Well, I think it's finally time for a new thread, so here it is. For those interested, here is part one of my challenge.

Happy reading!

got you stared!

Hey, got the new one starred as well!

Just getting you onto my 'your posts' page.

I've got you starred again. I don't comment much but a lurk a lot!

Found you!

55.

Message edited by its author, Aug 5, 2009, 11:23pm.

Just wanted to comment on your great exercise analogy in >252 of your last thread - which made SO much sense to me! Although I'm doing way too much in the category of "walking to the fridge to get another beer exercise" both in reading and IRL... shame it's not a review of anything as I'd love to give it a thumbs-up :)

>8:Hoo-boy do I understand not exercising! I've been working on making my life healthier for the past month or so (i.e. eating healthier, exercising, and getting down to a healthy weight) and I've come to learn that by nature, I am a lazy person. I really do not like getting up and moving around. I'm much more comfortable of the couch, immersed in a good book or one of my few TV shows. But I have a dog and I've been making myself walk her lately. Better for me and for my her :P

By the way, I just wanted to shoot a quick thank you to all of you who gave my review of Great Expectations a thumbs up and got me into the Hot Reviews section! It means a lot!

Congrat's Rebecca, it was an excellent review and I have added Great Expectations to me wish list.

I've been on a exercise/eat better kick lately too. I wonder if the summer has anything to do with it.
I vegetate during the winter and by April I know I've got to begin walking outside again. Good luck to all!

I am starting P90X this week. I am ready to die!

>9 I've been working on the 'healthy weight' thing since the beginning of June and have had to accept that I am now definitely of the age where it is much, much harder to lose weight than it ever used to be :-( Having to be incredibly disciplined and the weight is taking sooooooo long to come off.

My mum laughed very hard when I said I thought I was naturally a lazy person and pointed out how busy I was - but I think there's a difference between what you're forced to do by circumstance and what your natural inclinations are. Given the choice, I'd rather flop in the garden with a book than join a game of football, for example.

My husband had a bright idea last week - suggested that if I spent as much time exercising as I do reading I would rapidly become super-fit... Since I'm not prepared to cut down my reading time at all, though, it would have to be step machines, stationary bikes, or other forms of exercise that you can do while reading - and I am just not cut out to be a gym bunny. Still, it was a great thought.

>10 Carmenere, the danger time of year for me is the transition from winter to spring: the weather heats up and I need fewer calories just to stay warm, but the regulation of my food intake to levels more appropriate for this always seems to lag behind, so I can easily put on quite a lot of pounds before I've sorted the situation.

>11: I've never heard of P90X so I had to Google it and all I can say is: better you than me :P

Although I'll be interested to hear how it worked out (if you survive, that is :P ). I'm not at all in shape myself so I think I'll start off small (like just walking for an hour or so). I do Biggest Loser Cardio when the weather's bad and wow, what a butt-kicker. When I have money, I plan on purchasing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It looks perfect for those days when, for no explainable reason, you're just so full of energy you can't even read for more than a few minutes at a stretch ;-)

Message edited by its author, Aug 7, 2009, 5:11pm.

>12: I abhor the gym. There's nothing worse than walking on a treadmill for an hour and going nowhere. This works in the summer. On the days I manage to get off my lazy butt, I can go for a walk or a bike ride with my dog to the dog park. Time flies and I don't realize I've worked out for an hour or two. Winter is horrible! There's only the gym or workout videos and when I do them, all I do is sit there, staring at the clock thinking 'Only forty more minutes to go!' 'Only thirty more minutes to go!' I rarely exercise in the winter becasue it's just so booooooriiiiing.

This means I tend to gain weight in the winter. For me, exercise is sort of a natural appetite suppresor so when I work out, I don't eat as much. Perfect for weight loss! On the other hand, when I don't work out, hello munchies! For the past five years (due to college, stress, and poor eating habits), I've gained a lot. My mom's been doing Weight Watchers and has lost nearly 50 pounds and kept it off for a few years now, so I thought I give it a try. It's a gradual program, which is nice since I have a lot more than 50 pounds to lose, and it doesn't cut out specific foods, just focuses mostly on portion control and integrating exercise into your daily life. It's been working for me so far and I've lost about 10 pounds. It's a great feeling and I just hope I can keep it up.

Actually, I'd rather use the treadmill. It's a good solid 45 minutes or an hour of reading for me while I walk! If I ran, it might be tougher to read, though.

