Roni'ncats rev up: Summer Reading (3)

My first batch of pottery













My first thread for 2011 is here

My second thread for 2011 is here
My final thread for 2010 is here.

My introduction is here.

Books read in 2011:
(Touchstones will be in the messages containing the reviews, * signifies a re-read, # indicates an Off The Shelf book, + is a library book):

July
77. The Lightning Thief* by Rick Riordan (375 pp.)
78. The Sea of Monsters* by Rick Riordan (279 pp.)
79. The Titan's Curse* by Rick Riordan (312 pp.)
80. The Battle of the Labyrinth# by Rick Riordan (361 pp.)
81. The Last Olympian# by Rick Riordan (381 pp.)
82. Elijah of Buxton# by Christopher Paul Curtis (341 pp.)
83. The Battle for Skandia# by John Flanagan (294 pp.)
84. The Sorcerer of the North# by John Flanagan (295 pp.)
85. Wizards at War# by Diane Duane (552 pp.)

June
59. Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (433 pp.)
60. Scones and Sensibility+ by Lindsay Eland (309 pp.)
61. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (373 pp.)
62. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (246 pp.)
63. The Friendship of Women by Joan Chittister (89 pp.)
64. Sparks by Laura Bickle (358 pp.)
65. The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Bierkegaard (430 pp.)
66. Snotty Saves the Day by Tod Davies (182 pp.)
67. Uncertain Allies by Mark Del Franco (296 pp.)
68. The Brontes: A Life in Letters+ by Juliet Barker (402 pp.)
69. Across the Universe+ by Beth Revis (398 pp.)
70. To Weave a Web of Magic# by McKillip etal. (362 pp.)
71. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (281 pp.)
72. Five Odd Honors by Jane Lindskold (496 pp.)
73 The Making of Pride and Prejudice by Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin (113 pp.)
74. A Winter Love Story by Betty Neels (219 pp.)
75. Autumn Kittens by Janice Bennett, Shannon Donnelly, and Mona Gedney (223 pp.)
76. Heartless by Gail Carriger (374 pp.)

May
50. Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco (292 pp.)
51. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies# by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (319 pp.)
52. Face Off by Mark Del Franco (322 pp.)
53. Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose (317 pp.)
54. Still Life# by Louise Penny (312 pp.)
55. The Female Man by Joanna Russ (214 pp.)
56. The Cloud Roads+ by Martha Wells (274 pp.)
57. Naked in Death+ by J. D. Robb (443 pp.)
58. Getting Things Done+ by David Allen (259 pp.)

April
41. Moon Flights by Elizabeth Moon (401 pp.)
42. Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen (205 pp.)
43. Tiassa by Steven Brust (336 pp.)
44. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire (400 pp.)
45. How to Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen (211 pp.)
46. Millennial Mythmaking edited by John Perlich and David Whitt (195 pp.)
47. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent* by Galen Beckett (498 pp.)
48. Cat's Claw by Amber Benson (311 pp.)
49. The House on Durrow Street (685 pp.)

March
25. Murder of a Real Bad Boy# by Denise Swanson (259 pp.)
26. Murder of a Botoxed Blonde# by Denise Swanson (237 pp.)
27. Bye Bye Bertie# by Nancy Mehl (132 pp.)
28. For Whom the Wedding Bell Tolls# by Nancy Meho (133 pp.)
29. Tortall and other Lands by Tamora Pierce (369 pp.)
30. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin (395 pp.)
31. Chasing Goldman Sachs: How the masters of the universe melted Wall Street down...and why they'll take us to the brink again by our very own Chatterbox, Suzanne McGee (378 pp.)
32. One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (3359 pp.)
33. Mort by Terry Pratchett (236 pp.)
34. Trio of Sorcery+ by Mercedes Lackey (351 pp.)
35. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (346 pp.)
36. Oath of Fealty by Elizabeth Moon* (471 pp.)
37. The Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon (478 pp.)
38. A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire (387 pp.)
39. An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire (371 pp.)
40. Always Coming Home* by Ursula K. Le Guin (

February
17. Carousel Tides by Sharon Lee (306 pp.)
18. Catalyst+ by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (256 pp.)
19. Catacombs+ by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (256 pp.)
20. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (402 pp.)
21. The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg (487 pp.)
22. The Great Ghost Rescue+ by Eva Ibbotson (167 pp.)
23. Unperfect Souls by Mark Del Franco (338 pp.)
24. Death's Daughter by Amber Benson (359 pp)

January
1. Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi (385 pp.)
2. Kitty and the Midnight Hour# by Carrie Vaughn (259 pp.)
3. The Native Star by M. K. Hobson (387 pp.)
4. Native Tongue* by Suzette Haden Elgin (301 pp.)
5. The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia A. McKillip (329 pp.)
6. Rules by Cynthia Lord# (200 pp.)
7. Unclutter Your Life in One Week+ by Erin Rooney Doland (233 pp.)
8. Christopher Lowell’s Seven Layers of Organization+ by Christopher Lowell (169 pp.)
9. Unclutter your Home+ by Donna Smallin (179 pp.)
10. Images of God for Young Children Marie-Helene Delval (89 pp.)
11. Sense and Sensibility* by Jane Austen (208 pp.)
12. Bright of the Sky+ by Kay Kenyon (451 pp.)
13. Unfallen Dead by Mark Del Franco (309 pp.)
14. On Stranger Tides+ by Tim Powers (326 pp.)
15. Grand Central Arena# by Ryk E. Spoor (671 pp.)
16. Plain Kate+ by Erin Bow (311 pp.)

Books acquired in 2011:
January
1. Carousel Tides by Sharon Lee (Borders 50% coupon) READ
2. Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi (Borders) READ
3. Sprig Muslin by Georgette Heyer (Borders 33% coupon) REPLACEMENT
4. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (PBS)
5. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Borders 33% coupon) READ
6. Sylvester by Georgette Heyer (Borders gift card) REPLACEMENT

February
7. General Practice by James White (paperbackswap)
8. The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg (Mysterious Galaxy, for discussion group) READ
9. Unperfect Souls by Mark Del Franco (MG) READ
10. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (MG)3
11. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (MG--finally in paperback!)
12. The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg (Borders 33% coupon)
13. Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce (Borders 33% coupon) READ
14. Death's Daughter by Amber Benson (Borders) READ

March
15. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins (Borders 25% off)
16. Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins (Borders 25% off)
17. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane by Suzanne Collins (Borders 25% off)
18. Moon Flights by Elizabeth Moon (Borders 25% off) READ
19. Cursor's Fury by Jim Butcher (Borders 25% off)
20. The Family Trade by Charles Stross (Borders 25% off)
21. The Hidden Family by Charles Stross (Borders 25% off)
22. The River Kings' Road (PBS)
23. Green Belt Kakuro by Conceptis Puzzles (B&N)
24. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire (B&N) READ
25. The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin (B&N Groupon)
26. How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend by The Monks of New Skete (PBS)
27. Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon (MG) READ
28. Artificial Nights by Seanan McGuire (MG) READ
29. Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose (Bookmooch)
30. Why Christianity Must Change or Die by John Shelby Spong (Bookmooch)
31. One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde (MG) READ

April
32. Local Habitations by Seanan McGuire (MG) READ
33. Tiassa by Steven Brust (MG) READ
34. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire (MG) READ
35. The Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer (Borders 33% off) Replacement
36. Cat's Claw by Amber Benson (Borders) READ
37. Face Off by Mark Del Franco (Borders) READ
38. How to Slay a Dragon by Bill Allen (ER) READ
39. Millenial Mythmaking by Perlich and Whitt (ER) READ
40. Unveiling Islam by Ergun Caner (PBS)
41. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (Borders 33% off)
42. Snotty Saves the Day by Tod Davies (ER) READ
43. The Coffee Trader by David Liss (Prospero's-LT meetup)
44. The Female Man by Joanna Russ (Prospero's-LT meetup) READ
45. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke (Prospero's-LT meetup)
46. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (Prospero's-LT meetup)
47. White Queen by Gwyneth Jones (Prospero's-LT meetup)
48. Maximum Ice by Kay Kenyon (Prospero's-LT meetup)
49. Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco (B&N) READ
50 Omnitopia Dawn by Diane Duane (Borders-50% off closing sale)
51. Dreadnought by Cherie Priest (Borders-50% off closing sale)
52. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (Borders-50% off closing sale)
53. The Annotated Persuasion by Jane Austen (Borders-50% off closing sale)
54. The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia (Borders-50% off closing sale)
55. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (Borders-50% off closing sale)

May
56. Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney (gift from Dolores)
57. The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby (borrowed from my sister)
58. Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose (Borders 33% coupon)
59. Five Odd Honors by Jane Lindskold ($5 Borders Bucks)
60. Uncertain Allies by Mark Del Franco (Borders 33% coupon) READ
61. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (PBS)
62. The Quiet War by Paul McAuley (PBS)
63. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (Borders 20% off) READ
64. Sparks by Laura Bickle (Borders 20% off) READ
65. Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (Borders 20% off) READ
66. The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard (Borders 20% off) READ

June
67. The Friendship of Women by Joan Chittister (PBS) READ
68. Steelhands by Jaida Jones (ER)
69. Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton (PBS)
70. The Moon in Hiding by Teresa Edgerton (PBS)
71. The Work of the Sun by Teresa Edgerton (PBS)
72. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (amazon) READ
73. The Hidden Goddess by M. K. Hobson (Borders 40% coupon)
74. The Making of Pride and Prejudice by Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin (PBS)
75. A Winter Love Story by Betty Neels (library 1¢ sale)
76. Autumn Kittens by Donnelly etal. (library 1¢ sale)
77. Heartless by Gail Carriger (Borders 30% coupon)

You MADE those, Roni? They're absolutely beautiful!

