Luxx's Haunted Halls

I'm anxious to start 2017 on the right foot, so here goes.


1313 Cemetery Lane

This group, 75 Books Challenge, is one of my favorite things on the internet. It's a quiet corner of peace, and collection of both like and different minds that nonetheless remains convivial and generally pleasant. I love reading, I love reading what you're all reading, and I love the excuse of listing what I'm reading, which greatly satisfies my OCD drive for order. So, with great enthusiasm, my hat is soaring into the ring.

Hello to all who pop in! Lurk or comment at your leisure.

Every new year I list the books I've read, and include here a brief description of "Major Events" to help me put my reading in perspective. 2016 was a heck of a year on many fronts, and 2017 is going to see nearly all of my dissertation work. With any luck I'll still make the goal, and may be able to pop around threads from time to time.

The List of Links
Biblio Beau, the second home for all my reviews

Books Read in 2016 (108 Books. Major Events: Completed PhD coursework; passed PhD exams; taught in the spring semester; published a brief article, had a chapter accepted for 2017 publication, and two papers accepted for 2017 conferences; sewed two wedding dresses and one groom's suit; planned and executed two weddings for my best friend, who was diagnosed with cancer; finally built a website for my costuming portfolio; brought home a second poodle; general chaos and joy of living with my dear family)
Books Read in 2015 (75 Books. Major Events: Four semesters of PhD coursework (spring, two summer, fall); published two reviews, spoke and organized at two conferences; taught 20+ credits a semester; bought a house; didn't forget the names of my children or partner; costumed like the enthusiastic amateur I am)
Books Read in 2014 (96 Books. Major Events: First two semesters of PhD coursework; published three papers, two reviews, spoke at two conferences, and organized two conference panels; taught at two schools simultaneously and did my first (and last) stint in a writing center.)
Books Read in 2013 (87 Books. Major Events: Published two papers!)
Books Read in 2012 (81 Books. Major Events: New - additional - Teaching Position, Moving, Surgery)
Books Read in 2011 (101 Books. Major Events: Birth of Third Monster, Poor health and a death in the family)
Books Read in 2010 (100 Books. Major Event: Second Adjunct Position Obtained)
Books Read in 2009 (145 Books. Major Event: Birth of Second Monster)
Books Read in 2008 (61 Books. Major Events: Birth of First Monster, First Adjunct Position Obtained)
Books Read in 2007 (85 Books. Major Event: Finished my MA in English Lit)

Books Read in 2017

1. Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 1.2.17. ****
2. Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 1.7.17. ***
3. Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 1.2017. ***1/2
4. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 1.18.2017. *****
5. Soul Music by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 1.2017. ****

6. Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 2.4.2017 *****
7. Masquerade by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 2.12.2017 ****
8. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 2.20.2017 *****
9. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader by Neil Gaiman. Comic. 2.2017.

10. Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. Gender Studies. March 2017. ***
11. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit. Gender studies. Unfinished. ****
12. My Best Friend is Invisible by R. L. Stine. YA. 3.22.2017. ***1/2
13. Romancing the Inventor by Gail Carriger. Steampunk. 3.23.17. ****
14. Poison or Protectby Gail Carriger. Steampunk. 3.24.17. **
15. Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel. Graphic Memoir. 3.28.17. ****

16. Jingo by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 4.2017. ****
17. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 4.2017. *****
18. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs. Urban Fantasy. 4.2017. ***

19. Lady Killer by Jamie S. Rich. Graphic Novel. 5.7.17. *****

20. The Last Continent by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 6.13.17. ***1/2
21. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Dystopian. 6.14.17. *****
22. A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. Horror. 6.19.17. **1/2
23. Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 6.20.17. ****
24. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy.. 6.27.17. ****

25. The Truth by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 7.10.17. *****
26. Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 7.13.17. *****
27. I, Vampire by Joshua Hale Fialkov. Comic. 7.14.17. ****
28. Batman Unseen by Doug Moench. Comic. 7.14.17. **
29. Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker. 7.14.2017. ****
30. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 7.2017. *****
31. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 7.2017. *****
32. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. Horror.

33. Making Money by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 8.8.2017. ***1/2
34. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy.. 8.15.17. ****
35. Snuff > by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 8.26.17. ****
36. The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. > by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 8.27.17. ****

37. Crimson Death by Laurell K. Hamilton. Terrible. 9.11.2017. *
38. Tarnished and Torn by Juliet Blackwell. Cozy Mystery. 9.25.17. **1/2
39. Night Shift by Charlaine Harris. Mystery. 9.27.17. *
40. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. 9.27.17. ****

41. Imprudence by Gail Carriger. Steampunk. 10.2017. ****
42. If Walls Could Talk by Lucy Worsley. History. 10.11.2017. ***
43. The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket. Children’s. 10.15.17. ****
44. The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket. Children’s. 10.16.17. ***1/2
45. The austere Academy by Lemony Snicket. Children’s. 10.18.17. ****
46. Medea by Euripides. Tragedy. 10.11.17. *****
47. Death Note Volume 1: Boredowm by Tsugumi Ohba. Manga. 10.19.17. *****
48. Death note Volume 2: Confluence by Tsugumi Ohba. Manga. 10.31.17.
49. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Fiction. 10.31.17

50. Death Note Volume 3: Hard Run by Tsugumi Ohba. Manga. 11.4.17. *****
51. Batman: Arkham City by Paul Dini and Carlow D’anda. Comic. 11.4.17. ****
52. Death Note Volume 4: Love by Tsugumi Ohba. Manga. 11.8.17. *****
53. Othello by William Shakespeare. Drama. 11.2017. *****
54. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare. Drama. 11.2017. *****
55. Batgirl Number 14: Terror in the Third Dimension by Bryan Q. Miller, Lee Garbett, and Trevor Scott. Comic. 11.2017. ***
73. Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger. Paranormal Romance. 11.15.17. ****
56. Gone Gull by Donna Andrews. Cozy Mystery. 11.22.17. ***
57. Black Butler by Yana Toboso. Manga. 11.25.17. ***
58. The Ersatz Elevator. Children’s. 11.26.17. ***
59. Black Butler, Volume 2 by Yana Toboso. Manga. 11.26.17. ***
73. Romancing the Werewolf by Gail Carriger. Paranormal Romance. 11.15.17. ****

60. Umnentionable: The Victorian Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Theresa Oneill. Just terrible. 12.3.17. *
61. Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. Drama. 12.4.2017. *****
62. Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. 12.13.17. ***1/2
63. Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell. YA. 12.16.17. ****
64. Goth Girl and the Fete Worse Than Death by Chris Riddell. YA. 12.17.17. ***1/2
65. Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright by Chris Riddell. YA 12.19.17. ***
66. How to Be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman. Nonfiction. 12.20.17. *****
67. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. YA. 12.23.17. ****
68. How to Be a Pirate b Cressida Cowell. YA. 12.25.2017. ***1/2
69. The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket. YA. 12.26.17. ***1/2
70. How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell. YA. 12.26.17. ***1/2
71. Lady Killer 2 by Joelle Jones. Graphic Novel. 12.26.17. *****
72. The Beauty by Jeremy Haun, et al. Graphic Novel. 12.27.17. ****
74. Sweet Tooth: Out of the Deep Woods by Jeff Lemire. Graphic Novel. 12.28.17. ****
75. Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett. YA Fantasy. 12.31.17. *****

I was going to post this in the introduction thread, but thought I may as well babble here instead.

For anyone new popping by, I'm Luxx, a costumer and pinup by hobby, PhD candidate by "profession," and mother of monsters by choice. I live in utter chaos with my amazing and wonderful wife, our horde of small interesting people, and a pack of dogs that look like stuffed animals. They're nearly muppet-like, and that's not hyperbole.

With the intention of graduating in 2018, 2017 will see nearly all (if not all) of my dissertation work. My fields are Victorian literature and gender studies, and my background and interests in queer theory, performativity, materiality, and cultural history drive my work. I'm really excited about my project, but I'm a little nervous about the pile of research that needs to be digested at the very beginning of the new year.

Once upon a time I scoffed at anything that wasn't "classic literature," but by the time I started my sophomore year of college I realized how ridiculous and limited this mindset is, and now unabashedly indulge in my fancies from Sapphic poetry to Shakespeare to vampire smut (I've even delivered a conference paper on rape in paranormal romance novels). So, my reading list is a collection of fluff, research, and some that may not fall on the side that first appears.

In 2016 I finished my goal of reading Anita Blake in order, to a general sense of disappointment. Now, I am working my way through Discworld in order, and finding much I missed in my earlier hodgepodge reading of the series. Like wine, Pratchett's series is certainly getting better as it moves forward in time.

I'm not very good at keeping up around here, but I like to pop around as much as I can, and pine after all the wonderful things everyone else is reading.

>2 London_StJ: Terry Pratchett features in the British Author Challenge for February, Luxx, so I hope you can join for that one.

I will be a regular visitor to cheer on your graduation efforts and enjoy your wider reading. xx

Hi Luxx!

Hi Luxx, happy reading in 2017!

>3 PaulCranswick: Thanks for the cheer AND the heads up! I'd love to pop in in February.

>4 DianaNL: >5 FAMeulstee: Hello hello! Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome back!

Happy New Year!

>7 drneutron: Thanks for creating a "back" to which I could return!

That was an awkward sentence.

>8 DianaNL: The same to you!

Dropping off my star to catch all your eclectic reads!

Hi there, Luxx! Got you starred for 2017. :)

I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Yay! So pleased to see you back again this year, Luxx! I will, of course, be a regular around here.

>13 PaulCranswick: Great message, and one to hang on to.

Well wishes for the new year, everyone! So glad to see you here!

Hi Luxx, found you. Excuse my typos, have cat on lap (called terry, but not after pratchett!) and he is nudging my hands as I type- actually I am at risk of a nip if i type too vigorously! Cats!

Happy new year! From your intro, I spot a major life change that I may have missed before! Ie not the poodle. Glad your brood is still crazy and chaotic, as is mine. Any monster pics? I'm rocking the ancient iPad still so don't transfer pics well.

Read on!

>16 LovingLit: You spotted her, eh? ;) "Surprise, lesbians!" was my favorite corny joke of last year.

Can't find any good monster pictures at the moment they just move too fast these days. Hi Terry! And happy new year to your own crazy crew!

1.
Title: Witches Abroad
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 2, 2017
Rating: ****

Witches may know when they're going to die, but this doesn't always mean they leave behind clear instructions. Knowing the moment of her own death, Ramtop witch Desiderata has a neighbor dig a grave, buys her coffin, and asks a neighbor to deliver a package once he finishes filling in her grave (by pre-arrangement). When Death arrives they stroll out together, and she ends her life tidily tucked into her pine box.

The story she leaves to continue in her absence isn't quite so neat. For one, Desiderata was a fairy godmother whose charge is still in need of some help. The package she has delivered is her wand, which she has given to a fellow witch without use-instructions, but a desperate plea to make sure Emberella does not marry the prince.

A new-to-me witch story, Witches Abroad takes the small Ramtops coven of Granny, Nanny, and Magrat away from their homes and on a journey to "foreign parts," to save a young girl from a story she never actually wished for. The novel's take on stories, and the pervasive nature of urban myths and folklore, makes a strong vehicle for a fun romp, where everything is just familiar enough to be endearing, and just uncanny enough to be interesting.

>17 London_StJ: Nice review and I really do have to launch myself in to this world. I think it is so big, I am a little afraid to get sucked into it!! LOL

>18 Berly: What's nice about it is that it is big, and many people find their niche; my best friend likes the Witches books best, my wife favors the Guards books, and I most love the Industry novels. There are even webs and charts that track the mini-series within the world, if you're interested, but you can really pick up any book to dive in.

Did I ever share my AnkhMorpork shirt here? I'm going to share it again, if I did.



I'm such a dork. Happily.

>19 London_StJ: Yes you did, and I still love it! :-)

>20 FAMeulstee: Hehehe, me too. Lit humor shirts for the win.