I have a hard time reading while I walk. The treadmill's moving and I'm moving and the words are shaking and getting blurred. Not very productive.

That and I can't go very fast or I end up walking half on the strip of the treadmill that's moving and half on the frame which sends me flying off the darn thing. I have started listening to audiobooks and podcasts for when I go walking outside, though. It usually takes me about a week or two to finish an audiobook, so that's a good way for me to "read" books.

Rebecca,
try getting an audio book and play it on your tape player, or CD player, or MP3, whatever while you walk. I finally figured out how to download books from my PC to my MP3 (thanks tutu) and I whipped through with no problem, I vacuumed, I worked in the kitchen , I did a lot more activity than I used to because I didn't want to stop reading and now I didn't have to. Audiobooks are great.

I think I might even get a dog just so I can walk it and read at the same time.

#12 Rachael said: My husband had a bright idea last week - suggested that if I spent as much time exercising as I do reading I would rapidly become super-fit...

But Rachael, you have a super-fit mind! That's important too.

#14 RebeccaAnn, you are so funny! lol. I ditto that.

56.

>17: I actually have a subscription to Audible.com which automatically puts my audiobooks into iTunes and therefore by iPod, so I already have my audiobooks with me when I walk. I really enjoy this. It makes exercise so much more enjoyable. I work in a library, so it's also nice to listen to my books when I'm shelving library books, dusting, or some other menial job. I also get through many more books this way. It's a win-win!

>18: *blushes* I'm glad you think I'm funny! I always try to be humorous but most of the time, I just end up receiving very odd looks...

Our library contracts with a company so we can download certain books directly into an MP3 player. They take the audio out of your account after your 2 weeks is up, but once it's on the player, you're on your honor to delete it when you've finished it. Then I listen at my leisure (usually during routine tasks at work). The more I hear/see, the more I appreciate what a fabulous library system we have in our county. I should send them some money...

13: Well RebeccaAnn, I am on the fourth day of the P90X program, I have to say that the program is extreme. I am the kind of person that does push ups and sit ups about 5 days a week for 40min with 20min cardio of some kind. It has been nothing to what this program has put me through so far. I would recommend starting off slow, before going into it, but if you want results, this program is a good bet.

The last three days have worked my body where I never thought possible. My muscles are so sore that any movement hurts. And I mean, ANY movement. It is a good pain though, because I know that it is working correctly. I am finding the program has very good timing on recovery by targeting different muscle groups each day. Even in the pain that I am I can still bring the best to each session, but it requires the correct mindset.

First day was chest, back and abs (mostly consisted of alternating between variation of pushups and chin ups, with some work with dumbbells)

Second day was Plyometrics, which completely destroyed me. No weights, but a lot of jumping, movement and squats. You don’t stop for 60min. It shredded my legs to a pulp.

Third day was shoulders, arms and abs. Main focus was mostly on variety of dumbbell exercises. It hurt good.

Today I have Yoga for about 1.5hrs. Tommorrow is legs, back and abs. Saturday is Kenpo. Sunday is a rest day, or you can do their stretching DVD. The same routine is going to continue for the first three weeks, out of the thirteen before it changes.

I am ready to scream for my mommy now, but I am ready to stick to it…;o)

>21: That sounds fantastic! The only audiobooks my library has are those Rosetta ones you use to learn a different language. Boo...

>22: Wow, that sounds...painful. But it seems like you're already in fairly good shape. Still, don't kill yourself! It would be lonely over on the horror threads without you!

My birthday's in five days and my lovely roommate bought be the Fagle's translation of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey! I have the book I'm reading right now, two biographies checked out from the library, and then I have to read The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (because I borrowed it from said roommate and need to give it back at some point) before I can dig in, but it's definitely the best b-day present I've gotten in a long time!

If only I could get my parents to feed my book addiction...

Congratulations - and happy birthday!

Happy birthday! (A little early...) I haven't read the Fagle's translation of The Iliad and The Odyssey, but I read his translation of The Aeneid and loved it... have to see if I can get my hands on those eventually!

Happy birthday in advance RebeccaAnn - enjoy your Homer!

Happy B-day from me as well RebeccaAnn! Why is it so difficult for people near and dear to us to buy us books or gift cards? IMO one book from my wish list is better than 10 things I don't want nor need. Your roommate must be a booklover too and understands.

Thanks for the birthday cheer!

>26: I have have that in my wishlist and hopefully, come payday, I can purchase my own copy. I don't know if there is a Fagles translation of Herodotus's The Histories, but if there is, I hope to purchase that as well.

