Thoughts of a Snarky Writer

How Nichey is THIS?!

2012-02-10T10:15:00.001-06:00

My dissertation director sent me this today. Since chunks of my dissertation deal with the (neo)medievalism of ASOIAF, I understandably nearly wet myself. I suspect my next meeting with her will consist of "yeah, here's that half-chapter you wanted and it's crap. What should I write for this CFP?"

Getting a paper published in a collection like this would look SO AWESOME on my CV.

Opening Week Review: The River

2012-02-08T15:04:00.000-06:00

Six months ago, renowned nature show host and explorer Emmet Cole went missing in the Amazon. Now his beacon has been reactivated and his family is going looking for him--bankrolled by a production company that wants to make the whole thing into a documentary. But Cole wasn't just interested in nature; he was also searching for magic. And he may just have found it.

The two-hour premiere of The River was actually two episodes back-to-back, but it didn't lose much impact because of that. Overall, the show is creepy, contains a myriad of jump-scares and monsters/legends that American audiences don't usually run across, and the director of photography really knows what he's doing. On the other hand, there were several places where things plain didn't make sense or tiny errors or "misses" in acting made me giggle instead of shriek.

I will definitely be watching the next 6 episodes of this show. The pilot and second episode were both very strong overall, which bodes well for the rest of the show. Once it really gets its feet under it, The River should take off running.

And now, for your reading pleasure, the chat my sister (PS) and I (SW) had while watching this together. Warning: it's full of gratuitous caps-lock, swearing, and completely contextless spoilers. On the other hand, I did take out all the asides about our cats and getting the videos to sync up so we were watching the same thing at the same time. Enjoy!

SW: Ew bugs!

PS: where bugs??? Isaw a snake...I might be a minute or two behind you.

SW: He had a bug.

PS: Was that what that thing was? I just figured it wasanother snake!

that makesthat way more disgusting! it was huge!

SW: The logo for his show is really interesting.

PS: Yea it is. Leslie Hope is really pretty.

SW: I like her hair.

PS: me too

SW: The dude's got a point. He's probably dead.

PS: Yea, seriously.

SW: He's probably a ZOMBIE!

PS: Haha!

Ugh. The networkpeople are jerks. We won't help unless you both go. Lame.

SW: LET THE MAN FINISH HIS PHD!

SW: BIG TREES.

BIRDIES

I HAD NO IDEASTEVEN SPIELBERG WAS INVOLVED IN THIS

PS: Did you see the cool flying camera thingie"

SW: Yeah, that's nifty!

PS: I want one!

SW: Holy crap. They've got a long way to go. "We'reclose" my ass.

PS: what was it, like 100 km?

SW: Yeah.

I wonder howthey're going to keep this going for a series.

PS: I was wondering the same thing

SW: Ha!

"You'rewearing the wrong shoes."

"Yes. My name's Sammy."

Fastest 100 kmever.

SW: YOU'RE GOING IN THE RIVER?!

YOU ARE ANIDIOT!

THERE'S ALLSORTS OF ICKY THINGS IN THERE!

PS: O_O I would NOT be jumping off a boat in that area.especially dressed like that!

SW: Oh, and a cage.

I TOLD YOU HEWAS DEAD.

PS: ....really? they found that tiny beacon that quickly inthat nasty water?

SW: It was in the cage.

Of COURSEsomething tried to break out. ZOMBIES.

SW: Wait, who's this chick?

PS: the super intense angry blonde chick?

SW: Yeah.

PS: Haha "It is [untranslatable]"

SW: Also, of COURSE the natives don't want to go there.THERE'S ZOMBIES.

PS: the missing camera man's daughter...according to theblurb on the screen. I guess he went missing with the main guy...?

SW: Ah. I missed it. She just kind of popped up out ofnowhere.

PS: even the name of the place they're going sounds like abad idea.

SW: BUGS AGAIN

LOTS OF BUGS

AND A CREEPYPROBABLY HAUNTED BOAT

PS: I was half expecting the dragonflies to belike...carnivorous and nom someone

SW: Ha!

ZOMBIEDRAGONFLIES

Yeah, let'syell in the creepy evil place. Because that's a good idea

PS: and of course. let's go down into the creepy ship.

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww snakes

SW: And banging

WHY WOULD YOUHAVE A PANIC ROOM ON A BOAT?!

PS: DON'T OPEN THE PANIC ROOM!!!!!!

SW: THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA!

PS: how about you get a gun instead of an iv?

SW: "Who knows what shape they could be in?"ZOMBIFIED!

"Stop farting around." Ha!

PS: ....I have a hard time believing with the condition thatship is in, that it would be so easy to get the power up again

SW: Maybe they brought over a generator from the other ship?

PS: maybe. It would be the only real logical explanation

nooooooo don'topen the door!!! *covers eyes*

SW: Mmm, death smell.

PS: or maybe covering my nose would be more appropriate

SW: What is that a shrine to?

PS: I'm not sure. I was trying to figure that out. And whatthe painted on the floor.

O_o

SW: HOLY SHIT

PS: EXPLODE!!!!!!

SW: IT'S A BEAR

OR A ZOMBIE

PS: O_O a giant zombie bear!!!

SW: Ghost friend?

PS: ghost friend? Yep. They totally should have listened toher when she said not to open the panic room.

SW: AMIGO PHANTASMA.

THAT ISAWESOME.

PS: I know right? I love it!

aw. He has agood bedside manner haha.

SW: Worst. Pickup line. Ever.

SW: I have always wondered why more people don't punch thecamera men!

PS: I know, right?

He looks like askinny version of Mr. T.

SW: Ha!

"No megusta being scared, little girl."

PS: hahaha that was awesome

She lookscreepy. Then again...she does have the ghost friend.

SW: Wait, what did she say? About Emmett?

PS: which part?

SW: Something about him getting sick and them burying him?

PS: oh, no. the producer. trevor...travis...? The guy in thepicture.

SW: OH okay

PS: ooooooooh emmett is a zombie. or something.

SW: I TOLD YOU IT WAS ZOMBIES

OR MAYBEBRAZILIAN VAMPIRES

OR THECHUPACABRA

PS: They just said Emmett was going out with no supplies, nofood, etc for nights at a time. Right?

SW: Yeah. Protected by magic.

PS: no it's corp...s...something. The dry spirit. Orsomething. Yea.

I love how heunderstands random bits of what she says.

SW: Hell sent it back, though. And it needs blood.

THE ZOMBIESBROKE YOUR RAFT

THE ZOMBIEBEAR IS BACK!

PS: GIANT ZOMBIE BEAR!!!!!!!!

PS: she's a creepy creepy girl. Maybe because she knowswhat's going on and she tells them with such a deadpan face.

SW: Yeah.

Typical. It'lltake two days so he gets two hours.

PS: yup

Bats!!!

SW: Why do they even ask how long it will take? Just tellthem they've got 2 hours and let them sputter about it.

PS: I know, right?

ok, so we havetwo hours, so we're gonna stand in the water and talk

SW: How bout you shut up and finish this so we can get outof the water?

I bet theyfind a body

PS: why would you send the injured girl into the water? Sheis the injured girl, right?

SW: Yep

She's a fontof random, weirdly placed information

IS HE WALKINGON WATER?!

PS: HE IS

SW: AND FIRE!

AND SCARY!

PS: I bet Emmett is the dry spirit...thing...

Or not. Iguess it's Trevor.

SW: You are all stupid. And insane.

If he startssniveling about being "so scared' and apologizing to his family, I'lllaugh.

PS: I know, right?

SW: You were saying about Blair Witch?

PS: That's what it reminds me of.

Man....guilttrip family arguments.

SW: That bit especially

Ouch!

Oh, snap!

That enginedoes not sound . . . healthy

PS: I can see how easy it would be to cheat on someone likethat though. If he was always out "chasing magic" or whatever.

Nothing inthis show sounds healthy...

SW: Disaster strikes in 3 . . 2 . . .

PS: "We're clear! We're gonna make it!"hahahahahahahaha

SW: YOU WANT TO TALK TO THE GHOST TO SEE IF WHASSISFACE ISALIVE? ARE YOU INSANE?

PS: and how exactly does he expect to ask that thing ifemmett is alive...?

You are theonly smart one, mr. gun grabby guy!

SW: YOU THINK YOU CAN SHOOT A GHOST?!

PS: dead cameraman in 3...2...

SW: Zombie bear!

PS: what if it's not a ghost, though? Then the gun makesperfect sense!

SW: True.

If it's azombie bear, the gun's a great idea

PS: DON'T GO OUTSIDE, DUMMY!!!!!!!!

SW: Are we missing a cameraman?

Or two?

Oop, one down

PS: O_O

WHY,commercials, WHHHYYYYYYYYYYY?

It kind oflooked like it was playing with it's food haha.

SW: "What do you mean he's dead?" WTF DO YOU THINKI MEAN?

You know whatthis boat needs? Oars.

PS: I know, right?

SW: And a gunman who doesn't fire half a mag and then ditchthe gun.

Idiot.

Yeah, thecutting's a GREAT idea. Because you're not surrounded by ALL SORTS OF BACTERIA.

PS: ....why is he feeding this thing...?

or does thatmake it go away?

SW: So he can trap it

PS: ooooooooh ok

O_O

oh. I guessthey can talk to it.

SW: That's your "twice for alive"?

Real greatcommunication method, there

PS: I know right? It cut me! He's alive!

SW: Um, if the cameras have mics, then covering them upisn't going to help your phone call. Idiot.

PS: Maybe he forgot about the mic?

SW: Maybe.

PS: and now time for the making up after the guilt tripargument.

SW: AND the shoe's on the other foot

IT'S SCARYZOMBIE-MAKING BLACK MAGIC

PS: half the time, she looks way too young to be his mom

cue ominouslightning

SW: end of part one

SW: "You're not really gonna learn English ever, areya?"

SW: Bug bite tracking is actually not a bad idea

Guilt trip FTW

PS: i know, right?

SW: WHY WITH ALL THE BUGS?

OH MY GOD EEWEWEWEWEW

SHE'S CREEPYAS HELL

DRAGONFLY POSSESSION IS NO LAUGHINGMATTER

EMMET TURNEDINTO A DRAGONFLY

PS: wtf?!!!

SW: LOOK I HAVE TO PEE. WITH THE CAMERA. DON'T QUESTION ME

PS: and...cameraman is gonna die

SW: Or find a gravestone

PS: hahaha "do you hear something?" you're in aJUNGLE. of COURSE you hear something.

SW: LOL

PS: Did they just leave the camera guy behind?

SW: MORE CREEPY KIDS

I don't evensee what they're looking at

WHAT THE FUCK

PS: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

SW: THAT WAS THE CREEPIEST THING EVER

PS: HOLY CRAP

SW: CORRECTION, THIS IS THE CREEPIEST THING EVER

PS: I am officially scared of monkeys.

SW: WHO WOULD DO THIS?

AND WHY?

PS: of course you've heard about places like these

SW: Yeah. Cause she's the random information girl.

PS: oh yes...let's camp in the creepy doll graveyard thingie

SW: YOU ARE ALL INSANE

PS: i love how they can just do normal things like brushtheir teeth. I would be in my tent, with a gun. screw brushing my teeth.

SW: Why are we foregrounding that doll I

HOLY SHIT

PS: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHh

did he take his bear out of the tree beforethat doll turned to look at him?

SW: I didn't notice. I was to busy being CREEPED OUT AS FUCK

PS: he did. YOU HAVE ANGERED THE DOLL.

the dolls aregonna kill someone.

SW: Don't they always

PS: of course.

SW: There's a reason that guy wrote a song about creepydolls

PS: I love the look on that kid's face. "I'm trying tobe serious. Really."

SW: Wait, your old shaman knows about pendulum clocks?

PS: I wonder if the shaman knew about creepy dolls.

SW: He named his bear after a character in A ChristmasCarol.

Of course, hedid.

PS: wait..how did his dad get his bear back out of theIndian Ocean?

SW: It probably floated

PS: hm. I would think unless he grabbed it really quickly,it would have gotten soggy and started sinking.

SW: This conversation is way too long. Shut up and explainthe dolls

PS: i know, right? This is why I'm debating the bear.

SW: They're even creepier in night vision

PS: It would be the camera man.

It's gonna bethe doll behind him

SW: THE ONE BEHIND HIM IS LOOKING AT HIM

WHY DO YOUWANT THE DOLL TO OPEN ITS EYES YOU IDIOT

OH HOLY SHIT

Why do theykeep putting the dolls in the foreground like that?!

PS: DOLL ATTACK!!!!!!!!

SW: In 3 . . . 2 . . .

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Quicksand!

PS: Wouldn't you think if she and her husband did all thisstuff...she would know you don't freak out in quicksand?

SW: You'd think

HE MADE HISBEAR EXTRA CREEPY

Of course, itlooks like she's being pulled down, not just sinking

PS: Although...yea. I was thinking she was sinking too fastfor normal quicksand

Oh there theyare. I wondered where they'd ended up

SW: Hm, it's a family thing.

Uh, dude,"less than half a foot of water" just sucked her in up to her chest.

PS: I know, right?

SW: NOW WE'RE TELLING GHOST STORIES.

IN THE MIDDLEOF THE NIGHT.

IN THE MIDDLEOF THE CREEPY DOLL JUNGLE.

THIS IS ABRILLIANT IDEA.

PS: I think it's her explanation for what was trying to pullher underwater

SW: Yeah, but still.

PS: Hahahahaha, of course it's mad you took it's toys.

SW: Dude. You're an idiot.

The bear's likeNOOO DON'T LEAVE ME HERE. *jump out of tree*

PS: hehe

either that orthe kid was like "your bear? FINE. HERE."

SW: LOL

Or the tree'slike, "PTOO."

PS: heehee

the kid islike "too late. you took it. I don't want it back, I just want to killyou."

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK

SW: The tree just sneezed creepy dolls

PS: I think the ghost kid/tree is having a tantrum

are the dollsgiggling...?

SW: Are the dolls running after them?

PS: it wants your bloooooooooood

SW: "What, so the tree brought us back here?" It'sas good a theory as any.

Again with thewater

PS: Nomnomnom

Sorry. Icouldn't resist.

SW: Wait, so they're going to find her mom, dig her up, anddump her in the river?

PS: Sounds like it

SW: This is a brilliant idea. /sarc

PS: I bet it works.

SW: Probably.

WHO WOULD HAVETHIS IDEA?!

HOW ARE THOSEBONES HOLDING TOGETHER?

PS: wait....what's holding the skeleton together?

SW: "My mother? You brought me a skeleton."

"Gameover, man! Game over!"

OH MY GOD

PS: Somehow...that doesn't surprise me

SW: Oh, it's the mom. Okay.

PS: Nah, not hurt, just traumatized for life.

Millions ofdollars in therapy.

SW: And full of Amazon river water

Needantibiotics stat

PS: I know, right?

Blech. Can'teven imagine what was in that water besides ghost kid.

SW: And skeleton

PS: Are the random growly noises the boat or jungle noises?

SW: I can't tell

Any second,she's gonna cough up a bug.

PS: Yep

SW: Called it.

PS: Poor girl though. That whole thing seemed insanelypainful

SW: Yeah.

We don't need the flashbacks. It was 20minutes ago. We remember.

PS: Hahaha "so how was your day?"

SW: I keep looking for something behind them in the jungle

PS: O_O

Movie Review: In Time

2012-02-04T09:59:00.000-06:00

Human beings have been genetically engineered to stop aging at 25, at which point they have only a year to live--unless they earn more time. Time is the new currency, and when you run out, you die. Keeping up with inflation is next to impossible, and in the ghetto, people die young, frequently, and in the middle of the street.

When a man with over a century on his clock appears in the ghetto, Will (Justin Timberlake) saves his life from thugs who would "clean his clock." But it turns out the man really wants to die, and he gives all his time to Will, effectively killing himself.

When Will is too late to save his mother from timing out, he begins a crusade against the uber-rich. Joined by daughter of millionare-tycoon Phillipe Weis (Vincent Kartheiser), Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried), Will embarks on a bank-robbing spree in an attempt to save the people of the ghetto. But the system is far more complicated than he knows, and it will take a heist of immense proportions to accomplish what he's trying to do.

I like this film. It had an interesting blend of motifs--Occupy Wall Street, Bonnie and Clyde, Robin Hood--that blended to make a searingly accurate commentary on our current social and financial issues. When time is literally money, keeping the poor in poverty literally kills them, and the super rich care no more than the super rich care about our poor.

There's also an interesting metacommentary, which I'm not sure was intentional, about Hollywood and perceptions of age. In this world, everyone physically stops aging at 25. However, nearly all the actors cast to play these 25-year-olds are in their 30s. It says something about the expectation that actors cease aging at around 25, that they never look old, that time and biology are arrested or else they can't find work anymore.

I've heard complaints that Timberlake and Seyfried had no chemistry, and I have to call baloney on that. The actors were adorable in the way they played off each other, and if the characters were a bit stiff, it was because Sylvia was raised in a world where no-one ever takes chances, and Will is just learning about social injustice and attempting to do something about it.

By far the best performance in the film was Cillian Murphy as the Timekeeper, this world's version of a cop. The self-control and self-deception in the character were evident every time Murphy was on screen.

If the film has any flaw, it's that the social commentary does get a bit heavy-handed. I've seen much, much worse (*cough*Land of the Dead*cough*), but the filmmakers clearly didn't want the audience to miss their message.

3.5/5

Book Review: The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard Jr.