I'm the first to your thread! *happy dance*

Thanks, Caro. That's one of the things about retirement--spending time doing creative sorts of things, in between the decluttering and maintenance (speaking of the latter, my tomato plants are growing and we had RAIN last night, a good rain, very unusual for this time of year!). So far (about 6 session) I'm working on getting the clay centered, and then doing what the clay will let me--these are all pretty small pieces--my goal is to get to the point where I can negotiate with the clay as to what I produce.

Book #57 Naked in Death+ by J. D. Robb (443 pp.)

I've heard so much about this series that I wanted to try it and got a copy from the library. So far, it seems a pretty routine police procedural set in the near future, so that it has technology that is different from present day, but with people, politics, and procedures being pretty much identical to now. I think what I have been hearing from people is that the characters make the series. Can I assume that what seems a pretty typical damaged heroine and an atypically perfect hero become more interesting in future books?

Those are lovely, roni! I love the glazing, especially the two in the back corners and the one in the center.

Someday I shall learn to do something creative too, even in my post grad, the only creative course I took, a course in which there was no bell curve grading and the majority of the class got As and Bs, I managed to score a D, something I was much ridiculed for (there being no other Ds on my grade-sheet).

Nice pots!

Great pots, I did a pottery course once and loved it, such a satisfying creative outlet.

How very creative you are! I love the colors of the pottery.

#5 : Negotiate with the clay? Hmm... I'd say you negotiate really well already, Roni

What a great idea to put your pottery picture on your thread. ;-)
Your pots are works of art. Unbelievable that you are a beginner. I always thought that making something useful and beautiful would be a wonderful hobby.

Very impressive . . . I love hand thrown pottery.

Great looking pottery, Roni! What a wonderful creative outlet you have!

#5: As far as the In Death books go, I read them for the relationships between the characters which change and grow over the series. I love the series, taken as a whole, but as with any long-running series, some books are better than others. I personally think that the first book is one of the weaker books in the series.

Thanks, Stasia. I figured that must be the case, as so many people love them, but wanted some reassurance before I requested the next.

Thanks, blue, Piyush, Jim, Kiwi, Linda, Caro, Donna (yes, wonderful idea!), Brenda, and Stasia. I'm having fun with it, but really, really, I'm at a very beginner stage, although I have aspirations.

Book #58 Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity+ by David Allen (259 pp.)

After seeing this book reviewed by JechtShot, I saw my library had it and so requested it, and am glad I did so. I have a million (okay, 20) books on getting organized and getting things done, sitting there on my shelf. And yes, I read most of them. This book, it seems to me, has the potential to make the most change in my habits, because it will have me changing habits of mind. Unlike many, Allen does not believe that starting with goals and aspirations will lead to better results. He says that you have to clear out at the bottom level, get things under control, before you can move up to that level and get things in sync. He's a consultant with 20 years experience in helping professionals get their "stuff" under control, and he includes home and personal "stuff" along with professional. I am so going to be using his Workflow Diagram, and really work on processing all the information in this book in the next week.

You might ask, now that I am retired, why do I need this? Well, while it would have been invaluable for work as well, I am still waking at night thinking of all I WANT to get done, around the house, in the garden, in crafts, in reading, etc., not as often as I did while working, but still often enough to make really evident that those "open loops" as Allen calls them are eating up mental energy. I want to get more done with my time than I have been, and even more importantly, when I decide to kick back and relax, I want to be able to do it without having those things moiling around in the back of my mind.

#15: I want to get more done with my time than I have been, and even more importantly, when I decide to kick back and relax, I want to be able to do it without having those things moiling around in the back of my mind.

I hope you succeed with doing that, Roni!

Roni, you are a very talented artist! Thanks for sharing the photos.

Pottery?! How wonderful.

Do I have a disease? A congenital weakness? A fatal flaw?

Yes, friends, I walked into Borders today because I had $5 in Borders Bucks that would expire tomorrow, and I was out of coffee. So I purchase my coffee beans, using my $5 credit to assist, and then wander over to the book shelves.

I have not gotten through the Bs before I had 4 books in hand. Thank goodness I had brought along the 20% off every book coupon!

Spellcast by Barbara Ashford--this will either be very good ( think Summer Stock with Judy Garland and Gene Kelly) or very bad--book is arranged in 3 acts, Maggie in Vermont after losing her job and her apartment in Brooklyn is working in the summer stock company but not prepared for the magic that was about to happen. Billed as overlap of fantasy and musical theater.

Zoo City by Lauren Beukes--South African author, set in Johannesburg, broken city of near-future peopled with damaged wonders. "Zinzi December has a Sloth on her back, a dirty 419 scam habit and a talent for finding lost things."

Sparks by Laura Bickle--urban fantasy, but having a salamander for a familiar--"Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department--while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despaie." I'm a sucker for salamanders (see The Fire Rose).

and finally, The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard Translated from the Danish by Tiina Nunanally. "Imagin that some people have the power to affect your thoughts and feelings through reading. They can seduce you with amazing stories, conjure up vividly imagined worlds, but also manipulate you into thinking exactly what they want you to." Set in a second-hand bookstore, it is "an engrossing literary thriller of intrigue, conspiracy and the extraordinary power of reading." Now how can I pass that up?

I didn't even look beyond the Bs on the shelves. Took my books and got OUT of there! Evil, evil...

May Summary:

9 books read: 4.5 fantasy, 1.5 mystery, 1 historical romance, 1 science fiction, 1 non-fiction.

2 Books Off the Shelf, 3 library books, 3 newly bought, 1 mooched

1 Canadian author, the rest are US.

4 books by male authors, 5 by female.

May
50. Skin Deep by Mark Del Franco (292 pp.)
51. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies# by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (319 pp.)
52. Face Off by Mark Del Franco (322 pp.)
53. Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose (317 pp.)
54. Still Life# by Louise Penny (312 pp.)
55. The Female Man by Joanna Russ (214 pp.)
56. The Cloud Roads+ by Martha Wells (274 pp.)
57. Naked in Death+ by J. D. Robb (443 pp.)
58. Getting Things Done+ by David Allen (259 pp.)

My acquisitions continue to outnumber books read--helped along by the 4 I purchased today! Not as many as last month, though.

7 fantasy
1 science fiction
1 regency mystery
1 regular mystery
1 romance

56. Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney (gift from Dolores)
57. The Clockwork Three by Matthew Kirby (borrowed from my sister)
58. Sweet Revenge by Andrea Penrose (Borders 33% coupon)
59. Five Odd Honors by Jane Lindskold ($5 Borders Bucks)
60. Uncertain Allies by Mark Del Franco (Borders 33% coupon)
61. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny (PBS)
62. The Quiet War by Paul McAuley (PBS)
63. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (Borders 20% off)
64. Sparks by Laura Bickle (Borders 20% off)
65. Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (Borders 20% off)
66. The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard (Borders 20% off)

Now I am going to go read something!

I love the photo with all the beautiful pottery that you have created. And I wishlisted the Getting Things Done book. It sounds like something that I need to read.

#19: Do I have a disease? A congenital weakness? A fatal flaw?

If you do, Roni, you can take comfort in the fact that all the people in this group share it!

Roni, I bought The Library of Shadows in April as part of my birthday books and just this week I've moved it to the bedside table as one of the books to read very soon. I'll wait with interest to see what you think of it.

Great, Leonie! I'll look forward to sharing it with you.

Book #59 Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (433 pp.)

At first glance, and for about the first half of this rather hefty book, I thought this seemed like a typical "cozy" fantasy--and yes, that's just like a cozy mystery, except with fantasy elements rather than a mystery. People homing in on an old Vermont barn theatre, a mysterious director, summer stock--but then it actually transcended that and became real fantasy, avoiding the easy answers and actually engaging the emotions!

I added Zoo City to my tbr list this morning after reading about it on a blog. Will be awaiting your review with interest.

Grrr............one of these days, I'm going to give in and simply buy the books I WANT to, instead of thinking about it forever and then putting them down and buying 'sensible' things.

Just wanted to say that YOUR first batch of pottery turned out far, far better than mine ever did! I took a pottery session a few years ago, and while I ended up with a few decent pieces, I never really got the hang of things and didn't take another session. Could be that I'm left handed and the instructor refused to allow me to spin the wheel the other way--which would have felt much more natural and allowed my dominant hand to do what he was forcing my not-so-controlled right hand to do "because this is the way it's done". Hrrumph. Well, he lost a student because of it! And I love the glazes you chose. What will you try to make next? Platter? Jug? Vase? :D

dk_phoenix - What a horrible teacher you had! There is no one right "way it's done" and anyone who thinks there is should not be teaching.

Haven't visited for a long time Roni! Just dropping by to say hello. :)

Faith, that sounds like a technician not too confident of his own skills, not a teacher! So sorry you had that bad experience. I'm lucky in that Annie is very relaxed and supportive at Plum Pottery.

Hi, Valerie and Blue. Thanks for visiting.

Jenny, part of it is that "time to every season" sort of thing. At your age, I could not go in and buy books like this--and now that I'm retired, I may have to cut back a bit--but at the end of a long career, that was one of the perks I allowed myself and was able to indulge in.

Kerry, I'm about halfway through Zoo City. It's a fascinating premise, but I have to confess I'm not completely caught up in the story yet. I'll let you know further.

As well as Zoo City, I've just finished Volume II (Chapter 31) of Mansfield Park for the Austenathon. I am enjoying my plan of re-reading these books in a leisurely fashion, a few chapters a day, so it will probably take me about another 6 days to finish this. What I have been struck about most here is how much more of an ensemble piece this is than S&S and P&P. Both of those were definitely from the viewpoints of Elinor and Lizzie, a fairly tight focus with no other viewpoint characters, while here we see lots of action away from Fanny and have scenes from the viewpoint of other characters.