>17 London_StJ: lol! I bet the reactions were noteworthy. (I trust you did *jazz hands* to go with the punch line?)
I'm not sure congratulations is the right word, but, yay! You're happy!

I've never gone to Terry Pratchett's work. I think I have enough on my plate for a new genre entirely.

I admit I was a bit confused, too, but I chalked it up to my atrocious memory. At any rate - YAY for lesbians!! And YAY for being happy!!

Also, I do love a good set of jazz hands. Who doesn't?!

>17 London_StJ: Try and save at least one Terry Pratchett for next month's BAC, Luxx!

I think I will like the chap too by the look of your review.

"Surprise, lesbians" definitely requires jazz hands at all times!

Oh, there are jazz hands. Lots of jazz hands. Especially from my wife, who, for clarity, was once my husband, but started transitioning about a year and a half ago. That's what makes the "surprise!" so grand.

>22 LovingLit: "Congratulations" works. The level of happy in our household has increased dramatically.

Telling the monsters was an interesting event. First Born said, "That's amazing! I've always wanted to know a trans person, and now I'm related to one!" Middle Child said, "Oh. I like tacos." Youngest monster said nothing, but started giggling to himself the next day, saying "hehehehe, my daddy's a girl." And that's about all the reaction they've ever had. That's our life.

>24 PaulCranswick: There's plenty more to come! I have confirmed that I now own all of Discworld, and I just started book twelve of ... forty.

>26 London_StJ: Oh, that explains it. I saw the reference in your intro post, was briefly puzzled, then promptly blew past it.

*snerk* to the jazz hands... :)

>26 London_StJ: Kids are amazing. So much more chill with stuff than a lot of adults. I think that's why I like them better.

>26 London_StJ: I had assumed that was what had occurred, but didn't feel it my place to ask! Good for her, and it's wonderful that she's got you beside her. Having watched the fallout of a friend from school transitioning from female to male, and the horrendous reaction from his now ex-husband, I'm glad it's working out for the two of you. And hooray for kids, that response is a clear sign of how well you and your wife are raising them.

>28 scaifea: I think kids are capable of a lot more than they're given credit for. I'm rather fond of my monsters.

>27 drneutron:

>30 London_StJ: Bwaaa-haaaa!

>29 lunacat: Thank you for your kind words. :) It breaks my heart how often trans people are forced to choose between their true selves and mental health, and their relationships. Loving this person has never been a question for me.

ETA: I also understand couples who can't stay together once one transitions, in deference to their own sexuality; I don't wish to vilify anyone out of hand. What makes me sad is the vitriol that one may face from someone who (at least once) professed to love them. The ugly breakups (as it sounds like your friend faced).

>31 drneutron: I hoped you'd like that one.

I am happy for you two this transition worked so well for all of you, the kids reacted as non-biassed as kids are. Wish more "grown ups" had the same attitude....

Congratulations to all!

>34 FAMeulstee: Thank you, dear :)

Happy New Year to you and the monsters, Luxx!

>32 London_StJ: As you say, I can see completely how it would be an extremely difficult situation for a lot of people. I guess you don't really know how you'd react until you're placed in that situation. But I think the least you can do is try to be understanding and civil when you share children and are therefore forever connected. It's all been extremely unpleasant for all involved, and I guess the best that can be hoped for is that everyone ends up with some form of happiness in the end, and the children aren't damaged by the hostility between the parents.

Anyway, a long winded way of reiterating that I'm really glad you and your wife are finding that it works for you, and that there has been an increase in happiness within your household :).

>26 London_StJ: "...but started giggling to himself the next day, saying "hehehehe, my daddy's a girl."

That made ME giggle. I'm so glad you had a strong enough relationship to last through the transition. (And that you were comfortable enough in your sexuality to make the switch.)

>36 kidzdoc: Happy New Year to you, from the monsters!

>37 lunacat: " But I think the least you can do is try to be understanding and civil when you share children and are therefore forever connected." Absolutely. Or civil enough to recognize that this is a person in front of you! I completely get what you're saying. So sorry for your friend.

>38 Morphidae: Listening to the five-year-old giggle to himself was pretty great. If you knew Middle Child, his comment was equally amusing; in the world of f---s, his fields are barren, and he thinks that's just groovy (I've never met a more socially easy-going person in my life, and I made him). And personally, it wasn't much of a thing on my end. I've always been queer (tmi?), and am building my academic career on queer and gender studies; this is pretty familiar territory.

Alright, boils and ghouls, I'm signing off for the weekend - Mads and I are leaving early for an adults-only weekend trip. I'll leave you with a picture of my girls.

Have a great trip!

>40 London_StJ: Have a lovely monster-free weekend!

>40 London_StJ: Have a good time & thanks for sharing a picture of the girls :-)

>40 London_StJ: "I now own all of Discworld, and I just started book twelve of ... forty." And that's scary wonderful that there are so many!! I now have two of the books in hand, so soon! Well, at least they are in the pile by my nightstand, so sooner. ; )

I am glad that your personal life is working out so well for you. Kudos to you and yours for making such wonderful monsters. Hope you have been having a fantastic weekend away!!

Thanks everyone! You guys are great.

We had a great trip; we went with foodie friends, so there were a lot of restaurants, but only a few left an impression. I found amazing Cuban coffee on our first morning, and I'm going to miss the hell out of it. Our friends insisted on fantastic Caribbean-fusian sandwiches (my favorite of their picks), and last night we capped it all off at Better Than Sex last night (we traveled with a hardcore foodie). I had a Berry Naughty and the Morning After, and felt the world move. So good. I went to my first-every live drag show, relaxed by the pool, and Mads and I did a lot of walking, which made us quite happy. Today we froze our buns off coming back to 20 degree weather (Fahrenheit), and are now busy righting the chaos that happens in our house in our absence.

And my pinup contest dress arrived in my absence! And still fits after all the food! I win.

>44 Berly: Which ones have you picked?! And thank you. :)

2.
Title: Small Gods
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 7, 2017
Rating: ***

"Your sexual organs to sprout wings and fly away! ... Your intestines to be wound around a tree until you are sorry!" (34)

Small Gods tells the tale of Om, a once-great Discworld god now consigned to the physical manifestation of a turtle, desperately clinging to his sole true believer (despite a nation of thousands which proclaim their devotion). Faith makes the god here, and Om tries to direct Brutha in ways that may reignite the faith of others, or at least wreck petty vengence on those whom Om judges harshly, before he is forgotten and fades entirely. At times plodding and others fantastically engaging, Small Gods satirizes ancient religious cultures and peoples, and offers critique that is not that alien today. Though I think I enjoyed it much more the first time around, it's possible that this easily stand-alone novel just couldn't hold up to the other fun things begging for my attention this weekend.

>45 London_StJ: Somebody is not doing it right, surely?!

Looks like it was a great trip, Luxx. xx

Sounds a pretty wonderful weekend away. I hope the chaos isn't too all-encompassing and hasn't wiped out the feelgood vibes of the adult weekend!

It was a tough recovery, but by dinner tonight things were back to normal. Almost. My best friend's left lung collapsed last night (because of a tumor), so I gave up poodle bathing in favor of baking her cookies and dashing to the hospital before running home again to pick up the monsters. She's where she needs to be and no one is panicking, and I'm slowly regaining a sense of peace.

The perk to my day was Catherine Spooner responding to my tweet about her wonderful book. This is my best use of social media.

My book chapter is due at the end of the month, and I still haven't picked up my prospectus since December. Eventually I'll have to get back into the swing of things, but right now days that include completed chores and time with Terry Pratchett are all registering as wins.

Luxx--

I lied. I have 3!!

The Globe: The Science of Discworld II: A Novel (An Anchor Books Original)
Guards! Guards! (Discworld)
Wyrd Sisters (Discworld)

I am not sure any of them are the right starting point. What do you think?

And good luck to your friend.

Oooh la la. adults only weekend. I had one of those once ;) The last one with just me and my lovely other was when we met in Wellington to see a band (The Fall). When we met on the street (he had come from Auckland and I from Christchurch), we frantically rushed about trying to relax and have a good time- we were that determined to enjoy ourselves. It was so funny. In the end we said, let's just go have a beer. Which settled us somewhat.

>49 Berly: Guards! Guards! is a great introduction to the primary city, AnkhMorpork, and Wyrd Sisters is a great "country" story - you can't go wrong with either.

>50 LovingLit: That sounds like adulthood, ha! We were a bit frantic to relax and/or make sure everyone was happy, and in the end the best day was when we disappeared on our own for a long walk. Funnily, our bests said the same (they most enjoyed popping out solo at one point). Next vacation we've voted for clearer communication, i.e. no one is obligated to accept invitations.

I've been super busy, but not with reading. For Friday the 13th I made myself a "Bloody Butcher" apron, and when I shared it in a pinup group the response was incredible. So, I've decided to offer it as a sample for sale on my website, which meant a good day setting up an actual store on my site, working out Paypal, and all that jazz. Good fun. And then, on Thursday I decided that the dress I had purchased for a pinup contest was just too simple, so I elected to make a new outfit. I ended up sewing the top as my curls were setting for the competition (as planned - I knew it wouldn't take long). And it all worked out in the end, because I won! Ha! I'm still on cloud 9.

I'm slowly reading Men at Arms, but my January list is going to be low - I have a book chapter due in twelve days, a couple of apron orders to fulfill, and First Born turns nine on Thursday. Ah!

>51 London_StJ: Thanks for the suggestions!! I am sure to start one soon. And I love the Bloody Butcher apron. You are so talented. All your costumes are fantastic! Have fun with the birthday brouhaha!

>52 Berly: Thank you x 4!

Reading through all of Discworld... you ARE ambitious!! But that's fantastic. I've only read the books in smatterings here & there, but HusBeast has read them all. It'll be interesting to see what your favorite arcs & characters are once you get through them, and maybe how that changed as you progressed.

>54 dk_phoenix: It's interesting taking this new approach, that's for sure! I find that my enjoyment is rekindled the further I get into the series - the earliest stuff isn't always my cuppa.

3.
Title: Lords and Ladies
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 2017
Rating: ***1/2

When the Ramptops witches return from their fairy godmothering jaunt, the youngest witch, Magrat, finds her future has been organized in her absence. King Verence, with whom she has had a quiet but unsettled "agreement" has chosen a wedding date, purchased her bridal gown, and otherwise assumed the particulars, as his research has told him he ought. Following a riff with Granny Weatherwax which leaves her feeling alienated in their coven once again, Magrat accepts Verence's orchestrations and moves into the castle, while Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax organize themselves to fight an old foe who has been awakened by silly girls playing at The Craft.

Pratchett's take on A Midsummer Night's Dream thinks about folklore and community traditions, and reaches back into a history when people really knew that all that's beautiful isn't good. Satirizing contemporary appreciation for cultural knowledge, this fantasy well develops an otherwise hyperbolic crone, and balances humor and tension in an overall enjoyable story.

4.
Title: Men at Arms
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 18, 2017
Rating: *****

Of course Corporal Carrot is the heir to the AnkhMorpork throne: it's written in his narrative blood. He's physically imposing, while thoroughly charming, a natural leader to whom others can't help but listen, and so honest and earnest he registers as simple. But woe be unto him who confuses simple with stupid, as Carrot certainly isn't the latter. In fact, he's too smart to fall for the romance of kingship, and smart enough, too, to recognize just how well his city of birth operates under the controversial-yet-thoughtful patrician, Vetinari. Unfortunately, as they are wont, the noblemen aren't satisfied with a social system that puts guilds members at their elbows as opposed to below their feet, and one such nobleman takes it upon himself to depose the tyrant patrician and raise up the rightful king. And he has a secret weapon.

On the ground, this weapon causes strife and mystery, and it's up to Sam Vimes to get to the bottom of it - before his untimely marriage to Lady Sibyl, upon which he'll retire to become a gentleman of *shudder* leisure. New guardsmen and women have joined the ranks of the Night Watch, and the wheels of change are firmly in motion.

The guards books remain some of the strongest in the Discworld series, cutting critical paths through wide swathes of social territory with wit and humor, and unforgettable characters. If anyone is uncertain over whether or not they'd like to Pratchett, this may be the book to try - if you don't enjoy this one, I don't know that you'd enjoy any.