2012-01-31T18:03:00.000-06:00

The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard Jr.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Deep in the bowels of the American government's intelligence community is the Department of Magic. Comprised of only a handful of people, including newcomers Jasmine Farrah and Rocco Di Angelo, their purpose is to stop the destruction of America by a South American god/demon. Battling all manner of supernatural creatures, Farrah and Di Angelo work to collect the items needed to raise a hero who will protect America from the invaders.

Part conspiracy theory, part history, and part political fantasy, The Department of Magic is a really interesting idea that isn't executed quite as well as it could have been. Entwining the creatures and magic with American history and politics is a stroke of genius (and really funny), and the creatures Kierkegaard uses are quite terrifying. However, the stakes aren't made entirely clear until the last third of the book. Farrah and Di Angelo (and, thus, the reader) flounder about doing their boss' errands with no clear idea of why they're doing it or what exactly they're trying to do.

When the stakes are made clear and the final climax comes on, the book becomes far more interesting (as well as a clear metaphor for the fear of the "invasion" of illegal immigrants from South America) and the pace picks up, leading into quite the showdown. At the same time, the very ending struck me as incredibly cliched and out of place in relation to the rest of the book.

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Giveaway! (Not Mine, Unfortunately)

2012-01-29T12:42:00.003-06:00

I've never seen Veronica Mars. I've heard it's awesome. And lately I've gotten more involved with YA lit (it's so much better now than it was when I was a teenager. Back then, I read mostly adult stuff because the YA lit was so insipid and ridiculous). So when Jill Hathaway posted this giveaway for season 1 of Veronica Mars AND a signed copy of her forthcoming book Slide, I was all over it. And if you like these things, you should be, too!

Book Review: Hades' Daughter by Sara Douglass

2012-01-27T17:11:00.000-06:00

Hades' Daughter by Sara Douglass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Following the chronology of Geoffrey of Monmouth's History, Hades' Daughter follows Brutus and Cornelia as they travel to Albion to found a new Troy. But Ariadne has preceded them, and her granddaughter waits there to seduce Brutus in order to rebuild the labyrinth, founding Troia Nova on deceit, lust, and murder.

Douglass does a remarkable job of taking the bare-bones "history" from Geoffrey and fleshing it out, giving it life and humanity. Her version acts as a post-colonial history, revealing the true horrors perpetrated when Brutus and the Trojans arrive in Albion and conquer it; it's not nearly as sanitary as Geoffrey makes it sound, and Brutus is not the hero that Geoffrey makes him.

The fantasy aspect adds a great deal to the story, explaining why Troy and Atlantis fell, why Brutus left his home, why he went to Albion specifically, and what he did when he arrived. Douglass' Brutus lives up to his name as a nasty, rude, hypocritical man driven by lusts for flesh and power. No character is entirely blameless, but some are far more sympathetic than others. However, it's Brutus' jackassery that makes me give the book a 3 instead of 4; the entire novel is so frustrating because Brutus won't see what's right in front of him and insists on hurting everyone he touches.

Overall a great start to the series.

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Book Review: Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong

2012-01-22T09:07:00.001-06:00

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's Savannah Levine's first solo investigation, and of course it's not going to be easy. Between the suspect trying to kill her, the other suspect lying to her, someone trying to sabotage her magic, and an old nemesis using the whole situation to try to kill her, Savannah's got her hands full. But she's nothing if not resourceful, and it takes a lot to shake the daughter of a witch and a sorcerer.

I love that we've gotten a book from Savannah's perspective. She's one of the most interesting characters in the series, and now that she's grown up, she reminds me a lot of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, only with more people skills--barely. I appreciate that she doesn't just waltz through this investigation, that she makes mistakes and learns about people in the process.

With just enough twists to keep you guessing without making you wonder where the heck THAT just came from, Waking the Witch is a valuable addition to the Women of the Otherworld series and a damn good read.

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Book Review: Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff

2012-01-21T13:03:00.002-06:00

Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Annice is a bard, formerly a princess, with the threat of treason over her head should she ever bear a child. When she discovers that Pjerin, father of her unborn child, also faces a charge of treason--for a different reason--she cannot believe that he is guilty. In order to clear his name and protect her baby, she smuggles him out of the dungeon and they set off on a cross-country trek to discover who is truly behind the treason.

As with most Tanya Huff books, this one is nearly flawless. Huff writes believable, developing characters, snappy dialogue, and fast-paced, well-constructed plots. Annice and Pjerin have chemistry without being sappy and go from outright strangers who hardly like each other to friends as they travel.

The thing about the Quarters novels that I find the most interesting is the sexuality. Bisexuality is the norm in the Quarters world and goes utterly unremarked narratively throughout the series. No explanation, excuse, or apology is offered, leaving the reader to deal with it--or not--as he or she will. Considering this novel was published in 1994, I'm sure this was incredibly progressive for its time, and may still be a step beyond what most people are immediately comfortable with. But the relationships, regardless of the pairings, are beautiful when built on love and trust and horrible when built on selfishness and greed, just like any relationship. I believe that Huff's skill as a writer and care with constructing her world allows for a much smoother mental transition for her readers than might otherwise be possible.

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Book Review: Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart

2012-01-18T17:46:00.000-06:00

Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm a bit ambivalent about this book. On the one hand, it was utterly believable--the US economy is collapsing, Asian countries are on the ascendant, people are looking for ways to cheat death, everyone does everything through their smart phones--in a horrifying kind of way. On the other hand, it was utterly believable . . . in a horrifying kind of way. I see the potential for this society quite strongly in our own.

Also, I had a real problem with the characters. All of them. I didn't have a touchstone in any of them and couldn't stand any of them, especially the two main characters.

Ultimately, I decided not to finish the book because I was plowing through it rather than enjoying it, and life's too short not to enjoy your reading material.

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SOPA/PIPA Protest

2012-01-18T08:02:00.001-06:00

If I had any idea how to black out this blog without breaking it, I'd be doing it. SOPA and PIPA are horrid pieces of legislation. Go here to learn more about it if you want to, and here for Wil Wheaton's much better explanation about why these are so bad.

First Week of Class Insanity

2012-01-17T20:01:00.003-06:00

Classes started again last Thursday. I have two Research & Argument classes (40 students total) back-to-back, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The students are still settling in to the schedule, and I'm doing almost exactly the same thing I did last semester, so I'm pretty well settled.

Today I had my first official meeting with my dissertation director, which was interesting because she was very caffeinated. (She got a single-cup coffee maker for Christmas and keeps it in her office. And apparently all of her classes are AWESOME. BECAUSE SHE'S ALWAYS GOT COFFEE.) We put together an agenda--prospectus by middle of semester, chapter one by end of semester, two more chapters over summer, final chapter and intro and conclusion next fall, defend next spring--that sounds good and doable to both of us.

I had plans to go to the library tomorrow morning and start on the research for my first actual assignment--a rough bibliography for chapter one--until my bigger kitty, Molly, got into my cross-stitching and swallowed my needle. Cue frantic call to the vet, mad dash to the vet, x-rays, and leaving Molly with them overnight so they can see if she's going to pass the needle or if they need to do surgery to take it out. So no library for me tomorrow, cause by the time I got there, parking would be insane and I'd get nothing done.

So my semester consists of dissertation writing, prelim studying, and teaching. I think it will be better than last semester, just in terms of workload, and as my director says, dissertating is FUN. Because you get to focus on stuff that's really interesting to you. (And sit in your director's office and drink coffee and be entertained by her extreme caffeine high.)

Book Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

2012-01-16T12:52:00.001-06:00

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Aerin is the daughter of Damar's king and a woman from the north, whom everyone refers to as the "witch-woman." Shunned and feared among the people, Aerin finds companionship with a lame warhorse, Talat, and teaches herself to slay dragons. Her dragon-slaying leads her to the truth about her heritage and victory over the new scourge that plagues Damar.

This was the first Robin McKinley book I ever read as a teenager, and it continues to be one of my favorites of all time. Aerin is brilliantly characterized as a young woman who doesn't think much of herself--mostly because few others think much of her, either--but manages to overcome these self-doubts and grow up to become a strong, independent woman. Yet she continues to occasionally worry that she is doing something wrong, or that her people dislike her, or deal with any number of other self-esteem issues, as one would; there is no magical solution to her childhood troubles.

The pacing and plotting are also spot-on; this was the first book I recall reading that isn't told chronologically, and while it was confusing to a teenager, now I find it brilliant and perfect. The early incidents in Aerin's life are meaningless without the context of her later life, and beginning nearly in the middle of the story and telling the earlier tales through Aerin's memory is nothing less than perfect.

It's always wonderful to re-read a book from your childhood or teenaged years and find it just as perfect as you thought it then. This is one of those books that does exactly that.

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Book Review: Foxmask by Juliet Marillier

2012-01-15T12:47:00.001-06:00

Foxmask by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

At eighteen years old, Thorvald learns that he is the son of Somerled, a cruel man who perpetrated horrors on the people of the Light Isles before his banishment. Angry that his mother lied to him about his parentage and determined to find out what kind of man his father truly is, Thorvald embarks on a journey to find Somerled. Creidhe, a childhood friend in love with Thorvald, stows away on his journey. Over the course of nearly a year, Creidhe and Thorvald grow up and grow apart, finding their own paths and destinies, and learning that people can change.

Foxmask doesn't quite stand up to Wolfskin, either mythologically or historically, but it is still a well-crafted, well-told tale that captures the essence of questions such as how much fate and parentage have to do with one's personality and choices, and whether people can choose to change. A true coming-of-age tale not only for the young people, but also the older people who come to terms with their choices and the events of Wolfskin.

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Book Review: The Stubborn Dead by Natasha Hoar

2012-01-12T16:35:00.001-06:00

The Stubborn Dead by Natasha Hoar

Carina Press provided me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.

When rescue medium Rachel Miller is called in to take care of a wraith, she finds herself mixed up in intrigues and an attempt on her life, faced with a wraith who defies everything she knows about the spirit world.

The Stubborn Dead was a fast-paced, interesting novella that I really wish had been a novel instead. There's so much going on but it's crammed into about 20,000 words. The length of the story cut down on the depth; there's so much backstory and worldbuilding here that we never get to see.

The novella read like a prequel or quick introduction to a world, and I hope that in the future Hoar produces longer pieces in this same world. Preferably dealing with the aftermath of this case and the responsibility Rachel takes on at the end of it.

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Book Review: Demon Crossings by Eleri Stone

2012-01-11T10:48:00.004-06:00

Demon Crossings by Eleri Stone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carina Press provided me a free copy of this book for review purposes.

Grace has a psychic ability to track missing children, and when she tracks a girl to Ragnarok, Iowa, she learns that her ability is evidence of her heritage--she's related to the Aesir, who escaped the destruction of Asgard and now live in small pockets around America. Aiden's daughter is missing, taken by a demon into Asgard, and Grace is determined to help him find her. She didn't plan on falling for Aiden's charms, however.

I'm not usually one for romance novels; I find them formulaic, repetitive, and flat. Demon Crossings, however, is none of those things. I was drawn in by the reference to Norse mythology in the blurb, then fascinated by Stone's take on the mythology to create a settlement of demi-god-like people who closely resemble the gods and creatures of Norse myth without being overwhelming in their deificness.

The relationship between Grace and Aiden is rocky, as is usual for a romance novel, but not in the we-hate-each-other-and-that-makes-the-sex-better way I've seen in so many romances. Rather, their personalities keep them from fully opening up and clarifying what they think and feel, so they frequently miscommunicate. It's utterly believable (if frustrating for an outside observer) and makes the ending that much more satisfying.

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Book Review: Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee

2012-01-09T09:27:00.004-06:00

Banshee Charmer by Tiffany Allee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from Entangled Publishing for review purposes.

Kiera "Mac" McLoughlin is half-banshee (which technically means she only has half a banshee's power--she can scream people to death but not foresee when people will die), part of a supernatural squad on the police force. When a serial killer appears using methods that point to incubi--thought extinct for a hundred years--Mac must not only catch the killer, but prove she's not insane for thinking the killer is an incubus. And then there's Aidan, the tall-dark-and-handsome federal investigator who pushes Mac's buttons in all the right--and wrong--ways.

I enjoyed Banshee Charmer--what there was of it. At right around 120 pages on my Nook, it was a very short read, and its fast pacing made it feel shorter. There's so much about the world and Mac's life that I would have loved to get more backstory about.

What was provided, however, was a fun trip. Clearly there's more to the world than we ever see, which speaks to careful worldbuilding on the author's part. Mac is believable, with all her quirks and foibles and big heart. The sex is great. The murder mystery avoids predictability (barely, and only by cheating, but I won't discuss it here to avoid spoilers).

Overall, not a bad effort for a (I think) first book. I look forward to seeing more depth and breadth in future works.

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Book Review: Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier

2012-01-08T19:57:00.000-06:00

I'm currently re-reading several older books to prepare for my dissertation. This is one of them.
Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Juliet Marillier writes lovely early medieval fantasy and fairy-tales, and Wolfskin is no exception. Rife with references to both Norse and Celtic mythologies, treating both and Christianity with respect, Wolfskin is readable by those who have only limited knowledge of medieval mythologies but deeper and more delightful for those who have more knowledge of the mythologies and medieval storytelling techniques.

The end is a bit slow and drags just a little, but there is a lot to wrap up and presumably set up for the next book, Foxmask.

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Book Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2012-01-02T20:07:00.001-06:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 1/2 stars, really.

I'm finding it difficult to quantify my feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's very dense; a lot happens and not all of it is necessarily related. On the other hand, it's a slow burn, and takes awhile to really get going (Blomkvist and Lisbeth don't even meet until the midway through). On yet another hand, the reveals are horrifying, the murder(s) terrible, and Blomkvist's eventual triumph over his adversaries gave me not a little glee.

I think part of my problem with the book, if it can be called a problem, can be put down to cultural differences; Larsson wrote in Swedish, for a Swedish audience, and adopts literary methods--such as third-person omniscient--which have been out of vogue in American and British literature for awhile. At the same time, if he hadn't written it in that manner, a lot of the situations that Blomkvist and Lisbeth found themselves in wouldn't have entirely made sense to me.

Friends tell me that the trilogy does get off to a slow start but the next two books are phenomenal. I'll take them at their word and expect great things from the next two.

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Book Review: Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead

2011-12-29T08:54:00.001-06:00

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Lawhead's Pendragon cycle gets off to a rocky start with Taliesin. Perhaps it's that I set the bar too high, expecting great things from such a renowned author, or perhaps it's that I'm reading the cycle for my dissertation and hence got overly critical, but either way, the book suffers from poor writing, poor plotting, and a few major historical inaccuracies that ruined it for me.

The writing: passive voice abounds. The dialogue is stilted. The characters are two-dimensional and hardly have any development at all. And when the romance gets started, the pathos is stifling.

The plotting: this whole book could have been done in half the space. Not much actually happens, and there is a ton of padding. Even with two concurrent storylines running for the first half of the book, nothing much actually happens. I spend most of the book wondering why any of the stuff Lawhead was telling us about was in any way important.

And the historical inaccuracies: unless some sort of time-travel occurs that I missed, Lawhead has Atlantis sink in the 400s AD, right around the time the Romans are withdrawing from Britain. Considering that the legendary Atlantis sank closer to 9600 BC, this completely ruined a huge chunk of the book for me. The British people believe that the Atlanteans are faery folk, and if that had turned out to somehow be the case--if they'd hung out for a few thousand years before the British ran across them--that would have been different. But they're mortal, and the legendary sinking is stuck right in the middle of recorded history. Also, Taliesin takes to Christianity entirely too quickly and with too much verve. Yes, the British people were Christian before the Anglo-Saxons came in, but in the space of a conversation with God (!!) during a spirit-walk (which, tellingly, Taliesin swears never to do again after converting), Taliesin is a full-blown Christian who refers to the pagans around him as heretics, blasphemers, and unlearned people--as if he wasn't a pagan twelve minutes before.

Overall, this book was a huge disappointment. Considering all the hype around Lawhead (I've heard he's right up there with Marion Zimmer Bradley for authoritativeness in modern Arthurian fantasy), I expected much more.

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Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

2011-12-22T08:10:00.002-06:00

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On Elise's name-day, a shaft of light embedded a gem in her navel, marking her as the chosen one for her generation, picked by God to do great things. Elise is sure that God has picked the wrong person, until she begins to understand what her service will require of her. When war breaks out, Elise finds her purpose and realizes her potential.

What I found most interesting about The Girl of Fire and Thorns was that the protagonist is heavyset. The realism surrounding her weight--the discomfort of carrying that much extra flesh, people's reactions to her, her reaction to herself--is matched only by the realism of what it's like to suffer from a compulsive eating disorder. Elise begins the story with no sense of self, no self-esteem, and a real problem with food. She eats to comfort herself or because she's bored, completely ignoring the signs from her body that she's eaten too much. As the story progresses, she's forced by circumstances to lose the weight, and as her sense of purpose grows, her dependence on food lessens. Eventually, she's even able to joke about her former weight issue. I appreciated, also, that the circumstances did not involve her husband, Alejandro, locking her up and refusing to feed her or some other cruelty.

The mythology of the story is also very well-developed; it's based on medieval Mediterranean Catholicism with some interesting twists. A real sense of history permeates the culture, and Carson has included different denominations, tales of Godstone bearers who went before Elise, and several manuscripts based on the idea of the Godstone.