I also haven't mentioned that I have continued my string of ER books over the last 6 months. This month I will be getting Steelhands by Jaida Jones. I read HaveMercy, the first book in this series, and although there were flaws, there was an energy that carried the book for me. I haven't read the next two in the series, but this appears to be a branching off with new viewpoint characters so I will try reading it without the intermediary books, and then if I really like it, I will fill in the series.

I will probably try to squeeze Scones and Sensibility in before Tuesday, when my library books are due. I will have to renew The Brontes: A Life in Letters, which I have not even opened yet, and Getting Things Done which although read, I need for a bit longer to put his method into operation.

Pottery class this afternoon, light housekeeping this morning plus I need to water and feed some plants. Husband is working today, so I have a lovely quiet day to myself.

#19 Seems perfectly normal to me :-) But then you do know we're never going to help you buy fewer books, right? Zoo City has been moving up my list since it got nominated for and then won the Arthur C Clarke award. But I have far too many books out of the library already so it will have to wait a bit longer.

Your Saturday plans sound lovely. Hope you enjoy pottery class - I think your first batch looks incredible!

15: I have Getting Things Done sitting on a table waiting, but I, um, haven't gotten to it yet.

Lovely pottery!

Hey, Heather, it's been a nice day.

qebo, it really is an interesting book with a lot of potential. Maybe you'll have it done before I come to Millersville in October and we can discuss it over coffee.

Book #60 Scones and Sensibility by Lindsay Eland (309 pp.)

This is due back at the library in 3 days, and I knew it would be a quick and easy read, so I squeezed it in today between my other reads.

12-year-old Polly is suffering from a surfeit of Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, so that she is dressing like Lizzie and Anne, and talking like them, and trying to arrange the love life of her sister Clementine, her best friend's father, and her old friend Mr. Nightquist, with predictably disastrous results. It is a cutesy little book, but I never really particularly liked Polly, who seemed a pretentious little prat, and so kept getting irritated with her rather than charmed and drawn into the story. Despite our shared love for those particular classics, therefore, this is just a so-so read for me.

The premise of the book sounds silly and funny. :)

#34: I think I will give that one a miss, Roni.

I hope your next read is a better one for you!

Hi Roni, I like your approach to Mansfield Park, a couple of chapters a day is very manageable and I may do this in amongst my other reading. Scones and Sensibility however doesn't sound like one for me either.

Book #61 Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (373 pp.)

This book is edgy, gritty, near-future dystopic urban fantasy. And I felt really lost in it. The main reason is the author and setting are in South Africa, with all these locations that undoubtedly have a lot of resonance with persons familiar with Johannesburg. I didn't realize that I depended so much on context! Especially with as much fantasy reading as I do where the context is created out of whole cloth. But I think the thing is that the neighborhoods and buildings Beukes uses are part of the story in how they have changed since the Event, where suddenly persons who have committed violence acquire an animal that is linked to them, in the middle of the violence that is southern Africa itself. You are dropped into the middle of it, and gradually pick up the pieces here and there, before finally coming out the other side into an ending. I can see this book generating a lot of buzz. It was fascinating and frustrating.

#38: Well if you really felt lost in the book, I have not got a hope of making it through. I think I will give that one a pass!

This is really to Heather from wayyyyyy back on the old thread - she mentioned loving The Curse of Chalion.

I LOVE Bujold! I usually hoard authors I like, you know, save some books back for a rainy day, but I was unable to do that with Lois, had to just gobble them all up.

Back to add that the pottery you made is gorgeous. Wonderful glazing!

Faith, I can completely relate to the left-handed problem! I put off learning to knit for years because various people said that they couldn't teach it "backwards" (not professional teachers, but still), until finally last year one knitting-fanatic friend said that there was absolutely no problem and just showed me how to do it.

1: I somehow missed that you had a new thread, but I found it now! Awesome pottery, I tried to take a class once and it turned out terrrrrible!

Zoe - I'm lefthanded too. My grandmother taught me to knit when I was 4 and I knit the righthanded way, not as elegantly as others but it turns out really well. BUT I just could not learn to crochet even though I really wanted to, my brain and my mother just couldn't cope.

Roni - Zoo City sounds interesting but I won't be running to it, I'll just let it simmer away on my list.

Stasia, it was really weird, as I said, how disoriented I felt in the geography of the book. Kerry, sounds like you might want to wait until it may become available through a library or something, which since South Africa is also a member of the British Commonwealth, might happen?

Thanks, Lucy and Marie, about the pottery comments. My instructor says glaze covers a myriad of faults. Wait until you see my next batch (currently trimming, then firing, glazing, refiring, so it will be a couple of weeks)--I held onto one collapsed pot that just looked interesting. And yes, Bujold is one author that I will read anything she writes, devour it wholesale and then enjoy going back to reread to pick up all the subtleties.

Zoe, Faith and Kerry, of course these things can all be done left-handed. It just needs a mentor who understands it to guide you through it.

Book #62 Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (246 pp.)

I have finished my slow re-read of MP for the Austenathon, averaging about 3 chapters a day most days through the 46 chapter book. I have to say I really enjoyed this. I think the problem arises when people think of this as a romance, of Fanny getting Edmund, as opposed to a serious treatment of the virtues of self-discipline and a moral code in contrast to vanity and self-indulgence. In the same way as with Sense and Sensibility, the meat of the matter is in the exhibition of the characteristics highlighted through the interaction of the characters, and so the rather cursory summary chapters of each are not meant to illuminate the romantic relationships, but rather to put a period on the conflict that has gone before. This story could so clearly have gone the other way, had Mr. Crawford been more steadfast and Mary more principled. In such case, indeed, Edmund would have ended up with Mary and Fanny with Henry and that would also have been a good ending, a better one for the Crawfords. But due to their character flaws, both doomed themselves to unhappy lives.

I loved how Mrs. Norris was got out of the house at the end, to the joy of all. Indeed, she is the nastiest character in the whole book.

Book #63 The Friendship of Women: The Hidden Tradition of the Bible by Joan Chittister (89 pp.)

This came in the mail this morning via PaperBackSwap. I have enjoyed Chittister's books before, having read both Called to Question and In Search of Belief. This slim book is almost a series of meditations on the qualities of friendship among women, using 12 Biblical women to represent the qualities she describes but with many, many other quotations from many sources about friendship, e.g. "My friends are my estate." Emily Dickinson. A very quick read, but a perfect gift for a friend who is retiring next week!

Great review of Mansfield Park Roni. I was one of those who struggled with this book, but reviews like yours definitely helps me understand these classics better. :)

Mrs. Norris may very well be one of the nastiest characters in all of Austen's books, I think. I'm trying to think of anyone worse and coming up blank.

Really excellent thoughts on MP. You should post them as a review!

Thanks, Valerie and Nathan. I followed your advice, Nathan, and posted the review.

Great review of Mansfield Park! I really enjoyed doing the Austenathon with everyone. It was so interesting to see everyone's take on the book and to see differing points.

In the possibility of being overly redundant, I have to say your pottery is beautiful. I could not have done that as a first batch. Kudos to you!

You know, speaking of Mrs. Norris, I wonder if J. K. Rowling had Austen's character in mind when using that name for Angus Filch's cat in the Harry Potter series? It's an interesting literary coincidence, if nothing else.

EDIT: Rowling confirms my theory in this interview.

>51 ncgraham: I have to look at that later, so I emailed the link to myself.

#51 Thanks for sharing that, a very interesting piece of information.

Great review, you picked up way more from your reading of Mansfield Park then I did when I first read it in my 20's. I know back then I was firmly in the belief that Austen wrote romances and I now know this to be so wrong. I wish I'd joined in with this particular read this year, it sounded fascinating.

Oh gosh, my daughter and I found another Rowling literary naming ref. just the other day -- but OF COURSE! Mrs. Norris! Brilliant! I'll have to wait until she comes home from school to ask, since my brain no longer retains much of anything.

Hi Roni, belatedly catching up with your thread, and just wanted to say I love the pots! I used to do some evening classes in pottery many years ago, and still have some of the (mostly rather ugly) items I made around the house - not as nice as yours! But I'd love to do more some day.

Great review of Mansfield Park, Roni!

>51 ncgraham: I read that, and it was pretty good. It's a really old interview though, I think maybe just after the third.

Thumbs up from me on your excellent review of Mansfield Park!

Hi There Roni!

Thanks, Genny. It's been humbling but fun--I've always liked working with clay.

Thanks, Stasia, for your kind words.

Book #64 Sparks by Laura Bickle (358 pp.)

Urban fantasy has become to the fantasy genre what vampires, werewolves, and zombies have become to the YA genre--a few successful precursors have led to an absolute overload in the field. Everyone is doing it, you can't turn around without bumping into one, they are crowding other types of fantasy off the shelves at the bookstores, and most are fairly mundane, despite their topics.

I inadvertently picked up the second book in a series here. "Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department—while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell—but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion." from Amazon. It's an interesting premise, there is an "awwww" factor from the salamander familiar and baby salamanders in this book, but the villain is cardboard, the relationships for the most part aren't well-developed, there is just lots of action and ideas sprinkled throughout that keep the pace moving quickly without any depth. I won't go back and pick up the first book, nor continue with the series.

Too bad about your recent read, Roni. I hope your next read is a better one for you!

Interesting observation on the recent overload of popular genres, I think you may be bang on there. Won't be searching for Laura Bickle books any time soon though.

Found the new thread! I loved your Mansfield Park review -- am still sad that, in my reading funk, I lost out on the Austenathon, because it was such fun.