Stolen from Morphy, who stole it from Amber...

Ipod Shuffle Game
1. Put your iTunes (or whatever you have...)on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
(Making an exception for this. No classical. For example: Waltz in E Minor Op: Posth. It makes no sense.)

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"Beautiful with You" by Halestorm

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Losing Days" Turner

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Irresponsible Hate Anthem" (I can't help but laugh at Marilyn Manson coming up for this!)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"I'm Only Joking" by Kongos

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Stop" by Spice Girls (Me at 13 = Spice Girls + Marilyn Manson. I've listened to both in the last 24 hours)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"Blame Me" by Pretty Reckless

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"Peter and the Wolf: Invitation to Grandfather's Party"

WHAT IS 2+2?
"He Vas My Boyfriend" Young Frankenstein Muical

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Say You'll Be There" by Spice Girls

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Making Christmas" from Nightmare Before Christmas

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"White Blank Page" by Mumford and Sons

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Acid Rain" by Avenge Sevenfold (Great album)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"Ride of the Valkyries"

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"If You Were Gay" from Avenue Q (LMAO HOLY MOLY THIS ONE IS GREAT! Coming out to my dad at 30 was an interesting experience)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
iTunes said "The Troubles" by U2. But I hate U2. I LOATHE U2. It's on iTunes because they're song tyrants who put the filth that is U2 on my account and I can't delete it.

The second was "Man That You Fear" by Marilyn Manson.

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Untitled" by Marilyn Manson. Out of all of my music, three Mansons is ... curious.

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Something Bad" from Wicked

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"As Long as You're Mine" from Wicked. I don't think it's shuffling.

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"It's a Good Life" by Kongos

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Sally's Song" from Nightmare Before Christmas

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"Let's Face the Music and Dance" by Diana Krall

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"Theme from Jaws"

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Cat Scratch Fever" by Motorhead (lol!)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"Roll in the Hay" from Young Frankenstein the Musical (lolol!)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Demons" by Imagine Dragons

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"I'm Not that Girl" from Wicked

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"You Can Be As Loud As the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love)" from Avenue Q

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Lose Yourself" by Eminem

Not so random shuffling there, iTunes. What's with the repetitive behavior?

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Something Bad" from Wicked

*snickers*

>57 Morphidae: A couple of those were quite good

>56 London_StJ: That's pretty fun. I might have to play.

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"Roll in the Hay" from Young Frankenstein the Musical (lolol!)

Well that tends to slow down afterwards doesn't it?

I liked you answer:

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Something Bad" from Wicked

LOL!

>59 MickyFine: I'm a sucker for these memes, especially when I'm procrastinating

>60 PaulCranswick: Young Frankenstein gave me some fun answers!

>61 Berly: Fitting, I thought ;)

5.
Title: Soul Music
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: January 2017
Rating: ****

6.
Title: Interesting Times
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: February 4, 2017
Rating: *****

This is one I hadn't read before, and likely wouldn't have picked up if I wasn't working through the whole. And I'm so glad I did! The mysterious and reclusive Counterweight Continent has not sent a message to Vetinari asking for "The Great Wizzard," and Vetinari has not instructed Ridcully to send him over by teatime. The errant "z" stirring a memory, the wizards recall a terribly bad wizard who used to help the Librarian, and thus Rincewind is located and put to, er, "good" use. Meanwhile, the Silver Horde lead by Cohen the Barbarian has set upon their own epic quest, and together the stories weave an interesting satire of foreign politics, devotion, class, and power.

I've been horribly and fantastically busy lately; I swear there's not enough time in any day for anything. In addition to general life and household business I've been sewing up a storm, working towards opening my business this month (Vicious Poodle PinUp), submitting book chapters and conference papers, and getting tattooed. I scheduled several appointments to get a sleeve, back in September, and have had to wait all this time! I also tried an aerial silks class last week, and now I'm hooked. I'm going to start going twice a week. So much fun, a fantastic workout, and much more appealing than any rotten gym membership.

I'm going to try to make the rounds, but I'll never be able to actually catch up. Apologies in advance!

Goodness you're running through the Pratchett bibliography! I love him but I haven't read all of them - I really should try to give that a go one year.

Glad to see you're busy with such fun and enjoyable things.

>64 London_StJ: Finding a fitness class that works for you is so wonderful. I've recently taken up a fitness class that combines ballet, yoga, pilates, with a handful of cardio in the mix. Every muscle burns afterwards but it's weirdly fun. Plus, I get to make childhood me who desperately wanted to be a ballerina a little bit happy as we do a lot of exercises with the barre. :)

>65 lunacat: This is my year! Actually, I started it sometime post-comps, and it's a good escape from research. I now own all of Discworld, and most of his other formal publications as well...

>66 MickyFine: That's wonderful! I've thought about taking a barre fitness class, but I'm afraid it won't be enough like ballet for me (I was a very bad but enthusiastic ballerina for fourteen years). It's also wildly expensive in my area. My ideal exercise is one with a goal of improving a skill I enjoy; running fits the bill, and I so badly want to be able to do all the flips and fun twirls I saw my aerial classmates working on!

>67 London_StJ: You own ALLLLL of Discworld!! Goodness. I am reading my first. I am not even sure it is a typical one, but I am enjoying it a lot: The Globe II. I love the alternating science chapters and the fantasy ones. : )

>68 Berly: Ah! I've never read those collaborations. I look forward to your final review. :) We own all of Discworld because my wife and I both adore Pratchett, and when two heavy readers agree on something the accumulation is unstoppable. When I'm done with the series I may move on to his other writings, because the man is brilliant. I also have several omnibuses of Batman to get through for dissertation work. Oh, the struggle. ...

Hi there, Luxx! I realize I haven't posted on this thread this year (technically) so I'm jumping in now! As I said on Sara's thread, considering the type of music I listen to my answers to the iPod shuffle (Windows Media Player shuffle for me) would most likely shock and appall, and far be it from me to do something like that around here. ;)

>70 Ape: I've realized just recently that my phone has dumped nearly all of my rock and metal, and kept crap I don't listen to. I only ever use it when I'm running, for which I have a set playlist, but it's still rather frustrating and needs exploring. I have six Clutch albums - where did they go?? Where's my Primus? Tom Waits? GWAR? And those are just the ones I've looked for recently.

Burning questions.

>69 London_StJ: Actually I have only read Pratchett in collaboration. The other one I read was Good Omens with Neil Gaiman. A total hoot and a favorite from last year!

Hurrah for owning all of Discworld! I don't, but I'd love to. Maybe I should make it one of my life goals :).

>72 Berly: That's too funny! I read Good Omens year ago, and don't remember it very well. I do remember making a game of guessing which author was responsible for different parts...

>73 lunacat: It's a worthy goal, I say! Nearly all of mine are paperback, with a collection of hardbacks; it's not a fancy collection, but it's a point of happiness for me.

Oh dear, only seven books so far. My reading is as lagging as my LT participation.

7.
Title: Maskerade
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: February 12, 2017
Rating: ****

Nanny Ogg is worried about her friend Granny Weatherwax, who has fallen into a depression since Magrat became queen and found herself too busy for witchcraft. Afraid that Granny may become like Black Aliss, a dark witch of the passed whom Granny has surpassed in power, Nanny cooks up a plot to find a third witch to train, the better to keep Granny occupied. She quickly settles on Agnes Nitt, a promising potential craft practitioner, who seems to have wandered off...

Agnes Nitt is the kind of girl described as having beautiful hair and a nice personality; she's a sturdy country lass with good sense and a cool head, and none of the romantic qulities so often found in early nineteenth-century poetry. But with her gift for the craft, which she's determined to ignore, comes an extraordinary voice, and she determines to find her fortune on the stage of the AnkhMorpork opera. Unfortunately for Agnes, the fashion for rubenesque sopranos has passed in the city, but as Perdita Dream she is hired for the chorus, and explores the surreal world of the opera - complete with an opera ghost. Pratchett's twist on The Phantom of the Opera skillfully uses theatrical archetypes to satirize melodrama and theatrical culture, while maintaining its sense of fun and fair play.

8.
Title: Feet of Clay
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: February 20, 2017
Rating: *****

Feet of Clay follows the Watch, and a newly-aristocratic Sir Sam Vimes, as they investigate first the mysterious murders of a priest and museum curator, and then the attempted assassination of Vetinari himself. As clues begin to accumulate the city turns an aggressive eye to golems - the clay automatons used to "do the mucky jobs" - for their potential roles, and their serviceability as voiceless scapegoats. Probing questions of indenture, humanity, racism, and the regulation of government, Feet of Clay is a highly successful volume in the Discworld canon.

There aren't enough hours in the day. Seriously.

I'm reading, both more than I should, and not enough; I have mountains of research to work through before I can even tackle prospectus revisions. I had a successful meeting with my chair, whose vision matches my own, so I finally got the kick I needed to move forward. But time seems to slip quickly through my fingers.

I guess the silver lining to injuring my foot during Monday's run is that I now have that time to work on other projects.

Hello all around! Sorry to have missed all of your important threads.

Sorry to hear about the foot injury, Luxx. Even if it gives you more time for research, it still sucks. Sending you all the productivity mojo I have to spare. :D

Yeah, I hear ya about the hours in a day...

>76 London_StJ: Welcome to grad school, eh? I remember that it took about a month after graduating before I could go to sleep at night without wondering why I didn't feel that overpowering anxiety of Not Getting Enough Shit Done during the day. And at the time I wasn't a mom yet, even. Hang in there - it doesn't last forever (the grad school part, not the mom part - that's pretty much a forever thing).

>79 scaifea: lol, I felt like that after I graduated with my bachelor degree. I felt relieved for the next decade that I didn't have to fret about things in the evening! And now look at me......I love reading research papers into the evening ;)

Ugh, sorry about the injury but hopefully it will give you a bit more time to get things done. I'm in awe of the amount of things that you have on your plate!

Well, I've come down with the plague that wiped out Smallest Monster last weekend, which is doing its best to keep me off my injured foot. I have discovered (before falling ill) that I can go to silks class without further foot pain, so at least I'm not *totally* stuck. Thanks for the well wishes, all.

>78 drneutron: Just a couple more? Is that too much to ask?

>79 scaifea: Part of the problem right now is that I have exciting opportunities outside of my degree (book chapters, conferences, potentially guest editing a journal). Also, when I only have the deadlines I give myself it's very easy to shift those deadlines. Ugh. I'm still in the "excited about writing" phase, though, so at least enthusiasm is on my side.

>80 LovingLit: Oh, that insane "what should I have done/be doing?!" anxiety! Free vacations always throw me for a loop. But the silver lining is that I, too, love what I do.

I panicked the night before last when reviewing a library book, and coming across a chapter that suggested it was very nearly the subject of my dissertation. Yikes! But on closer look the region of study is different, and also ... it's kind of wrong. At least, his conclusions are contrary to the findings of my research and analysis, which makes the chapter an interesting point of contrast rather than direct competition.

coming across a chapter that suggested it was very nearly the subject of my dissertation
Yikes! The stuff of nightmares!

>82 London_StJ: Phew on finding an interesting point of contrast!! Take care of your foot and good luck juggling the deadlines. At least you are still in the "Excited about Writing"phase!! ; )

I read my very first Pratchett book this week, Luxx, and I can appreciate why you are weaving your way through them all.

Have a glorious weekend.

9.
Title: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Comic
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: February 2017
Rating: **

Neil Gaiman's Batman comic was very highly recommended by a good, smart friend and Batman superfan, so I was enthusiastic to give it a read. nfortnately, it did not stand up to the hype, and I found it as cumbersome and ridiculous as I find nearly all of Gaiman's writing.

10.
Title: Bad Feminist
Author: Roxane Gay
Genre: Gender Studies
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: March 2017
Rating: ***

I read several essays of Gay's Bad Feminist out of order, which may have impacted my overall impression. Some I found brilliant, others illuminating, and some flat. This is the voice of one contemporary feminist trying to establish a path and self in a field and identity strewn with landmines, and I think this book just a good job of doing just that, even if I don't always enjoy the writing itself. A strong perspective to consider.