I also appreciated Carson's portrayal of Elise's relationship with men. Her husband, King Alejandro, is a weak and selfish, if charming, man, and Elise's reactions to him stay true to her character development. Once she realizes that he is not treating her well, she stops thinking of him as an object of desire and more as an obstacle to get around. Likewise, her relationship with another young man blooms naturally and with a minimum of mooncalfing. Generally, however, Elise does not need either of them, and becomes a fully realized human being on her own terms and through her own strength.

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Book Review: A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

2011-12-20T09:31:00.001-06:00

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Dance with Dragons is the fifth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and continues the epic saga Martin has constructed. Intrigue abounds, characters die, and of course there are dragons.

Quantifying my feelings about this book is difficult. On the one hand, I waited years (YEARS!) for this book and suffered through A Feast for Crows because all of my favorite characters were in Dragons instead. Finally getting to see what Dany and Jon and Bran were up to was great. On the other hand--they're not up to much. The plot doesn't seem to really advance in this book, and on fronts where the plot is advancing (Bran, for example), their stories stop mid-novel and never pick back up. I spent the last half of the book yelling at it that I wanted to see what Bran was doing and whether he'd ever learn to "fly." The book ends just as things are getting interesting again.

I think this book suffers from middle-of-the-series syndrome, something we usually see in the second book of a trilogy; things are progressing, but nothing's starting and nothing's ending, so getting a single plot arc going is difficult. I expect that The Winds of Winter and, ultimately, A Dream of Spring will be much better as the stories come to their close.

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The Semester is Over

2011-12-16T08:17:00.001-06:00

The last few weeks have been insane, what with grading final projects, writing final projects, and taking final exams. But the semester is over and all I have to do for break is re-prepare for the medieval prelim and read lots of fantasy novels for my dissertation (oh, the humanity). So the blog should pick up with reviews, especially after I finish A Dance with Dragons (which, by the way, continues to be brilliant).

Book Review: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand

2011-12-05T09:50:00.001-06:00

Farsighted by Emlyn Chand
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I won a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First-Reads program.

Alex Kosmitoras was born blind. While he manages to get along in a sighted world, he sometimes resents his lack of independence. But when he begins hearing things that have not yet happened or are not happening in his immediate vicinity, he worries that he might be going insane--until he learns that he is not the only one in his circle of friends with gifts.

Alex is a well-written teenage boy, which I could tell by the number of times I wanted to smack him upside the head for some stupid, impulsive thing he'd done. Chand also does a remarkable job at describing the world around Alex with incredibly few visual cues, though there are places where things are described without any indication of how Alex knows what's happening (I am more than willing to excuse these considering the difficult task that Chand has taken on in writing a first-person blind character). I also think it's great that Chand chose to make Alex's "visions" just as sensory and auditory as everything else in his life rather than giving him some magical sense of sight.

There were points at which I felt things were coming together a bit too easily for Alex's development--unless he himself was causing major problems in his interpersonal relationships--and there were a few choices on the parts of other characters I found inexplicable, but overall this was a good book and I enjoyed reading it.

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Book(s) Review: The Hunger Games (Spoilers)

2011-12-01T14:14:00.001-06:00

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In the post-apocalyptic, dystopian remnants of North America is Panem, housing the remains of the population after a massive war which left much of America uninhabitable. Ruled over by the Capitol, each of the 12 remaining districts must send two children--one male, one female--to the Hunger Games each year, where they are forced to fight to the death on live TV as a reminder to the districts that rebellion is futile. When Katniss Everdeen's sister, Prim, is chosen as a tribute, Katniss volunteers in her place to save her life, never expecting to survive the Hunger Games. When Katniss wins, however, it sparks a new rebellion which could cost everything Katniss holds dear.

I wish there were a way to give this trilogy 6 stars. It is by far the best series I have read in awhile. The Hunger Games blew me away and kept me up reading until 2 AM. Catching Fire, while not quite as good as The Hunger Games still stood as a strong novel. And Mockingjay once again took up far more time than I really had to devote to it.

Carefully crafted, lovingly detailed, and brilliantly paced, The Hunger Games trilogy is one of those series that made me sad I hadn't read it earlier. It clearly contributes to, possibly even drives, the rise in quality of YA literature over the last few years. Collins does not shrink from reality or spare her characters any of the consequences of their actions. And like most good dystopias, it is all too clear that our own society holds the seeds which could lead to the horrors found in Panem.

Read this series. Seriously. You won't be disappointed.

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Jill Scribbles: HALLOWED and SLIDE Giveaway!!! (or My Early Christ...

2011-12-01T07:58:00.000-06:00

So, this author is giving away a copy of her book and another book, both of which look awesome. Want one?

Jill Scribbles: HALLOWED and SLIDE Giveaway!!! (or My Early Christ...: Good morning awesome peeps! Guess what today is? That's right! It's December!!! This means several things... 1. In twelve days, I won't ...

Book Review: The Near Witch

2011-11-25T09:37:00.001-06:00

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

In Near, the children have a nursery rhyme about a witch who died hundreds of years before, whose voice can still be heard in the wind off the moors. When a stranger arrives in Near and children begin disappearing, it seems obvious to everyone but Lexi that the stranger is responsible. But can Lexi find out who--or what--is really behind the disappearances before the people of Near do something horrible to the stranger, and before her own sister goes missing?

Part ghost story, part cautionary tale about tolerance, THE NEAR WITCH is a nice little story. The characters are believable, well-developed, and well-written, even the nasty ones (and there are a few). Human nature shows in every person, both the good side of it and the ugly side of it. Secrets about Near are revealed with a regularity that keeps the whole story from being overly frustrating, since the truth about Near and the Near Witch is complicated and pretty horrible.

The only frustration I had with this book was the tendency for everything to be incredibly important and pressing . . . but had to wait until tomorrow. The story takes place over the space of a week, with a child disappearing every night, and even when Lexi has figured out the mystery and knows exactly what she has to do, she's told to go home and go to bed, and they'll deal with it in the morning. Days pass incredibly fast while nights drag; I had trouble believing that every day contained as little activity as it did.

That one irritation aside, this is a lovely book with good pacing, characters, and plotting. Definitely worth the read.

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RIP Anne McCaffrey

2011-11-22T18:44:00.001-06:00

I was an awkward teenager. And I do mean awkward. I had no idea how to talk to people. I was overdramatic beyond belief. I was lucky to have a few friends older than I who put up with my antics, but I still spent a lot of time alone constantly wondering why I didn't have any really close friends. Not a few times, I wondered what it would be like to be dead; surely then, all the pain and loneliness would stop.

I think I was in sixth or seventh grade when I first picked up Dragonsinger and fell madly in love with Pern, Menolly, and dragons. I wanted a dragon. Barring that, I wanted to be a harper. I wanted to live on Pern, where everything seemed simple and happy, despite the threat of Thread. I read Dragonsinger and Dragonsong dozens, possibly hundreds, of times before I graduated from high school. Eventually, I also read the rest of the Pern series. I started writing my own stories involving people whose best friends were dragons.

Later, I read Crystal Singer, then Acorna, then Powers that Be. Each book or series gave me new places to wish I could go, new people I wished I could be, new escape mechanisms for a teenager who felt utterly alone, not understood, and disconnected from other people. I argued with my pastor over whether dragons were always evil. I wrote more stories. And I read more McCaffrey.

So when I learned today that Anne McCaffrey has died at the age of 85, I knew I had to say something about it. Anne McCaffrey made my teenage years more bearable. She gave me something to dream about, helped get my passion for writing started, created worlds I wanted to visit more than anything else. Without her books, I don't know how I would have gotten through high school without further dramatics. Anne McCaffrey may have actually saved my life.

If there is any sort of afterlife, I hope she's being shown to the best seat in the house. Goodbye, Ms. McCaffrey. We'll miss you. The dragons are keening, the crystal crying, the planet mourning your passing.

Book Review: Candlewax

2011-11-21T13:07:00.001-06:00

(I'm trying out Goodreads' option to post the same review into a blog. If I like the result, I'll probably do this more often.)
Candlewax by C. Bailey Sims
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

FTC Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book by Terabyte Press for review purposes

Princess Catherine is running away, having decided that living alone in a neighboring kingdom is a better fate than marrying the horrid old man her parents have picked out for her. Unfortunately, her plans go awry when she meets up with a fairrier cat who insists that she's the subject of a prophecy that will lead to saving the world from unspeakable evil.

I had a great deal of trouble with this book, which eventually led to me putting it down entirely. First, the sentence structures are consistently simple and choppy, even allowing for it being a children's book. The repetitive sentence structures made the book incredibly difficult to read.

Also, the story had too many cliched elements: the princess running away from home because of an arranged marriage. The guardian animal bearing a prophecy. The princess losing all of her belongings in the first hours of her adventure.

Finally, I could not sympathize with either Catherine (who seemed far too impetuous and selfish) or the fairrier cat (who ate Catherine's horse and threatened to eat her dog unless Catherine came with him to fulfill the prophecy).

Due to these issues, I put the book down after about three chapters and have no intention of picking it back up, which is sad because the premise seemed to have a lot of promise.

Candlewax will be available April 3, 2012.

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Dream Dissertation

2011-11-20T11:32:00.001-06:00

My dissertation director told me to put together a "dream" list--if I had all the time and space in the world, which books would I want to write about? I don't think she quite knew what she was asking. Here it is:

Fairy Tales

Lord Dunsany – The King of Elfland’s Daughter

Neil Gaiman – Stardust

Robin McKinley –Rose Daughter, Beauty, Deerskin, Spindle’s End

Mercedes Lackey– The Black Swan

JulietMarillier – Daughter of the Forest

High Fantasy

Peter S. Beagle– The Last Unicorn

Tanya Huff –The Quarters novels (Sing the FourQuarters, The Fifth Quarter, No Quarter, The Quartered Sea)

JRR Tolkien – The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings

Robin McKinley –The Hero and the Crown, Chalice, Pegasus

George RRMartin – A Song of Ice and Fire (The Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Feast for Crows, A Storm ofSwords, A Dance with Dragons)

Mercedes Lackey– Bardic Voices (The Lark and the Wren,The Robin and the Kestrel, The Eagle and the Nightingales, Four and Twenty Blackbirds, A Cast of Corbies)

Mercedes Lackey& Andre Norton – The Halfblood Chronicles (Elvenbane, Elvenblood, Elvenborn)

Ursula K.LeGuin – A Wizard of Earthsea

Tad Williams –Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (The DragonboneChair, Stone of Farewell, To Green Angel Tower)

Tamora Peirce –The Song of the Lioness Quartet (Alana:The First Adventure, In the Hand ofthe Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Likea Man, Lioness Rampant), TheImmortals (Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, Emperor Mage, The Realms ofthe Gods), The Protector of the Small (FirstTest, Page, Squire, Lady Knight)

Robert E.Howard – Conan (The Coming of Conan theCimmerian, The Conquering Sword ofConan, The Bloody Crown of Conan)

Robert Jordan –The Wheel of Time (15 books)

HistoricalFiction/Fantasy

Sarah Douglass –The Troy Game series (Hades’ Daughter,God’s Concubine, Darkwitch Rising, Druid’sSword)

Robin McKinley –The Outlaws of Sherwood

JulietMarillier – Wolfskin, Foxmask

Arthuriana

Marion ZimmerBradley – The Mists of Avalon

Mercedes Lackey– Gwenhwyfar

Stephen R.Lawhead – The Pendragon Cycle (Taliesin,Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, Grail) and Avalon: The Return of King Arthur

MedievalMeets Modern

Marion ZimmerBradley & Holly Lisle – Glenravenand Glenraven II: In the Rift

Robin McKinley –Dragonhaven

Jim Butcher –The Dresden Files (14+ books)

Satire

William Goldman– The Princess Bride

John Moore – The Unhandsome Prince, Heroics for Beginners

Patricia C.Wrede – The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (Dealingwith Dragons, Searching for Dragons,Calling on Dragons, Talking to Dragons)

EstherFriesner, ed. – Chicks in Chainmail (Chicksin Chainmail, Did You Say Chicks?!,Chicks n’ Chained Males, The Chick is in the Mail, Turn the Other Chick)

That's 111 books by 22 authors. Obviously, this will get seriously pared down before we even write the proposal for the dissertation, but if anybody ever wanted to see what my bookshelves looked like (at least the fantasy/medieval part of them), here you go. Bask in the awesomeness.

Random Updateyness

2011-11-19T11:34:00.001-06:00

This week I successfully defended my Pop Culture prelim and have now officially passed that prelim. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of my Medieval prelim, and I'll be doing that again next semester (luckily, we have the best department ever and I'm getting lots of support toward passing it next time). I'll still be starting my dissertation next semester, though, so I won't fall behind. Also next semester, I'll be going through the process of learning to teach literature so I can start doing that next year--since that's sort of what I want to do with this degree, anyway--which should be awesome, since my first foray into the glamorous world of cramming books into undergraduate brains was less than successful.

So that's what I've been doing for the last little while and why updates have been sporadic; I haven't had time to read anything that's worth reviewing here, either because it's old or because it's academic. But I'm actively working toward making this a serious review blog for books and TV and occasionally movies, so as soon as I finish A Storm of Swords (and the semester), reviews should pick up.

Book Review: Incarnate

2011-11-15T19:14:00.001-06:00

FTC Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from HarperCollins for review purposes.
Further disclaimer: Jodi Meadows is a friend of mine and I read bits of Incarnate in drafts, but I like to think this in no way influenced my utter adoration of this book.

From the flap copy:

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

This is a beautifully written book, rife with philosophical questions, descriptions that tear your heart out, and sympathetic characters. Ana begins as a child, uncertain of everything except her own worthlessness, and grows into a confident young woman who insists on being in charge of her own destiny. The constant reincarnation raises questions about the value of life--if you know you'll be back, is death an issue? Should you fear it? Welcome it? Why should anyone care if you die or attempt to save you from dying? The fact that people can be reborn into bodies of different genders creates a fascinating framework for the exploration of hetero- and homosexual relationships and asks whether bodies matter when souls are drawn to each other.

And did I mention the utterly gorgeous butterfly costume Ana wears to the masquerade?

Meadows writes lovely, fully-realized characters who invite emotional attachment, whether by rooting for Ana, feeling for Sam and his uncertainties, or hating Li (Ana's mother). The sense that the reincarnated ones are very old, much older than they appear, is palpable, and Meadows handles very well the difficulty of writing characters who have lived longer than most of our current history, and Ana's reaction to them is one that most people would likely have--fascination, fear, and a deep sense of inadequacy.

Incarnate will be in bookstores on January 31, 2012.

This Is What I've Been Doing (Instead of Homework)

2011-11-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

In the little bit of down time I've had between homework, teaching, prelims, and developing a repetitive motion injury in my wrist thanks to all the typing I've had to do for homework, teaching, and prelims (and blogging), I've been working on gifts for my dissertation committee. I finished the first one tonight:

All of them will be Celtic themed. This one is dragons. The next one is peacocks inspired by The Book of Kells. I plan to have them mounted and framed then give them to my committee after I defend.

Here's a detail shot of the dragons:

Preeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeettyyyyyyyyyyyyy.

Opening Week Review: Grimm

2011-10-30T09:52:00.001-05:00

This is the twelfth or something in my series of "Opening Week Reviews" in which I review the pilot or season premiere episode of the shows I plan to watch this season. It's also the last; Grimm was the last one I'm waiting on. Spoilers will sneak up behind you in a dark forest and howl. You have been warned.

Police detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) doesn't know he's special. Until he starts seeing odd things--weird, gross faces on otherwise normal people, for instance--and his aunt Marie (Kate Burton) arrives in town to tell him that he's a Grimm, which she doesn't entirely explain, but Nick begins to put the pieces together. When a college girl turns up ripped to shreds and a little girl goes missing, Nick suspects something weird is going on, not least because they were both wearing red hoodies. With the help of a Big Bad Wolf, Eddie Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), Nick hunts down the other Big Bad Wolf (Tim Bagley) who has kidnapped the girl and is fattening her up to eat her. At the same time, Aunt Marie is in the hospital in a coma, and something with a nasty face is trying to kill her. That something with a nasty face turns out to work for Nick's captain, Renard (Sasha Roiz), and they seem to have a plan to kill Grimms.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this series yet. It was okay, but there was a lot going on in the pilot. The acting was pretty decent, but Nick seemed to take everything in stride a little quick. Not that I expected crying in the corner or anything. Also, I found the whole "you have to break up with your girlfriend because the life you're about to enter is way too dangerous for her" both insulting (why not ask her if she wants to be part of it or not?) and way too fast.

The show is produced by David Greenwalt, though, who's got some serious credits under his belt (Buffy. Angel. Eureka. The X-Files.), so I'm willing to give it some time to find its feet. Pilots are rarely a good indicator of the rest of the series, anyway.

Prelims = Done

2011-10-29T13:07:00.000-05:00

Today I took my second preliminary exam. That means I'm done. Right? Right. Okay. Sorry, brain is dead.

I'm cautiously optimistic about how I did on these. The Old/Middle English exam was easier than I thought it would be (which leads to second-guessing and panic because what if it was easier because I read it wrong? All twelve times I read the questions?), and the Pop Culture exam was harder (go figure), but it's done. I find out in a couple of weeks how I did, and then I either get to start planning for my dissertation or studying to retake the exams.

Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Opening Week Review: Once Upon a Time

2011-10-25T09:39:00.000-05:00

This is the eight-bajillionth in my series of "Opening Week Reviews," in which I review the pilot or season premiere episodes of the shows I plan to watch this season. Spoilers will attempt to steal your firstborn in exchange for spinning straw into gold. You have been warned.

