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reading backlog
Jan. 26th, 2011 03:13 pmThis is the entirety of my reading backlogged, as it currently stands. At least half of the books will likely never be read, as they’re either books I picked up at random at the UBS, or are romance authors whose books have been waiting for ages, but whose stuff I probably won’t like as much now as I did a few years ago.
In theory, I will keep this updated. In theory.
This doesn’t include anything I’ve read but not posted on yet.
( click )
Last updated 11/4/09
In theory, I will keep this updated. In theory.
This doesn’t include anything I’ve read but not posted on yet.
( click )
Last updated 11/4/09
I've been working overtime lately (if I haven't commented/posted on something you thought I would have, now you know why) vand hoping it will be enough to mostly-purchase a more portable laptop (and so free up more funds for WisCon) with either built in wifi or a port for remote connection (Rue* is about 6 years old) that I can take on trips, or just don't want to have stuck to one part of the apartment. Anyone have any recommendations? I'm not worried about having a lot of memory as Miss Edel* is a 500 GB external and fairly portable. From what I can tell, a Netbook looks like the best option, but i'm not familiar with them.
Also, I added Lexx to my netflix queue a while back after someone compared it to Cleopatra 2525. I'm attempting to watch the pilot, but it's...really bad, and really boring. I suspect it's also pretty offensive, but I'm too bored to be sure.
*My technology is named for Princess Tutu characters.
Her Forbidden Knight by Rex Stout
Feb. 7th, 2010 03:12 pmThis is the first book by Rex Stout, writer of the Nero Wolfe novels, but is unrelated to those. Set and written in 1914, Lila Williams is a telegraph operator at the Lamartine Hotel, and has a group of admirers called the Erring Knights. When the “Knights” warn off a new admirer named Knowlton, he joins them, only to be banished from the hotel when Lila shows him preference over her other admirers. Meanwhile, someone is apparently using Lila to circulate counterfeit money.
I liked Lila, Knowlton and the counterfeiting plot, but not the “Knights,” who are way too controlling and intrusive, and actually tell Lila that she owes it to them to not actually have feelings for someone. Stout seems to think they’re absurd, but in a cute way, while many of their scenes set off my “Women are not possessions, thank you!” reaction.
I liked Lila, Knowlton and the counterfeiting plot, but not the “Knights,” who are way too controlling and intrusive, and actually tell Lila that she owes it to them to not actually have feelings for someone. Stout seems to think they’re absurd, but in a cute way, while many of their scenes set off my “Women are not possessions, thank you!” reaction.
The Secret Bride by Jo Beverley
Feb. 6th, 2010 10:43 pmWhen he was 16, Christian Hill, newly enlisted into the army, heard a companion bragging about tricking a young heiress into eloping with him. Christian, head full of heroic acts, rushed off to rescue the girl and killed the other man in a duel, only to have her aunt barge in and demand he marry the girl instead. Whoops.
Ten years later, Christian and his bride, Dorcas, have both believed the other dead since shortly after their shotgun wedding. Then Christian learns that someone is looking for “Jack Hill” the pseudonym he used at the wedding, and he begins to wonder if his wife may still be alive. Dorcas, meanwhile, has become rich because of the businesses she inherited from her aunt, and plans to marry a nice, dull young man. Wouldn’t you if you were carried off by a fortunehunter and then rescued by a man who killed your abductor, married you, and ran off 5 minutes later? First, she wants to make sure she isn’t actually married to someone else.
Once they meet, they both spend most of the book pretending to be someone else-he an interested third party, she initially a maid, and then a traveler. It’s another adventurous one by Jo Beverley (maybe she’s mostly writing those now?) with mob hunts and vengeful relatives and multiple disguises and all such. Unlike a lot of Beverleys, it also manages to avoid derailing somewhat in the tail end, which I’m rather grateful for.
This is connected to the Malloren books, but is apparently book 2 in another Georgian series about Christian and two of his friends, though all the couples are connected to Rothgar in one way or another. Apparently, he knows everyone.