11.
Title: Men Explain Things to Me
Author: Rebecca Solnit
Genre: Gender Studies
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: Unfinished
Rating: ****

Rebecca Solnit's essay "Men Explain Things to Me" is a fantastic narrative that clearly articulates the space of the intellectually successful woman in male-dominated industries and spheres. It humanizes the debate of gender inequality and the complicated idea of "mansplaining" (though she maintains, rightly so, that the term itself carries nuances and implications that aren't always productive). In other writing she makes strong arguments as to why feminist and gender studies matter, why it matters that we discuss violence against women, why this is a gendered problem. Well-written and well-argued, I enjoyed Solnit's approachable explanations, but ultimately put the book aside for "preaching to the choir," when I need to specifically focus on my own research.

Hoping that you have a lovely weekend, Luxx.

>87 PaulCranswick: Thank you, dear - I did.

Life has been a whirlwind! In addition to everything else that generally spirals around here, I spoke at two out-of-state conferences in consecutive weeks. I'm slowly starting to catch up on things that need to be done, though, and I'm trying to move forward.

I've read a few books lately ... and have forgotten some of them. Yikes. Here's what I remember.

12.
Title: My Best Friend is Invisible
Author: R. L. Stine
Genre: Children's Horror
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 3.22.2017
Rating: ***1/2

A young boy who is ignored by his parents and highly competitive with his best friend finds his life needlessly complicated when an "invisible boy" arrives and demands a place as the protagonist's best friend. This book was one of the few unread books on my phone when I found myself on a plane with no wifi, having purchased it for my first-grader some time ago. It was actually good fun to go back and read one of a series I enjoyed at six, and proved to be a nostalgic way to pass forty-five minutes. I took joy in the twist of the conclusion.

13.
Title: Romancing the Inventor
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 3.23.2017
Rating: ****

Uninterested in marriage and out-aging the market, a young woman seeks the employ of the country-bound vampire hive for the express purpose of seeking out the "perversion" for which they are known, hoping to better understand her own. She find what she's looking for not in a vampire's embrace, but in the inventor Drone Lefoux. Always delighting in the mad scientist of The Parasol Protectorate, this foray into her future was a fun, if underdeveloped, romp.

14.
Title: Poison or Protect
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 3.24.2017
Rating: **

A hogwash of a novella, Poison or Protect puts Preshea at an aristocratic houseparty on a mission, where she meets a hulking Scotsman who just wants to be bossed around. The romance is as shallow and lackluster as the plot.

>88 London_StJ: Sorry to hear the Carriger novellas were less than enjoyable but now I feel less guilty about skipping them. :)

>89 MickyFine: There are worse things to get caught on a plane with, but they're not really anything to spend money on - and I like Carriger, generally.

Heh, just realized I forgot to list one this morning, which is ironic because a) I read it just last night and b) I submitted a paper proposal on the text just before I posted.

15.
Title: Are You My Mother?
Author: Alison Bechdel
Genre: Graphic Memoir
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: 3.28.2017
Rating: ****

My personal star rating of Are You My Mother? reflects more its scholarly potential than my enjoyment of Bechdel's second graphic memoir. Six years after the publication of Bechdel's first memoir, and more or less concurrent with its debut on the New York stage as a musical, Dykes to Watch out For author Alison Bechdel publishes "a comic drama" purportedly about her mother. Like the work devoted to her father, Bechdel utilizes an intellectual lens to probe her complicated relationship with Helen Bechdel, this time through theory rather than literature, most prominently Freud and Winnicott, with a ghost of Virginia Wolfe lurking along the edges. The result is burdensome, and perhaps telling, as Bechdel attempts to distance herself from affective judgement and engagement by offering parallels in psychoanalytic theory (a suggestion she alludes to, perhaps, as her mother scorns Wolfe for asking for permission to hate her own mother). Though this text will never inspire a great musical production, it is nonetheless intriguing as a literary examination of theory, psychosis, gender roles, and maternity. Bechdel's own awareness of theory and scholarship contribute a sense of gravitas to the assertions she makes, and in turn open her conclusions to academic scrutiny. I won't share my own thesis here, but I look forward to pursuing the project.

>91 London_StJ: I got this one out of the library yesterday - what would your personal enjoyment score be? I shall keep some of your thoughts in the back of my mind as I read.

>92 lunacat: I found it to be very different from Fun Home, which I enjoyed for the sake of reading quite a bit, and have read several times. There's more theory and philosophy than personal narrative here, and when I'm drowning in theory for my dissertation I just don't want to stomach much else. I'd give it three stars, just because I think Bechdel is incredibly talented, and doing something very deep, but it's not what I would consider a "casual." Which is likely the point.

I really enjoyed Fun Home, but I am not sure this latest one pulls me just yet.

>91 London_StJ: - >94 Berly: I think I'll give Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama a look-see, mainly because I liked Fun Home so much. Thanks for the review!

Karen O.

>86 London_StJ: Roxane Gay and Rebecca Solnit are two authors on my radar lately. Also Siri Hustvedt, whose collection of essays, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women, I am reading at the moment. I was kept awake the other night thinking about the essay the book is titles for!
I haven't read anything by Roxanne Gay but have heard about her and intend to seek something out. And I read Men Explain Things to Me earlier this year an loved it, your review encapsulates my feelings about it so well. I now want to read Wanderlust by her, and How to get Lost (or something similarly titled) as well.

>96 LovingLit: I think I picked up Solnit from your reading list. Even if I didn't manage to finish it, I'm glad I read what I did, and think she's really worth reading. Thanks for the book bullet. ;)

>97 London_StJ: oh goodie! Even better then :)
My cup (of books) overfloweth these days, I am itching to get to about ten titles.

Gone a bot quiet over here Luxx.

Hope you are doing fine and that you'll come and see us soon.

Very quiet - but not so in my house! Thanks for checking in.

Life is a roller coaster, but I'm doing my best to focus on the good this month - a photo shoot for winning a pinup contest, my first burlesque performance, a half-marathon, and a couple's photo shoot with Madds to celebrate our twelfth wedding anniversary. Kids are happy and healthy and whole, and there's plenty to keep us occupied.

Dissertation work has been slow coming, but it finally dawned on me why I'm struggling so greatly - the prospectus has been presented to me as a structured, formal document which must follow a prescribed formula. I have never had to write such dull prose, and I'm not inclined to start now. So, while still meeting all formal requirements, I've decided to chuck the formula out the window and write in my own voice, which my adviser also seems to prefer. It's restarted in a much more organic fashion which clearly reflects my voice and research efforts, and I'd be willing to bet it'll go off far better than the dry paper I prepared over the winter.

It also helps that I've taken so much time off to exercise the creative part of my brain - I needed a mental re-set after exams and so forth. Conferences went swimingly, and now I'm focusing on making. It's refreshing.

Reading has been slow, because by the time I make it to bed I'm exhausted. I did finish a few things, though.

16.
Title: Jingo
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: April 2017
Rating: ****

17.
Title: Hogfather
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: April 2017
Rating: *****

Hogfather is a Christmas Carol of another sort, offering hitmen and murder as anthropomorphic personifications and humans alike grapple with the humanity of belief and tradition, and why certain rituals are important to a stable sense of cultural humanity. When the Hogfather goes missing, Death takes over the job, while his granddaughter Susan is pulled from her job as a governess to figure out just what's happened, and how she can both thwart the Auditors who have interfered with humanity, and ensure that the sun does indeed rise the next day. With cameos from the God of Hangovers and the Toothfairy, this Grimm-esque romp is nostalgic and captivating.

18.
Title: Silence Fallen
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Preordered
Date Completed: April 2017
Rating: ***

The premise of the most recent Mercy Thompson novel is so ludicrously orchestrated it prevents all suspension of disbelief, and generally detracts from the enjoyment of the story. The crescendo builds to an aria that does not deliver, and the resolution is as unsatisfactory as the rising action. While I have long loved these characters, I feel like the series is devolving into shark jumping, and I'm not certain I'll continue.

19.
Title: Lady Killer
Author: Jamie S. Rich
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: May 7, 2017
Rating: *****

There's a meme that floats around in retro-enthusiast circles (and perhaps in others?) that depicts glamorous housewives wielding apocalypse-ready zombie-deterring weapony, with the suggestion that the subject would make for an exceptional video game. When I saw the cover of Rich's Lady Killer on a horror comics display on Free Comic Book Day, I had such high hopes that this book would deliver just such a fantasy ... and it did not disappoint. The story follows Josie Schuller, a midcentury housewife, as she tries to have it all - a beautiful home, loving husband, happy family, and a successful career as a hitwoman (as she's been for fifteen years!). Her boss doesn't understand the pressures of domestic bliss, however, and when he gets uppity about Josie's housewifery, things get ugly.

The story is a parallel for the American midcentury experience, and speaks to the romanticization that is of such current interest. Josie is what Mrs. Smith (the Jolie character) should have been, and her adventures and trials are compelling and engaging. The illustrations by Joëlle Jones are a gorgeous amalgamation of retro aesthetic and modern comic art. The book as a whole is very well done, and I'm going to search for more as soon as I hit "post message."

Glad to hear things are going well even if life is generally a bit of a madhouse. Well wishes for the dissertation writing!

Yay! News from Luxx! Sounds like you have indeed been busy, busy. Glad things are going well and I like the sound of using your voice in your paper. Sorry about the latest Mercy Thompson novel. I do so like them. May have to read it anyhow and see for myself. Carry on!!

So, that was a month.

20.
Title: The Last Continent
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 13 2017
Rating: ***1/2

Another Discworld wizard novel, but one I didn't come to hate! Though Rincewind still doesn't advance or develop as a character, the world-building of a fantastic Australia provides a rich landscape on which he can run from everything and make up pathetic excuses, and the parallel narrative of evolution and godly organization gives context and purpose to the endless and futile bickering of the wizards. I won't be sorry to move back to Ankh Morpork and its bustling citizenry, but I didn't find this novel nearly as taxing as all other wizard novels before it.

21.
Title: The Handmaid's Tale
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Dystopian (I hope)
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 14 2017
Rating: *****

The Handmaid's Tale is Margaret Atwood's acclaimed dystopian novel, detailing a horrific, oppressive, and dangerous future in which Christian evangelical terrorists take over the United States and militarily reorganize society to the extraordinary detriment of most, and mostly women. The abuses and pain that follows is made all the more horrific and painful for its believability, and the beautiful prose leaves a heavy weight on the reader's chest. As a friend commented, after I remarked that reading the book before bed was giving me literal nightmares, "It doesn't get any happier." And indeed it doesn't, which I would call a strength (in the light of day). It is moving and thought-provoking, and stands as a dire warning. Very highly recommended.

>103 London_StJ: Excellent comments on The Handmaid's Tale. I'll psych myself up for reading it when my hold comes in. I know, bad Canadian for not having read it already. :P

>100 London_StJ: So, while still meeting all formal requirements, I've decided to chuck the formula out the window and write in my own voice, which my adviser also seems to prefer.
Yeeeha! What a relief that must be for you. I love it when the path becomes clear like that.

I loved The Handmaid's Tale when I read it 2 years ago (or was it last year?). I even got out the DVD of the film to watch afterwards! And now I have the series of it to try and find- a friend emailed me the first episode, and I have saved that to watch at some point. It is a fantastically terrifying tale- imagine if tomorrow all females' credit cards and debit cards just simply stopped working!!?? I mean, it could actually happen if the wrong people were arranging things, right?!

eta: how many times have you read it?

Hi Luxx!! Nice have your voice here on LT! Great review of the Handmaid's Tale. That is a rough one, but so worth the pain.

>104 MickyFine: Atwood has been on my horizon for some time, but I can only remember reading "Happy Endings," a story I taught. I just put several more on my own hold list...

>105 LovingLit: The writing feels much more organic, and much more engaging. I'm handwriting a new draft now, and don't dread it like I was before! This was my first time reading Atwood's novel, and it is terrifying. I loved it, even as it made me feel awful.