It's not even half-way over, Sarah--join us for the second half! Great to see you here.

Hey, Kiwi and Stasia! It's not that Sparks was awful, just that there are so many books now doing versions of the same general plot, you have to have something a little special to stand out and IMHO this one doesn't. It's still fine for brain candy. ;^D

Very pretty! I wonder if I have Mansfield Park somewhere?

:-?

And now I know what urban fantasy is. Your thread is very educational for me, Roni.

I'm glad to see Lucy's endorsement of Bujold. I'm getting eager to read The Curse of Chalion just as soon as I "clear the decks."

Donna I think I am a certifiable Bujold nut!

Catching up on threads. Roni, your pottery is gorgeous!!!

Book #65 The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard (430 pp.)

I picked this up because it was about books, but actually it is a thriller in the sense of Dan Brown, although better written (Brown drove me absolutely nuts with his ADHD 3-page chapters). Not really about books although the idea of Lectors with powers involvesreading--it's a pretty proto-typical thriller. Evil conspiracy--check. Female partner--check. Lots of action--check. If you like Dan Brown, you should love this. I'm not really into thrillers, myself.

Thanks, Nathan. It's really the result of good glazes.

Lucy, I am a certifiable Bujold nut myself! Donna, I'm waiting for you to experience her for yourself.

Kath--welcome! Emma is next, which I've reread recently enough to consider skipping this time--we shall see.

Oh, I've almost finished that one and it's not bad but I also don't read a lot of thrillers. I'll probably finish it tomorrow so I'll gather my thoughts then - still don't know how it all ends yet.

#69: I like thrillers, so I will give that one a shot.

Hi Roni! Great reviews -- I particularly enjoyed your thoughts on Mansfield Park. I haven't read very far through that one -- I keep setting it aside, but I will get through it one of these days.

Book #66 Snotty Saves the Day: The History of Ardadia by Tod Davies (182 pp.)

This is an ER book. When I read the description, I thought it was a middle-school level fantasy, but it definitely is not. The blurb on the back by the author, the owner of the publishing company, says "An Exterminating Angel Press Fairy Tale for Adults of All Ages". I think older teens might find it accessible, if they were open to the fantastical. Purportedly a manuscript transferred to our world from another reality, this tale tells the story of Snotty in Megalopolis, with scholarly footnotes that add to the context of the tale itself. It is much more a parable, fable, or allegory than a story, per se, and at times it was difficult for me to read--I had to put it down several times at the beginning because the characters were so unpleasant. While I sympathize with the author's pov, this is a very heavy-handed way of getting it across. I'm sure he would appreciate the comparison that arose in my mind with The Pilgrim's Progress, however.

#73: I think I will give that one a miss!

Off to the San Diego Fair for the day--see ya all later!

I hope you had a great time, Roni!

Melissa Etheridge there today!! love her. Did you have fun?

It was a perfect day for the fair. Not all the school districts were out quite yet, the day before had been $3 admission so the majority of the kids and parents who were off had gone then, the temperature was in the high 60s and overcast at the beach so it was very comfortable. The fair, as befits a county 60 miles by 70 miles, is huge, probably as big or bigger than many state fairs, and I got to see all my favorite exhibits: minerals, jewelry making, wood crafting of all types, home arts (quilt, knit, sew, embroider, tatting), demonstration gardens and flowers, livestock, as well as eat fair food. We have never, even in our younger days, had the stamina to stay the whole day until the evening concert--the day we went, it was Weird Al Yankovic who is a favorite of my nephew and I really like him too, but my husband would not have been amused.

Book #67 Uncertain Allies by Mark Del Franco (296 pp.)

This is the fifth in the Connor Gray series, and once again it ends with the imminent destruction of Boston--well, only the Guildhouse really, but by this time, I'm surprised there is any of Boston standing. My critique of this series is how the end of the world stands in the balance at the end of each book--a point in Del Franco's favor is that he resolves it within each book, not leaving one with huge cliff-hangers. I have liked how relationships develop and the tantalizing backstories as well as the mystery of Connor's "black mass" handicapping his abilities, but at this point, the action seems to be overwhelming that. I'm about to get bored, and if nothing substantive happens in the next book, relegate the series to the brain candy category. Which, to be fair, is where I put most urban fantasy anyway.

Just checked, and I already have book one of this series on the list.

It sounds like you had a lovely day at the fair!

I am glad you had a good time, Roni!

I have weather envy

Roni, I am way behind reading posts but I just saw the pottery you made and it's really good- I'm totally impressed, especially for a first timer. Good job.

Thank you, Linda, Stasia, xieouyang! Kath, I think most of the nation has weather envy of San Diego much of the time, so you cannot be alone.

Book #68 The Brontes: A Life in Letters by Juliet Barker (402 pp.)

My slow book the last week or so has been this book, read a chapter at a time, until yesterday, when it reached critical mass and I had to continue through unchecked until it was completed. In truth, although long a fan of Jane Eyre and aware of the three sisters as authors and that they had a brother, I had no idea of the tragedy of their lives or the strong autobiographical features of all their novels. This book tells the story almost entirely with the letters of the Brontes themselves, with small bridges to describe connecting events, and is tremendously moving. I recommend it strongly, and my gratitude to Jennifer (jfetting) for bringing my attention to it.

I know very little about the Brontes myself and you've got me intrigued with this one, especially the tragedy of their lives. I do think that Agnes Grey was based on some of the author' own experiences as a governess but that is about it.

Book #69 Across the Universe by Beth Revis (398 pp.)

This YA science fiction/dystopia is well-written and the pace moves along to keep you engaged in the story. On the surface, it is a moving and thought-provoking story, but under the surface, it leaves major holes, especially in its culmination.

Aerrin wrote a wonderful review of it when she read it last December, much better than I can do, so go read it here--
http://www.librarything.com/topic/80177#2381469

I agree with her whole-heartedly!

Just catching up with you! I love the pottery and I agree that you must have some natural talent for it. I only ever made one pot, and that was in elementary school, and it turned out pretty hideous looking. God bless my mother for using it anyway. :) One day I'm going to try again, I think...

Look at that - I've actually managed to catch up on someone's thread!

Obviously, I'm very behind here, but Roni, what beautiful pottery - I'm very impressed!

I also find working with clay very soothing - although I haven't done it since my Art GCSE - we didn't have a wheel, but the term of our exams, I used to come in early to school every morning and spend about an hour carving away at my exam piece before lessons. It was very calming!

#15 Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity definitely seems like something I should investigate. I'm a very talented procrastinator!

#45 Liked your comments on Mansfield Park - it will never be my favourite Austen, but I think that you're quite right when you say that part of the problem is when people think of it as a romance. For me, my biggest problem is with Fanny herself - and Edmund - I can't help myself, I just prefer the Crawfords - but they're all very much products of their upbringing and this is where Austen gets it completely right - to make Fanny less outwardly meek and Edmund less pompous would take them out of character. I'm currently half way through and really enjoying just how aweful Mrs Norris is - and, in fact, also enjoying Julia rather a lot too, who I've focused less on previously - she's so wonderfully petulant!

#47 I'd say that Mrs John Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, Captain Tilney in Northanger Abbey and Sir Walter Elliot in Persuasion would probably give Mrs Norris a good run for her money ;o)

#78 Love the sound of your state fair - if it happens every year, maybe I'll have to time a US trip to coincide one day! Sounds like great fun... Do you have any photos?

"I'm surprised there is any of Boston standing" ;o) - I'm starting to feel the same way about Chicago with all the Harry Dresden books!

#84 Hmmm. The Brontes: A Life in Letters sounds like just the thing for me - I'm not a huge fan of any of the sisters, but I've a feeling that real life letters would probably appeal to me much more (part of my issue with the books I've read is that they're all a bit OTT with the melodrama, which I imagine would be reduced in real life letters, even if they did all live through more than their share of tragedy).

Angela and Fliss, how wonderful to see you both here! Thank you for the kind comments--my next two pots should be ready next weekend and I'm anxious.

Fliss, I agree that the others would give Mrs. Norris a run for her money, but she just seems to be onstage much more than any of them! Yes, the county fair happens every year, from mid-June through the Fourth of July, and sadly, no, I have no photos--didn't even take the camera. If you read The Brontes, I think you'll have a much better understanding of where all that melodrama came from--I really was amazed.

I've been procrastinating getting started on implementing Getting Things Done but found a free software program called Inbox that is set up for his system. Maybe today...

I enjoyed hearing about your day at the fair, Roni. We have a great fair here BUT it is always that last part of July and early part of August when it's too stinkin' hot to enjoy any outdoor activity. We used to take the kids but you couldn't pay me to get out on the hot midway five weeks from now.

I know. The little fair in my home town of Abilene KS is always in early August too. But you can get out in the evening there and see the whole thing, it's so tiny.

Just catching up Roni - glad you had a good time at the fair. The Brontes: A Life in Letters sounds right up my street - have you also read Juliet Barker's The Brontes?

No, Heather, I hadn't. This was my first exposure to the Brontes' lives. But this book, I know, arose from her first book because she had all these writings of the family itself that she was unable to use in her biography.

Across the Universe is on my tbr list, but I'll lower my expectations for it.

#91 Ah, that's interesting, I will wishlist them both.

#89 Re Mrs Norris - this is true!

Re The Bronte's, I actually do have an idea of their history already as we studied them a little at school - I agree, you can certainly see where they got their melodrama from to a degree, it's just not a writing style that particularly agrees with me most of the time. This said, I don't dislike them and I'm trying to read a few more of their books - I've still yet to make it very far into Wuthering Heights, despite many attempts...

After reading about Emily's personality, I think I may never read Wuthering Heights. She was certainly a strange one.