Ten years later, Christian and his bride, Dorcas, have both believed the other dead since shortly after their shotgun wedding. Then Christian learns that someone is looking for “Jack Hill” the pseudonym he used at the wedding, and he begins to wonder if his wife may still be alive. Dorcas, meanwhile, has become rich because of the businesses she inherited from her aunt, and plans to marry a nice, dull young man. Wouldn’t you if you were carried off by a fortunehunter and then rescued by a man who killed your abductor, married you, and ran off 5 minutes later? First, she wants to make sure she isn’t actually married to someone else.
Once they meet, they both spend most of the book pretending to be someone else-he an interested third party, she initially a maid, and then a traveler. It’s another adventurous one by Jo Beverley (maybe she’s mostly writing those now?) with mob hunts and vengeful relatives and multiple disguises and all such. Unlike a lot of Beverleys, it also manages to avoid derailing somewhat in the tail end, which I’m rather grateful for.
This is connected to the Malloren books, but is apparently book 2 in another Georgian series about Christian and two of his friends, though all the couples are connected to Rothgar in one way or another. Apparently, he knows everyone.
Abduction Club x 29
Alice x 47
Chuno x 38
Mei-chan no Shitsuji x 54
Men and Legends x 20
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency x 23
Princess Returning Pearl x 30
Wide Sargasso Sea (2006) x 13
the rest are at my LJ
When the flames of angst rage inside you.
Feb. 4th, 2010 10:34 pmThe above is an actual line from the currently-airing historical kdrama, Chuno. Actual line. All I'm saying.
I've only watched two episodes so far, and I actually dislike watching airing dramas, but I've learned that waiting for the really popular dramas I'm interested in to finish tends to kill some of the interest from overhyping and spoiling.
Any, a few extremely shallow comments (I'll have actual pertinent comments once i've watched more):
1. For whatever reason, a lot of Korean Jang Hyuk can pull off scruff and beards more attractively than most actors*. Jang Hyuk is not one of those actors. Actually, the long hair and scruff combined with the narrow, suspicious look makes him look kind of weaselly to me. He should stay bathed and clean-shaven, like in the flashbacks. (I prefer his character then so far anyway.)
2. Oh Ji Ho, OTOH, joins Song Il Gook and Lee Seo Jin in being able to pull the beard off fabulously. Though, I'm still very confused as to why they wanted him to lose body fat for the role. I mean, where was he hiding it, anyway?
3. All I have to say about Lee Da Hae's crossdressing is that, unlike Liu Yi Fei in Chinese Paladin**, at least I could tell she was supposed to look like a man.
4. I am apparently amazingly shallow, as I'm apparently in love with Hot (Possibly) Evil (Possibly) Spy Lady after one scene. Or possibly it was the dress. The only way that scene could have been better is if it had been Yun Mi Joo***. (Actually, the actress has a similar composure/pressence, so that may be it.)
5. I keep getting distracted by how the sidekick slave hunters vaguely resemble less-attractive versions of Abe Hiroshi and Song Il Gook. The big one even grunts like Abe Hiroshi.
*Though no one pulls off scruff the way Abe Hiroshi does. No one.
**Though, that was my first or second wuxia, so I wasn't as familiar with the "ignore the fact that she doesn't look like anything other than a girl, these are boy clothes so everyone will totally believe it!"
***Who apparently is in Invincible Lee Pyung Kang. Apparently, I need to watch that.
I've only watched two episodes so far, and I actually dislike watching airing dramas, but I've learned that waiting for the really popular dramas I'm interested in to finish tends to kill some of the interest from overhyping and spoiling.
Any, a few extremely shallow comments (I'll have actual pertinent comments once i've watched more):
1. For whatever reason, a lot of Korean Jang Hyuk can pull off scruff and beards more attractively than most actors*. Jang Hyuk is not one of those actors. Actually, the long hair and scruff combined with the narrow, suspicious look makes him look kind of weaselly to me. He should stay bathed and clean-shaven, like in the flashbacks. (I prefer his character then so far anyway.)