>106 Berly: That's the perfect way of phrasing it: "rough one, but so worth the pain." I agree.

I'm currently halfway through two graphic novels, the next Pratchett, and a contemporary horror novel called The Possession. I've started reading again when I'm too tired to do anything else, and it's much more relaxing and fulfilling than watching endless YouTube videos, as I was before.

I think if I read The Handmaid's Tale in this post-truth, post-trump world I would find it a lot scarier than I did when I first read it.

>107 London_StJ: Alias Grace was my first encounter with her as I read it for my required Canadian Literature course in undergrad. Loved it and discovered that my fear of Atwood based on her intimidating reputation was unfounded. :)

>109 MickyFine: Alias Grace was recommended to me by a circus school classmate, and I've put in a library request. I can't wait to get it!

22.
Title: A Head Full of Ghosts
Author: Paul Tremblay
Genre: Horror
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: June 19 2017
Rating: **1/2

My initial rating of Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts was much higher, hovering around three-to-four stars, as the narrative developed. The book is told from the point-of-view of Merry at ages twenty-three (present) and eight (time of events), as she relates the events of her family's involvement with a reality television show centered on her sister's supposed possession and exorcism. Fourteen-year-old Marjorie is (most likely) a schizophrenic suffering a psychotic break-down, but when her doctor is unable to initiate easy improvement her fanatical father turns to a Father Waverly, who convinces the family not only to seek an exorcism, but to agree to a reality television special with the Discovery Channel as an answer to their financial hardships.

The book is largely self-referential and self-reflective, bringing critical attention to tropes common to contemporary horror and drawing strong parallels to popular horror texts, even as it uses the same tropes and borrows the same plots and details. In the first, this is successful, as it leads the audience to become horrified not by the supposed "possession," but the cultural machines that lead a fourteen-year-old girl to feign a possession, and her parents to agree to film crews exploiting her with untold ramifications for financial gain. Marjorie-as-actress provides interesting jump-scares, but it's young Merry's relationship with her sister, and her mistrust of the adults around her, that allows readers a different kind of horror story.

And then it collapses upon itself; the book thinks it is far smarter than it actually is. It is a freshman-Gothic-101 novel, that guy in the coffee shop who one day decided "to be Goth," read Wikipedia articles and watched notable films, and now collects naive 14-year-olds who seek his attention and self-professed authority, but yet has only a shallow understanding of his given subject and no actual drive to become truly informed. This negative attributes come in two forms: the dreadfully painful "blog posts" and the conclusion. The conclusion is particularly ham-fisted, walking a line of bad plagiarism, and ate the remainder of my patience.

The blog, written by Merry under a pen-name, undertakes an analysis of the show "The Possession" fifteen years after it aired. The writing of these chapters is particularly painful, adopting the tone not unlike what adults would assume a fourteen-year-old girl would sound like. Complete garbage in form and function, it's no better in the actual analysis it is supposed to provide, offering buzz words popular in critical fields without generating anything of substance. Suffering through these chapters was made worse when twice the writing was praised - once, when Merry tells the interviewer Rachel that her column had been picked up by a larger publication for its quality, and again when Rachel, a "best-selling author," (1) says "I've read the series of essays on the show three times, now. It's very well written and a compelling criticism and deconstruction, Merry" (256). That Tremblay has to put these words into the mouth of his fictional author, without letting the text stand on its own, speaks volumes to the actual quality of the writing.

It is the conclusion of Merry's story, however, which put the final nails in the critical coffin: I could ignore the terrible blog entries, and wade through the slugged allusions that are basically the book's bibliography, but I could not stomach the poorly-executed appropriation of a much better book for the grand finale. Near the novel's conclusion it is revealed that John Barrett poisons his family just days after the final episode of the show is aired, sparing only young Merry. In her final interview with Rachel, however, Merry reveals that the sequence of events established by the police - of John's communications with a Westboro Baptist church member who urges him to murder them all, of this individual sending John the potassium cyanide, of a broken John poisoning the family's dinner - is wrong. Throughout the story Marjorie has shared stories with Merry, including a morbid tale of a father poisoning all but the youngest child; in her psychotic episodes she swears to the family that they are all going to die; as her episodes subside in Merry's solitary presence, Marjorie convinces the eight-year-old that she is faking, and it's actually their manic depressive father who is possessed. Pulling on this bond Marjorie convinces Merry that John is going to poison them, that she stole the poison, and that they need to slip just a little into the family dinner so the parents pass out and the daughters can escape. And thus Merry finds herself pouring the cyanide into the spaghetti sauce she has a long habit of refusing, only to be betrayed when Marjorie takes a large portion with a wink, and the entire family quickly dies. Merry is found three days later.

But Shirley Jackson does this so much better, in We Have Always Lived in the Castle. In her novel the psychotic sister poisons the sugar she knows all but her favorite sister Constance will eat, killing their family to rid herself of the parental authority figures she mistrusts, and securing the full attention of the sister she adores. Merricat and Constance share endless nonsense stories featuring them both; Marjorie and "Merry monkey" share endless nonsense stories featuring them both. They are sisters separated by six years, initially living with parents they mistrust, and one suffers from a deep-seated psychosis that leaves her imagining violent actions against those around her. Tremblay's appropriation of Jackson's ideas is not clever allusion but unimaginative plagiarism.

Skip this one, and read Jackson's much superior novel instead.

>109 MickyFine: do you mean accessibility-wise? I can't say the style of The Blind Assassin grabbed me (I found it hard to get sucked into the plot), but all others I have read seemed to be more my cuppa.

The reality tv Exorcism books sounds horrifying!

23.
Title: Carpe Jugulum
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 20 2017
Rating: ****

King Verence and Queen Magrat have some new ideas for Lacre, particularly about foreign relations, and so when it comes time to celebrate the naming of their newborn daughter Verence sends invitations far and wide ... including into Uberwald, and the Magpyrs. The Magpyrs are vampires - or, rather, vampyres - and the Count has some very modern ideas, not least of which is that the weaknesses of his race can be undone with a strong will and training, which makes them all the more difficult to dislodge once they've decided to stay and take over Lancre for their own use. The witches aren't having any of it, of course.

>111 LovingLit: Honestly, my fears of Margaret Atwood were partially informed by how scary the caricature of her was on Royal Canadian Air Farce (an old Canadian sketch show) when I was younger.

24.
Title: The Fifth Elephant
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 27 2017
Rating: ****

Glad you are enjoying Pratchett!!

>115 Berly: I am! Then again, I usually do. He's been very comforting this early summer; I just started Thief of Time, which I've never read, so that's fun. I also have an Atwood out from the library, Let the Right One In in my pool bag, and a couple of graphic novels by the bed. ;) I have some reading to get to before vacation!

Hi! How's life? How's the reading? Inquiring mind want to know....!

25.
Title: The Truth
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 10 2017
Rating: *****

My favorite Discworld novel, The Truth follows William de Worde as he and his dwarf companions accidentally invent the newspaper, and negotiate both an understanding of "truth," and the social ramifications of their own industrial actions. In the midst of the hubbub Lord Vetinari is charged with the attempted murder of his assistant, and a dastardly plot unfolds. Charming, engaging, and generally delightful.

26.
Title: Monstrous Regiment
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 13 2017
Rating: *****

Stuck between rocks and with no options in a country ruled by conservative fanaticism, where citizens pray to a Duchess to intervene on their behalf with their mad god, Polly cuts off her hair, dons trousers, and leaves her family pub to join the Ins-and-Outs in a desperate attempt to locate her brother to preserve both her family, and keep the family business. She soon finds that there's none who can be taken at face value in the last bunch of recruits - especially not her sergeant, and they set a course for a final stand in a dwindling war.

27.
Title: I, Vampire
Author: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 14 2017
Rating: ****

Part Blade, part Underwold, and part Batman, Fialkov's I, Vampire: Tainted Love draws inspiration from a long line of action-themed vampire texts to produce a narrative which places vampires in Gotham City. From an ancient vampire-turned-vampire-hunter to a war of races, there's not much that's new, but what's here balances traditions and tropes with engaging characters to present a narrative worth following. I'll certainly be looking for volume 2.

28.
Title: Batman Unseen
Author: Doug Moench
Genre: Comic
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 14 2017
Rating: **

An uninspired take on Batman versus an invisible man.

29.
Title: Queer: A Graphic History
Author: Dr. Meg-John Barker
Genre: Queer Theory
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 14 2017
Rating: ****

Dr. Meg-John Barker and artist Julia Scheele team up to offer an introductory queer theory text that gives the lay of the rocky terrain that makes up the field in this graphic collaboration. Naming names and sharing ideas, Barker and Scheele offer both core figures and dissenting opinions, running through not just the 30-ish years that "queer theory" has been a force, but the fields and specialists who contributed to its development for over a century. Not intended to offer in-depth analysis or direct theory in itself, the book usefully offers key thinkers and theories to inspire further research and offer a greater level of familiarity for those just stepping into the research. Entertaining and informative, it's a good generalist, beginner volume.

>117 Berly: I haven't been around much! Busy with all sorts of hobby stuff, family stuff, and not enough school stuff. Things are generally going well, but I never seem to have enough time in the day to get everything done. :)

>120 London_StJ: I feel your pain. But it is nice to see you every now and then!!

>121 Berly: Thanks for checking in, even when I go AWOL. :)

On my to-do list to day is poodle bathing, so enjoy a picture of a very dirty and very happy Sibyl Vane (from a few weeks ago):

>122 London_StJ: Now we need a picture after bath!

>119 London_StJ: Hi, Luxx. I'm Michael (majleavy) visiting here for the first time, I think. Thanks for the review of Queer: A Graphic History. I'm not a beginner at Queer Theory, but I usually have students who would like to be. Would you judge it accessible to high school students?

>124 majleavy: Hi Michael. Yes, I think it would be accessible for high school students, but to memory there is some sexual content which may or may not pass depending on your location (Masters and Johnson's studies, for example, and fairly benign illustrations of BDSM which represents a smiling fem-bodied person with her hands restrained, and another fem-bodied person in a corset holding a whip). I would use it to teach my college freshmen without hesitation - it's going to prepare students for further study, giving them the key names and ideas they need to understand the actual theoretical writings.

Thanks for stopping by.

>123 FAMeulstee: I didn't manage to take one today, and they're already covered in each other's spit! It's a shame they love each other, huh?

>125 London_StJ: Thanks you, Luxx. I teach in the ghetto, so, for better or worse, I can get away with pretty much anything. I'll probably pick up a copy to share with the few Seniors who might be thirsting for it.

>126 majleavy: I think that's a splendid idea

Thanks!

Loved your poodle pics and would love to see more of them.I also liked your review of the Tremblay book and will most likely get it based on that. I don't know that I would have done so without your review so thank you for that. I do have quite a TBR pile but I will let you know what I think of it when I get to it.

How did the poodle bathing go?
We had to bathe our cat once when, at the point we were all ready to leave the house for work, study and school, the cat came by drenched in mud. We literally didn't recognise him. (I wonder if he fell in a ditch.) We (I) ran a shallow bath and then another one, and it taught me that no matter how pushed for time you are, you actually often do have time to give the cat 2 baths and not be late!

>130 LovingLit: That sounds like both magic and a nightmare.

I try to bathe the pack (three standard poodles and a mutt) once a week, although Hugo is skipped about 50% of the time (and needs it less). The washing is the easy part - my best friend owns a dog grooming salon and has made sure I have all the right tools - but they have to be blown dry to prevent matting, and so each dog takes approximately 45 minutes, with varying degrees of acceptance on their part. This time around I didn't dry them as thoroughly as I should, because I know they're getting a summer shave on Monday, so it went a bit easier.

>129 mmignano11: Happy to add to the mountain of TBR - hope you enjoy!

>131 London_StJ: it was quite an intense experience, as seeing our fluffy cat so thin (with the wet mud clinging to his skin) was shocking. Poor wee fella, he was shivering and frightened too. A good days licking, and he came right again though!!