In Storybrooke, Maine (isn't it always Maine?), the town clock never moves past 8:15, the people don't age, and when people try to leave town, bad things happen. This is because everyone in town is really a fairy tale character, trapped in the real world through the Evil Queen's curse to take away all the happy endings. Into Storybrooke comes Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison, House), orphan and self-described bail-bondsperson, brought by the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago. He insists that she is the person to break the spell on the town and bring happily ever after back. Emma, of course, is dubious. The audience, of course, knows better, because parallel to the modern-world story is the fairy-tale story, detailing how Snow White and Prince Charming placed their daughter, Emma, into a magic wardrobe (built by Geppetto and Pinocchio) which removed her from the influence of the curse.

While the premise is perhaps a bit on the cheesy side, the show looks like it will be brilliant, anyway. Intrigue abounds, since the Evil Queen (Lana Parilla) is the mayor of Storybrooke and Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle, Stargate: SGU, 28 Weeks Later) owns everything. Jennifer Morrison continues to live up to the acting chops she showed in House, and Lana Parilla is deliciously evil. Every fairy tale character ever lives in Storybrooke, including Red Riding Hood (a gothed-out teenager who wears a red scarf), her grandmother, a wolf, Jimminy Cricket, and of course Snow White and Prince Charming. None of them remember who they are or notice that the town is stuck in time, which makes the contrast of the fairy-tale world that much more poignant.

A mix of modern political and social intrigue and fairy-tale, Once Upon a Time is a bit kitschy but shows the promise of being absolutely delightful. And since it's on ABC, it might actually survive for a full season.

Book Review: Changes (Spoilers)

2011-10-23T20:38:00.000-05:00

This review contains minor spoilers.

CHANGES is the third book in the Collegium Chronicles, which covers the time between Vanyel/Lavan Firestorm and Alberich. Purportedly, the series is supposed to describe how the Heraldic Collegium was developed out of the mentor-style learning Vanyel had, but only a very small part of the trilogy is given over to that theme.

In CHANGES, Mags works to finally solve the mystery of what the assassins who have been skulking about Haven (and going insane) really want, where they came from, and why. With the help of the King's Own and his friends, Mags goes into training to become the kingdom's newest intelligence agent and save his love interest, Amily, from the newest set of assassins.

This book was more satisfying than the first two in the series. While the weaknesses that plagued the first couple of books in the series--more on those in a moment--were still rampant here, there were at least explanations for them, as well as some kind of closure (though not as complete a closure as I would have liked). Many of the characters finally (FINALLY) deal with their parental issues, though we never do find out who Mags' parents are and why the assassins want him so badly.

Kirball is still an enormous distraction and annoyance, though at least it serves a purpose in this book; Mags' training allows him to survive some pretty tough spots. However, it takes up the first 20+ pages of the book and was just as annoying as it was in the last book, not least because until the last Alberich book, it doesn't show up again. At least in EXILE'S VALOR, Lackey explains why the game disappeared.

Mags' accent also becomes unbearable in this novel. Lackey's insistence on spelling out everything he says practically phonetically--with lots of apostrophes for missing letters--made easy comprehension impossible. Mags demonstrates at one point that he can speak in a perfectly comprehendable manner, but he chooses not to because it adds to his "dumb boy" image that keeps people from thinking he's anything more than a regular Heraldic trainee.

I love Lackey's other work, and I desperately miss the camaraderie, respect, and understanding among the Heralds that we've seen in other works. While the constant strife is explained in this book, I miss having a concrete reason why people aren't getting along. It's almost as if Orthallen was the best villain Lackey ever wrote, and without him the machinations are petty and two-dimensional.

3.5/5

Yeah, That Just Happened

2011-10-22T10:29:00.001-05:00

Watching a show on the Discovery Channel (though "watching" is a strong word for the practically-ignoring that's actually going on) about bugs. They get to something called a Giant Beach Worm or something, at which point the following conversation occurs:

WE: See, I'd be going, "there's the water . . . there's the worm . . . where's the spice? I want spice that gives me psychic powers."
Me: And turns your name into a killing word.
WE: Indeed.

We are nerds. That is all.

This is Why I Read Writing Blogs

2011-10-18T11:57:00.000-05:00

I follow easily a dozen author/agent blogs and several more of these lovely people on Twitter. Even though I'm not actively in the writing or publishing world right now (thanks, PhD), I still like to keep a finger on the pulse of what's going on and file things away for future reference.

Things like this. Contracts are funny, complicated things, and the least little bit of fuzzy wording can mess with an author's whole livelihood. Here's a brief excerpt from the post:

The book was published in November 2007, although the U.S. distribution didn’t take place until April 2008. By spring of 2010, it was evident, through royalty reports, that the book wasn’t being placed on the shelves anywhere (that is, “regular trade channels”). For a couple of years now, it’s sold only a handful of copies per year, and has slowly slid off availability via online sources. (see the screenshot at the bottom of the page)
But when we asked for reversion of rights, the response shocked us: if I would buy the considerable copies the publisher has sitting in their warehouse, they would revert the book. I have to tell you…it felt like coercion.

This, my friends, is why we need agents. Or at least lawyers who understand publishing. I know there's a big hue and cry in the wake of the recent upswing in e-book self-publishing about how the publishing industry is broken and that agents are nothing more than middle-people who suck money away from authors. I'm here to call shenanigans on that whole line of logic. First of all, as Ms. Durgin points out, the reversion clause could have been much worse. Secondly, if she didn't have an agent, she'd be facing this alone, fighting this battle alone, and probably getting even less response than she's already (not) getting.

This is why, when I finally finish a novel I deep publishing-worthy, I will absolutely try to find an agent. I'm not doing this alone. Ever.

On a side note, Dun Lady's Jess sounds like a fascinating book and I'd love to read it--if the publisher reverts the rights so it can come back into print.

Opening Week Review: The Walking Dead

2011-10-17T15:31:00.000-05:00

This is the eleventy-billionth in my series of "Opening Week Reviews" in which I review the pilot or season premiere episodes of shows I plan to watch this season. Spoilers will lumber up to you and bite your face off. You have been warned.

After the insane run-up to the finale of last season, the writers had a lot of fallout to deal with in this premiere. Andrea (Laurie Holden) is angry, on edge, and ready to explode because of Dale's (Jeffrey DeMunn) actions in the CDC. Shane (Jon Bernthal) is being a jackass (as usual) and planning to leave the group. And Rick (Andrew Lincoln) is withdrawn and on edge from whatever the CDC guy told him just before they evacuated, besides all the tension between him and Shane due to the immense catastrophe that his decision to go to the CDC turned out to be.

As far as action, this episode was pretty tame. Most of it revolved around Sophia (Madison Lintz) getting separated from the rest of the group and everyone going to try to find her. All the character development happened as a result of that, as well as Rick, Shane, and Dale's decision to take guns away from everyone else because nobody's trained with them. Andrea calls shenanigans on this one, leading to further tension. While the episode was pretty good, I didn't feel like the main plot--Sophia getting lost--was enough to support a 90-minute episode, even with all the emotional, character-driven stuff happening, especially since they didn't find Sophia at the end of the episode.

However, from the promo for the rest of the season, it looks like they're going to go back to the books for a bit, which should be interesting. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with this season.

Opening Week Review: American Horror Story

2011-10-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

This is the somethingth in my series of "Opening Week Reviews" in which I review the pilot or season premiere episodes of shows I plan to watch this season. Spoilers will sneak up on you in the dark and yell "boo!" You have been warned.

American Horror Story premiered Wednesday on FX. I didn't have time to watch it until today, and I watched it pretty much like this: O.O

After a rough year which included a late-term miscarriage, adultery, and a teenager who engages in cutting, the Harmons have moved to LA and into The Creepy House. The neighborhood is populated with weird people, including the next-door neighbor--a nosy, bigoted Southern gentry woman--and her daughter--a creepy, death-obsessed woman with Down's Syndrome--both of whom have a habit of just walking into the Harmons' house. Ben (Dylan McDermott) is a psychologist, and the young man he's treating is suffering from what looks like a mix of Antisocial Personality Disorder, Aggressive Personality Disorder, and Schizotypal Disorder, which adds to the weird. And then there's the gimp suit that gets up and moves around by itself. And the maid who Ben sees as a young, sexy woman and everybody else sees as an older, half-blind matron.

First, the show's rated TV-MA for violence, gore, language, and nudity, which made me go, WHAT? This is FX! They're allowed to do this on a channel that's not HBO, Stars, Cinemax, etc.? I have no problem with this because in my opinion, if a horror movie is going to be scary, it needs to be rated R for subject matter, at least. The spat of PG-13 horror films we've had lately just haven't done it for me; granted, I'm pretty inured to horror at this point, but if I want to be scared, it needs to be psychologically freaky enough to garner an R rating.

The show earns its rating, too. The maid tries to seduce Ben by masturbating in his study, after which he goes and "takes care" of himself to keep from having sex with her. We regularly see Ben's naked butt. There's blood and gore all over. Violet (Taissa Farmiga) says "shit" a lot and cuts herself. And then there's the creepy. And is it ever creepy.

Interestingly, the most believable part of the whole pilot for me was the relationship between Ben and his wife Vivien (Connie Britton). Toward the end of the episode, they have a screaming fight which shows clearly the actors' abilities--I fully believed that they were venting actual frustrations that had built up over a year--and the writers' understanding of married relationships. Some of the things they yelled at each other I recognized from fights I've had with my husband. It was additionally creepy.

I do wonder how they plan to keep this going in a series, but I will definitely watch it for as long as the writers can keep it going. The whole concept is fascinating. I will warn you, Gentle Readers, that this show is not for the faint of heart or easily offended. Viewer discretion is definitely advised.

Opening Week Review: House

2011-10-04T20:03:00.001-05:00

This is the eleventy-millionth of my "Opening Week Review" series in which I review the pilot or season premiere episodes for the shows I plan to watch this season. The spoilers will be criminal. You have been warned.

Last season, Greg House drove a car through his boss-and-ex-girlfriend Lisa Cuddy's house and then fled the country. This season, we learn he was gone for three months, went to trial for . . . something (probably destruction of property and reckless endangerment), and has been in jail for three months and is looking at parole. But of course things can't always be easy, and House finds himself with a sick fellow-jailed-person, a psychotic cellmate, and a prison boss who is demanding 20 of House's painkillers before he leaves . . . and he's not supposed to get in any trouble for five days or they'll revoke his parole.

Spoilers! He gets in trouble.

I'm ready for House to be over. I think the show has run the gamut of what Greg House can do and be shocking and original. Now it doesn't matter what he does, really; I'm like, yep. Of course he did. Duh. Also, judging by the previews for next week, he gets his freaking medical license back. Technically, that shouldn't be allowed. The man was in jail. Of course, he should have lost the damn thing so many times over that it isn't funny. But anyway.

I'm interested to see how this season goes, with absolutely nobody even speaking to House anymore, not even Wilson. But overall, I really hope they're going to wind the show down and end it soon, or else we're looking at going out with a whimper rather than a bang. And I think Hugh Laurie deserves better than that.

Opening Week Reviews Continue Soon

2011-09-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been an avalanche of shows starting for the new season, and premieres are starting to slow down now. But we're not quite done--House starts Monday, Walking Dead starts October 16, Grimm starts October 21, and Once Upon a Time starts October 23. So I've still got stuff to write about, even if it will be further and farther between for a few weeks. I guess I should start coming up with new stuff to write about, since it seems that Goodreads is never going to give me another ARC (cough cough) to review and I'm not buying many new books because I'm busy reading A Song of Ice and Fire and lots of stuff for school. I suppose I could review A Dance with Dragons when I finish it, but really, who's going to want to read it by then?

Suggestions for topics here are welcome. I'd rather not devolve into loud rants about grad school and/or the state of the academy, or disappear into complete obscurity, either.

Opening Week Review: Terra Nova

2011-09-27T09:53:00.000-05:00

This is the fifth in my series of "Opening Week Reviews" in which I review the pilot or season premiere episode of each show I plan to watch this season. Here there be dinosaur-sized spoilers. You have been warned.

Terra Nova premiered on FOX last night with a two-hour pilot that was so action-packed that I was actually startled when it was over. It's visually stunning--dinosaurs! Waterfalls! An enormous moon!--and not too badly plotted or paced.

The Shannon family--Jim, Mira, Josh, Elizabeth, and Zoe--are perfectly happy in their 2149 AD world, complete with population control laws, heavy pollution, and time-travel. When their third child is discovered and Jim attacks the population control officer, he goes to prison. Mira is chosen for the Tenth Colony expedition of the Terra Nova project, sending people back in time 85 million years (for what reason I'm not entirely clear on yet). She breaks Jim out of jail and he sneaks into the facility and he and Zoe become stowaways on a one-way trip to Jurassic Park.

On a side note, Jason O'Mara, who plays Jim Shannon, reminds me a bit of a young (and not insane) Mel Gibson. His acting style is very similar to Gibson's in Lethal Weapon, which is quite enjoyable.

Of course, everything's not as simple as it seems, and intrigue and conspiracy abound. Also, there are dinosaurs. And they eat people. As dinosaurs would.

Overall, this was a pretty solid pilot. The writers have avoided one of the downfalls of Flash Forward and V (and, to a lesser extent, Lost) by keeping the core character group small and contained rather than trying to follow 27,000 people who have little or nothing to do with each other. Although it shows the possibility of becoming incredibly complicated--like Lost--that might not be a deal breaker as long as they can keep it balanced.

Terra Nova does, unfortunately, fall prey to one of the downfalls of V, in that the teenaged boy exists only to hate his father and be rebellious. And then get in trouble from being rebellious and make everyone go out to save him. Also, the ending of it was a bit fuzzy with the extra conspiracy thrown in on top of the Sixers and their odd relationship with the colonists.

This show has the potential to be a phenomenon, which probably means that FOX will cancel it mid-season. Seriously, I'm already on death watch for it, because I like it and it's on FOX.

Opening Week Review: Supernatural

2011-09-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

This is the fourth of my "Opening Week Review" series, in which I review the pilot or season premiere episodes of the shows I plan to watch this season. Spoilers will leap out and grab you by the eyeballs. You have been warned.

Last season of Supernatural was disappointing, to say the least. I am a firm believer in the theory that they should have ended it at the end of season 5--where Kripke meant it to end. Since it didn't, however, I'm glad they got another season to fix what they broke last season.

That said, the season premiere was good. It picked up where the end of last season left off--I'm noticing a trend here--with Castiel being all "I AM" and everyone else being all "WTF?!" However, they got away from that storyline so fast it gave me whiplash. We've already met the (likely) Big Bad for the season--when Castiel slurped up the souls from Purgatory, he got a few he didn't count on, including a few stronger than him. And they've got his body now. And they're referring to themselves in the plural, which of course made me say, "Our name is Legion, for we are many." (My husband's theory is that it's Cthulhu. Or Yog-Sothoth.)

If nothing else, this is giving Misha Collins a chance to show his acting chops, because good Thor the new residents of Jimmy's body are frakked up.

Besides the Castiel thing, Sam is also a bit . . . cracked. He's having hallucinations (or is he?) of Lucifer. Who's telling him that he never left the pit and the hallucinations are reality and "reality" is Lucifer's latest trick. Poor Sam.

So far, the season is off to a great start, especially considering last season. I'm more excited for it than I was before I watched this episode, that's for sure.

Opening Week Review: Fringe

2011-09-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is the third of my "Opening Week Review" entries, in which I review the pilot or season premiere episodes of the shows I plan to watch this season. Spoilers will abound. You have been warned.

Last season of Fringe ended with the two worlds meeting more-or-less peacefully and Peter disappearing into dust because his purpose had been achieved. The season 4 premiere started pretty much where season 3 let off, though there are noticeable differences related to nobody remembering that Peter ever existed. In fact, it's very much as if they've rebooted the Fringe-verse--except not really. Some things happened differently--Olivia reveals that John Scott died as a result of the virus/biological warfare thingy because Walter couldn't save him, which means that she never learned about his dual allegiances, never got that closure in her head, probably never went into the sensory deprivation tank. The fallout from this is going to be wide-reaching and ridiculous--and fascinating.

Even without the characters laying out exactly how they remember things, differences are clear. In just the first episode, it becomes obvious that Peter was the heart and soul of Fringe Division. He completed Olivia, gave her hope and purpose. He kept Walter on an even keel and gave him a reason to continue doing what he was doing. Even Fauxlivia (who is a bitch, by the way) notes that Olivia's life is empty and meaningless, and that when she was impersonating Olivia, she couldn't wait to get back to her own side and her own life (which I guess means she never had a baby, either). Also, Walter sleeps in the lab with a guard on the door. He's clearly lonely, and I wanted to give him a hug several times throughout the episode.

However, Peter isn't completely gone (of course. Once you've got Joshua Jackson, why would you let him go?). He seems to be stuck in the fabric of time, flickering into view occasionally and appearing to Walter in reflective objects. The Observer builds a machine meant to unstick him and erase him, but changes his mind just before flipping the switch.

The season premiere set up what looks like it's going to be a kick-ass season. I can't wait to see how they deal with it.

Opening Week Review: Castle

2011-09-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

This is the second in my "Opening Week Review" series, in which I will review the pilot or season premiere episodes of all the shows I intend to watch this season. Spoilers will be rampant. You have been warned.

At the end of last season, Castle detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) took a bullet from a sniper who was trying to stop the ongoing investigation into (among other things), Kate's mother's death, a cold case from fifteen (I think) years ago. As she lay on the ground, shocked and bleeding, her erstwhile, not-a-cop partner, Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), finally confessed his true feelings for her. Finally. Castle fans had been waiting for that for three years.