2. Oh Ji Ho, OTOH, joins Song Il Gook and Lee Seo Jin in being able to pull the beard off fabulously. Though, I'm still very confused as to why they wanted him to lose body fat for the role. I mean, where was he hiding it, anyway?
3. All I have to say about Lee Da Hae's crossdressing is that, unlike Liu Yi Fei in Chinese Paladin**, at least I could tell she was supposed to look like a man.
4. I am apparently amazingly shallow, as I'm apparently in love with Hot (Possibly) Evil (Possibly) Spy Lady after one scene. Or possibly it was the dress. The only way that scene could have been better is if it had been Yun Mi Joo***. (Actually, the actress has a similar composure/pressence, so that may be it.)
5. I keep getting distracted by how the sidekick slave hunters vaguely resemble less-attractive versions of Abe Hiroshi and Song Il Gook. The big one even grunts like Abe Hiroshi.
*Though no one pulls off scruff the way Abe Hiroshi does. No one.
**Though, that was my first or second wuxia, so I wasn't as familiar with the "ignore the fact that she doesn't look like anything other than a girl, these are boy clothes so everyone will totally believe it!"
***Who apparently is in Invincible Lee Pyung Kang. Apparently, I need to watch that.
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Feb. 4th, 2010 07:07 pmSurprisingly (to me, at least) this book, which is attributed with creating the Gothic genre, is actually a comedy.
Princess Isabella is about to marry Conrad, the son of Manfred, the lord of Otranto, when Conrad is killed by a giant helmet that falls on him. Manfred, who is obsessed with continuing his line, decides to divorce his wife and marry Isabella. Isabella sensibly says “Oh blippety blip no!” and runs away. There’s running through secret passages, hiding in monasteries, hiding in caves, secret babies, secret identities, mistaken identity, and murder. Not to mention much “Woes!” and languishing. I don’t think I spotted a kitchen sink, though.
The introduction to my edition (Dover Thrift) says that Walpole wrote this largely as a joke, and I think that shows in the writing. It’s easy, though, to see how this humorous piece ended up converted into sometimes-dark, often-romantic fiction whose audience was primarily women. While Manfred is the central character, Walpole’s attitude regarding his treatment of the women in his life is much closer to our modern opinions than we tend to associate with 18th century men, and much of the plot is driven by Isabella’s attempting to escape his control.
Princess Isabella is about to marry Conrad, the son of Manfred, the lord of Otranto, when Conrad is killed by a giant helmet that falls on him. Manfred, who is obsessed with continuing his line, decides to divorce his wife and marry Isabella. Isabella sensibly says “Oh blippety blip no!” and runs away. There’s running through secret passages, hiding in monasteries, hiding in caves, secret babies, secret identities, mistaken identity, and murder. Not to mention much “Woes!” and languishing. I don’t think I spotted a kitchen sink, though.
The introduction to my edition (Dover Thrift) says that Walpole wrote this largely as a joke, and I think that shows in the writing. It’s easy, though, to see how this humorous piece ended up converted into sometimes-dark, often-romantic fiction whose audience was primarily women. While Manfred is the central character, Walpole’s attitude regarding his treatment of the women in his life is much closer to our modern opinions than we tend to associate with 18th century men, and much of the plot is driven by Isabella’s attempting to escape his control.
Haven't done one of these in a while...
Feb. 4th, 2010 12:18 amI'm not sure what I think of this "test," or how accurate it is. (Like the dirty jokes. Most dirty jokes aren't even mildly amusing to me.) A lot of the earlier questions seem to assume that anyone doing this is male, and a lot of the references were things I was barely familiar with, if at all.
(29% dark, 35% spontaneous, 16% vulgar) your humor style:
CLEAN | COMPLEX | LIGHT
Your humor has an intellectual, even conceptual slant to it. You're not pretentious, but you're not into what some would call 'low humor' either. You'll laugh at a good dirty joke, but you definitely prefer something clever to something moist.