I can't imagine how you can fit in 2.25 hours a week of dog-blowdrying!!!

Laughing at the bath trials and tribulations.

30.
Title: Going Postal
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 2017
Rating: *****

31.
Title: Night Watch
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: July 2017
Rating: *****

Ah! I missed one! Night Watch is the tale of Vimes being sent back to an impactful moment in his own past in a magical storm, showing the reader how Vimes comes to be the Commander he is known to be in the present, and that connections within the Watch - and the cit establishment - were hard won.

Thought of you when I read this! (even though I'm sure your fashion choices don't hinder your career path which is destined to be stellar on account of your sharp intellect, etc... :))

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/your-love-of-fashion-is-interfering-with-you...

>135 LovingLit: Holy moly! That's hilarious.

"I have overheard some of you telling each other that you look “totally cute” in your “fit-and-flare” dresses and high heels; while that may well be true, you also look totally impossible to take seriously."

32.
Title: Let the Right One In
Author: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Genre: Horror
Medium: Hardcover
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: Finished 65 pages
Rating:

Given the high reviews shared by both book and film, I have long been interested in seeking out Lindqvist's modern vampire novel, expecting a departure from the canon that furthered the genre and character development - after all, it is supposed to be "unlike" all other vampire literature. And this is true to some extent, as it is the first work of vampiric fiction that has entirely failed to raise or keep my interest.

Much of the premise is indeed intriguing, from a complete lack of sympathetic characters to the, albeit not unique, relationship between vampire and Renfield, but the slow pacing and deliberate misdirection feels a bit cheap, and with no character to really hope for I found the early pages to be flat. Yes, the protagonist experiences torment that will enrage and upset many, but outside of the degradation he experiences at the hands of others there are no personally redeeming qualities.

At least, in what I managed to slog through before having to return the book. Had I more time I admit that it may have improved, but I was disinclined to try at this time.

33.
Title: Making Money
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: August 8, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

This is where the industry novels begin to lose their charm for me, as Moist Lipwig achieves the impossible with no plan and sheer dumb luck. As a con artist he may have been outstanding, but the complete impossibility of his schemes as co-chairman of the Royal Bank of AnkhMorpork detracts from the assertions of his creativity and guile and leaves nearly every important thing to chance. Though the premise was compelling and entertaining in Going Postal, the reprisal here does not lend itself to the same charm.

I cannot believe how slow my reading has been this year, but I'm interested to see that eighteen of the thirty-three books I've read have been Terry Pratchett. Even novels I don't hugely favor are reliably entertaining, and good bed table books when I am engaged in other creative pursuits.

I received good news this week - I had another paper accepted for publication, on the heels of turning in final chapter edits for a book being published this winter. As some goals get left behind, i.e. finishing my prospectus in May, it's nice to have some academic work to show for my time.

And now back to corset making, because I have costuming deadlines looming!

>135 LovingLit: That cracked me up as well.

>137 London_StJ: Congrats on having your paper accepted! That's excellent news!

Good luck with corset making.

It is a strange line to walk as a professional female. Do you suit-up to fit in, or trust your own judgement, style and personal taste and to hell with what people think? Luck for me I am not a professional!! ;)

>137 London_StJ: Costumes for what? You make your own corsets? Wow. : )

>140 Berly: I do! This one wasn't overly successful - it turned out beautifully, and too large; that's what I get for strictly following someone else's pattern. REAL corset makers will do muslin mock-ups before the actual product, but that's not the kind of maker I am. ;) I just can't bring myself to make two corsets in order to make one, and I usually have too much going on to even consider. Of course, now I have to make two corsets to have one to wear, but maybe the wife can wear the first draft... And these deadlines are for comic cons.

>139 LovingLit: The satire of the article does hit pretty close to home. Personally, I'd rather be a sore thumb than a faceless finger.

>142 London_StJ: We haven't tried yet, but hopefully we can put it to good use.

>143 London_StJ: Significantly, I wear them for my own amusement, and not for the attraction of "gentlemen" of any age. Broadly speaking, it is still a widely popular aesthetic.

34.
Title: Unseen Academicals
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: August 15, 2017
Rating: ****

When a forgotten bequest forces the wizards of Unseen University to play a traditional game of football - or risk losing the funds for their magnificent cheese board - the leaders of Ankh Morpork are forced to take another look at what has become a brutish game and attempt to, ahem, level the playing field between classes. Of course, the other side - represented by the son of a football legend, the manager of the Night Kitchen, a dim-witted beauty, and a racial other - have their own ideas of sport and their place in the world, and are left to negotiate philosophy and the humanities as they find their own agency in archaic systems.

Downright silly in its machinations, Unseen Academicals nonetheless produces a range of worthwhile chracters and engaging perspectives. While some, like the allusions to Romeo and Juliet, are a bit sloppy, the satirical arch is nonetheless entertaining, and the end result is a "Wizards" book I actually enjoyed.

>145 London_StJ: But that's a volleyball on the cover. *is confused*

35.
Title: Snuff
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: August 26, 2017
Rating: ****

You can take the man out of the city, but the city never leaves the man, and who really wants to look at trees and things, and much about in the dirt? there's work to do! But Lady Sibyl has decided it is time for Young Sam to see the family's country estate, and time for Sam Vimes to take a vacation, and so off the family goes, with Vetinari's blessing - always suspicious - and a shovel and bucket from the Watch. With Wilikins in tow, Vimes walks his property, finds a hermit paid to stay in a grotto on his land ... and the body of a goblin woman, brutally butchered, who is murdered to frame Vimes and whose remains are tossed like so much garbage. Crime is crime wherever one goes, and Sam Vimes can only respond to crime in one way - bringing the culprits to justice, whoever they are.

Fantastically human, I enjoy Snuff for character and social commentary, even if Vimes has become formulaic in his own right - sometimes that formula just works, and is no less entertaining for it. The Vimes family is charming, and where Sam Vimes goes cultural progress seems to happen.

36.
Title: The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satiric Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: August 27, 2017
Rating: ****

The story of the piper is certainly well known, but what about the man behind the piper - the one pulling the strings, making plans, and getting paid? And what if that "man" is actually a "cat," who most certainly didn't eat the garbage behind Unseen University, but nonetheless gained the abilities to think, reason, and speak, and found himself in the company of food rats who could do the same? And maybe the piper is just "a stupid looking kid" the cat found to serve as the face of a lucrative racket, built on the stories that everyone knows - of rats overtaking cities, lead away by pipers who must be paid because otherwise the children will be next (or some other unpleasant thing - he's not particularly tied to the idea of children, but it makes for a dramatic narrative, doesn't it?).

Maurice is just such a cat, and with "the stupid looking kid" and a cadre of rats capable of higher reasoning - and, some at least, of reading, writing, and philosophy - sets out to make as much money as possible, because he has a retirement plan. The rats and the boy are unconvinced of the ethics of the operation, though, and reach a breaking point at which they agree to one more job before retiring from con artistry. This last job, as stories seem to demand, is far more complicated than they originally believe, and an Adventure unfolds.

I am glad you are enjoying some Pratchett. Happy Fall!!

37.
Title: Crimson Death
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Genre: Terrible
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: September 11, 2017
Rating: *

Crimson Death is the latest in the fan-contentious Anita Blake series, and sees Anita traveling overseas to help solve mysterious deaths and vampire risings where no vampire is supposed to be able to live: Ireland. Of course, Anita's vampire-to-call can contest this from the get-go, considering his own long vampiric existence in the country with She-Who-Made-Him, but never one to let her own logic get in the way of a story, Hamilton pushes forward with the block-headed assertion on all Irish lips - they have no vampires.

Of course, given the current turn of the series, that's not really what the novel is about. Sure, it's a different background, but given how little of Ireland, the mystery, or much of anything makes it into the narrative the story may as well still be placed in the midwest. No, the book is once again focused on the social and political negotiations of Anita's sex life - without the entertainment of the smutty bits. For me, the series has always had two draws: the mystery/action narratives, and the paranormal romance. As the stories swing too far either way fans get up in arms, but I rather enjoy both sides so I have been happy with either. Now that Anita has accepted her domestic arrangements, though, the novels are entirely tired talk. Just ... talking. And not conversation that makes progress, reveals character, or otherwise moves the plot. No, this 710-page paperback is almost entirely exposition with a strong flavoring of Anita's sexism, fade-to-black "romance" scenes, and perhaps ten pages of actual action.

For more on the numerous problems of the book, FangsForFantasy has well-communicated some pretty serious issues on the book's page.

I can't remember the last time I read so little in a year, but I've come to realize why: angst over my stalled prospectus, I now feel guilty if I read anything not related to my dissertation, and too overwhelmed to do much research. That ridiculous stops now, though, as I dive back into the comfort genres that always helped me relax, and get back to important writing. These first two were duds, but I've blown the dust off my library card and intend to put it to good use.

38.
Title: Tarnished and Torn
Author: Juliet Blackwell
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: September 25, 2017
Rating: **1/2

39.
Title: Night Shift
Author: Charlaine Harris
Genre: Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: September 27, 2017
Rating: *

I've never read a Midnight, Texas book, and it seems I've landed in the middle of Harris' series. The book has nothing to recommend it, and so I don't believe I'll pursue any further - the characters are flat and dull, the narrative plodding, and the writing sloppy. Harris has clearly been criticized for a lack of diversity in her writing, as the book includes more than one passage like this: "On her way home, Fiji realized that Midnight had its own little rainbow. Madonna and Teacher and Grady were African American, Sylvester was Native American, and though Suzie hadn't lived at the hotel long, she had been born in Hong Kong. Midnight, crossroads of the world, she thought, and smiled to herself" (167). This, in the middle of a supernatural murder mystery involving inexplicable suicides at the town crossroads. Ridiculous tokenism does nothing to save the book.

40.
Title: Oedipus Rex
Author: Sophocles, Trans. Fitts and Fitzgerald
Genre: Tragedy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: September 27, 2017
Rating: ****

A frequent re-read, this time I shifted my attention to the questions of fault, and the hierarchy of Oedipus' sins. Thinking of the fuller mythology of Oedipus, the question of his own hubris becomes less significant to the actions of his parents and those around them, and Oedipus becomes less autonomous and more of a living consequence. Of frequent interest, too, is the subject of unknowing incest versus aware violence - and how the former can barely be named by the characters in the play. The question of taboo as culturally defined and of shifting definition is quite interesting to consider.

Reader, I married her.

My wife and I renewed our vows in high gothy fashion on Friday the 13th, and I am over the moon.

It's been a hell of a time, but life is on the up-swing. I've decided to leave teaching for the foreseeable future, the better to focus on my scholarship and my art. And my family too, really, as I much prefer my pleasant evenings with them to the early mornings of lecture days. Values have shifted a bit, and I'd rather focus on my own happiness.

I've read shockingly little this year, in part because of scholarship anxiety - I "shouldn't" be reading if I'm not doing dissertation research. Well, that's ending too, with some enjoyable fluff:

41.
Title: Imprudence
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Steampunk
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 2017
Rating: ****

A dependable romp. What I am enjoying about Gail Carriger is her willingness to see her narratives through: there aren't always magic solutions, and the consequences she's introduced (i.e. Alpha's sickness) will out.

42.
Title: If Walls Could Talk
Author: Lucy Worsley
Genre: History
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 11, 2017
Rating: ***

I thoroughly enjoy Lucy Worsley's television programs, and respect her professional credentials, so I was a bit surprised with If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. Though I recognize Worsley is writing for a general population, and thus academic expectations are waived, I remain bothered by her lack of citation. Though she gives in-text citations for some primary source documents quoted directly, there are no other citations for the historical facts she asserts: no footnotes, no chapter notes, and no end notes. There is a bibliography at the book's conclusion, but it is arranged only alphabetically, and one cannot always discern from titles the information contained therein. I would greatly appreciate being able to follow some of her research, but would have to start from scratch myself. Surely there is a happy medium to be found between academic citation and public expectations?