Book #70 To Weave a Web of Magic by Patricia McKillip, Lynn Kurland, Sharon Shinn, and Claire Delacroix (362 pp.)

I am always somewhat leery of this type of collection, and with good reason as seen with Lackey's Trio of Sorcery earlier this year, but McKillip and Shinn are favorite authors, so I ordered this from PaperBackSwap last year and finally got around to it.

This was a very pleasant surprise. Billed as stories of fantasy and romance, two of the four were absolutely delightful, the third was a solid addition to Shinn's Samaria stories, and only the fourth disappointed, not in the writing but in the fact that it was a tragic rewriting of a myth, and so rather detracted from the spell cast by the other stories. I especially liked Lynn Kurland's story and shall have to look for more by her.

Was the McKillip story among the two delightful ones? Or was it the disappointment?

I think Wuthering Heights is worth reading once. But, like its author, it is a "strange one," and certainly not as heartwarming or lovable as Jane Eyre. I need to read some Anne at some point.

It seems like Wuthering Heights is one of those books that people actually "hate" after reading, but it's all the more reason for me to read just because it garners such a strong reaction from the reader.

I didn't hate IT, although I did hate the central characters. I just couldn't bring myself to love it.

I have to agree with ncgraham, definitely hated Heathcliff and Cathy, was very pleased to finish the book and plan to not go near it ever again. I'm intrigued by Roni's comments on Emily's character though, an odd one eh?

No, Nathan, the disappointment was the one by Claire Delacroix, and as noted, it was more a mismatch in mood. The McKillip and the Kurland were the delightful ones. With the Shinn story, you had to have read her other Samaria books to really understand the context, although I imagine it could be read on its own.

The only reason I have ever wanted to read Wuthering Heights is to really savor the way Jasper Fforde used the characters in his Thursday Next series. The characters just sound too disgusting.

After returning from Brussels where she and Charlotte went to school together for a year, Emily never left Haworth again. She never would go to London with Charlotte, satisfied with the descriptions when her sister(s) returned, never visited anyone else. She refused to ever see a doctor as she developed the symptoms of tuberculosis, and eventually died of it. I'm sure her character is developed more in Barker's regular biography of the family--she wrote very little and so is only seen for the most part on the sidelines in this book.

Book #71 The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde (281 pp.)

I finally broke down and ordered this from Amazon, as none of the local bookstores were carrying it. Unlike Fforde's other books, this one is aimed at children--middle school age, I would judge, despite the "almost 16" age of the protagonist. As usual for Fforde, it is clever and delights in turning fantasy tropes on their respective heads.

I admit I stopped reading Jasper Fforde last year just so I could go read Wuthering Heights before the scene in the Thursday Next series where they figure. I am glad I did, that scene was so rich because I had just read Wuthering Heights. But I refuse to read WH again. Once was aplenty!

This is so funny, I was reading along where you said you thought you'd never read WH and I was thinking, but you have to, so you can read Jasper Fforde --- and then you admit that you might have to read it for just that reason! It's not that painful to read: promise!

Eh, I thought Wuthering Heights was so painful that I quit halfway through and added it to my Quit, Yuck, Ptooey collection.

The Brontes were a weird bunch -- I have yet to make it all the way through WH myself, even though I'm an English teacher and therefore supposed to be innately enamoured of the thing.

Thanks for the insight on the biography in letters, though. I just added that and Fforde's kids' book to my wishlist. Book bullets galore today! :)

I made it all the way through but it was more a grim determination to put a check mark next to that book than any enjoyment that made me finish it.

Tad...
I like the sound of your sentence. I just finished a book wherein I had the same feeling.

Not able to catch up on everyone.. so I am just scanning and saying

I read it. Once.

Book #72 Five Odd Honors by Jane Lindskold (496 pp.)

This is the third in a series involving "exiles" from a shadow China world. It has interesting concepts, but Lindskold's writing just seems dry and detached, somehow. I love her Changer/Legends Walking duology and child of a Rainless Year, so I'm not sure what the difference is. The major story line seems to be wrapped up in this book, although there certainly is room for a sequel.

I will be adding Changer/Legends Walking to my list. Those two sound like they would be really interesting reads. Thanks Roni!

Oh, and the copy of Pagans and Christians that I was so excited to have ordered from PaperBackSwap--I won't be getting, at least not until mid-July. Got a message the owner was out of the country until July 11. At that point, hopefully, it will be offered to me again.

I got a copy of Changer through bookmooch a while ago, another to bump up.
I read Wuthering Heights a few years ago and it did not make my greatest hits list, I hated those characters.

What a bummer! About P&C -- On the other hand -- it is a weighty tome and possibly better as a 'winter' book to tackle. Sometime around now my brain tends to ..... unglue a little, summer is not my best time for any sort of serious absorption of anything. Habit I suppose.

I started one Lindskold a couple of years ago and dropped it. I don't think she writes up to her 'ideas' -- so it is very hard going. Awful dialogue, beyond the pale. Not even funny just boring. It's esp. disappointing because I think she has a good imagination.

Well, I knew I was odd but now it is confirmed, I enjoyed WH as I enjoyed everything of any Bronte I have read. WH is definitely the most histrionic. I think I somehow I stepped back from the actual story a little while reading, or something -- I think I loved the language of it, just the writing and the way she put words together and described things. I am a sucker for descriptions of awful weather and moors I guess.

You recommended Changer for me awhile ago (it was good, thanks!) but I didn't know there was another one. Maybe I can get Legends Walking with my bright shiny new library card! :-)

Wuthering Heights was not my favorite classic, but I'm glad I read it just to see what all the dissension was and make up my own mind. Stepping back from the story is a good idea. I can't recall any likable characters in the book but I did like the atmosphere.

I must admit I haven't read any Jasper Fflorde books yet. My best friend and book muse assures me that I will like them.

Book #73 The Making of Pride and Prejudice by Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin (113 pp.)

I learned of the existence of this book when Cynara reviewed it in early May. Since I am a passionate devotee of the A&E production of Pride and Prejudice, I promptly wishlisted it on PaperBackSwap and was fortunate to get a copy yesterday. The emphasis here is on the nuts and bolts of putting together a production, and especially the issue with a period production, but what I loved most were the pictures, especially of the cast, and their comments throughout the book.

Now I have to decide what to read for book #75--nothing is leaping out at me!

I finally finished two more pots. The one with red is for my husband, who loves anything with bright red, although it is not MY choice. The blue one is for my mom, who has that as the primary color in her house. I have 4 more ready to trim and 2 that are glazed for next time. I'm gradually throwing larger pieces, although they are still pretty thick.

#121 Nice! I really love that blue one - very elegant shape and gorgeous vibrant colour.

I agree, very vibrant, keep up the good work.

Well, I took my library books back today, and on the penny cart they had a Betty Neels that I didn't think I had and a book called Autumn Kittens, three Regency romance stories featuring cats. Hey, for a penny each, how wrong can you go? So...

Book #74 A Winter Love Story by Betty Neels (219 pp.)

With Betty Neels, you know what you are getting. A tall, large doctor, often Dutch, who is famed in his field, well to do, unmarried, somewhat inscrutable, and a female who may or may not be striking looking, may or may not be needy financially, definitely has character. The two usually marry before realizing they are madly in love with each other. I devoured these in the 70s, and they, along with those of Essie Summers, are the only Harlequins I kept and added to over the years. I haven't read any for at least 5 years, and when I saw this and wanted some light reading...well, there you go.

Now for the cats.

#121 The pots are beautiful and I love the colours (the blue would be my favourite too)

My son in law, Tom was into pottery when they lived in Charlotte..
he has some beautiful things around the house, including dog bowls :)
I too, favor the blue, but all of them are so pretty!

My fave is still the one on the left in the back -- both in the top pic and the new pic.

Book #75 Autumn Kittens by Janice Bennett, Shannon Donnelly, and Mona Gedney (223 pp.)

Three novellas by Zebra Regency Romances--mindless brain candy enlivened by cats in the plot.

Hi, Roni. It's great to see another Sharon Shinn fan! I have all her Samaria books, and love them. I don't know if you are aware, but there is another such collection of novellas coming out with another Samaria story in it. The collection is called Angels of Darkness and comes out in October.

Admirable pottery work Rony! Specially for a beginner.

Those are beautiful pots Roni!

Last book for June!

Book #76 Heartless by Gail Carriger (374 pp.)

Carriger improves with every book, I think. Excellent addition to the series!

Okay, here's what I spent most of today doing (5 hour jewelry class).

I'm in 19th place for Heartless at the library. It shouldn't be too terribly long before I get it as they have 19 copies!

>133 ronincats: So beautiful! I love the blue and copper together.

>134 Morphidae: WTF? How does your library have so many copies?! My library system (A decent-sized city library, not at all dinky) doesn't have A SINGLE BOOK by Gail Carriger!! No fair!

Hennepin County library is one of the best in the nation.

"Forty-one libraries. More than 5 million books, CDs and DVDs in 40 world languages. Around 1,750 public computers. Eleven library board members. One great system serving 1.1 million residents of Hennepin County."

My city spends bajillions of dollars on signs about where George Washington stopped to tie his shoes, but can't get decent books in the library.*sigh*

June wrap-up

Books read: 18 Pages read: 5584 (average length=310)
9 fantasy
2 science fiction
2 romance
1 juvenile fiction
1 classic fiction
2 nonfiction
1 biography

14 female authors, 4 male

1 book off the shelf, 1 reread, 3 library books

14 US authors, 5 English authors, 1 South African, 1 Danish.

Books acquired: 11
7 fantasy, 2 romance, 2 nonfiction
3 purchased new, 8 used (1 ER, 5 PaperBackSwap, 2 library sale)

None discarded this month

Half-Way-There (Semi-Annual) Summary

Books read: 76 Pages read: 24,400
Books purchased: 55
Books acquired (purchased + traded): 77
Books read that were on the shelf pre-2011: 11
Books discarded via PaperBackSwap and BookMooch: 40

Okay, it is now July, and there is July Juvenile and YA month. My strategy is to use this to get a lot of my backlog in this area off my shelves. So, here are my reading plans for this month.