You probably like well-thought-out pranks and/or spoofs and it's highly likely you've tried one of these things yourself. In a lot of ways, yours is the most entertaining type of humor because it's smart without being mean-spirited.
PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Conan O'Brian - Ashton Kutcher
The 3-Variable Funny Test!
- it rules -
Your result for The 3 Variable Funny Test...
the Prankster
CLEAN | COMPLEX | LIGHT
Your humor has an intellectual, even conceptual slant to it. You're not pretentious, but you're not into what some would call 'low humor' either. You'll laugh at a good dirty joke, but you definitely prefer something clever to something moist.
You probably like well-thought-out pranks and/or spoofs and it's highly likely you've tried one of these things yourself. In a lot of ways, yours is the most entertaining type of humor because it's smart without being mean-spirited.
PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Conan O'Brian - Ashton Kutcher
The 3-Variable Funny Test!
- it rules -
Bones: Season 3 (complete)
Feb. 3rd, 2010 09:18 pmWow, you could practically see the writers strike…err…”strike” in the last few episodes. Though it was quite fun up to that point!
( spoilers )
Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer
Feb. 2nd, 2010 09:20 pmThis YA novel is about Marie van Goethem, the young dancer who was the model for Edgar Degas’s statuette, La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans, or “Little Dancer Aged Fourteen.” Not much is known about Marie’s life, so much of it is conjecture.
A lot of the book is a very interesting look at the life of young Parisian dancers in the 1880s, with glimpses into the art world. Unfortunately, the parts focusing on Marie’s personal life were less interesting, and sometimes irritating. Marie is very much a modern heroine, and a rather Pure one at that, especially when it comes to the things other young dancers, including her older sister, Antoinette, do to get by. It’s particularly endearing when Marie is condemning Antoinette and then eating a small dinner they probably couldn’t have without Antoinette’s admirers. But then, I’m about twice the age of the target audience, and while I think 14-year-old girls could sometimes do with a better understanding of the things women in history (and currently, in some places) had to do to survive, society doesn’t exactly encourage them to not blame behavior on the women in question.
Ahistorical attitudes aside, this was pretty interesting, and a nice light read.
A lot of the book is a very interesting look at the life of young Parisian dancers in the 1880s, with glimpses into the art world. Unfortunately, the parts focusing on Marie’s personal life were less interesting, and sometimes irritating. Marie is very much a modern heroine, and a rather Pure one at that, especially when it comes to the things other young dancers, including her older sister, Antoinette, do to get by. It’s particularly endearing when Marie is condemning Antoinette and then eating a small dinner they probably couldn’t have without Antoinette’s admirers. But then, I’m about twice the age of the target audience, and while I think 14-year-old girls could sometimes do with a better understanding of the things women in history (and currently, in some places) had to do to survive, society doesn’t exactly encourage them to not blame behavior on the women in question.
Ahistorical attitudes aside, this was pretty interesting, and a nice light read.
This is an extremely popular Chinese historical drama from the late 90s that apparently made all the leads superstars. In it, Xi Wei is a well bred young lady who goes to the capital with her servant, Jin Suo, after her mother’s death. Nineteen years earlier, Xi Wei’s mother had an affair with the emperor, and Xi Wei is the result, though the emperor doesn’t know about her. The young women are extremely naïve, and pretty much only survive (they didn’t know it would be so hard to meet the emperor) by meeting Zan Yi, a mischievous con-artist with limited martial arts skills and a propensity for saving helpless young women, though she prefers it when there’s a potential profit for her in it.
Zan Yi and Xi Wei become swornsisters, but when Zan Yi tries to give the emperor the tokens he gave Xi Wei’s mother, she’s accidentally shot by one of the princes, and then mistaken for the Emperor’s daughter. When she wakes up, she learns that everyone thinks she’s a princess, and that impersonating a royal can get you killed, so she decides it’s safer to pretend to be a princess (even if palace rules are awful) than tell the truth. (That, and she thinks being a princess for a few days may be fun. She had no idea.) Xi Wei and Jin Suo, meanwhile, meet Er Kang, a royal bodyguard, whothinks Xi Wei is cute believes Xi Wei is telling the truth about being the real princess and decides to help her.