On a curious note, I found her assertions on modern homes more enlightening than some of the history with which I'm familiar. Specifically, the difference between what Worsely shares is "usual" in British homes, and what is "usual" in my own American experience. For example, she says on numerous occasions that bathrooms are the only interior doors that retain locks in modern homes; I've never lived or seen an American home that did not have bedroom locks, unless it is a case of a parent replacing the handle of a child's room by way of "discipline." She also suggests that no bed sheets are used, and that people tend towards duvets for covers and nothing else; I changed four sets of sheets in my home yesterday afternoon, including fitted and flat sheets, and 1-2 comforters depending on the preferences of the sleepers. Quite interesting.

43.
Title: The Wide Window
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Children's
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 15, 2017
Rating: ****

Your book #43 is very familiar! Will borrowed it from his cousin this afternoon, and we went to read it together this evening and found that i had left it in the car (which the lovely other took to band practice!). Durn it. We started Huckleberry Finn instead, but the style is a tad tricky for him to 'get'- let alone me trying to read it in character! We'll see :)

>153 FAMeulstee: What fun! I just finished the fifth last night, to stay ahead of our watching of the Netflix series. They have some issues - some of his "definitions" are quite careless, though ultimately without harm, but he refers to someone of indeterminate gender as a "creature" - but I appreciate the agency given to the children.

44.
Title: The Miserable Mill
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Children's
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 16, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

>152 London_StJ: Cogratulations on renewing your vows!

We married on the 13th, sadly not a Friday, but the anniversary is sometimes on a Friday ;-)

Congrats on the vow renewal, Luxx! And I feel like congrats are kind of also in order for taking a step away from teaching. Hopefully life is a little less hectic for you.

>155 London_StJ: >156 LovingLit: Thank you both! The evening was grand, and good things are on the horizon.

Oh, I totally missed the renewed vows post! Congrats.
As for reducing your workload, I for one have always wondered how *on earth* you fitted everything in anyway!! Teaching will wait, and what time it gives you back will be well-used I am sure.

Congrats on the vow renewal! So awesome. I don't think Tomm and I would ever do such a thing (we both hate being the center of attention), but I love the idea tons in theory.

>158 London_StJ: Thank you! It will probably be time spent teaching the kiddos silks; we've spent many an afternoon in the yard together since getting a rig. :)

>159 LovingLit: I long joked that I was in it for the fancy dress, which I'm pleased to say turned out just as I had hoped. We held the shindig at Westminster Hall, where Edgar Allan Poe is buried, and it was appropriately gothic and over-the-top, but still intimate (we had only 65 adults and a dozen children).

I am reminded this month how much I like our local library system. The collection is extensive, the ebook catalog is easy to use, and the hold system is perfect for someone who only ever has time to dash in and out.

45.
Title: The Austere Academy
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Children's
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: October 18, 2017
Rating: ****

And I forgot this one:
46.
Title: Medea
Author: Euripides
Genre: Tragedy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Research Text
Date Completed: October 11, 2017
Rating: *****

Medea is not only the benchmark narrative of woman-scorned, but one of Euripides' controversial efforts, as he places a strong female protagonist in the lead, and challenges notions of heroes and heroism. Having left a trail of carnage in her support of her husband, Medea finds herself forsaken by Jason in Corinth when he is offered the hand of the princess by King Creon. Known as an intelligent sorceress capable of extraordinary violence, Creon banishes Medea and her two sons, but allows her a single day to arrange matters for the benefit of the children. Medea uses this day to exact swift and extensive revenge, before flying off in a rather extraordinary exit.

Medea holds my interest as a guiding primary source for the weapon she uses to punish the king - a poisoned gown she gifts to the (unnamed) princess, with painful consequences.

Silks? As in aerial acrobatics? Holding yourself aloft with narrow sheets of silky cloth?
If so, are there fights over who gets to go next?

>161 LovingLit: That's exactly what it is! I'm a novice - I started taking classes in January - but I love it. When my original school closed and I could only find once-weekly classes, I purchased a rig to practice and play at home. The guys all love it, with varying levels of success. First Born is enthusiastic, but just doesn't listen to instructions; Youngest is excitable but will listen a bit better, and is terrified of going upside down. Middle Child is proving to be my acrobat, and has really taken to it. It's so much fun.

>162 London_StJ: it looks really fun.
I always remember being transfixed by a silks acrobat at a brewery years ago, there she was up in the rafters, cruising about all over the place, and then tumbling down so gracefully!
My first born is a little wary of heights, and little Lenny is more about falling over, off things and into things. So, he might not suit :)

>163 Berly: I have a decent crash pad to catch the errant fliers. ;)

47.
Title: Death Note Volume 1: Boredom
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Genre: Manga
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: October 19, 2017
Rating: *****

Congratulations on the renewed wedding vows!! And on Friday the 13th. Love it. Do we get any pictures? I mean you said high Gothy fashion....

And big life changes. More reading. Aerial acrobatics. Wow!

>165 London_StJ: I have so few pictures! And none are yet online in shareable spaces. But I'll likely share when they come in, because I made my dresses and am quite pleased. :)

48. Death Note Volume 2: Confluence
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Genre: Manga
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: October 31, 2017
Rating: *****

Having one volume under my belt, I find myself reading Death Note a bit more critically - not harshly, but with greater attention to my own research interests. As the investigation tries to circle Kira, the mysterious serial killer causing criminals to die of heart attacks, the FBI sends a dozen agents undercover as part of an investigation of the Kira task force itself. One agent is accompanied by his fiance, a former FBI agent herself, who rose quickly in ranks, showed significant promise, exhibits keen intelligence and ... has left her job, seemingly at her fiance's request, as he tells her her curiosity will be quelled once she is busy caring for their future family. Though I read the concept as antiquated and emotionally abusive, I realize it's not; still, the secondary narrative is jarring. That jolt has proved useful, though, as it reminded me that I can engage with the mental arithmetic of the manga more closely, spotting faults in logic, planning paths for L to discover Kira, and breaking down characters, even as I thoroughly enjoy the narrative as it has been presented. Thus far, well done.

49.
Title: The Blind Assassin
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre:
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: Given up October 31, 2017
Rating:

I understand that I am in an extreme minority in saying so, but I simply did not find the book engaging enough to continue

^ I persevered with this, but it wasn't an altogether pleasurable experience.
My main memory of this book was that I bought it from a little shop in a laneway that was crushed in the earthquake, and I always wondered what became of the bookshop owner.

>169 London_StJ: I think I would find the owner's story much more engaging. Glad I'm not the only one who was less-than-enthralled

50.
Title: Death Note Volume 3: Hard Run
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Genre: Manga
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 4, 2017
Rating: *****

As the search for the mysterious serial killer Kira continues, the dwindling task force masterminded by L turns to Light for aid - even as L tells Light that he remains a suspect in the case. Things are interestingly complicated when a copycat comes to light, with all of the power and none of the panache of Light-as-Kira. The story continues to grow in a way that makes narrative sense, and thus maintains great interest.

51.
Title: Batman: Arkham City
Author: Paul Dini and Carlos D'anda
Genre: Comic
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 4, 2017
Rating: ****

Apparently writing in support of a video game, Paul Dini's Arkham City tells the story of aftermath and retribution - one that sees the construction of a prison compound known as "Arkham City," where costumed villains and street thugs alike are detained indefinitely as ordered by martial law under the new mayor. As Batman seeks to uncover the endgame, the rogues gallery scramble to establish their power in this new space, and chaos reigns as they try to maintain the old. If not the most compelling arc, still an interesting premise.

Delurking to say Hi! My daughter would love that one ^^.

>172 London_StJ: Excellent!

52.
Title: Death Note Volume 4: Love
Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Genre: Manga
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 8, 2017
Rating: *****

In the fourth volume of the game is changed by the introduction of a second Death Note, and its keeper - an aspiring model named Misa Misa, who is a shell of a character upon which heteronormative stereotypes and fantasies have been written. She's painful to read, especially as a representative of one's own identification category, but her shingami adds depth to the story, as well as a cliched conundrum - love.

53.
Title: Othello
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work text
Date Completed: November 2017
Rating: *****

This semester a student's comment changed my perspective on a previously-loathed character: Desdemona. I have long read her as flat and uninteresting, always bothered by her excessive obedience. The student asked, though, if Desdemona doesn't reason that Othello has a right to do as he does - a right to decide whether she lives or dies (not that she's correct, but if this isn't her motivation. It was a curious question, and at first I was flippant, but thinking more about Desdemona and the possibility of a kind of Stockholm Syndrome lead me to think more deeply about why Desdemona may be as flat and obedient as she is. I'll save my argument for a more appropriate medium, but my perspective has been usefully changed.

54.
Title: Titus Andronicus
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work text
Date Completed: November 2017
Rating: *****

One subject I always introduce when discussion Titus Andronicus is vilification and the establishment of heroes; more specifically, I argue that audiences favor Titus for no good reason, and vilify Tamora because she is a sexual and sexualized female character in a cast of war-like men. Tamora's actions are that of a conquered queen spurred on by the gruesome death of her oldest son at the hands of her captor. Titus, alternatively, shows dedication to government and state over the well being of his family, to the extent that he slaughters one of his few remaining sons because the son dared to defend his sister Lavinia. There is a question, too, of Titus' actions and state of mind, and I ask students if Titus is mad ... and when this madness may have begun (i.e. not when Lavinia's attack is discovered). It is possible, we generally conclude, that Titus suffers from an affliction before he even returns to Rome, perhaps suffering from PTSD from forty years of active military service, and the death of twenty-one sons.

55.
Title: Batgirl Number 14: Terror in the Third Dimension
Author: Bryan Q Miller, Lee Garbett, Trevor Scott
Genre: Comic
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 2017
Rating: ***

Bought for a particular scene relevant to research. Not enthralled with the story itself, but the scene will prove useful.

56.
Title: Gone Gull
Author: Donna Andrews
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 22, 2017
Rating: ***

By removing Meg Langslow to a remote mountain crafting camp, owned and operated by her newly-discovered grandmother Cordelia, Donna Andrews has neatened up the difficulty of her overly-abundant cast of characters, which have come to drown many recent plots. The tempo, snooping, and resolution are all consistent with the series, but I'm ready to give her up over cultural differences. Much like leaving off Victoria Thompson's Gaslight mysteries for her literal vilification of gay women and queer characters, I'm not entertained by the puritanical bent of the series. I started to write much more, but would rather leave off and forget it than rant. Just time to move on.

>174 PaulCranswick: Hmmm, that's an interesting take on Desdemona.

This is a time of year when I as a non-American ponder over what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for this group and its ability to keep me sane during topsy-turvy times.

I am thankful that you are part of this group.

I am thankful for this opportunity to say thank you.

On this day of American Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things, one of them being



Thank you for being so wonderful! : )

>175 Berly: It's not fully developed, obviously, and may never be, but I appreciate when my readings and assumptions are challenged, and I can see characters in a different light. It's especially nice after nearly ten years of teaching the same work.

>176 London_StJ: >177 London_StJ: Warmest wishes to you, too!

57.
Title: Black Butler
Author: Yana Toboso
Genre: Manga
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 25, 2017
Rating: ***

A colleague is writing about the Black Butler manga series for her dissertation, and given my recent success with Death Note I thought I would give it a try; the narrative takes place in an alternate-history Victorian England, and focuses on a mysterious butler and his young lord, so I thought it would be right up my alley. Alas, it is a blend of some of the elements I love in Death Note, and all of my previous assumptions about manga and anime: lots of screaming, no sense of reality and extraordinary "adventures" (particularly pertaining to the cartoonish and cringe-worthy trio of staff), and a saturation of "yoouuuuuuu are soooooo cuuuuuuuuuute!" (spelling not exaggerated).

58.
Title: The Ersatz Elevator
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Children's
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 26, 2017
Rating: ***

59.
Title: Black Butler, Volume 2
Author: Yana Toboso
Genre: Manga
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: November 26, 2017
Rating: ***

To give the IP a fair shot, I read the second volume. I liked it no better.