Juvenile and YA

Re-read The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, and The Titan's Curse so that I can read for the first time The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian.
Read books 4,5 &6 of the Ranger's Apprentice series: The Battle of Skandia, The Sorcerer of the North, and The siege of Macindaw.
Read the Le Guin trilogy, Gifts, Voices, and Powers.
Read the last two in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane, Wizards at War and A Wizard of Mars.
Read the third of the Magickers series by Emily Drake, The Dragon Guard.
Read the first four of Suzanne Collins Gregor the Overlander series, of which I have #s 1, 2, &4.
and miscellaneous singletons:
Esperanza Rising
Spinners
Elijah of Buxton
Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed
Peter and the Starcatchers

I also am reading Except the Queen by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder for my book group on July 19th and re-reading Emma for the Austenathon.

If I run out of books, I have 4 more YA series to finish:
The Kin by Peter Dickinson (4 books, 1 already read)
The Claidi Journals by Tanith Lee (4 books, 2 already read)
Books 2 and 3 of the Inkspell series, Inkheart and Inkdeath
The Firebringer trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce

And everyone of these books with the exception of the re-read of Emma and the 3 Riordan re-reads will count toward my Books Off the Shelf challenge! Hurrah!

You are so organized! Very impressive . . .

I agree, very organised. I've read most of Donna Jo Napoli's books but not Spinners so looking forward to your comments.

Roni, I love seeing the efforts of your creative energy. Now you are into jewelry design as well? I don't think I have the patience for any hobbies other than reading or gardening. I have quite a few teeny tiny tomatoes on my two plants and three largish ones that look like they could "go red" soon. I can't wait for my first BLT of the season.

Brenda and Kerry, not so much organized as desperate! Once I read all of these, I can donate them to my school library and move them off the shelves! And they have all been on my shelves for literally years! I am counting on this challenge to move them off! And I had to locate them all and pull them together physically. As you see...although the first Riordan is already on my nightstand, as I started it last night.



Donna, I started taking classes at a local bead shop last August after retiring and took a bunch of the basic beading and wire working classes last fall. I hadn't been to any classes since I took my mom to one in February, between being sick, being gone, and just none available I hadn't already taken. They've added a bunch of new ones, so I have a full schedule of 4 classes already scheduled for July. It's fun and really pretty easy. Not nearly as skill-intensive as the pottery.

I have harvested 5 cherry tomatoes so far (yum!)--eaten off the vine, actually, I have a small one turning orange, and a couple of big ones that haven't started going red yet at all--yes, I also can't wait for the first BLT of the season! Cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants are all setting on well, and I've had my second green bean harvest of the season, with many more to come.

Napoli. Eww.

Why, Nathan?

143: I'm finding that a physical stack of books, separate from all the other books, keeps me focused. I still have choices, but fewer choices.
121: Echoing others... what an excellent blue!

#146> I agree with you. I try to keep all of my current library books on my nightstand.

and the pottery is lovely!

>139 ronincats: I hope you like the Gregor the Overlander series. When I read them, I loved them, still do, and when I saw that the Hunger Games is by the same author, I had to read that series.

Also, I had to read Esperanza Rising for a class in some grade. I always got in trouble because I read ahead in class while other people were slowly reading out loud. I like that one very well too.

Nathan, I always got in trouble for the very same reason!

Richard has the latest quiz link on his thread--how your taste in art reflects your personality. Here are my results:

Balanced, Secure, and Realistic.
18 Impressionist, 11 Islamic, -5 Ukiyo-e, -8 Cubist, -1 Abstract and -14 Renaissance!

People that like Impressionist paintings may not alway be what is deemed socially acceptable. They tend to move on their own path without always worrying that it may be offensive to others. They value friendships but because they also value honesty tend to have a few really good friends. They do not, however, like people that are rude and do not appreciate the ideas of others. They are secure enough in themselves that they can listen to the ideas of other people without it affecting their own final decisions. The world for them is not black and white but more in shades of grey and muted colors. They like things to be aestically pleasing, not stark and sharp. There are many ways to view things, and the impresssionist personality views the world from many different aspects. They enjoy life and try to keep a realistic viewpoint of things, but are not very open to new experiences. If they are content in their live they will be more than likely pleased to keep things just the way they are.

Actually, I would say this is pretty close!

145 > I just had a very scarring experience with Napoli once, when, fresh from much milder fairytale retellings such as McKinley's Beauty and Levine's Ella Enchanted, I picked up Spinners and Zel and found them to contain some rather adult sexual content. They'd probably strike me as fairly mild now, but despite the YA markers, they really weren't appropriate for a preteen.

#150> I've only read Zel myself and I agree that it's rather explicit in places, but I also read a YA marker as an indicator that the themes and language are probably for 12 or 13 and older.

Book #77 the Lightning Thief* by Rick Riordan (375 pp.)

My first book for July Juvenile and YA, finished at bedtime last night, this re-read is to prepare me to read books 4 and 5 of the series. Off to join the readathon with The Sea of Monsters.

Stopping by to say hi. I can't wait to learn of your thoughts re. the YA books you will be reading this month. I'm very impressed with your pottery and bead work...

Happy Sunday!

Readathon update at end of hour 3

HOUR 3:

Number of books read from this hour: 1
Number of books finished this hour: 0
Total pages read this hour: 96
Time spent reading: 36 minutes
Time spent posting: 2 minutes
Any distractions? My mother called, Facebook
The menu? Rum raisin ice cream

Number of books read from so far in this challenge: 2
Number of books finished so far in this challenge: 1
Favorite book read from so far this challenge: na
Total pages read so far: 305
Time spent reading this challenge: 1:42
Time spent posting this challenge? 4 minutes
Biggest distraction overall? Mom's phone call

So happy I found you again, Roni! I think I lost touch with you around the end of your first thread. And I must tell you that the image at the top of the page of your pottery took my breath away!

Roni, I'm totally impressed by your creative efforts. Some great glazing on your pots, which show real progress. I was intrigued by the sort of mother-of-pearl interior glazing on one of them. That second pic. made me gasp a bit.

Oh, and lots of good book stuff, too!

Thanks, Mary and Gail! I brought 2 pots home last night. Here is the first.



and here is the second, titled "When Good Pots go Bad"



I trimmed 4 pots last night, several of them significantly larger, but they won't come home for another 3 weeks.

Wow!

Book #78 The Sea of Monsters* by Rick Riordan (279 pp.)
Book #79 The Titan's Curse* by Rick Riordan (312 pp.)

See above (message 152)

Roni, I really like the 2nd pot a lot. You should keep making 'bad' pots! I think that's a more interesting looking pot, and if you don't tell anyone, they'll think the design was deliberate. :-)

Happy 4th!

157: I like that the "bad" pot got glazed rather than ditched.

I like that second pot too. I think I've seen pots like that on sale here for higher prices than usual ones. (Yes, there is a lot of strangeness here in Cali.)

Well, I'll cast a vote for the "bad" pot, too. Could you use it as a sort of pouring item? Or I am positive you could sell it, should you wish.

Whew! I just finished out the 24 hour Readathon hosted by Suzanne. I don't try to read for 24 hours--I cannot do without my sleep, but in the 15.5 hours I was awake, I did read for 7.5 of them, and finished the Percy Jackson series. As noted last night (Pacific time), I finished my re-reads of The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse and got a third of the way into The Battle of the Labyrinth, which I then finished today with the final book, The Last Olympian. So...

Book #80 The Battle of the Labyrinth# by Rick Riordan (361 pp.)
Book #81 The Last Olympian# by Rick Riordan (381 pp.)

So, in three days I've read the entire five-book series, and you know what--it's pretty good! I think I liked it better this time (the first three books were rereads), and I appreciate how Riordan kept his focus and tied it all together without letting any of the individual books drag. Book 4 is my favorite, I think. Not only is Riordan pretty down on pollution but in this book he also took a snarky stab at teaching to the test and measuring facts, not thinking skills with the Sphinx. I like the values Riordan brings to the fore that motivate the characters and bring about the ultimate conclusion. Just as with the Harry Potter books, I think it is this substratum of values and beliefs that adds the depth to a book that makes it a classic instead of just another adventure story.

Now, off to surf LT threads and replant withered crops in Farmville!

Kudos to you for finishing so many books during the read a thon!

Linda, it certainly helped that they were YA adventure tales! Nothing too complex or deep. ;-)

sounds like it was just what you needed....

Wow, what a productive readathon for you.
I'm pretty sure I only read the first two Percy Jacksons, looks like I need to get back to that series.
I'm currently reading Jennifer Bradbury's Wrapped which might appeal to you blending adventure, the Regency period and a young heroine who loves her Jane Austen.

That does sound interesting, Kerry, as well as that one you just reviewed with Wednesday in the title--I'll have to go back to your thread and tag it!

Just stopping by.... I see my favorite pot in the back in that picture! I had to give up on that Readathon, just too much stuff going on. I did do some reading, but just never had time to post. Congrats to you though, for accomplishing so much.

My husband was working long hours both days, Lucy, so I had relatively few distractions. Thanks.

Book #82 Elijah of Buxton# by Christopher Paul Curtis (341 pp.)