Various important plotpoints go about like this:
Yong Qi (prince who shot Zan Yi): OMG new sister, I am so sorry about shooting you!
Zan Yi: It’s totally cool! Mistakes Happen! Oh! Wine!
Yong Qi: I do not think I am supposed to have these thoughts about my sister!
Er Kang’s Brother/Yong Qi’s Brother: Dude! I totally have to tell you! She’s an impostor and the real one is staying with us!
Zan Yi: OMG Xi Wei is safe! Yay!
Yong Qi: OMG THANK GOODNESS! NOT MY SISTER!
Zan Yi: Huh?
Yong Qi: Nothing!
Zan Yi: I must write to Xi Wei!
And this:
Er Kang: Oh! Cute girl getting beat up in the street! Must rescue!
Xi Wei: Oh thank you so much! I think my swornsister may have betrayed me and am in agony!
Jin Suo: I am very mad about that!
Er Kang: You are cute and so I shall learn the truth and make you a princess!
Xi Wei: Oh thank you! Please reunite me with Zan Yi!
Or this:
Yong Qi: Is it worse to accidentally shoot your sister, or to accidentally shoot your girlfriend?
Zan Yi: Dude. Totally over it. What girlfriend?
Yong Qi: Nothing!
Xi Wei: Oh noes! Zan Yi got shot trying to help me!
Zan Yi: Hey, it happened, I got better, and then people gave me clothes and shiny things. I mean, the rules and hovering death are a bit of a problem, but I’ll cope!
Yong Qi: Guilt!
Er Kang: I am so happy you accidentally shot her so I could meet the cute girl!*
Yong Qi: Guilt!
Xi Wei: Guilt!
Jin Suo: Don’t think I missed that.
It’s half drama and half comedy, and ridiculously addictive. I have 18 episodes left, and I’m already sad that the second series doesn’t have English subs. (I understand the third season is bad, and doesn’t have the same people anyway.)
*No, seriously, there was a thumbs up involved. Though, in his defense, he’s never met Zan Yi and is saying it knowing she’s fine.
Zan Yi and Xi Wei become swornsisters, but when Zan Yi tries to give the emperor the tokens he gave Xi Wei’s mother, she’s accidentally shot by one of the princes, and then mistaken for the Emperor’s daughter. When she wakes up, she learns that everyone thinks she’s a princess, and that impersonating a royal can get you killed, so she decides it’s safer to pretend to be a princess (even if palace rules are awful) than tell the truth. (That, and she thinks being a princess for a few days may be fun. She had no idea.) Xi Wei and Jin Suo, meanwhile, meet Er Kang, a royal bodyguard, who
Various important plotpoints go about like this:
Yong Qi (prince who shot Zan Yi): OMG new sister, I am so sorry about shooting you!
Zan Yi: It’s totally cool! Mistakes Happen! Oh! Wine!
Yong Qi: I do not think I am supposed to have these thoughts about my sister!
Er Kang’s Brother/Yong Qi’s Brother: Dude! I totally have to tell you! She’s an impostor and the real one is staying with us!
Zan Yi: OMG Xi Wei is safe! Yay!
Yong Qi: OMG THANK GOODNESS! NOT MY SISTER!
Zan Yi: Huh?
Yong Qi: Nothing!
Zan Yi: I must write to Xi Wei!
And this:
Er Kang: Oh! Cute girl getting beat up in the street! Must rescue!
Xi Wei: Oh thank you so much! I think my swornsister may have betrayed me and am in agony!
Jin Suo: I am very mad about that!
Er Kang: You are cute and so I shall learn the truth and make you a princess!
Xi Wei: Oh thank you! Please reunite me with Zan Yi!
Or this:
Yong Qi: Is it worse to accidentally shoot your sister, or to accidentally shoot your girlfriend?