60.
Title: Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Author: Therese Oneill
Genre: Power trip Cultural History
Medium: Ebook
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: Abandoned December 3, 2017
Rating: *

For those who truly know nothing of the Victorian era, this could be a fine book for starters. For those who enjoy being told they are stupid and frivolous and know nothing, this may even be a fun book. If one is neither of these things they should avoid this flippant glossing of some cultural history and read any of the many many texts available that are much better written and better researched (Ruth Goodman's How to Be a Victorian is good, and the field continues to support the work of Judith Flanders, such as The Victorian House).

The premise of the book is that the omnipotent narrator and keeper of all things Victorian has whisked poor little you away from the comforts of your modern life and popped you down in a comfortable household in the late nineteenth-century. You will be called "child" throughout, as she puppets you through your ridiculous modern ways of romanticizing the nineteenth-century. The narrator is more invested in teasing what she perceives is modern understanding than actually educating the reader, and her carelessly flippant remarks are likely to generate their own misconceptions (no, wearing a shift in public is not going to have one sent directly to an asylum, although eccentric behavior like this would certainly be used as an argument for such removal). She is pedantic and condescending and at times hyperbolic, offering a history that is as incomplete as the novels and films she criticizes.

I am a Victorianist, but I am not a Ruth Goodman nor a Judith Flanders, so I frequently seek out cultural histories to help extend my knowledge of the material world represented in the literature of my field. This may be the worst I have come across.

That sounds truly awful. Since the bar is set pretty low right now, I can say with high confidence that I am sure you will have better luck on the next one!!

She is pedantic and condescending and at times hyperbolic, offering a history that is as incomplete as the novels and films she criticises.
Yikes. I guess it was the cover that was responsible for any sales this one had then?

Also, I only just realised that 1313 Cemetery Lane is the Addams Family mansion- isn't it? I was watching an Addams family film around Halloween time, and thought how much Morticia is like Vampira, as seen most recently by me, in the Ed Wood film. Elvira too rocks that look....

>180 LovingLit: I did! But largely because I read my favorite play. :)

>181 London_StJ: I mean, the cover certainly caught my eye, so I'd wager it's been successful elsewhere.

>182 London_StJ: It is! And Morticia is the OG of that fabulous look - Charles Addams started publishing his cartoons in 1938, Vampira was first created in the early 1950s, and Elvira joins the crowd in the 1980s. Her (Cassandra Peterson's) in-person look is far different, yet still stunning:

61.
Title: Waiting for Godot
Author: Samuel Beckett
Genre: Drama
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Work text
Date Completed: December 4, 2017
Rating: *****

That's better

Tomorrow is my last day of work, and perhaps my last day of teaching for good. I'm excited to move on, and invest my energy in other ventures!

Congrats on the penultimate day of work!

>185 MickyFine: Thank you! Exams administered, and the results run from provocative and thoughtful to "Godot is an asshole." (Not kidding - that was the conclusion to one exam.)

Now to finish those Shakespeare essays, and it's off to the holidays.

>186 London_StJ: Godot is an asshole. LOL

Good luck with the Shakespeare essays. Which play(s) are they on?

>187 MickyFine: I assigned a paper of definition on tyrannical concepts - the tyranny of heroism, the tyranny of gender, the tyranny of "x." Students have to offer their definition of choice, and support it with Othello, Titus Andronicus, or both. Many do quite well with it, but the student from above argued that Shakespeare is a satanist who is "wrong in the head" and is famous for "spreading his sadistic fetishes!" (exclamation included). I remarked that he should support his assertions with careful analysis.

>188 LovingLit: Oy. No wonder you need a break from teaching.

>186 London_StJ: Godot is an asshole! Classic, what a one liner to end an exam on!!

>186 London_StJ: Yes well he/she has a point, but of itself it is probably an insufficient point to merit an A grade!

Hope your weekend has been a good one, Luxx.

>191 LovingLit: That's just the kicker! When I tell this story in person I tend to get thoughtful nods. "Well, yeah, I can see that" ... until I confirm that that's all the student had to say on the subject. Support assertions! I would have appreciated an essay that adopted this novel approach, and actually developed the idea...

But as of this morning I am well and truly done - all grading has been returned, and I can turn my attention to the stitching and baking and rehearsals of December. I hope you're all enjoying the season, whatever it means for you!

Yeah! Congrats on getting all your marking in (which is what we call grading). That must feel great.

Congrats on completing all your marking! Enjoy all the pre-holiday festivities. :D

Thank you, thank you!

Yay! Done. You get an A+. Have fun with all the holiday hoopla now.

62.
Title: Raising Steam
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Satire
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 13, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

And thus ends my sequential reading of Terry Pratchett's Discworld (although I still have the Tiffany Aching series to enjoy). Steam power comes to Ankh-Morpork at the hands of an intelligent country boy named Dick Simnel, drawing the investor Harry King into business with the city itself, as Vetinari realizes the new engine's political and economical potential. Iron Girder makes a great show at the aid of the dwarfish king, and the world continues to shift just a bit. Not the wittiest of the series, but a good read for any who enjoy the exploits of Moist.

At the conclusion of the series I am left unsatisfied - but I also know that Hat Full of Sky is the true farewell, and intend to start the new year with the YA companion series.

63.
Title: Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse
Author: Chris Riddell
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 16, 2017
Rating: ****

This darling little chapter book is a series of allusions featuring Ada Goth, daughter of Lord Goth, who is "mad, bad, and dangerous to gnomes" (2). Yup. And it gets better. With tongue so firmly in cheek it may come out the other side, Riddell spins a jest of a gothic story for an audience far too young to understand the exhaustive list of puns and allusions (to gothic literature, eighteenth- and nineteenth-century authors, romantic poets, and the like), but will nonetheless grasp the good humor and engaging story. What's more, I'm delighted by the idea of a young person coming across the source material later in life, and experiencing that dawning moment of recognition - even if they don't remember the exact source of their introduction. Ada is an intelligent and endearing protagonist, with charming companions, but I must lodge one complaint to the author: "pumps" are high-heeled shoes, and certainly not slippers one would wear for tightrope walking.

I feel like I'm forgetting a book, but I have about 15 going at the moment so who knows where my head is. Right now I'm scrambling to complete Yule gifts, bake cookies, and rehearse for an out-of-state show for which I was invited to perform. I've submitted a prospectus draft, finished all formal employment, and made good progress on my spring company launch. The world is going to pieces, but my bubble is promising at the moment.

64.
Title: Goth Girl and the Fete Worse than Death
Author: Chris Riddell
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 17, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

65.
Title: Goth Girl and the Wuthering Fright
Author: Chris Riddell
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 19, 2017
Rating: ***

Heh, the novelty wears quite quickly; I have a feeling I would have enjoyed these two more if I did not read the three back-to-back.

Awesome review of Goth Girl! Maybe I won't read all three at once...! I am so glad your particular bubble is a happy one. : )

Happy Yule Book Flood!

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Well wishes, everyone, and thank you for stopping in on your holiday travels!

>199 ronincats: I think they could be quite sweet, if spaced out.

66.
Title: How to Be a Victorian
Author: Ruth Goodman
Genre: Nonfiction
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition:Purchased
Date Completed: December 20, 2017
Rating: *****

A far far (far far far) superior book to O'Neill's folly, How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life thematically explores the realities of nineteenth century life with none of the hyperbole of Unmentionables, but with pleasant personality, an authoritative yet approachable tone, and solid research. From Clothing and privies, meals, work, disease, and Victorian sex, Goodman offers a solid understanding of what life is actually like in the nineteenth century, without the romanticism of Victoriana. Easy to read and wonderfully informative, I'd highly recommend Goodman's text.

67.
Title: How to Train Your Dragon
Author: Cressida Cowell
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library
Date Completed: December 23, 2017
Rating: ****

Recommended by a circus school colleague, How to Train Your Dragon is not the tale of Hiccup and Toothless as told by film, but a far more down-to-earth and relatable YA novel about a ten-year-old Viking heir who doesn't quite have what it takes. Charming and quick, I'll certainly be passing this off to my own children.

68.
Title: How to Be a Pirate
Author: Cressida Cowell
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 25, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

A cute sequel, with well-paced narrative development and consistent character.

69.
Title: The Vile Village
Author: Lemony Snicket
Genre: YA
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 26, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

Happy Boxing Day!!

>205 London_StJ: And to you!

70.
Title: How to Speak Dragonese
Author: Cressida Cowell
Genre: YA
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 26, 2017
Rating: ***1/2

Though the historical accuracy of Cowell's How to series would be best described as fantasy with a dash of satire, the third book is charming for its inclusion of Romans-as-Viking-enemies. Hoping to distract their adversaries, allowing them to harvest as many dragons as possible (for food and leather, yuck), the Romans execute a plan to kidnap heirs to rival Viking villages, framing the other and setting the factions to war against one another. As the Hooligan heir, Hiccup is captured, along with Fishlegs and Toothless, and taken to a Roman fortress. There, the young hero is forced into a gladitorial ring, wher ehe has to use wits rather than might to work his way out.

71.
Title: Lady Killer 2
Author: Joelle Jones
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Pre-ordered
Date Completed: December 26, 2017
Rating: *****

After the fallout of Lady Killer, hitwoman-and-housewife Josie Schuller has gone into business for herself, but it's not easy starting one's own firm. With no support staff to handle cleanup, Josie is forced to go back to her roots - and to take much less glamorous clientele. When an old associate slinks back and offers to partner with Josie as her cleanup, she begrudgingly accepts his offer, and ends up with much more than she bargained for. Just as strong as the first installment, Lady Killer 2 features stunning illustrations, a perfect blend of mid-century nostalgia and contemporary horror, and an engaging story that keeps the reader hooked.

72.
Title: The Beauty
Author: Jeremy Haun, et al.
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 27, 2017
Rating: ****

"Beauty" is a disease - an STI, more specifically, which refines the carrier's appearance to ethereal levels. But what carriers don't realize is that they are living on borrowed time. Though head-bashingly clear as a critique on society's investment in physical appearances, the concept of a desirable disease, and commercial conspiracies to block a cure nonetheless resonate. Predictable, but largely enjoyable.

73.
Title: Romancing the Werewolf
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Medium: Kindle
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 15, 2017
Rating: ****

Whoops, forgot one. It's so lovely to see Biffy grown up and in charge.

74.
Title: Sweet Tooth Volume 1
Author: Jeff Lemire
Genre: Graphic Novel
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: December 28, 2017
Rating: ****

A boy with horns lives in hiding in the woods with his deeply-religious father, convinced that literal hell exists beyond the treeline. When his father dies of a plague all are said to carry inside, young Gus is left along for the first time, knowing how to nourish his body, but completely unprepared to live in total isolation. When he's hunted by two men who've ventured into his preserve Gus is saved by a literal nightmare, and sees a world that has before only existed in the stories of his father. Cryptic in its writing, Sweet Tooth is nonetheless easy to navigate for its adherence to genre conventions, pulling on common dystopian themes now familiar to most. Intriguing and wonderfully drawn.

Happy New Year! I made 75!

75.
Title: Wee Free Men
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: YA Fantasy
Medium: Hardback
Acquisition: My wife's
Date Completed: December 31, 2017
Rating: *****

It's only just this moment struck me, as I grab the book cover URL, that the title and cover effectively erase the protagonist and plot of the book, perhaps in favor of appealing to a broader audience. Everyone knows that books about girls are only for girls, while books about boys (and Wee Free Men) are really for anybody...

Wee Free Men is not about men, but rather about a no-nonsense, capable, intelligent nine-year-old girl named Tiffany who keeps her head in extraordinary events, such as when her obnoxious little brother is stolen by a faerie queen, and wants to be a witch - or may already be one. The Wee Free Men are a clan of pictsies who help Tiffany, after she's proven herself to their amazement, and are effective for quick transportation, head-butting, and comic relief. Tiffany Aching is a fabulous character, and the series is one for all ages and gender identities.

Whoohooo! Way to finish strong. : )

Hope you have an equally fantastic year of reading in 2018.

Congratulations on reaching 75, Luxx!

erase the protagonist of the book, ach, crivens! you're right (did I remember the curse correctly)?

Huzzah for reaching the magic number!