>28: My roommate loves books, though not to the extent I do (I frequently get criticized for the size of my personal library - my theory is the only reason she doesn't own more books is because she knows she always free to borrow mine and besides my fascination with Stephen King, we have similar reading tastes). She, like my second roommate, are much more TV people than I am. I don't watch many shows because, for me, I have a hard keeping interest in something I can only watch for one hour a week. I have a Netflix subscription so I'll sometimes order seasons of shows which works out much better for me. Otherwise, I'll just a watch a movie or two a week. I don't even have cable.

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Message edited by its author, Aug 14, 2009, 8:50pm.

I recently begun this too, but have got waylaid before I even started - maybe train ride back from Edinburgh...

...but what I was going to say is that, as well as Cruel Intentions, there is a slightly older adaptation Dangerous Liaisons starring John Malkovich and Glenn Close who are both fantastic (particularly the latter) also Keanu Reeves (usual plank-like self) and Uma Therman (unusually bad). That sounds like a bad advert, but actually, in my opinion, it's an incredibly good film. I was in floods of tears by the time the film ended (not wanting to give any plot away, there's a scene in front of a mirror right at the end...). Highly recommended...

Thanks for the info! I've since added Dangerous Liasons to my Netflix queue. However, due to a lack of finances at the moment, I've put my account on hold. Once I have money again (i.e. once I get paid), I'll start my account again and that'll be the first movie I watch!

58. Second in Command: A Biography of Captain Francis Crozier by May Fluhmann
Rating: 3/5

I was very excited to find this biography of one of my favorite men in history: Captain Francis Crozier, second in command of the Franklin expedition. This biography is the earliest of only two biographies on Crozier, so I thought I would read it first. Sadly, it did not live up to expectations.

Fluhmann doesn't go into nearly enough detail on anything. She claims to have found Crozier's letters, yet there was nearly nothing in the book on his early life prior to his adventures at sea, which was a little disappointing. I was hoping with her access to his private letters, there would have been more information available. There was not. Even on his earlier expeditions, which should have been recorded with greater detail, were only glossed over. The only information unique to this biography were a few Eskimo accounts of the Franklin expedition at the back of the book. There were only two or three so even that wasn't terribly interesting.

Honestly, unless you're very interested in the Franklin expedition and the man who commanded most of it, Crozier, I wouldn't recommend this book. It's told in a slightly boring manner and nearly everything in here could also be found in Ice Blink by Scott Cookman or Frozen in Time by Owen Beattie and both of those books are much more interesting reads.

#33: OK, skipping that one!

>34: I just started Captain Francis Crozier: Last Man Standing? by Michael Smith which is the other biography of Crozier. So far, it looks to be much more promising but then again, I'm approximately only 15 pages into it so there's plenty of time for the book to get worse. I'll let you know how it turns out though!

ditto what Stasia said. But, Ice Blink and Frozen in Time sound great.

Happy Birthday, Rebecca!

Thank you tloeffler (and everyone who gave me early b-day wishes)! It's much appreciated!

#32 Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I should add the proviso that I saw the film before reading the book (still ongoing), which is always the best way round, if you mind about misrepresentation in films. That said, I'm about 3/5 through the book at the moment and (from memory - last saw the film about 3 years ago), I've not spotted any truly glaring alterations yet. Also loving the book!

I loved Dangerous Liaisons too - I'm so glad we decided to read it as a group! The discussion has been quite interesting.

>40: I agree! I've definitely gotten more out of the book because of discussion than I ever would have if I'd just read it by myself. I love talking about books with people, though. I don't have any friends who read seriously like I do so the group reads done here at LT are a god-send for me.

59.

#42: OK, that one is going on the PBS wishlist. Thanks for the recommendation!

PBS? I'm afraid I don't know what that is...

Belated Happy Birthday

I hope it was a special day for you!

>45: It was great fun! Took a trip to Sioux City, IA, to go to Olive Garden and ate waaaaaaaaaaay to much food, but still fun!

#44: PBS = Paperback Swap

>47: Ah, I see. I'm a BookMooch girl myself. I always thought it would be too confusing to involved with another book swapping site. Do let me know if you find it in paperback, though. While I haven't searched in detail for it yet, I've only seen it in hardcover, despite the fact that it's been out for a couple years.

#48: The name Paperback Swap is somewhat misleading because hardcovers are traded, too. When I did a search on the site all that came up was the hardcover edition, so the book may never have been issued in paperback.