Zan Yi: Dude. Totally over it. What girlfriend?
Yong Qi: Nothing!
Xi Wei: Oh noes! Zan Yi got shot trying to help me!
Zan Yi: Hey, it happened, I got better, and then people gave me clothes and shiny things. I mean, the rules and hovering death are a bit of a problem, but I’ll cope!
Yong Qi: Guilt!
Er Kang: I am so happy you accidentally shot her so I could meet the cute girl!*
Yong Qi: Guilt!
Xi Wei: Guilt!
Jin Suo: Don’t think I missed that.
It’s half drama and half comedy, and ridiculously addictive. I have 18 episodes left, and I’m already sad that the second series doesn’t have English subs. (I understand the third season is bad, and doesn’t have the same people anyway.)
*No, seriously, there was a thumbs up involved. Though, in his defense, he’s never met Zan Yi and is saying it knowing she’s fine.
A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
Feb. 1st, 2010 12:03 amThis is another in Beverley’s seemingly endless Georgian series about the Mallorens and everyone they ever met. Thankfully, she doesn’t fill the book with references to previous books, but I maintain that it’s time to write Georgians independent of the Mallorens already. It’s a good thing I like Rothgar, though.
The book starts near the end of Winter Fire, with Damaris Myddleton learning that her almost-fiance, Ashart, is going to marry someone else instead, and is just barely saved from making a complete fool of herself by Ashart’s friend, Fitzroger, who’d been trying to distract her Ashart and Genova in WF. Damaris was largely portrayed as a stereotypical Evil Other Woman in WF, and I pretty much always approve of stories that decide Evil Other Women are just as human as Perfect Heroines (not that Genova was a Perfect Heroine, but…) instead of tools to make them look good. Damaris was raised in near-poverty, only to learn that her father left her a fortune that her mother, who hated her father, was too proud to use, and she decides to use that fortune to “marry up.” Fitzroger, having come to rather like her during his distracting assignment, suggests she holds out for a bigger fish, and that she shamelessly use him for a flirtation to prove to everyone that she isn’t pining and heartbroken. He suffers. Truly.
Fitzroger is also Sekritly ASpy Bodyguard assigned to protect Ashart from unexplained danger, but when plot machinations result in Damaris, Genova, Fitzroger and Ashart travelling together, it becomes questionable rather Ashart of Damaris is the target. Oh, and Damaris and Genova become friends, making them part of a teeny school of fish that represent women who were romantic rivals and become friends. This teeny school of fish stands string against the endless tide of men in fiction who show their manly bonds of friendship by not letting silly women come between them and treating her as a plot device to highlight their manly bonds. Things in fiction that make me happy also bring out my bitterness over annoying tropes. Sad but true.
This is one of Beverley’s more adventurous books, with chases and poisonings and attempted murders and secret marriages and conspiracy theories and even some swordfighting. It’s not her best, but it’s quite fun.
The book starts near the end of Winter Fire, with Damaris Myddleton learning that her almost-fiance, Ashart, is going to marry someone else instead, and is just barely saved from making a complete fool of herself by Ashart’s friend, Fitzroger, who’d been trying to distract her Ashart and Genova in WF. Damaris was largely portrayed as a stereotypical Evil Other Woman in WF, and I pretty much always approve of stories that decide Evil Other Women are just as human as Perfect Heroines (not that Genova was a Perfect Heroine, but…) instead of tools to make them look good. Damaris was raised in near-poverty, only to learn that her father left her a fortune that her mother, who hated her father, was too proud to use, and she decides to use that fortune to “marry up.” Fitzroger, having come to rather like her during his distracting assignment, suggests she holds out for a bigger fish, and that she shamelessly use him for a flirtation to prove to everyone that she isn’t pining and heartbroken. He suffers. Truly.
Fitzroger is also Sekritly A
This is one of Beverley’s more adventurous books, with chases and poisonings and attempted murders and secret marriages and conspiracy theories and even some swordfighting. It’s not her best, but it’s quite fun.