I had picked this book up at a Scholastic Warehouse sale before Linda gave it such glowing reviews, so it was a logical choice to succeed the fantasy series for July Juvenile & YA month. It is a historical novel, a Newbery Honor book, told from the viewpoint of Elijah, an eleven-year-old boy who was the first freeborn child of the settlement of Buxton in Ontario, Canada, a settlement of former slaves. As we see Elijah go about his life, we are exposed, in a non-didactic manner, to the effects of slavery on people and to life in the mid-1800s. It is well written, interesting, and you really come to love Elijah. Recommended!

Book #83 The Battle for Skandia# by John Flanagan (294 pp.)

This is Book 4 in the Ranger's Apprentice series. I had read the first three prior to when this one came out in paperback, so probably two years ago, and then picked up books 4 and 5 when they came out in paperback but never got back to them. Unlike the Percy Jackson series above, I don't feel a need to go back and reread the first three--I remember the bare bones and there aren't that many subtleties in this series.

Book 3 did end on a slight cliffhanger, and book 4 picks up with Will and Evanlyn in the same spot. Flanagan writes good action and the plot was interesting--always hard to put details in a series book without lot of spoilers, so I'll be pretty general. There is lots of action, the goal is eventually achieved, and the relationships move forward a smidgen. I can see why this is a popular adventure series for the middle school bunch and it is better quality than the majority of such series, but I don't think it has the depth, at least so far, that the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson series do. Of course, there are 6 more books so that may occur yet.

Roni
I'm glad you liked Elijah of Buxton. A scholastic book sale? Oh, my that would be heaven for me!!!

Book #84 The Sorcerer of the North by John Flanagan (295 pp.)

Unfortunately, this book starts a new story arc and ends in the middle of it, so I shall have to read at least one more in the series--I just ordered it to be sent to my neighborhood library. The other disappointment is that I figured out the villain way before our heroes did. Again, these are solid, good adventure stories, but I'm not sure I want to read all 10. The next book closes out this story line and I will probably give the books a rest at that point.

I am not going to try and catch up on the almost 100 messages I have missed in my recent absence, Roni :)

#175: I cannot tell you how mad I was when I got to the end of that one to discover that it ended on a cliffhanger - and my local library did not have the next one yet! Arg!!

I am sorry to hear that you are not going to close out the series. It sounds like I enjoyed the books (with the exception of #9) more than you do.

Stasia, I like them. It's just that there doesn't seem to be a long story arc--we know these people and they just continue to have adventures--I don't get the sense that there is a goal or climax. So, since I have many other books I want to read, I'm stopping for the moment after I get book 6 from the library.

Speaking of the library, I went to mine today to pick up some holds--Jackpot!! I got The Night Bookmobile, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making, and Fuzzy Nation. The middle one will be the first I read, after I finish the Duane books. Those 2, books 8 and 9 of the So You Want to Be a Wizard series, are each over 500 pages, so they may take me a few days.

Nice haul from the library, Roni!

I too liked your "bad" pot, Roni. With that lip on it, I think it would make a great houseplant watering pot! It would serve as a conversation piece at the same time.

You did much better at the readathon than I did. I like to do them occasionally so I have an excuse for uninterrupted reading time. As if I need an excuse!

I agree with Stasia...You brought home some great books!

Hi Roni! What creative outlet have you worked on this week? Although it does look like you've done a lot of reading . . . love your pots - can't wait to see the next batch.

Thanks, Stasia, Donna, and Linda. Since you asked, Brenda, I took a class on Thursday on ring-making techniques, and here's what I ended up with.



Btw, I got myself to aquacise class Friday for the first time in ages--I need to keep it up! Off to pottery class in an hour, but no results for a couple of weeks now.

Very nice, Roni. Are the ends hammered flat on the silver one?

Nice . . . I especially like the hammered silver. You are one busy lady. Are these activities you've had planned for retirement? I appreciate the fact that you actually get out there and take the classes - I think about it, but never quite make the commitment . . . some day!?

182: So crafty! Very nice.

Wow! You are really making retirement count!!!
I like the rings and BOTH pots! Congratulations on a useful readathon too.

Yes, the ends are hammered on the silver one, elfchild. Thanks, Brenda. Yes, I had planned to do this, as well as exercise, read, garden, and be a tourist in San Diego. I've done a fair bit on the craft front--did a lot of crocheting for gifts this year, the beading and wire work classes--although I need to do better at working on projects at home between classes--and the pottery class (I threw 5 pieces today at class with time to spare--I am getting faster and a little better), but I have failed miserably with the sewing--have not even started the bag I bought all the materials for last summer. I've done well on the reading and the gardening (see below), but poorly on the exercise and on getting out to the zoo (I'm a member), the beach, and the museums at Balboa Park. So there is room for improvement. Thanks, Marie!


green beans


Japanese eggplant


cucumber vine

Book #85 Wizards at War by Diane Duane (552 pp.)

This is the 8th book in the So You Want to Be a Wizard series, which started when Nita ducked into a used bookstore to avoid some bullies after school and came out with what turned out to be a wizard's manual. This series has been through some heavy stuff (the death of Nita's mother from cancer is one), but this book is lighter on the personal issues and more of a "save the universe" one. I enjoy this children's series and am about to read the most recent one next.

Hi Roni - I love the pot that went bad! You are so busy now you're retired - I don't know how you keep up with yourself!

I've never read any of the Percy Jackson books or the Ranger's apprentice series or the Diane Duane series. More books for the wishlist.

I love the garden pictures, Roni. I meant to get one in this year and was thwarted by the lack of availability of wheat straw bales. I see that you are in San Diego, which is where I grew up (and where my parents still live).

I love the look of the Japanese eggplant, Roni. The purple against the green is beautiful.

I need to get to the So You Want to Be a Wizard series. Thanks for the reminder!

This is kind of amazing. Look at the cucumber vine in message 187--this is the same shot today.



Can you believe that growth in just two days?

I so enjoy learning of your pottery, ring making classes and now to see your garden plants is a delight to the eye!

I'm waiting for more pottery pics, Roni. You're such an inspiration. I've started a list of things to pick up when I retire (if I ever retire) and pottery is definitely now on that list.

It will be two weeks before I have any more finished pieces, Caro. I will glaze four pieces next week, and then the five I threw last Saturday the week after that. I'm throwing larger bowls now. In between, I'm fitting in all the other stuff. ;-)

Always love to see you here, Linda. Thanks for visiting, Heather, Elfchild and Stasia. I love company!

Wow! Looks like the cucumber plant is trying to take over the garden!

192: It's scary how quickly plants can grow. I have a crazy gourd plant that I am trying to direct over the fence and along a strip of bare ground in hopes that it will not strangle my other plants.

Get those cukes in now!!!! Isn't summer great?!?
(It's also very, very hot and dry in SE N.C.)

Peggy, I have friends in even more SE N.C., two librarians who have been part of my online Women in SF reading group for over a decade who live and work in Wilmington. They have told me about how dry it is there!

Yes, Stasia and qebo, just looking at the first picture with the little fingerling with the blossom on the end, and then the 6" monsters in the second picture makes me glad these are friendly plants. My tomatoes have completely overrun my raised bed--there are some Swiss Chard and asparagus in there along the edges, but look! The wood fence behind is 6' tall.

Gorgeous!

I love catching up on your thread as the photos of all your jewellery and vege plants tell such a story. And yes, very jealous of the amazing plants and the sunny warm days they are growing in.

Well overdue for a drop-in to your thread - and what a riot of pots, jewellery, garden growth and books!!

It sounds as if you are making good progress through your YA pile too. I haven't read any of those except the Peter Dickinson The Kin series on your reserve list - which I really liked. I'd like to hear about the Le Guin trilogy, I loved Earthsea but don't know these books at all.

I love the garden pics! Our tomatoes and peppers have really taken off. I am hoping the squash will catch up. We didn't plant cucumbers this year because they didn't do so well last year. Seeing your pictures makes me wish that we had at least tried. I love fresh cucumbers!

Roni, terrific pics of your abundant garden. . .

Hi Roni! Just trying to catch up on all the threads since I've been away and at first I was just going to do a quick skim and say HI but all your pictures of books and jewelry totally distracted me!
Your jewelry looks gorgeous. I tried making some stuff at home just off hand with no classes and it was a disaster and I ended up with mangled wired and blisters to boot. Maybe I should consider taking some kind of class to get me started... :)

That's strange, Roni. I didn't notice your green thumb when we met in Kansas City! I would post pictures of my two tomato plants, but you would feel sorry for me. At least we're getting some relief from the 100+ degree temps today along with much-needed rain. Oh yes, I have bacon on my grocery list so I can enjoy my first BLT of the season.

Wow, love the company, everyone!

My husband would be much happier if instead of all that greenery, some of them besides the cherry tomato plant were setting on more fruit, Donna, Brenda, Jess and Lucy! This is the first year the cucumbers have done well in a long time, Jess. I have them in a new spot.

Valerie, saw you were back on your thread, thanks for visiting.

Welcome, Genny, I have been enjoying your thread so glad to have you visit here.

Leonie, I'm jealous of YOU because New Zealand is the place in the world I would most like to visit.

And now, a book!

Book #86 A Wizard of Mars by Diane Duane (550 pp.)

This is book 9 in the So You Want to Be a Wizard series. We have followed Nita from middle school into early high school so far, as she discovers and then develops her wizardly skills, while supporting growth, ecology, and interspecies responsibility--really!--in a way that engages young readers. I was a little concerned about how this book would follow up the last, which was a "save the universe" plot, but it really does! Can't really discuss the plot much without ruining it, but this is a fun riff on Mars and Martians while still being very serious.

I was wondering how A Wizard of Mars would follow things up, too, but it worked really well and I loved it. So creative and fun with lots of really interesting and cool things to think about. Now I'm impatient for the next one, though, because I need to know more about what Dairine is doing...