The new episode, "Rise," picked up pretty much exactly where the end of season three let off, with doctors--including Kate's best friend Lanie Parish (Tamala Jones) and boyfriend Josh Davidson (Victor Webster)--trying to save her life. Of course they succeed--surprise--though Beckett claims she doesn't remember anything about the shooting and then proceeds to not speak to Castle for three months. When she comes back, there's a new captain, Victoria Gates (Penny Johnson Jerald), known as Iron Gates for her tendency to play exactly by the book--no matter what. The team continues to investigate Beckett's mother's murder, though they have to keep it on the down-low in order to hide it from Gates, who sees Beckett's shooting as a failed case and has ordered them to let it drop.

The structure of this episode was a bit odd--immediate pickup from last season, a few quick scenes, then a three-month skip covered by a few lines of dialogue. It made sense, though, because otherwise we'd have had to either a) watch Beckett recuperate and not solve any murders and not speak to Castle for 3 months; or b) pick up the intense days after the shooting from dialogue and possibly flashbacks. There really wasn't any other (satisfying) way for them to structure the episode.

Of course, Beckett reveals to her psychologist that she remembers everything about the shooting, which is how the writers plan to continue the sexual tension between Castle and Beckett for a bit longer before they finally--hopefully--resolve it. Nothing else makes sense for Beckett's character, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Reject. Sigh. Submit

2011-09-20T17:30:00.004-05:00

"Draco Mortem" was rejected at Clarkesworld today. So I sent it to Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

Carry on.

Opening Week Review: Ringer

2011-09-20T06:40:00.000-05:00

I'm watching a lot of shows this season. A lot. More than I think I've ever watched in one season before. I'm already on death watch for a couple of them (even ones that haven't started yet), so I thought I'd run a series I'm calling Opening Week Review of the shows I'm watching. There will be spoilers for the pilot episodes (or first episode of the season, if it's a returning show), so read accordingly.

Last week, Ringer premiered on the CW. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ioan Guffudd (King Arthur, The Fantastic Four), Nestor Carbonell (Lost), and Kristoffer Polaha (a whole bunch of stuff), the series follows a set of twin sisters, Bridget and Siobhan, both played by Gellar. One, Bridget, is a recovering drug addict who apparently did some horrible things and alienated her sister. Siobhan is rich, lives in New York, and refurbishes lofts.

Bridget is not only in an Anonymous program, she's also headed toward witness protection for agreeing to testify against a Very Bad Man who will probably kill her. On the eve of the trial, though, she runs away to New York and meets her sister. There's recriminations, hugs, tears, and apologies, then the ladies go on a speedboat trip, where Siobhan disappears, leaving only her wedding ring behind. Panicked, Bridge takes over Siobhan's life and begins learning that not everything is as it seems--even Siobhan's apparent death.

Generally, I liked the episode. It had a lot going on in it, but then, it had to set up all of the tangled storylines that they'll be dealing with for the rest of the season. It was awesome seeing Carbonell again (I loved his character in Lost, and damn the man can wear eyeliner like nobody's business), and very nice to see Gellar's career doing something that isn't Scooby Doo.

Gellar does seem to have trouble acting off herself--the scenes with both twins in them were the weakest, in my opinion. The green-screening was, frankly, terrible. Not for one second did I believe that Gellar was actually on a speedboat in the middle of the ocean (not least because she was barely raising her voice over the sound of the engine--which would have meant that nobody could actually hear her). When Bridget dives into the water in search of Siobhan, the difference between green-screen and reality was painfully obvious.

It had a nice twist, surprise ending, so I hope that the pilot, like many pilots, is just getting its feet under it before the whole show takes off. I try to never judge an entire series by the pilot (or even the first season), because so often the whole show becomes so much better than its initial run--if it's allowed the chance to do so.

I think that Ringer will last at least a full season, because I haven't noticed the CW dumping shows at the rate that some other stations (*cough*FOX*cough*) do. I've heard lots of complaining that it wasn't any good, though, so unless it picks up in quality, it might die at the end of the season.

Twisted Fairy Tales (Vol. 2)

2011-09-16T08:09:00.002-05:00

The anthology that carries my story "The Queen's Huntsman" is now available at B&N, Amazon, and the Pill Hill Press Book Shoppe. I haven't read the other stories in it yet (my contributor copy hasn't arrived), but I bet they're awesome. Go buy! Shoo!

Rejection, Submission

2011-09-15T09:04:00.001-05:00

"Draco Mortem" was rejected at Apex magazine this morning, so I sent it to Clarkesworld. As always, I'm starting with the markets approved for the SFWA before moving on to others. Clarkesworld's website promises a quick turnaround, so I should hear something soon.

Dissertation Drama Extravaganza

2011-09-10T08:58:00.001-05:00

Some of the drama surrounding my dissertation, which I mentioned a few days ago, has been partially resolved, so I can give out a few details here. Mostly, the professor I initially asked to direct didn't think he was the best fit for my topic, so he suggested someone else, but she's not doctorate faculty yet, so there was a whole thing where we were trying to figure out if she could direct anyway or if he would "direct" while she actually called all the shots, or what. Apparently, she's been cleared to direct, though there are still some "technical issues" being worked out with it. At this point, I'm letting the faculty people deal with it because I'm taking prelims in 7 weeks and don't want to think about my dissertation. And my new director person has actually told me not to think about my dissertation until after prelims. Because she's awesome.

So that's what's going on in PhD Land. Unfortunately, there's not much else to talk about because PhD Land has gone all aggro and has been actively annexing huge tracts of Writingburg and Happy Fun Time Country so that PhD Land owns all of my brain space. And time. And everything else. Stupid imperialist jerk.

Some of my colleagues and I were discussing this phenomenon the other day. We decided that the reason some professors get lazy after they get tenure is that it's the first time in at least 20 years that they haven't had any pressing expectations on them. Sure, they're expected to keep current in their fields and teach and stuff, but their entire livelihood isn't resting on it the way it does until tenure is achieved. For example, I have prelims this semester. And then I have my dissertation, assuming I pass prelims and don't have to take them again next semester (if I fail them twice, I'm out of the program. End of PhD). Once I'm done writing a book-length treatise on my topic to the specs and expectations of at least 3 different people, I get to graduate. And then I get to go find a job. In this economy. If I don't find a tenure-track job, I can adjunct for awhile, but as I've learned from Rate Your Students (which is now College Misery), adjuncting for too long is a stigma. Hiring committees wonder what's wrong with you, and they don't hire for tenure-track jobs out of their adjunct pools, no matter how qualified those people may be. So I have to get tenure-track or something leading to tenure-track immediately. In this economy. No pressure there. Once that's landed, I have to go through the insanity that is applying for tenure, which takes at least 8 years, more usually 12, and is full of school service, publishing, teaching, keeping the students happy enough so their evaluations don't kill my chances (don't even get me started on student evaluations), and everything I'm doing now (except the exams) except for more of it. So is it any wonder that when tenure is finally achieved, people relax? Maybe even slack off a bit? The people who think that people go into teaching because they can't do anything else and they're lazy and want an easy paycheck are frakking morons who have no frakking idea what goes on in academia.

The tl;dr version: life is hard and busy and won't get better anytime soon. Except this afternoon when, in celebration of me finishing reading all of the primary Old English works for the prelim, a friend and I are having a cross-stitching-and-popcorn-and-movie day. Good times.

Nothing to See Here

2011-09-07T20:03:00.004-05:00

Seriously. I'm probably never going to finish this season of True Blood (and it's so sad that I can't bring myself to care about that), I don't have time to write anything that isn't for a class, and my dissertation stuff is full of DRAH-mah that I can't talk about until it's resolved. Hopefully someday I'll have time to read something newish--maybe Goodreads will come through with a giveaway--and I'll have a book review or something to post here, cause otherwise, I'm out of stuff to talk about.

True Blood Blahs

2011-08-31T16:36:00.003-05:00

I realize I am shamefully behind on my True Blood haranguing for this week. School just went back in session and I haven't had a lot of time. Also, I'm having trouble caring, which makes finding time to watch the new episode doubly hard. Since Monday's Labor Day, I may do a two-for-one then.

I can say, however, that seeing a post from the True Blood fan page on Facebook that said, "Sookie's not quite as over Bill as she thought" made me yell, "DAMMIT, ALAN BALL." Out loud. In the middle of the TA office. I then had some explaining to do, but the sentiment remains. For the love of baby vamps, move the damn storyline forward instead of clinging to the past.

True Blood: Let's Get Out of Here

2011-08-22T11:18:00.001-05:00

This was another hit-and-miss episode of True Blood. Storylines have started wrapping up, but the Eric/Sookie/(Bill) thing is getting stupider. Also, Tommy continues to be an idiot.

Demon Baby
Good lord willing and the crick don't rise, this storyline is over with. Jesus (who I had honestly completely forgotten about) swooped in to the rescue, giving Mavis (the French Creole ghost) her baby back and then shoving her out of Lafayette. This took up a good chunk of the episode, but I was actually okay with that because it meant they wrapped it up and got it over with. It seems the writers have learned something about closure from the last few seasons; instead of trying to cram the end of everything into the last episode, they're starting to close storylines now. This was my second-least-favorite storyline of this season, but it did turn out rather sweet and touching and gave Ellis a chance to stretch his acting a bit. His "how I make baby with this, me?" line, when Mavis discovers she's in the body of a man, was priceless.

Tommy
While not over, this story looks like it's headed toward a swift conclusion. Tommy took Sam's place in a meeting with Luna's sort-of-ex-husband and got his ass kicked in the process. He might actually be dead (here's hoping). Tommy's motives for this are a bit blurry. Best-case scenario, he's trying to atone for his offenses against Sam. Worst-case scenario, he's trying to make Sam feel guilty for kicking him out of his life. It's hard to tell. It might also be moot, because those werewolves really kicked the crap out of him.

Sookie/Eric/(Bill)
With both Bill and Eric's blood inside her (thanks to Bill's attempt to heal the gunshot wound Sookie received at the end of the last episode), it's time for the inevitable threesome dream. Sookie declares that she's in love with both Eric and Bill, which made me yell, "COME ON, ALAN BALL!" at the screen. I don't care what sort of off-screen things contribute to this, whether it's Paquin and Moyer's relationship or Ball's continuing infatuation with Bill, it's completely destroying the relationships. Sookie and Eric are endgame. Deal with it.

Jess/Hoyt/Jason
After this episode, I'm much less down on the Jess/Jason thing. He's being incredibly sweet about the whole thing instead of treating her like one of the girls he usually sleeps with then forgets about. Also, his rejecting her last week led to an awesome scene with Jess and Nan Flanigan, who has decided never to sire anyone ever after spending a few hours with Jess. The lead-up to Jess and Jason having sex in the back of his truck worked so well that I'm more inclined to be sympathetic to it, even though--again--it's not how the books are supposed to go. Of course, Jason's part in the books is small enough that small tweaks like this might not make a difference (unlike killing Sophie-Anne. Ugh).

A few other side notes:
I wonder if Eric has castration anxiety. Because Antonia/Marnie's got him by the short hairs.
Sam and Luna are adorable.
I hope that Tara finally learns her lesson about joining cults after this. Her utter willingness to jump into Antonia's thing feet first--then regretting it later--is part of what I've been fussing about with the show not being smart, not having a memory, not allowing the characters to grow. You think she'd have learned from the whole Maryanne thing.

Images borrowed from Skarsgard Fans.

Book Review: Kitty's Big Trouble

2011-08-21T20:14:00.000-05:00

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Kitty Norville is back and in more trouble than ever. Her recent run-in with werewolves traumatized by the horrors of war has made her start wondering how long the US government might have been covertly using werewolves in combat. Have any famous names in our own history might have actually been supernatural? She's got suspicions about William Tecumseh Sherman. Then an interview with the right vampire puts her on the trail of Wyatt Earp, vampire hunter.

But her investigations lead her to a clue about enigmatic vampire Roman and the mysterious Long Game played by vampires through the millennia. That, plus a call for help from a powerful vampire ally in San Francisco, suddenly puts Kitty and her friends on the supernatural chessboard, pieces in dangerously active play. And Kitty Norville is never content to be a pawn. . . .

Definitely not the best Kitty novel and mostly buildup to the next one and the big war that's about to go down between the American vampires. Still enjoyable, though, and as always introduces yet more aspects of the supernatural world.

3/5

Book Review: Conspiracies (Shadow Grail 2)

2011-08-18T21:14:00.000-05:00

After defeating the Wild Hunt in the last book, Spirit and her friends are now trying to figure out who at Oakhurst is trying to kill them. It seems that they're caught in the middle of an ongoing battle between reincarnated Mordred and Arthur, with no idea who is on which side or which reincarnations might appear. Meanwhile, a group of Oakhurst alumni are on campus, probably with nefarious purposes, and they might also be mixed up with the Arthurian battle.

As is unfortunately true of most middle-of-the-series books, this one was weak. Too much of it was given over to the aftermath of Spirit and friends' defeat of the Wild Hunt, and too much of it was concerned with building up to the attack on the students at Imbolc. Lackey and Edghill introduced a new character, Elizabeth, who is the reincarnation of Isolde, but she's barely utilized in this book despite being far more interesting than anything happening with Spirit and Co. Quite a bit is left open for the next (last?) book, despite not much happening in this book. The connections between LEGACIES and CONSPIRACIES are weak at best, as though LEGACIES could have been stand-alone but they chose to continue the series.

Also, for a book about a school for magicians, there's surprisingly little magic at play here, at least until the very end.

3/5

True Blood: Spellbound

2011-08-16T17:26:00.002-05:00

I can't even.

The show continues to be incredibly lame. I lost track of how many times I rolled my eyes. Or said, "Really?" Here's why.

Lafayette/Demon Baby
These two storylines have converged, and despite Nelsan Ellis' consistent attempts to bring it, even he can't save this frakked-up thing from itself. This week, the spirit of the French Creole woman stomped her way into Lafayette and kidnapped Arlene's baby. Because her (white, married) lover killed hers. And the creepy, dirty, why-would-you-allow-your-child-to-play-with-this doll was a gift for her baby. Yeah. Also, Arlene continues to be histrionic at the least excuse.

Jason/Hoyt/Jessica Triangle
I don't mind a triangle. I don't mind a triangle involving Jess and Hoyt--let's face it, they're adorable, but that only gets the dramatic tension so far. But dragging Jason into it? Really? You couldn't have made it someone else? I'd almost rather have a whole new character (despite the glut of characters on this show) than Jess be interested in Jason. I'd even prefer Tommy Mickens to Jason. For one thing, I'm not sold on Jessica having feelings for Jason (though I can believe Jason being attracted to Jessica, because, well, he's Jason). For another, it was incredibly abrupt. Hoyt and Jess having trouble is one thing. Jess having dreams about killing him and then screwing Jason in his truck is another. And Hoyt's outburst when he kicked her out was enough to make me not want to see him ever again.

Edit: Meredith Woerner over at i09 had a different view of the two breakup scenes, and she makes a lot of sense:

Jessica returns home and has a horrible, no good dream about breaking up with Hoyt, killing him, and then fucking Jason in the car outside of her murder. Oh dear God in heaven this scene.

Every time I think I'm done with True Blood and it has just become hollow shell of vampire dick puppets put on screen to tantalize some and shock others, a scene like this comes along. Yes, I 100% believed that Jessica had killed Hoyt during the dream breakup.

The neighbors must have heard my jaw hit the floor. It was horrifying, but then when the actual breakup scene hit, it became so much more. This dream was a layered look into the nightmare that Jessica is terrified she will become (on every level). She doesn't want to be a wife (immediately she pictures Hoyt as a smelly slob). Jessica doesn't want to hurt Hoyt — she not only emotionally ruins him but then physically smashes his head in. And then proceeds to seduce Jason with the blood of his best friend splattered across his face.
It was an excellent look into Jessica's worst nightmare and inner "hunger" pulling at her. And the best part of it all, her self-indulgent little pity party (I'll hurt Hoyt so bad he'll cry and beg) blows up right in her face when Hoyt turns acid-spitting mean in the real-life breakup.

But forget the character emotionand layers, these two scenes worked because they were so ridiculously believable (even after Jessica crushed Hoyt's skull). From "I don't want someone better than you, I want you. I'm sorry I'm sorry. Love me, please please love me" to "You don't deserve me, and I don't deserve you, I deserve someone who isn't going to be a fucking virgin for all eternity." These are real fighting words we've all been dealt (or delivered). I don't know how many writers cried their way through putting both of these scenes together, but thank you for bringing back all the shit from my past I'd tried to hide away. For a show that actually incorporates were-panther dirt rape and fairy grenades into its weekly drama, this was astoundingly real and awesome to behold. Without Jessica and Hoyt, this show would have run off the rails years ago, it should be interesting to see what happens now that the two of them are apart.

Tommy
Tommy, of course, is busy being a skinwalker and bilking Mrs. Fortenberry out of a whole lot of money. Though I give Dale Raoul props for pulling off Tommy-as-Maxine; I think her performance might have outdone Sam Trammel's. Still, it's way past time for Tommy to go away.