Patty Ho is a half-Taiwanese/half-white teenager who lives in an almost all-white community. Her father ran off when she was two, and her mother is almost obsessively restrictive, and is adamant that Patty can’t attend and dances and can’t date until after high school. And when she does date, it can only be a Taiwanese boy. But then a fortuneteller predicts a white boyfriend in her future, and her mother ships her off to math camp for the summer.
The book is very funny, and often tongue-in-cheek, though a bit too slang-ridden for my taste. I like all the debunking and subversion of stereotypes, both Asian and white, and love the scene where Patty is almost overwhelmed at the airport when she sees more Asian people in one place than she’s seen in her entire life. I think this is also the first piece of fiction I’ve ever seen to go “Dude, Taiwanese and Chinese are not interchangeable and here’s why.”
I’m not a math person, but I was disappointed by how relatively little actual math there was at math camp. We got some bits on patterns and group theories-primarily in Patty applying them to her life-but not a lot else. I also wish Patty’s friends, Anne and Jasmine, had been developed more.
This is, I think, overall a good but fairly standard YA chick-lit, though I haven’t read much of that, as my tastes run mostly to historicals and fantasy. It is, however, exceptionally fun, though there are some triggering reveals later in the book.
The book is very funny, and often tongue-in-cheek, though a bit too slang-ridden for my taste. I like all the debunking and subversion of stereotypes, both Asian and white, and love the scene where Patty is almost overwhelmed at the airport when she sees more Asian people in one place than she’s seen in her entire life. I think this is also the first piece of fiction I’ve ever seen to go “Dude, Taiwanese and Chinese are not interchangeable and here’s why.”
I’m not a math person, but I was disappointed by how relatively little actual math there was at math camp. We got some bits on patterns and group theories-primarily in Patty applying them to her life-but not a lot else. I also wish Patty’s friends, Anne and Jasmine, had been developed more.
This is, I think, overall a good but fairly standard YA chick-lit, though I haven’t read much of that, as my tastes run mostly to historicals and fantasy. It is, however, exceptionally fun, though there are some triggering reveals later in the book.
Well, that was...singluarly bad. Or rather, singularly boring. I haven't rewatched the first series of Fumoffu in a while, I don't remember the Mithril parts being that dull. Then again, the school humor parts were always way better than the military parts anyway, they were just...better than that, as I recall.
Also, Chidori was only there for about 6 minutes the entire disc. Blegh.
At least Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock was entertainingly bad.
Also, Chidori was only there for about 6 minutes the entire disc. Blegh.
At least Saiyuki Reload: Gunlock was entertainingly bad.
anime: Rose of Versailles eps 10-21
Jan. 30th, 2010 07:05 pmI watched the first 9 episodes of this in 2008, and then got sidetracked by other things and have had it sitting on my hard drive ever since. I am very sorry I got sidetracked!
This is the crossdressing/bodyguard/historical soap opera shoujo of all sparkly shoujo!
( spoilers )
Can anyone tell me how other arcs break down? (Without spoilers that aren't well known historical facts.)
(no subject)
Jan. 30th, 2010 07:20 amRemind me never to volunteer to work on Saturday morning again.
Mr. Knightley, werewolf hunter!
Jan. 29th, 2010 10:24 pmHunh. I forgot there was an episode of Dollhouse left. Well, it's over now, and i shall pretend Whedon quit TV altogether after Angel ended. Now, somebody snap up Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjojak pronto. Preferably in something fun that doesn't glamorize rape fantasies. I maintain that "spies in love who sometimes try to kill each other" is the way to go.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, why did no one tell me that Emma had also been caught up in the "Jane Austen goes supernatural" craze?
Amazon's description:
Beware the howls in the darkness and the light of the full moon. As the ever headstrong Ms. Emma Woodhouse schemes and plots as matchmaker, a dark and deadly terror descends upon Highbury. A series of bestial murders fills the residents with fear as the ever mysterious Mr. Knightley leads a secret life, unknown to all, combating evils not of this Earth. Carnage and destruction reign throughout the land, and though the residents of Highbury try to attend to day-to-day matters as civilly as possible, each cannot help but wonder what lurks in the shadows and if it'll be coming for them next.