I was fascinated by Crozier as a character in The Terror and will be looking for this one. Thanks.

Just a bit of an update on my reading: I'm currently in the middle of reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo and have yet to start The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro and Greenwitch by Susan Cooper for my two group reads. Unfortunately, school has started again and my classes are very much reading focused, so those books might take a little bit longer than planned to finish. I have to read approximately 15 books for my classes this year and I also have a couple books that I'm going to have to read for papers so my postings on LT might be a bit sporadic. I am still reading though and will eventually post reviews to all my books if I don't get around to it right away.

>50: I hope you enjoy it! I think it was my favorite nonfiction book this year (so far, anyways :P )

I finished Greenwitch for the group read finally, but it's late and I've been doing music analysis for the last two hours so my brain is a bit fried at the moment. I will be posting a review, probably tomorrow.

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61.

Message edited by its author, Sep 12, 2009, 11:05pm.

#54/55: Very nice reviews, RebeccaAnn!

I'm so happy you enjoyed this book. I just bought it at a used booksale and thought it a good find. I look forward to reading it, especially after your encouraging comments.

Great review of the Ishiguro book. Thumbs up!

Very nice review of Remains of the Day. I'm adding it to the TBR pile.

Thanks for all the delightful comments on my reviews! It's a great pick-me-up to come on LT and read them!

62.

Hi
Your review for Remains of the Day is incredible. I gave it a thumbs up and discovered I'm number eight. Seven before me thought the same! Kudos to you.

The word postmodernism seems to be popping up quiet a lot. I'll look for Lot 49 at the library.
Good review Rebecca!

>62: Thanks Whisper!

>63: Well, technically, the teacher forced me to read it. I just really enjoyed it ;-) But I'm in a postmodern class so expected a lot more pomo to be showing up on my thread in the next 15 weeks or so.

I look forward to it, rebecca.

So glad you loved Greenwitch and the Ishiguro, and a wonderful review of that too. Pynchon... well. I haven't read your review since you mentioned "spoilers"... although I'm not sure I'll ever get around to reading him. Feel a bit daunted by his reputation and may well just start with Inherent Vice, since most reviews seem to agree it's one of his most "accessible".

From what I've heard, The Crying of Lot 49 is also one of his most accessible, most straightforward books (and on the plus side, it's only ~150 pages long). I found the beginning to be much harder to follow than the end. The end was very straightforward. The beginning was just weird. Or maybe I just wasn't in the Pynchon frame of mind yet.

If you do try it, I hope you'll let me know what you think!

I have to admit that I gave up on V. and banned it from my library. I may still try Gravity's Rainbow someday.

I think V. and Gravity's Rainbow are supposed to be the most dense and the hardest to get through. Good ones to start with are Lot 49, Vineland, or, apparently, his new one, Inherent Vice. Although, those aren't supposed to be easy either, just the least difficult to approach.

For me, the reason to quit is that I had absolutely no connection, and actually a bit of distaste, for the characters. While I sometimes forge ahead in such cases, this one just didn't seem to be my cup of tea.

63.

I hope your next read is much more enjoyable. I tried to read tThe Historian but it did not grab my interest and I thought it was one of the those books that was praised to the hilt, yet did not match my thoughts regarding its merit.

That was more or less my reaction. The only reason I even finished it was because it was an audiobook so I would just play it while I was doing some mindless task like walking my dog or doing chores. If I had tried to read the book, I don't think I would have made it very far though my roommate is reading the book and she says she likes it. But then again, she's been working her way through it for about three months now, though that could be because she's just not a big reader in general :P

I didn't like The Historian at all, although I did finish it, at least, which is more than most books I don't care for. I thought it was dull, dull, dull, and about 300 pages too long.

In defense of The Historian, I have to say I rather enjoyed Kostova's travelogue style of writing. It was indeed a bit tedious at times but my Romanian blood line urged me on till the somewhat unsatisfying conculsion. Hope your next read will be a better one.

I just finished Paul Auster's City of Glass and it was excellent! I have to think about, though, before I write a review. It's another postmodern book and those always require a bit of thought when finished ;)

I'll look forward to reading your review of this latest book!

Me too. My pencil is posed to add it to my wish list.

64.

Message edited by its author, Oct 11, 2009, 10:46pm.