Sookie/Eric
I really never thought anyone could ruin Sookie and Eric for me. I figured the idea of the two of them would take care of any bad writing, bad acting, or stupid on-screen antics. And then the True Blood writers did this:

And this:

Complete with the most inane dialogue possible. Killed it. My whole reason for watching the show is now dead and gone. This whole sequence was terrible. First there was the hand-sucking and Eric's "we will be one," line, followed by loud moaning when said hand-sucking occurred. Then there was the hint that they might actually do the shower scene--and then it starts snowing and they're all winter wonderland look-at-that-bed-we-should-totally-have-sex-in-it. I mean, WHAT? Writers, you are drunk. And what's with the Disney outdoors theme to Sookie & Eric's relationship? First we have the obviously-fake-forest sex scene, then we have this we're-high-on-each-other, snowing-indoors, blurry Scene of Ridiculousness +3™. I give up. Seriously. This has gone beyond inane and into psychotic.

Also. They need to let Sookie get over Bill. And they need to let Eric get over Bill. Seriously. No matter how many times Eric says that Bill is a great king, or Sookie says that he's basically a good person, I'm not going to believe it. Bill is an ass. Sookie is supposed to be over him. Let's move on and stop with the coy sideways looks and the "thank you for releasing Eric so we could screw in the woods" thing.

Werewolves
They have nearly nothing to do with the plot. They keep showing up anyway. It looks like the writers are setting up the whole Debbie-tries-to-kill-Sookie thing, but they're making it not nearly as believable or interesting as Charlaine Harris did. Also, the Alpha is the creepy guy that Sam's girlfriend has been warning Sam about the whole time--of course.

And there's four more episodes of this crap. This is how I feel about that. ------->

(Images taken from Shadow of the Reflection)

Book Review: Ghost Story

2011-08-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

Dresden is dead. But as Chicago's only practicing wizard, he doesn't get a break just because he doesn't have a physical body anymore. Sent back into Chicago as a ghost to solve his own murder and save the lives of his friends, Dresden struggles with the ways the world has changed since he died.

GHOST STORY wasn't the very best Dresden novel, but it was definitely different. Butcher plays around with surrealism, the physics of his universe, and the internal lives of his characters. While the bulk of the novel was possibly unnecessary to anything but character development, the ending smacks you in the face with reveal after shocking reveal which left me sputtering at my Nook and reading faster with every page. The setup for the next novel is flawless, and I can't wait for it to come out.

4/5

Draco Mortem

2011-08-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

"Dragon in a Mall," with its spiffy new title of "Draco Mortem," has been sent off into the ether today, submitted to Pedestal Magazine. Their reading period for the upcoming issue ends on the 14th, so I should be hearing something pretty soon.

Meanwhile, between the lots and lots and lots of academic stuff I have to do, I've been working on revising "Devil's Pit" and outlining a new novel, as yet untitled.

True Blood: Cold Grey Light of Dawn

2011-08-08T13:38:00.002-05:00

This week's episode of True Blood varied between utterly ridiculous and boring and not too bad. Let's look at the bad stuff first, then the good stuff:

Bad Writing/Acting
This is where Tommy and Holly fall. Tommy's continuing with his oh-poor-me ridiculousness, showing that he hasn't learned a damn thing in the last year except how to sound out words. He seems to truly not understand why Sam is so mad at him, which makes him either a complete narcissist, or a complete idiot. Generally, he's one of the worst show-only characters and really just needs to go away.

Holly's issue is acting. I don't believe a single word out of her mouth. Especially when she's flirting with Andy. That entire scene was painful, and not because of Andy's V-withdrawal.

Sookie drops into this category a bit, too. I'm not sure whether it's bad writing or acting (or both), but I'm having a really difficult time believing that Sookie has gotten past Eric's past treatment of her and fallen in love with him. Maybe it's because she's acting all motherly. Maybe it's because they took out the shower scene, where the true seduction and surrender happened. I don't know. But I don't believe her.

Bad Plotting
Lafayette's a medium? Bill knows all about Antonia whatever-the-frak-her-name-is despite her having died 200 years before he was born? Bill manages to figure out Antonia's entire plan from one word? That creepy ghost-lady is singing to Arlene's baby in French (and Lafayette can see her)? What? Who? Why? What?

On the other hand.

Marnie--or Antonia--is so much more interesting now that she's taking charge. Also, the tension over who to root for is much better now that you've got someone who wants to destroy every single vampire--even those who have never hurt anyone--and have pretty reasonable reasons to do so. Yet, as I said, not all vampires have hurt people. Some of them feel bad about it. Not all of them deserve to die. So who do we root for? Who's right? Who's wrong?

Also, it's been awhile since we've seen hide or hair (see what I did there?) of the people from Hotshot or the fairies, and I am okay with this. We've still got a glut of plotlines, but they're slowly paring down. I could still live without the demon baby plot, and I really despise Debbie Pelt (though if they stick with the original ending of the book, I appreciate that they're setting her up as a person and not just someone who SPOILERtries to kill SookieEND SPOILER).

The end of the episode was brilliant. They juxtaposed humor (Pam trying to get out of her coffin), drama (Sookie holding Eric down), tension (Jason running to save Jessica), and fear for a beloved character (Jessica walking into the sun) with the witches' spell (though I could have done without the floating) in a very well-edited sequence.

So I didn't hate this episode and I hope they continue to get rid of unneeded stories and characters, make the extra stories more relevant to the overall story, and wrap it all up in a way that does justice to the sad and tragic end of Dead to the World.

All images were borrowed from Shadow of the Reflection's screencap site.

Open Letter to the Texarkana O'Reilly's

2011-08-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

This is the text of an e-mail I just sent to O'Reilly's Auto Parts customer service. I thought I'd share it here, too, just in case it expedites our thanks reaching the people in the Texarkana store.

On Thursday, August 4, 2011, my husband and I were driving from Nashville, TN to Dallas, TX for a very important meeting relating to his education. On the way, we developed an oil seep which dripped onto the exhaust system and caused smoking which forced us to stop every hundred miles or so to allow the engine to cool. In desperation, we stopped at the O'Reilly's in Texarkana, Arkansas, on State Line Avenue to find something to hopefully plug or stop the leak just long enough for us to get to Dallas and then back home a few days later.

The associate who helped us (unfortunately, I didn't get her name) was marvelously knowledgeable and helpful. She suggested a specific brand of stop-leak, though she admitted it was a bit pricey, but she swore it would absolutely work, while the cheaper brands might have issues. She helped my husband find the oil cap so he could put the stop-leak in the engine and stayed outside in the 100+ degree heat with us until we were ready to drive again.

Once the stop-leak had worked its way through the system, it worked brilliantly. We still had to stop frequently on the way to Dallas, but when we left on Sunday afternoon, we were able to drive all the way back to Nashville without any stops other than the usual road-trip stops. The leak appears to have completely stopped, and there was no hint of smoking or other distress for the entire 12-hour drive.

I hope that you can pass our thanks along to the O'Reilly's store in Texarkana and that the nice lady who helped us will remember us so that she'll know how much we appreciated her help and her advice.

Thanks!

True Blood: I Wish I Was the Moon

2011-08-01T19:40:00.001-05:00

This week's episode was a bit better. Yet also had some continuing frustration. Let's break down why.

Tommy
The elder Mickenses are gone (thank Odin), but Tommy's still being a pain in the rear. Also, showing us way too much of his rear (seriously, the boy is incapable of wearing his pants correctly). This week, he shifted into Sam (which he can do, as we've learned, because he killed a blood relative) and proceeded to wreck Sam's life--fired Sookie, treated Sam's girlfriend like a whore, etc. So when, at the endish of the episode, it looks like he's dead of an overdose or something similar, I'm not too unhappy about it.

Although, I have to give Sam Trammell that his rendition of Tommy-being-Sam was phenomenal. Great acting work on his part.

Demon Baby
There was only one instance of the demon baby this time, but they're headed further into la-la land with the baby doll and that weird chick the baby was smiling at and did his eyes turn black or was it just the light? This is by far the dumbest story they've got going right now and I really wish they'd kill it.

Jason and the Werepanthers
No actual werepanthers this week, again thank Odin. Instead, we got some real good heart-to-heart talks between Jason and Sookie and Jason and Jessica. Also, I'm kind of glad they chose not to follow the books on this one, because they'd only make the half-panther Jason look utterly ridiculous and not at all tragic and uncertain like in the books.

Bill
Ye gods. Please go away. He was barely in this book, and I liked it that way. He keeps getting between Eric and Sookie, and at the end, when he lets Eric go instead of killing him, the writers try to make us feel sorry for him. Why? What in the world has he done that would make me feel sympathetic? I hear Alan Ball has a huge crush on Bill's character, but really, he needs to just go away. Also, he needs to stop being king because that storyline is stupid also.

The Witches
Marnie is pathetic, though now it appears Marnie doesn't live here anymore. And Lafayette's taking little vacations from being Lafayette. I miss the old Lafayette, who was special because he wasn't ashamed of who he was and managed to get along in a town that's not real accepting of people who are different. Also, the way Holly hit "thank goddess" a bit too hard (and leaving out "the"), made it sound trite, contrived, and way too pointed. We get it. They worship the goddess. Stop treating us like we're idiots, True Blood.

There was some naked Eric, which always makes episodes more interesting, and Sookie and Eric finally consummate their . . . thing, though unfortunately it wasn't the shower scene from the books (yum).

So, as usual, there's too much going on, not enough time spent on any one character because there's too much going on, and the Wiccans are absolved of all wrongdoing because it's really a witch from the 1600s or something who's taken over Marnie. Though maybe now that she appears to have set up shop permanently, Marnie will get less pathetic and the whole storyline will get way more interesting. At least we don't have the Mickenses and didn't have the Hotshot people to remind us that Southern white people are trash who can't read and sleep with their brother-cousins.

All images taken from Shadow of the Reflection's screencap site.

True Blood: Me and the Devil

2011-07-25T11:52:00.001-05:00

This episode basically sucked. Why? Not enough Eric.

Something I think the writers tend to forget is that this story is supposed to be about Sookie. This episode featured about 4 Sookie scenes. The ones in which the vampires tried to deal with the witches I can accept; that's a major part of the story, after all. But we continue to be bombarded with crap storylines, detailed below.

Demon Baby
Arlene's had a baby. Renee's baby (you know, the murderer from season one). She's convinced he's evil. At first, this storyline was kind of cute--Arlene's funny when she's coming unglued--but when the baby (or the demon doll thing) began writing threatening messages on the walls and everything went all Poltergeist, it stopped being cute and just got sad. The whole thing is completely unnecessary and just bogs down the bigger story. Besides being completely ridiculous. In this episode, Arlene and Terry call in the Reverend whose-name-I-forget and Lettie Mae (Tara's mother, who's now married to him), who have some sort of odd exorcism thing. Arlene, of course, refers to them unthinkingly as "you people," by which she means religious people but which Lettie Mae takes as a racial slur (which it might be, considering Arlene, though I don't think she meant it that way).

Jason
Jason's another part of the story I can see focusing on. His disappearance and transformation into a werepanther in Dead to the World was a fairly major secondary plot. However, the writers have completely messed up the story, as they have with just about every other subplot they've touched. The writers again steal Sookie's thunder by having Jason pretty much rescue himself, then Hoyt and Jessica find him and take him home. Sookie never even knew he was missing. I've had serious issues with their treatment of this whole storyline, specifically the flippant way they handle Jason being bitten by panthers and gang-raped half to death, but it got even worse this time. Because Jessica fed Jason some of her blood to help heal him (which was a good thing, considering how much dirt the Hotshot people kept rubbing in his wounds), he of course has sex dreams about her. BUT. Instead of being freaked out and traumatized, he's all for it--except that Hoyt shows up in the dream, too. So instead of very understandable PTSD, the only reason the sex dreams bug him is that they're about his best friend's girlfriend. Really, True Blood? I mean, I know Jason's supposed to be shallow and all, but this is really pushing it. Also, it trivializes the heck out of rape and makes it something you can just shake off and move on.

Tommy and the Mickenses
Which sounds like a bad band name. The Mickenses are yet another example of shallow, stereotypical writing, and it appeared they were headed back toward the same issues as last season--which wouldn't have surprised me, since True Blood doesn't seem to be able to let people grow. But in this episode, Tommy kills his parents, so thank Odin that particular storyline is completely over. I still wish they'd get rid of Tommy entirely, but you can't have everything.

Overall, this episode was a whole lot of "whatever" punctuated by a few incidences of "awwww, puppy-dog Eric." Which pretty much sums up the entire season so far. On the plus side, we got a taste of the Sookie/Eric love theme, which is very nice. I like it. Unfortunately I can't find it anywhere online, so I can't link to it, but trust me, it's lovely.

All images are taken from Shadow of Reflection's screencap site.

True Blood: Getting the Party Started

2011-07-24T11:28:00.001-05:00

In order to start my True Blood analysis posts on solid footing, here's what I think of the show so far and why I've chosen to do these posts.

Season one was good. Other than the rampant gratuitous nudity and sex (but, hey, it's HBO. What do we expect). The writers found good beats, they stuck more-or-less to the plot of Dead Until Dark, and the novelty of seeing these characters on screen hadn't quite worn off yet.

Season two . . . not so much. The writers took a small, almost throwaway storyline from Living Dead in Dallas and inflated it to half, if not three-quarters, of the story for the season. The Dallas story, again, was pretty close to the novel, but the Maryanne-and-orgies story just got out of control. When orgies become boring, you know you've done them too often. I got bored after the second one. On the other hand, the writers did allow Lafayette to live, and at this point they'd built him up to a really remarkable character who I was glad to see stick around. More on him later.

Season three pulled even further away from the books, this time Club Dead, added Jesus Velasquez as a love interest for Lafayette, skipped over anything clever in the books, and took every opportunity to make Sookie look like a complete idiot. Instead of calling the bar Josephine's and nicknaming it Club Dead, they called it Lou Pines. Lou Pines. Please. As if that's not a dead giveaway to werewolf activity. Instead of Russell Edgington being a secondary character who just so happens to be giving Lorena a space to kidnap and torture Bill, he's a mastermind who is actively involved in vampire politics. Then there's the problem with Sookie. In the books, when she rescues him, she's very careful about the whole thing. She covers her tracks, gets Bill into the trunk of a car, and takes him back to the garage of Alcide's apartment complex, where Debbie shoves her into the trunk and locks her in. In the show, Alcide helps her by bringing his truck, and when they load Bill into the back and Sookie insists on getting in the back with him. Book!Sookie would never be that stupid. Either way, the result is pretty much the same--Sookie gets mauled and raped, and their relationship is very over. The whole sunwalking-fairy-blood thing? Yeah. Not in the books.

Now we're at season four, where things are very very loosely based on Dead to the World and going merrily to hell. Jesus and Lafayette are involved in the coven. Tara's gone away for awhile, found a way to vent her many frustrations, and come back not changed at all. Bill is king of Louisiana. Jason's taking care of the people of Hotshot. And apparently Sookie disappeared into the fairy world (also never happens in the books) and was gone for a year.

This is also where I've begun to notice certain trends. First of all, the show isn't smart. People don't really grow or change. They're entirely surface. The characters have almost no depth. The bad guys are clearly bad and the good guys are clearly good, and if they get confused it's only because we don't have enough information yet--and that rarely happens. The writers make sure we know what's the what. Which also includes reminding us constantly about vampire's powers--as if three seasons haven't taught us that they move really fast, fly, can see really well, and their blood has healing and addictive powers. We've got it. We don't need little asides like Portia Bellefleur's in "I'm Alive and On Fire" when Bill's reading a very worn family Bible and she feels it necessary to remind us that vampires have really good eyesight. We know. Give us a bit of credit, True Blood.

Second, because the show isn't smart, it's populated by stereotypes, all of which are treated in a very PC fashion. In the book, the coven is made up of Marnie, a power-hungry, evil person, and a whole bunch of people who are either sucked in through Marnie's threats or truly believe that she's right. In other words--people. In the show, Marnie is timid, unsure of herself, and possessed by a witch from sometime way in the past. Rather than being the aggressor, the coven is the aggressed-upon when Bill sends Eric to break them up. This seems very much like a careful adjustment to be sure that Wiccans are not portrayed in any manner which might be offensive to them. Hence, the true political tension found in the book is utterly lacking in the show.

The writers have no such compunction with the people of Hotshot, however. Rather than the book's portrayal of them as insular but basically good people--and, yes, inbred, but actively trying to find new blood to counteract the inbreeding--the show has stupid, toothless, meth-addicted-and-dealing hillbilly morons who act like cats even in their human forms. As Meredith Worner points out in her i09 recap:

Jason awakes [sic] up to a good were-panther licking. Of course this is how the good folks of Hotshots clean themselves! I can just imagine the directing in this scene. "CUT. It's just not working, it's not catty enough yet. I don't feel like the unwashed-hillbilly-methface-V-juice-junkies are actually panther people as well. Can we get him to lick Jason on the head? Perfect."
By this logic, Alcide must drag his ass along the carpet whenever he has an itch he can't reach. Oh, True Blood.

Likewise, True Blood must constantly remind us that these people are inbred by having them refer to each other by every possible relationship--Uncle-Daddy. Brother-Husband. Gag. And, of course, their book-inspired quest to add new blood to the line becomes, instead of the leader proposing to Sookie, a group effort of biting Jason and then tying him to a bed and having every female of breeding age rape him. For days. Because nobody's going to have a screaming, PC fit about stereotyping Southern people as ignorant hicks, it's perfectly okay for True Blood to do it.

Don't even get me started on the fairy storyline. I don't know what to do with that yet other than wish they'd never gone there.

On the plus side, Alexander Skarsgard's acting as mind-wiped Eric is phenomenal, and he makes the show for me. Every second adorable-puppy-eyes Eric isn't on the screen is a waste, as far as I'm concerned.