I admit to being way curiouser about this and Mansfield Park and Mummies (I just have to read MP before I can read the mummies book) than the better known books that kicked off the craze.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, why did no one tell me that Emma had also been caught up in the "Jane Austen goes supernatural" craze?
Amazon's description:
Beware the howls in the darkness and the light of the full moon. As the ever headstrong Ms. Emma Woodhouse schemes and plots as matchmaker, a dark and deadly terror descends upon Highbury. A series of bestial murders fills the residents with fear as the ever mysterious Mr. Knightley leads a secret life, unknown to all, combating evils not of this Earth. Carnage and destruction reign throughout the land, and though the residents of Highbury try to attend to day-to-day matters as civilly as possible, each cannot help but wonder what lurks in the shadows and if it'll be coming for them next.
I admit to being way curiouser about this and Mansfield Park and Mummies (I just have to read MP before I can read the mummies book) than the better known books that kicked off the craze.
N or M? by Agatha Christie
Jan. 29th, 2010 09:14 pmWritten and set 20 years after The Secret Adversary, Tommy and Tuppence are now middle-aged with grown children, and bored silly because the government thinks they’re too old for any fun war contributions. But then Tommy is asked to secretly investigate a potential Fifth Columnist spy who may be hiding in a genteel boardinghouse in the country, and off he goes, feeling at least a little guilty about leaving Tuppence behind. He forgets, though, that Tuppence is, above all else clever, and that her sense of smell is most finely tuned to adventure.
Like The Secret Adversary, Christie relies on buoyant spirits and conspiracy theories and reveals and double reveals and triple reveals and “oh wait, actually…” and does so well. I especially like how Tuppence is Very Put Out that Tommy thought he could successfully leave her behind (not that he tried, because he was ordered to, but because he thought he’d succeed) and their children’s “Mother and Father? But they’re old and boring and it’s so silly the way they talk about how they used to have adventures and isn’t it nauseatingly cute how they hold hands in public?” schtick, though that’s only fun because they’re doing it while Tommy and Tuppence are undercover and looking for Nazi spies.
I’m also amused at how it seems Tommy is always getting kidnapped. Actually, Tuppence gets captured, too, but for much shorter time periods. I can’t help but wonder if Christie just wants him out of the way for a while sometimes.
Like The Secret Adversary, Christie relies on buoyant spirits and conspiracy theories and reveals and double reveals and triple reveals and “oh wait, actually…” and does so well. I especially like how Tuppence is Very Put Out that Tommy thought he could successfully leave her behind (not that he tried, because he was ordered to, but because he thought he’d succeed) and their children’s “Mother and Father? But they’re old and boring and it’s so silly the way they talk about how they used to have adventures and isn’t it nauseatingly cute how they hold hands in public?” schtick, though that’s only fun because they’re doing it while Tommy and Tuppence are undercover and looking for Nazi spies.
I’m also amused at how it seems Tommy is always getting kidnapped. Actually, Tuppence gets captured, too, but for much shorter time periods. I can’t help but wonder if Christie just wants him out of the way for a while sometimes.
(no subject)
Jan. 28th, 2010 08:05 pmA lot of the people on my list are foodies. I am not, primarily because, while I love to cook (and experiment), I, uhm, lack the patience for much in the way of recipes that call for more than a few steps or ingredients, and am fondest of "you chop up a bunch of things, add seasoning, and toss it all on a skillet/in a pot."
( In which I unintentionally end up with Tofu-Beef-Onion stew. )
Also, tax return is here. I am watching it not-slowly go away, but things look optimistic for WisCon.
( In which I unintentionally end up with Tofu-Beef-Onion stew. )
Also, tax return is here. I am watching it not-slowly go away, but things look optimistic for WisCon.
