So I was busily using this keen LJ feature called “Memories” to categorize and quick-link all my LJ entries on movies, TV shows, writing, books, etc, etc, when I realized I haven’t written much about books. It’s not that I haven’t been reading them, I have–what else is there to do while you’re walking down the sidewalk in San Francisco?
I did get to the library and checked out some books, as I mentioned previously, mostly out of the juvenile reading section. This may be part of my summer fluff-mode thing. I’m just not up for serious movies, or adult reading.
I’ve been writing journal entries about what I’ve read, I just haven’t been writing them in my LJ. I think it’s because every time I’m moved to write about what I’m reading, I’m somewhere like deep in the forest hiking or up 30,000 feet in a plane. And then I’m too lazy to transcribe what I’ve written long hand onto the computer. Books I read and wrote about elsewhere: “The Fancy Dancer” by Patricia Nell Warren and “Dive” by Stacey Donovan.
“The Fancy Dancer” is a book I’ve owned for 20 years and have read many times in that span, but I got something totally new out of reading it while I was in Guernville in May. It’s about a priest in Montana who has an affair with a half-breed mechanic. It explores some controversial issues around using sexual metaphors in religion (an example of such a metaphor would be “the bride of Christ”, but in this case the metaphor is homoerotic).
“Dive” I read on the plane heading down to Arizona. It was about a 15-year old girl who’s father is dying of a rare blood disease. It has the most beautiful use of similes I’ve ever read, used to get across this anxiety-laden, claustrophobic feeling of having a family member dying (and in case you’re wondering how that fits into my “fluff mode”, I checked it out because it was supposedly a teen lesbian romance. The love interest doesn’t even appear until 150 pages into the book!)
I more recently discovered a fun little teen book series by Tamora Pierce called The Song of the Lioness series, which tells the story of a young girl growing up in a mythical land not unlike Medieval Europe. She and her brother are each being sent off to school, her to learn magic and him to earn knighthood. But each wants to do what the other sibling is being sent to do, so they trade places. She pretends to be a boy and goes to the palace to learn how to be a knight. I’m not usually into historical fantasy, but with a spirited little cross-dressing tomboy, how could I resist?
I’ve decided that libraries are a Good Thing. However, bookstores are also a good thing. I ordered the four-volume set of the Harry Potter books from amazon.co.uk. My friend Gloria was supposed to buy me “Philospher’s Stone” when she was in England. Then she comes home with two copies of “Order of the Phoenix”. I assumed one was for me, and then she gives me this weird look and says she bought the other copy for her ex-girlfriend.
Whatever. As soon as I get through the first four books, I’ll buy my own friggin’ copy of “Phoenix”. Who can resist a story about a cranky, morally ambiguous teen-aged boy?
Author Nancy E. Shaffer 
Ben says he’ll trade Books 1-4 for tapes.
Well, it’s already on order…
But I’ll make tapes of whatever he wants!
Re: Well, it’s already on order…
Thanks…I’ll pass the word as soon as he gets done watching Angel burn the Shroud of Rahmon… Good Season.
CORDY: So…. on top of everything else we may have reawakened his bloodlust?
WES: Yes.
CORDY: Hmmm… full days work then.
Nice to read about books. I’ve heard good things about Tamora Pierce too. In addition to the Bite Me, I’m working on Alternate Worlds in Fantasy Fiction (covers le Guin, Pratchett and Pullman) and I have the latest Robt Parker and Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Avatar still to finish. I try to stick with non-fiction during the week due to a few experiences with greeting the dawn during the work week. Not good.
Ugh, I can’t read non-fiction
Except maybe random articles in Psychology Today. I’m just too reality-challenged for real life.
Re: Ugh, I can’t read non-fiction
How do you get to sleep then? I’d be reading soup cans or sometime… by the way did I mention that we just got back from the Peanut Principle? Bought 1/2 lb of hand made chocolates (I got homemade smoked almonds) and ice cream cones (Hersey’s Burro Tracks.)
I feel much yummier now, Miss Kitty. (Batman II ref)
We’re here now. And Ben’s face is about 6″ from the TV:
Angel: “What are you waiting for?”
Dungeon Master: “For you, sir. I can’t proceed without your permission. You’ve earned a choice. Accept your death so she may live or…”
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
Dungeon Master: “Do you mind if I ask you a question? Isn’t the world a better place with you in it? You can save so many people. It seems she can barely save herself. You know better than anyone the world can be a very bad place. Take yourself out, put her in – how long will it be before she stumbles, before she falls?”
Angel: “I don’t know.”
Dungeon Master: “No, you don’t. Are you still ready to give her life when she can promise you nothing?”
Angel: “Yes.”
Angel offers his life for Darla’s
To earn her a second chance at life.
But they can’t give it to her, because she already spent her second chance at life.
So they pay off Angel by creating a new life.
Darla gets preggers!
Oh, I don’t have any problem falling asleep. It’s staying asleep that’s the challenge. I turn to chemicals. ; )
Re: Angel offers his life for Darla’s
Something else coming, paralleling season four, remember the latin spell I never sent you from the”botched” soul restoration?
“Break down the Walls.” it said.
Between Angel and emotion/humanity. Between demon/Angel.
From CS: The nature of Angel’s ambivalence towards life as a Vampire lay in the extent to which he felt more comfortable with its narrow, selfish certainties as opposed to the need to make a messy and difficult connection with others.
But making that connection was what his mission was all about.
It’s about reaching out to people, showing them that there’s love and hope still left in the world. …It’s about letting them into your heart. It’s not about saving lives; it’s about saving souls. Hey, possibly your own in the process.
Making a connection and thereby showing there was still hope was how Angel managed to turn Faith’s life around in “Sanctuary”, the episode that for me most clearly demonstrated how Angel had established his sense of mission. It was also, for example, how he helped Bethany in “Untouched”. But most triumphantly of all it was the means whereby he helped Darla in “The Trial” to accept her own humanity and her fate as a mortal and thereby started her on the road to her own redemption. The way he helped all of them was, therefore, the way that Angel cemented his own grasp on humanity. It was truly his own road to redemption.
And then came Lindsey…and Drusilla.
And then we have, “Daddy’s here.” Precog moment. It is interesting that one of the defining qualities of the last season is the lack of one-to-one help from Angel to just people. Champion? Working on a case. I think we’re going to see this next year perhaps. I have to review season 3 next.
Ben says either season one or three. he hasn’t seen either. I might have told you I didn’t tape. I’m grateful for it now because in a sense I’m getting to see the eps almost fresh after a space of two years and knowing what’s to come, it’s quite amazing. And Ben’s very first time; he was too young. Again, quite amazing.
I forgot you wanted the UK versions of the books. Let me know if you’d like at least the first one to tide you over. We have two copies.
Re: Actually…
Don’t worry about the tapes… I’m sitting here thinking and realizing how much work that is.
Re: Angel offers his life for Darla’s
I’m off to Santa Cruz this weekend, but when I get back on Weds I can start making tapes for you and Ben. It’ll probably have to be season 3 because now I only have season 1 on DVD and I probably can’t make tapes of them. But I’ll see, sometimes the DVDs don’t have that taping guard on them.
Which cranky teenager would that be?
Like the new icon?
Re: Which cranky teenager would that be?
Is that from your milk carton?
Great icon!
LOL! Love it! 🙂