I promised to talk more about Lafayette, but I think I'll let The Stonebrook Institute of Higher Thinking post on True Blood do it for me:

When “True Blood” was in its first season, Ball’s creative divergences from the first Sookie Stackhouse novel, Dead Until Dark, were brilliant. He wrote Lafayette—a throwaway character (literally)—into a strong presence and deftly cast Nelsan Ellis in the role. But Lafayette was supposed to die at the end of Season One—in the books, his body was the one found in the parking lot at Merlott’s—and keeping him alive has been a Pet Sematary proposition. The character of Lafayette hasn’t been the same since the second season. Ellis still puts on a game show, but Lafayette’s scenes are almost painful to watch.

Instead of the wisdom- and drug-dispensing wise-man he was in season one, he's become a caricature of himself, uncertain and caught up with forces he doesn't understand. As much as I love what they did with his character in season one--and partly in season two, when he was suffering from PTSD--maybe it would have been better if they'd killed him. If nothing else, they could have kept the second season maenad-and-orgy storyline closer to the original, done away with Eggs entirely (yes, please), and kept to a more even keel.

So that's where we are at this point. Tonight, episode 4x5, "Me and the Devil," airs, and I'll be watching it sometime tomorrow, probably mid-morning Central. My Twitter feed will go a bit crazy for an hour, and then I'll collect my thoughts and begin my episode-by-episode write ups of the show.

True Blood

2011-07-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

I've been considering beginning weekly analyses (read: rants) of True Blood episodes. These wouldn't be recaps (there are plenty of good ones out there--see i09 and TWP), but they would be pretty spoiler-heavy. This season has frustrated me in so many different ways that I think putting my frustrations in writing episode-by-episode would help a lot.

If this sounds like something, you Gentle Readers, would absolutely hate to see, leave me a note. I'll take no comments as "sure. Go ahead. Nobody reads this thing, anyway."

Internet Traffic #3

2011-07-17T13:01:00.000-05:00

Hello, lovelies! Let's see where our visitors have come from this week.

"fixed the computer site:blogspot.com"
I've fixed my computer several times, but I'm not a tech blog and so probably couldn't help you out. *sadface*

"b.b goings"
I've posted about stuff that goes on on the Buffy-Boards, which I'm a sporadic member of, several times.

"snarky-writer.blogspot.com"
That's me! Hi!

"stephen king women"
Okay, either I'm not the only one who noticed some of the issues I posted about here, or someone's assigned an essay on women in Stephen King's work. Either way, this has become one of my most popular posts. It's too bad I couldn't have an actual discussion with people because they were being rude and so I had to close the comments. (Because, quite frankly, I don't see any reason why I should have to put up with that kind of abuse.)

"the decoy princess review"
Yep. Did that. It's here.

A lot less traffic this week, but that's okay. It seems to have been a slow week online in general. My guess: everyone's been preparing for ComicCon and the last Harry Potter movie instead of posting and/or reading stuff.

Writing Again

2011-07-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I by Odin want to get a story published at professional rates sometime before I graduate, so I'm tackling a few ideas I've had. Currently, I'm reworking "Devil's Pit" into a short story (cut. Ow. Snip. Ow) and have plans for several more David-and-Adria stories. I'm hoping eventually one of these will lend itself to novelization, maybe after the two have gotten some exposure.

So over on the sidebar, there's a running count of my progress on "Devil's Pit," the short story version. I also need to revise "Dragon in a Mall" (and find it a better title) and I have ideas for two more stories in this vein. It may take awhile, considering my current work load, but I'm hoping that when (if) I pass my prelims and start my dissertation, I'll be able to take a few hours out of every day to do some fiction writing. We'll see.

Also, forewarned by the fuss over Jim Butcher's fictional Chicago and how it doesn't live up to some people's expectations, I've moved David and Adria's office out of Abingdon, VA and to a fictional town nearby that I'm calling Three Rivers. As Butcher said in part of his reply, "I didn't expect to be taken so seriously 12 years ago," and I'm hoping that this will keep me from finding myself in the same position sometime down the road.

Book Review: Runemarks

2011-07-13T07:53:00.000-05:00

500 years after Ragnarok, the world is on the brink of war again. The gods are trapped in various places in the Nine Worlds, except for Odin, who is very weak. In the power vacuum after the war came the Order, a University-turned-religion which resembles the worst of Puritanism and the Spanish Inquisition rolled into one, which wants to create perfect order everywhere (which, of course, would be just as bad as perfect chaos). Into this world, Maddy is born, bearing a runemark on her hand and the ability to do runic magic. Battered about by the forces of the Aesir and the Order, Maddy meets the old gods and learns about her true identity even as the world prepares for war.

I thought this book was brilliant. The characterizations of the gods brought them to life, and I think Harris may have used every possible episode from the Eddas and the Volsunga Saga to detail how the gods' relationships were formed. The plot, like the Eddas, is a complicated construction of intrigue, betrayal, and faulty assumptions.

The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars was because of the sheer size. Quite frequently I felt as if the book would never end. I hoped, at the end, that the frequent POV shifts and information gathered there would be entirely necessary, but they weren't quite. I can't point to any piece that I would definitively cut out, but I have a sense that the book could have been shorter.

4.5/5

Internet Traffic #2

2011-07-10T13:21:00.000-05:00

Since there was no horrified outcry and cries for the removal of my head after last week's "internet traffic" post, here's another one. You're welcome.

"decoy princess spoiler"
My review of Dawn Cook's Decoy Princess is here. It does, in fact, contain spoilers.

"snarky query"
I have a feeling you were looking for a query letter which contains snark. I have never yet written one of those, and don't intend to. I also don't post my query letters here. If you're looking for some snark in your queries, check out Query Shark.

"craig r. davis"
Dr. Craig Davis is a brilliant academic who wrote Beowulf and the Demise of Germanic Legend in England. I actually corresponded with him briefly in regard to that book since it's completely out of print. He was nice enough to give me permission to scan it before I turned in my library copy. I talk about the book here.

"mercedes lackey phoenix spoiler transformed" and "the phoenix transformed spoilers"
I reviewed Mercedes Lackey's The Phoenix Transformed here. It is quite spoilery. I really liked that book and plan to read it again at some point in the next . . . I don't know. Ten years or so.

"short stories by snarky women"
I've had a couple of short stories published; the list is over there in the sidebar. ----->
I am, in fact, a snarky woman. As are many of the women in my stories. Go check them out.

"snarky home is where the heart is sayings"
Hmmmm. I'm not entirely certain what you were looking for or where this search took you. I don't think I've ever said anything about "home is where the heart is," especially not in a snarky manner.

"the sacred mushroom and the cross review"
You can find my review of John Allegro's The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross here. I found the book fascinating, yet difficult.

"twin peaks writers"
I haven't talked much about Twin Peaks; I haven't even finished the series yet. I think I got through the third episode before life got too insane for me to finish. But the one post I did write on it is here.

"what were beowulf's motivations in the movie"
I rant about Beowulf the movie(s) quite a bit. I have a rather long entry about it here. I really hope, though, that you're Googling this just because you're curious and not because you're hoping to find someone to answer the question for a class for you. Because that is cheating. And bad. Think for yourself, dammit.

Have a nice day!

Epiphany Moment

2011-07-03T17:16:00.000-05:00

I have finally figured out exactly what it is about most American literature, especially the stuff written before the 20th century, that I despise so much.

There's no mythology in it.

I'm reading Henry James' The Ambassadors and desperately trying, as I'm reading, to find some sort of connection to some mythological tradition so I can write a paper about it. Mythology is pretty much my area--both ancient and modern mythology. But when Americans became Americans and began writing, it was almost as if they were rediscovering literature, completely ignoring the body of literature that went before, unless it was Shakespeare or the Bible, or, more rarely, Milton or Dante.

As with most things, I blame the Puritans.

Of course there are exceptions; there always are. And I tend to enjoy the American literature that falls into the exception category. But the very vast majority of it, until the 1930s or so when pulp fiction began to become popular and the horror and fantasy genres took off, especially after the 1950s when The Lord of the Rings was published, is starkly devoid of magic, mystery, a connection to the beliefs and literature of their ancestors. Only in the mountains of Appalachia can you still find hints of the Old World mythology in America. Otherwise, it's gone. Neil Gaiman is right; America is bad for gods and magic.

Internet Traffic #1

2011-07-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

I'm borrowing an idea from a friend of mine, wherein she looks at her blogger stats and the keywords which led people to her blog, then speculates about them. I thought this would be fun, also. Let's see where it leads us.

Here are the keywords from the last week:

"snarky-writer.blogspot.com"
This is pretty obvious. Both of you know exactly what you're looking for. Good for you!

"Norse Code"
I reviewed Greg von Eekhout's Norse Code a few weeks ago. I didn't like it, unfortunately.

"Battle Sylph"
I reviewed this book, by L.J. MacDonald, as well. It wasn't bad, but not really my thing.

"grave secret what happened to cameron spolier"
I reviewed Charlaine Harris' Grave Secret. I honestly don't remember whether we find out exactly what happened to Cameron, though I know there are a few false trails in the book. Looking at my review, though, apparently we do; I just don't remember what it was. Also, I'm not entirely sure what a "spolier" is, but I hope you found what you were looking for.

"if it makes me giggle for more than 15 seconds"
I seem to remember saying something like this at one point, probably related to firearms. Unfortunately, none of the firearms I own has what is colloquially known as a "giggle switch," so I probably don't giggle for more than one or two seconds after firing one.

"review of age of odin" and "the age of odin"
Yep. Did that one, too--Age of Odin by James Lovegrove. I liked it.

"stephen king favorite women" and "stephen king women wrist"
AHAHA! The less said about my "Stephen King and Women" post, the better. That nearly turned into an all-out flame war. In fact, I posted the ducky video immediately after it specifically to bump that post down the page. I do have a word of advice based on that post, though: read the whole freaking post carefully before jumping to conclusions and down people's throats. I'm really not sure about the "wrist" thing, though.

"decoy princess spoiler"
I reviewed Dawn Cook's The Decoy Princess here. There aren't any major spoilers in my review, but I marked it as spoilery just in case.

So people are finding my blog mostly through my book reviews, which is good. Eventually maybe they'll start finding it by searching for my work, which would be even better.

I am a Nerd

2011-07-03T09:47:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I finished reading a book called Beowulf and the Demise of Germanic Legend in England by Craig R. Davis. There were bits I skimmed because I was mostly interested in the Germanic part, but one chapter in particular caught my eye.

Davis argues that as Germanic legend moved into Anglo-Saxon England with the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, etc., the gods were whittled down to human size, especially as Christianity took over. Hence, elements of Norse mythology can be seen in Anglo-Saxon poetry.

Like Beowulf.

Beowulf has a swimming match (or a rowing match, depending on which critic you listen to) with Brecca, which results in him being pulled to the bottom of the ocean to fight sea monsters. Thor has a rowing match with a giant, which results in him hooking the Midgard Serpent, being pulled to the bottom of the ocean, and kicking the crap out of it with his hammer.

Beowulf fights Grendel, who is carrying a dragon-skin glove to use as a bag for carrying his men-meals. Thor hides in a giant's glove overnight, then fights the giant the next morning.

Beowulf kills the dragon, then dies and his kingdom is plunged into chaos and eventually destroyed. Thor will fight the Midgard Serpent during Ragnarok, then fall over dead, and the world will be plunged into chaos.

Unferth challenges Beowulf's claims about the swimming match, starting a "flyting" match between the two. Beowulf's "flyting" is a bit heavy-handed. In one story, Loki marches into Asgard and starts flinging insults at the gods, flyting-match style. Until Thor comes in and smacks him with his hammer.

The man is a genius, and my head just about exploded. Beowulf is Thor. At least, a watered-down, humanized version of Thor. I'm really upset that this book is out of print and available exactly nowhere (I've looked), not even my school's library (I've got it through the interlibrary loan system). This is a book I'd love to have my own personal copy of.

Book Review: God's War

2011-07-02T15:02:00.000-05:00

This was a Nook Free Fridays offering.

I struggled through this book, mostly because of a culture gap; the book is set on a planet which was populated with Middle Eastern, Muslim settlers, and I understood very little of the culture they'd built. While the overall conception seems pretty interesting, I found myself unable to finish it at this time. I may return to it later when my reading plate isn't quite so full and see if I can finish it then.

Since I didn't finish it and it wasn't because I hated it, I'm not starring the book just yet.

Still Reading

2011-06-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

I'm continuing to slog through old pop culture criticism--which tends to be frustratingly elitist--and Middle English literature--today I get to read selections from Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain." Also, I'm nearly finished with Torchwood, I'm working my way through Life on Mars (the British edition) as the discs come from Netflix, and I'm only 7 achievements away from completion on the Dragon Age games (but they're the hard ones. Kill 1,000 darkspawn. Kill the big bad monster in a DLC adventure on "hard" or "nightmare." HA).

Also, at some point, I've become a frappuccino addict. Not sure when that happened; I used to hate cold coffee. Now I'm buying the little bottles and chugging them every morning.

I have managed to "tentatively" secure a dissertation director (he even made the little quote marks in the air when he said "tentatively")--Dr. Viking--and I wrote a (very) rough proposal yesterday. And then had a mini-panic attack. This project is going to be huge (well, it's a freaking dissertation), and Dr. Viking is saying I get one year to write it. That he won't let me go any longer than that. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee.

So in 6 months, when I disappear off the face of the earth, don't worry. I'm not dead; I'm just dissertating.

Book Review: Norse Code

2011-06-21T17:48:00.003-05:00

Mist is a brand-new Valkyrie, tapped for the job after dying in a shooting robbery with her sister. Her job is to test men and recruit them for Odin's army of the dead to fight in Ragnarok. But what she really wants to do is travel to Helheim and rescue her sister. But the world is falling apart around her, preparing for Ragnarok, and loyalties are deeply uncertain.

I found the premise of this book very interesting, but it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. Too many characters with too many subplots in too small of a space kept me from connecting to any of them or caring about most of the plots. None of the characters were relateable, mostly because the reader doesn't get to spend enough time with any of them. The chemistry between characters was sorely lacking. And other than the overarching "Ragnarok is coming" plot, the threads of plots got tangled and difficult to follow due to all the interactions and characters involved.

I think this book needed to be about 100 pages longer, if not more, in order to add in more exposition, character building, and relationship building.

2/5

Book Review: The Age of Odin

2011-06-19T23:43:00.000-05:00

Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers

James Lovegrove’s The Age of Odin is a modern fantasy novel set in England (and, arguably, Asgard). Gideon Coxall is a retired British Army vet, let go after IED shrapnel left him deaf in one ear and with a titanium plate in his skull. After leaving the army, he did time for assault, losing his wife and estranging his son in the process. When his friend, nicknamed “Abortion,” tells him about the Valhalla Project, which promises £2,000 a week and doesn’t discriminate based on injury or history, Gideon decides to sign up. On the way to Asgard Hall, ostensibly in the north of England, Abortion wrecks the car. As the two escape the crash, Abortion is killed and eaten by wolves and Gideon rescued by three women on snowmobiles—the Valkyries. He soon discovers that the Valhalla Project is run by Odin himself, and Odin is gathering an army to fight Loki, who is masquerading as the President of the United States, Lois Keener.

Lovegrove’s research definitely shows; he’s clearly read the Eddas several times very carefully. The entirety of the Norse pantheon appears, all with histories and personalities accurate to what is described in the Eddas, but the setting is completely modern, with guns, snowmobiles, and a Chinook named Sleipnir. Gideon helps the gods fight Ragnarok, with each of the prophecies about it coming to pass, though the monsters are replaced with mechanical equivalents (mostly because Loki found it easier to use the US DoD budget to build them rather than freeing the real Fenrir and Midgard serpent). Along the way, Lovegrove inserts a few conversations that explore the nature of godhood, the death and waning of gods, and other mythological/religious/philosophical topics.

The book is a headlong rush to Ragnarok, led by a smartmouthed, fearless, berserker of a man who is aware of his own faults and intends to fix them. Although I picked it up to read for a class on Norse mythology, I thoroughly enjoyed it as a work of fiction, as well.

5/5

Drowning in Reading Material

2011-06-14T12:01:00.000-05:00

Today I had to sit down and begin drawing up a schedule for my reading this summer so I can keep up with the reading I have to do for 1) my Norse mythology directed reading; 2) my Old English/Middle English prelim; 3) my pop culture prelim; and 4) the American lit class I'm taking later this summer. I only scheduled two weeks so that I can adjust if necessary.

This is what this week looks like:
Tuesday: American Gods by Neil Gaiman, "Postmodernism" by Frederic Jameson, 3 Middle English poems
Wednesday: American Gods, "Visual Pressure" by Laura Mulvey, 3 Middle English poems
Thursday: Age of Odin by James Lovegrove, Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnson, 3 Middle English poems
Friday: Age of Odin, Everything Bad, 3 Middle English poems
Saturday: Norse Code by Greg von Eckhout, Understanding Popular Culture by John Fiske, 3 Middle English poems

The week after looks pretty similar. Luckily for me, most of the Old and Middle English stuff is free from Google Books on the Nook.

Speaking of the Nook, I got the newest version this week. So far, I love it even more than the older one. The navigation is much better, it's smaller and lighter, and it has a text setting called "publisher default" which sets the text so it looks the way the paperback does.