Yes, Dairine is definitely a BIG loose end. I need to know too. And I WOULD like to go on a shopping trip with Carmela.

#207: I just picked up the first book in the series at the library the other day, Roni. I am hoping I enjoy the series as much as you have!

Shopping with Carmela would be wild! :-)

Out of this world ;)

Book #87 The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente (247 pp.)

Recommended by bluesalamander and foggidawn.

Review to follow.

And here is today's project, here at home, as a gift for a friend.

These wrap around, really light weight, and with only part of the beads visible at any given time, like this.

That is so pretty Roni!! Do you sell any of the stuff that you make?

Funny thing, I just added The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making onto my wishlist a couple of days ago because LT generated one of those recommendations and the title of the book totally popped out at me.

Valerie, not yet, but I will need to soon in order to finance my bead acquisitions, and also because I won't have room to keep it all for myself. My husband wants me to build inventory and see it at the swap meet. Me, I'm not sure I want to work that hard.

#215: Pretty! You do good work, Roni :)

Roni, Pretty bracelet, lucky friend!
Thanks for the heads up about the Fawcett documentary on PBS (Jul 20). I'm going to try very hard to remember to watch. . .

Book #88 Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed by Virginia Hamilton (208 pp.)

This is a story of Willie Bea and her family at Halloween in 1938. After a big Sunday dinner with the extended family there near Dayton, Ohio, Willie Bea is all set to go trick-or-treating with her younger brother and sister. But the grownups, some of them, have been listening to the radio that evening, and hearing about an invasion of Martians. This is an interesting children's book by an award winning author that really captures a sense of the times.

Book #89 The Siege of Macindaw by John Flanagan (293 pp.)

Book 6 of the Ranger's Apprentice series resolves the situation set up in Book 5 and wraps up the story at a good stopping point, at least for the time being. A good adventure story for middle school on up!

#220: That one sounds fun. I will have to see if my local library has a copy. Thanks for the recommendation, Roni.

Book #90 Except the Queen by Jane Yolen and Midori Snyder (371 pp.)

Whenever a book is co-authored, there always is a question about how they went about it. Who did what parts, or did they work together from a combined framework? Yolen and Snyder borrowed a technique in part from Patricia Wrede and Carolyn Stevermer used in their Sorcery and Cecilia books, that of the two viewpoint epistolary novel.

Two fey sisters spot the Queen of Faerie doing something they shouldn't have, and when word gets out, they are banished to the mortal world. Separately, in two different places. Learning how to cope in that world with some difficulty but also with help, the sisters also see elements of the UnSeelie court preying on humans out of season, while the Queen is paralyzed by factions of her own Seelie court. The sisters write letters to each other, although there is also narrative interspersed around each character--the letter format does not get burdensome because of the enveloping story--as they discover deeper and deeper mysteries and dangers.

This was very enjoyable. While the darker parts of Faerie are certainly present and dangers are very real, they are not dwelt on in soul-wringing detail, while the characters of the protagonists and their ensuing entourage are engaging and positive. Both Yolen and Snyder are experienced fantasy writers, and this book is marvelous on-the-lighter-side fantasy.

Hi Roni . . . Reading Lois Lowry this month for YA fantasy.
The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger . . . Way out of my usual genres, but enjoyable!

Yolen has collaborated on a two-viewpoint novel before, namely Armageddon Summer with Bruce Coville, which I own but have not read. I don't think that was epistolary, though.

#223: I will have to look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation, Roni!

I went to see the Harry Potter movie Monday at noon with my husband, and of course was then seized with an uncontrollable urge to re-read the Deathly Hallows, but I had to read Except the Queen first for book group on Tuesday evening (although it then turned out that two of us four did not get it read). So after book group that night, I started DH and just finished.

Book #91 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (759 pp.)

I had read this book the second time when I reread the whole series last summer right before seeing the first DH movie. So this was my third time. The first 23 chapters and 476 pages were covered in the first movie, and then it was time to see what was in and not in the second movie. Minor spoilers for the movie.

First of all, I cried less than I expected at the movie, and the violence was also less than I expected. It was marvelous that so many characters had continued all the way from the first to the last film. Notable absences were Professor Sprout and Goyle. There was very little omitted from the book in the last film, mostly detail and focus on the Hallows--however, while I know they plumped up some scenes for film value, I still think that it would have been more powerful had the scene with Neville and the snake been done like in the book. And I think they should have had a few more second build-up in the scene with Mrs. Weasley and Bellatrix--Ginny was in danger so briefly that I think most viewers would not even have realized it before Mrs. Weasley was uttering her classic line. But many things were handled beautifully and overall, it was a fitting close to the movies. I think the thing that makes this series magical is what Terry Pratchett would call its narrativium--it just is a great story told in such a way that the telling doesn't get in the way of the story.

#227: I need to get back to my re-reads of the series. *sigh*

#227 You, umm, cried? I think I will watch the movie after all though not up for a re-read.

Piyush, I cry at anything. Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, the Muppets. But yes, I cried at the same points I did in the book.

#227 I need to reread HP7 too - I'd like to reread it before seeing the film I think. I reread all the HP books last year but couldn't quite bring myself to go on to all the heartache in HP7 after the end of HP6.

I cried too! My friend thought I was a bit nuts, I think. I loved the movie, overall, though I wish they had spent a bit more time on Dumbledore's history - there was no explanation as to who Grindelwald was at all.

Hey, Heather!

Cait, it seems like they pretty much eliminated most of the detail about the Hallows and thus Dumbledore's history, other than the story and their surface presence, from the whole series.

Just speaking, Roni, and admiring the garden. I'll get to *HP6* sometime this summer, and won't watch the movies until I've read the whole thing.

I really thought this last HP movie was badly done. The transitions between scenes were terrible, the score was boring and the sound editing was poor. It seemed pretty phoned in. I was glad I had read the book, because if I had not I think it would have been difficult to follow.

A lot of the HP movies would be difficult to follow without having read the book, I think (especially from Goblet of Fire onwards). There were some corny bits in the latest movie, and the epilogue was terrible, but overall I was satisfied well enough. I did tear up at just about any scene featuring Snape.

Hi Roni -- just catching up on threads. I love the photos of your pottery, jewelry, and garden! You are so talented.

Here are this week's pots, with Lucy's favorite pot thrown into the mix for scale.

Amazing. They are beautiful. . .

Thanks, Brenda. They are getting bigger and a little lighter. It's a process.

How long does it take to throw a pot that size?

I'm also getting faster. The last two hour class I threw five pieces, 3 of which were the larger bowls. The other two have still to be glazed and fired.

Wow. What will you do with all your pottery?

THAT is the question, my dear! I have to make pottery to learn how to do it well. I guess all my family and friends will be getting pottery gifts for a while, huh?

consignment? . . . to fund more throwing time?!

When I get good enough, yes, I will look for a venue to sell.

cool . . .

Nice bowls; I like the one on the bottom right.

The problem of "what to do with it?" is something I'm being really proactive about. I don't want to end up with cupboards full of pots that just gather dust. I have enough of a packrat mentality as it is.

If it's not something I see myself actually using, I take a picture to record info and then toss it. A couple of the bigger ones that didn't turn out quite right on the wheel got a hole drilled in the bottom and fired as outdoor planters since we always need more of those around our pool area, but anything smaller gets recycled (if not bisque fired) or pitched (if it was).

You can send pottery my way, Roni :) I promise not to complain! lol

Book #92 Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin (274 pp.)

This book is the first of a trilogy and was published in 2004. I have wanted to read it for some time, but bounced the first time I tried it because the setting and the gifts were so grim. Still, any book about which a reviewer can write "Rich in the earthy magic and intelligent plot twists that made the Earthsea novels classics" deserves my attention, for I love those books dearly.

This story tells of Orrec's life up until age 16 in the Uplands of his world, a poor, hardscrabble way of life, with each of the domains being ruled by a brantor, a person who has the Gift of his line, and the majority of those gifts are gifts to hurt, maim, or kill. Think the highlands of Scotland for geography and economics. As the son of a brantor of a fairly poor domain, Orrec is first constantly anxious as to whether he will show the gift of unmaking, and then with his lack of control. Various events take place during the story that set up the next book, so it is hard to be able to say much about the plot that won't be spoilers. But, although it was indeed grim, there was little violence of body, and I have hopes from the conclusion that the next two books will lift this up into the neighborhood of Earthsea.

Book #93 Voices by Ursula K. Le Guin (341 pp.)

Well, after dragging through the first book over three days, I managed the the second this evening. As in the second book of the Earthsea series, our viewpoint character is a young girl in a city far to the south of the original setting. Her city has been invaded and held by soldiers of a country that believes the oral word to be holy and all books to be demonic for the last 17 years, all of her life. Yet before that, Alsun was a mercantile city with a republic form of government and a great library, a society of reasoned and reasonable people. I felt much more at home here despite the oppression and fear. Into the city come Orrec and Gry from the first book, also 17 years later than those events, and they play their part, but Memer is the central figure.

A quote:

"What peace I had, what understanding I had, came from my love for the Waylord and his kindness to me, and from books. Books are at the heart of this book I'm writing. Books caused the danger we were in, the risks we ran, and books gave us our power. The Alds are right to fear them. If there is a god of books it's Sampa the Maker and Destroyer."

#250/251: I need to read more of LeGuin's books. I will give this trilogy a shot. Thanks, Roni.

This is definitely a YA, Stasia, so bear that in mind.

#250 The Le Guin books sound good although I've been thinking of doing another reread of the Earthsea books for a while as well.

And more nice pots :-)

#253: I read lots of YA, so I will be fine with them, I think. Thanks for the heads up though, Roni.

Oops, just realized it was time to make a new thread! You can find it here.