonnier de la Plante Mars and La Guerre des Vampires.

*Star Wars: the Essential Atlas has been pushed back to a 2/2009 release date.

Brian Selznick‘s Caldecott-winning graphic novel/novel/mystery/fantasy tale will come to life in film under the direction of Chris Wedge, pilot of Ice Age and Robots.  John Logan, screenwriter for The Avaitor and Sweeney Todd, is on board as well.  (School Library Journal, June 2008)

is fantastic.  I realize I might and probably will have nasty comments on this one, but that’s fine.  I’m used to being hassled (and attacked) for my political and religious views.  Such is life.  My dad and I went to see him on Saturday night, courtesy of my brother, and had a great time.  Apparently he is reading Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, as mentioned in Joe Kerry’s “Unelectable” Blog.  He might not believe in global warming and is proud to display his NRA t-shirt (oh, yeah) but he has succumbed to the popularity of this teen vampire novel.  I feel like I have to read it now.  Damn.  Like I don’t have a full plate – well, I guess if I can make the time (three hours, maybe?) to knock off the latest A-List series installment, California Dreaming,  I can invest a little in Bella.  Oh, but A-List is soooo fun and mindless.  There’s no excuse for reading it, except that.