Since I can't just sit and read in utter silence, I've been using Netflix to stream or get DVDs of a lot of British TV. I watched all of Blackadder in the last few weeks, as well as the first season of Absolutely Fabulous and the first few episodes of Little Britain (I decided that one wasn't my thing). When I'm not doing that, I'm achievement hunting in Dragon Age and Dragon Age 2. The great thing about RPG video games? Really long cutscenes. Not as long as the Final Fantasy games, but still pretty hefty. So I can read while the characters are chattering about backstory to each other.

Now if you'll excuse me, I must go rescue the huge pile of books on my desk which my kitty is trying to knock over, then go back to reading.

Apathy, Cynicism, or Practicality?

2011-06-04T11:27:00.001-05:00

Lately, I've noticed that I have less and less patience with books. I used to power through stories I was only sort of interested in, partly in the hope that they would get better, partly because I was raised to finish a book if I started it (I'm mostly out of that, now, but I'd still read them as long as they didn't give me a good reason not to). Not so much anymore. Now I've found myself giving books between two and four chapters to grab my attention, sympathy, interest, or whatever else the book is going for before I drop it and move on to something else. I have less and less patience with mediocre stories; I need good ones. Fabulous ones. Ones I'll want to give at least four stars.

I suspect that part of this is a time issue. This summer I have three different reading lists, each as long as my arm, as I work on my directed reading and study for my preliminary exams. I don't have much time for reading for pleasure, and by apostrophes, it had better be a pleasure if I'm going to read it. Also, I'm reading a whole lot of stuff that isn't very interesting but is necessary (Roland Barthes. There's a reason his name sounds like "barf." Please don't kill me, fellow English majors). Why in the world would I, during the little bit of time right before bed that I have to read something interesting, that I want to read, spend that time on something that's not going to suck me in and take me somewhere fun? What's the point?

I think it's also linked to the incredibly huge TBR pile--consisting of physical, electronic, and virtual (they're on a list in my head but I haven't bought them yet) books--that's constantly staring me in the face. I've taken to referring to this pile as my "bucket list," because hopefully I'll get to all of them before I die. So, again, why waste my time and energy on something I'm not going to enjoy when I know that somewhere in that TBR pile is something I will enjoy--possibly my next favorite author?

Part of me feels kind of bad about this. Maybe I'm not giving these books a fair shake. Maybe I'm missing a really great author by giving up after a few chapters. But part of me also feels freer. I'm not forced to plow through a book I don't really enjoy. Nobody's forcing me to read these books; they're not assigned and I can put them down whenever I want. I don't have to finish them and then write a 20-page paper about them. They're completely unnecessary and I can treat them as such. Rather than munching through mediocre, unfrosted or -topped angel food cake during my nightly brain dessert time, I can enjoy a really big chocolate brownie sundae--and nobody can stop me from throwing out the mediocre angel food cake and never thinking about it again.

And now I'm hungry for a brownie sundae. Figures.

Book Review: Pale Demon

2011-05-29T23:32:00.000-05:00

As always, Kim Harrison delivers a wonderful story with fully-developed characters who continue to learn and grow as the series continues. It feels like the series is winding down (I think it could conceivably end with this book, actually) as loose ends are tied up and major plot points resolved.

5/5

Dragon in a Mall

2011-05-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

The newest attempt at my "Dragon in the Mall" short story is now a completed rough draft. I'll be sending it through peer-critique starting tomorrow, then revising and beginning the submission process.

Norse Mythology Confusion

2011-05-21T20:30:00.001-05:00

For my summer directed reading, I've been working my way through the Eddas (Poetic and Prose). I haven't been reading nearly as fast as maybe I should be, considering the huge pile of books currently on my desk, but in my defense, the Poetic Edda is very hard to read. The Prose Edda is easier, but still not quick.

I've finished the first about half of the Prose Edda, and I find myself rather confused. There's one rather long section called "The Fooling of Gylfe." In it, this dude Gylfe goes to "Valhal" (except it isn't really) and someone tells him all about the creation of the universe, the gods, Thor's adventures, the binding of Loki and Fenrir, and Ragnarok. Then at the very very end, it appears that none of this has happened, and the gods get busy naming people, places, and gods after things in the stories so that they can happen.

What?!

I'm very confused.

Pepper and Her Nerf Dart

2011-05-13T15:56:00.002-05:00

Because my kitty is cuter than any kitty that isn't my kitty.

Book Review: Dead(ish)

2011-05-13T13:42:00.002-05:00

While Dead(ish) started out funny with an interesting premise, it quickly turned into an incomprehensible mess. The story is told from the viewpoint of whichever character is most convenient at the moment, switching between them (in first person) with no real rhyme or reason. The mystery (who killed the girlfriend, why, and what did they do with her body) got lost in the narrative until the very end, by which point I was like, "right. Okay. Big deal."

The writing has a lot of promise--the premise is interesting and at first the narrative voice is fun, funny, and upbeat--but it didn't quite live up to that promise.

1/5

Book Review: Wings

2011-05-13T13:41:00.000-05:00

This was a Barnes & Noble Nook Free Fridays offering.

Laurel has always been a bit odd, but when a weird lump grows on her back and sprouts a flower, she realizes just how odd. As she searches to find out who she is and where she comes from, she discovers that danger is as much a part of her heritage as beauty.

Wings was better than I expected. (I expected another version of Twilight.) While the narrative got off to a rocky start with far too much telling and almost no showing, when the main plot finally took off, the whole story got much more interesting; it was almost as if Pike dashed through the first few chapters in order to get to the meat of the story, but in doing so ended up with a flat and uninteresting opening sequence.

Once Laurel's would-be-boyfriend arrives on the scene, however, Pike's writing takes on a new shine. The dialogue between Laurel and David is rich, funny, and believable. As a character, David is well-formed and written, with a philosophical, no-nonsense view of the world that helps temper Laurel's panicking over what's happening to her.

Unfortunately, a love triangle appears in the form of a faerie named Tamani, who is a much less interesting character. Because he is the one who accompanies Laurel through the climax of the book, it is a much less interesting climax than it could have been. Laurel's attraction to him is instinctive and physical; she likes him because she's supposed to, because they're both faeries, not because he's likeable.

Overall, the book shows quite a bit of promise, but doesn't quite deliver on it.

2/5

Talking to Dead People

2011-05-05T22:10:00.000-05:00

Silver Blade magazine issue 10, featuring "Talking to Dead People," is now live. Go read! Shoo!

So Close

2011-04-30T19:58:00.000-05:00

The semester is drawing to a close, and so is my sanity. I finished the last of my big papers today and I have one final exam (take-home, thankfully, because I so don't have time to study) to write before the semester is over. And a few more papers to grade. But after all the other work I've done this semester, those will be nothing.

I did find some time to approve copyedits on "Talking to Dead People" before it goes to press or whatever you call it when something's published online. I can't wait until that comes out. I also can't wait until I have time to do some fiction writing (in between studying) this summer.

As far as the weight loss thing goes, I'm 8.5 pounds away from reaching my halfway point. Since my sister will be in town in a couple of weeks, I'll be getting my reward tattoo then, even though I probably won't dump 8.5 pounds between now and then. I wasn't going to pass up the chance to have a girly tattoo day together, though. There will definitely be pictures when it's done (after the redness and scabbing goes away, anyway).

The end of the semester draws near. Just a few more days.

Elisabeth Sladen

2011-04-19T17:08:00.000-05:00

I just (literally like 10 minutes ago) learned that Elisabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who, passed away today at 63.

While I'm still very very new to the classic Who-verse, I adored Sarah Jane in the modern series' "School Reunion," "The Stolen Earth" and "The End of Time." Sarah Jane is part of what's keeping me interested in the classic Who--she's spunky, adorable, and a great foil for the Doctor.

I'm sad to see such a talented actress leave us at such a relatively young age.

Falling Down

2011-04-16T10:41:00.000-05:00

'Tis the end of the semester and therefore I'm really really really really really busy. And tired. My Beowulf paper is due on Monday (luckily, it's finished; it just needs one final proofing to make sure I didn't do anything ridiculously stupid), I'm working on a Fringe paper, the professor I'm RAing for sent me a whole bunch of essays to be proofed, and my students are getting ready to do presentations about their papers and then turn in those papers. Oh, and I have a take-home final for my Cult TV class. Boo.

At least, unlike last semester, I don't feel like I'm about to die, mostly because I planned ahead for my Beowulf paper and worked on it all semester. And then I have wonderfully bright spots like the following, wherein my sister wants to discuss Dracula, which she's reading for the helluvit:

So I'm thinking it might be good that I'm not having to read Dracula for a class...I cannot think of any English teacher I've ever had that would be remotely amused by my description of Lucy being "slurped on by a bat". Or the utter amusement I got when I was reading that section and got this mental picture of this giant bat flapping towards her window all like "noms....noms..." and then getting there only to find the window latched and garlic around it and having this flat out temper tantrum like a little kid who got told he can't have that candy bar.

I love that she's enjoying it so much and I really wish I could have had students like this when I was teaching my literature class a few years ago.

When it Rains, it Pours

2011-04-10T18:21:00.000-05:00

Silver Blade Magazine has accepted "Talking to Dead People" for publication. Yay! This one's actually a paying market (not professionally paying, but hey. It's a start).

I will definitely have to make time to do some serious writing during summer break. I don't think I have any decent stories to submit anymore; I've sold all the ones that don't suck!

Sale! (Sort Of)

2011-04-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

Wicked East Press has accepted my short story "The Queen's Huntsman" for publication in their Twisted Fairy Tales 2 anthology. Woot!

I say "sort of" on the sale front only because it's not a professionally paying market. It pays in contributor copies, which is fine, because it's one more thing I can put in my bio as I keep trying for professionally paying markets.

I'll keep you, Dear Readers, updated on when the anthology will be released and where you can get a copy.

End-of-Semester Blahs

2011-04-04T19:15:00.000-05:00

There's only four weeks left in this semester, and everyone's feeling it. This weekend, I came down with some sort of nasty creeping crud (probably a mild case of the flu, and I say mild only because my fever didn't get above 101) and ended up canceling office hours today and missing my Beowulf class because I'm still so exhausted I can barely think coherently. Plus I've still got occasional bouts of nasty coughing and hardly any voice.

The paper for Beowulf is due in two weeks, and I'm about 14 pages in. It needs to be 20, and I don't see that being a problem; I have lots of ideas, but sometimes synthesizing them is rough. I also have a paper on Fringe coming up soon, but I think I need to finish the Beowulf paper first.

Also, about a week ago I got notification that "Talking to Dead People" had been rejected for OSC's Intergalactic Medicine Show.

Not too long until summer, a directed reading, and a visit from my sister. If you need me I'll be over here with Kleenex, cough drops, and my notes for Beowulf.

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches

2011-04-01T08:31:00.000-05:00

FTC Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review through the Goodreads First Reads program.

When historian and reluctant witch Diana Bishop stumbles upon an alchemical manuscript thought lost hundreds of years ago, she gains the unwanted attention of every witch, vampire, and daemon in the world. They suspect the manuscript holds the key to the secret of their existence and will kill to keep it away from the other creatures. But Diana thinks it is much more important than that and is willing to overturn centuries of tradition in order to protect it and keep her vampire lover.

As a scholar myself, I thought this book started off very strong. The mystery surrounding the book is gripping, Diana is a compelling character, and the nature of the three types of creatures is intriguing. However, I did not find the romance between Diana and her vampire, Matthew, convincing, and halfway through the book the plot comes to a screeching halt in order to deal with the budding romance, which became a bit too Twilight-esque for my taste (though at least the characters do actually have physical relations rather than the vampire refusing "for her own good" to do more than kiss her). I was so much more interested in the history, manuscript, and mystery that I found the romance and its tendency to take over the entire story annoying.

I understand this is going to be a trilogy, and I will more than likely pick up the next couple of books to see how the story ends.

3/5

Books and Computers

2011-03-26T13:13:00.000-05:00

A Discovery of Witches showed up in the mail yesterday. Yay! As soon as I finish Take a Thief, I'll read and review that for y'all.

It has become painfully clear that it's time for me to buy a new at-home computer (my netbook is still working wonderfully and I loff it). A few months ago, it decided it didn't like its battery anymore; the battery light was constantly flashing red. So I took the battery out. Last week, when I booted it up, it gave me a warning that the AC adapter wasn't the right wattage. It's the same AC adapter I've had since I bought the frakking thing. Also, it has a tendency to not come out of hibernation, instead flashing the caps lock light for a full minute before shutting itself down, or just shutting down immediately. So, yeah. New computer time.

I've pretty much settled on an HP All-in-One (I love the idea of not having a tower), and I've started saving up for it. Hopefully I'll be able to buy it in the next couple of weeks, before this one decides it never wants to boot up again.

Free Books!

2011-03-20T10:50:00.000-05:00

Guess who won a copy of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness? *raises hand* So in a bit, y'all will have something to read here. Yay!

In the past few weeks, I've translated 600+ lines of Beowulf, worked on the paper for that class, turned in my Doctor Who paper, begun a Fringe re-watch to work on my Fringe paper, and set up (and had approved) two directed readings, one on Arthurian literature and one on Germanic mythology. It's been rather crazy, but rewarding. So this summer I'll be doing the DR on Germanic mythology and taking a class on the Expatriate Novel (not horribly interested, but I need one more American lit credit), then in Fall I'll be taking the other DR and either a class on women's medieval literature or the history of the English language. I haven't decided yet (I want to do BOTH!).

And at some point, I'll finish the new Dragon in the Mall story and get that through critting and submitting.

Book Review: Among Thieves

2011-03-08T10:18:00.000-06:00

FTC Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me, and I was unable to finish reading it (I got through chapter 12 before I gave up; that's a bit less than halfway).

I was unable to make an emotional connection with the main character; in the opening scene, he's overseeing the torture of an informant, which put me off of him immediately, and he didn't really redeem himself after that. I also had a hard time with the levels of intrigue and keeping all of the minor characters and their positions, relationships, and attitudes straight.

I plan to pass this on to a friend who is much more interested in this type of story than I, and hopefully it will find a good home with her.

If I were stuck on a deserted island with only this book: I'd read it, but only right before I went to sleep.

Dragon in a Mall, Redux

2011-03-08T10:10:00.000-06:00

I may have finally figured out how to make "The Dragon in the Mall" work again; I'm combining it with the characters from my Super Tech stories. Instead of telling it linearly, I'm having my supernatural private investigators figure out what's going on in the mall--and ultimately, fight the dragon. It's so crazy it just might work.

I looked back over the drafts of the previous attempts, and while the prose wasn't bad, I could definitely see where the plot kept derailing, and most of it was because the linear plotline wasn't going to work. I tried it as flashbacks from the main responding officer's point of view, but that took out a whole lot of tension because we knew he'd survive (and that his partner wouldn't; there was no way to keep him from thinking about her death). I tried it as a straight shot through in "real time," if you will, from the responding officers' point of view, but for some reason, that wouldn't go, either.

Combining it with my Super Tech investigators gives me a sense of mystery, as well as a whole lot of tension because they're in a mall that's full of dead bodies. Also, it allows for a certain twist at the end which I won't spoil for you, Gentle Readers, in case it ever gets published and you want to read it.

Now all I need is a better title. I'm trying to figure out what the scientific name for a mall-dragon would be--the Latin designation for a European dragon is Draconis Occidentalis, and I thought I could title the story "Draconis Mallus" or something, but it doesn't appear that there's a word in Latin for "mall." I'll figure something out.

I'm just happy to be writing fiction again. Hooray for Spring Break.

Anthology Submission

2011-03-07T20:41:00.000-06:00

"The Queen's Huntsman" is off to the Twisted Fairytales Vol. 2 anthology from Wicked East Press. According to the website, I'll learn something in mid-April.

Book Review: Voices of Dragons

2011-03-06T10:32:00.000-06:00

After the nuclear war of WWII, dragons abandoned their hiding places in the deep places of the world and began a war with humans. They struck a truce which gave them territory in a few mountainous regions across the world, and they and humanity have not spoken for 60 years. When Kay accidentally crosses the border into Dragon and meets a young, curious dragon who wants to learn to speak English better, they begin a new era in human-dragon communication--just in time for war to break out anew.

I enjoyed this book. I don't tend to be a huge fan of YA lit (though there is more and more quality literature in that category these days), but this was good. I read Carrie Vaughn's adult books--the Kitty novels--and like those a lot. This did not have the same depth of worldbuilding or plotting that those do, but then, this is one book rather than several. The pacing is very good, and there are no wasted plot points; everything ties together well at the end. I hadn't meant to read this quite yet--I'm supposed to be reading and reviewing Among Thieves--but it was sitting next to my chair and I picked it up during a commercial, and then I had to finish it. Definitely engrossing.

3/5

Blackberry!

2011-03-05T18:01:00.000-06:00

After much whining and pouting and insisting and arguing, I finally convinced the DH to let me buy a Blackberry. I say "let" not because he's the boss of me or any such thing, but because we throw all our money in a big pot and take out of it what we need, so entering into something like this without his consent would be a big deal. And then he decided that he wanted one, too, so we went with a family plan.

Mine's a Blackberry Curve. Purple. Very pretty. My ringtone is the Doctor Who theme. My text message notification is a Dalek's "Exterminate!" And other notifications are the ICQ "Uh-oh!"

Later, I might figure out how to do mobile blogging, but for right now, I'm happy with having Pandora Mobile and a QWERTY keyboard.

Submission

2011-03-03T20:19:00.003-06:00

I just sent "Talking to Dead People" out to Silver Blade Magazine. I'll keep you updated.

Edit: The story has now also been submitted to Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show.