I found it hard to review too. Wait 'till you read the next two! ;)

>81: I'm excited to start them! Unfortunately, I'm so bogged down with schoolwork and trying to keep up with my group reads (I haven't even started The Grey King) that it might be awhile :(

>79 I LOVE LOVE LOVE the New York Trilogy. Think Paul Auster is fab - although the new one sounds possibly a bit strong for my stomach... we'll see.

>83: Are you talking about The Brooklyn Follies? I just bought it recently and was hoping to start it once I finished the New York Trilogy. I'm curious now. How was it strong? Was it disturbing or gory (I obviously haven't read much Auster - City of Glass being it - but he didn't seem like the gory/disturbing type of author...)?

>84 the new one I was meaning was Invisible - out this month, I think, in both US and UK. There are Early Reviewer copies listed this month in the UK, actually (I didn't notice if US copies were listed too), but I haven't applied for one as I have a delinquent unfiled review (ironically, for the last Paul Auster, Man in the Dark!) so suspect I haven't a hope of getting it as I am too late to satisfy The Algorithm. Sigh.

The Brooklyn Follies is a really good one, although it does contain one section that nearly made me hyperventilate with fear... won't spoil it for you! Not gory or anything, rather worst-nightmare sort of scary.

>85: Ah, I see. I guess I just assumed that since The Brooklyn Follies was the only Auster book in the campus bookstore (which shouldn't be surprising considering the section for just pleasure reading consists of only three bookshelves - most of it bestsellers) that it must have been the newest one. I'll have to check out Invisible. I just finished Ghosts and am trying to figure out how to write a review for it so as soon as I do that and finish The Locked Room, I'll look into his other books. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite authors!

Thanks for the recommendation!

65.

Message edited by its author, Oct 10, 2009, 10:54pm.

66.

67.

Message edited by its author, Oct 12, 2009, 12:02am.

#66 I'm with you - I enjoyed all of The New York Trilogy very much, but for me, Ghosts was the least enjoyable of the three. Funnily enough though, it grows of me in retrospect...

#85 Rachel, I put my name down for that one, but like you, I have an outstanding review (Vilnius Poker) - so probably not a hope of getting it either... Ho hum. Must read that book...

Have either of you read Travels in the Scriptorium? This was my introduction to Paul Auster and I loved it...

>90 actually, that's one I haven't read - though it's one I'd really like to. Also have a copy of The Music of Chance, acquired from ReadItSwapIt, waiting for me.

One of my favourite Austers is still a book he edited rather than wrote - True Tales of American Life. Just wonderful. One of those books I tend to keep a spare in of so I can force it enthusiastically on the unwary visitor ;-)

>90: Sadly, I haven't read Travels in the Scriptorim. The New York Trilogy is my intro to Auster, so it's really all I've read. I'm really enjoying it though and, because I'm a bit anal and love to make lists
(though it seems I rarely stick to them), I've already started a list of authors I really want to focus on trying to read their complete works of in 2010. Auster is on that list.

#91

I really like True Tales of American Life as well. Its the book that was kept in the car for ages as it was handy to pick up and put down whilst waiting for people etc.

#91 & 93 Oooh, I can see I'm going to have to look True Tales of American Life out at some point!

#92 Always good to meet a fellow lister ;) (although I've a suspcion LT has more than it's fair share, being in the very nature of the site!).

68.

I cannot wait to read it either - November 8th?

As far as I know :)

I discovered Auster in a big way this year too, and am looking forward to reading a lot more of him.

I'm wondering if I Thought My Father Was God:And Other Tales From NPR's National Story Project is the same as True Tales of American Life? If nor, I have another one of his to track down (I Thought My Father Was God is excellent btw).

I'm wondering too now! If it isn't, maybe a sequel?? True Tales... is definitely based on an NPR show.

69.

Message edited by its author, Oct 29, 2009, 11:03pm.

Paul Auster, Paul Auster, Paul Auster. I must remember this name for I've become very interested in what Postmodernism has to offer. Thanks for the recommendation. Paul Auster, Paul Auster, Paul Auster.......

I was going to start the last book of the New York Trilogy last night after finishing Neuromancer, but my copy seems to have disappeared :( In the mess that is my apartment, the book is nowhere to be found. Hopefully, when I'm doing a thorough cleaning this weekend, I'll find it :P

I also seem to be missing my copy fof The Crying of Lot 49. Maybe they're hiding out together...

Message edited by its author, Oct 30, 2009, 1:27pm.

...mating, so you can have even more books...yayyy

Oh man! I already have an overwhelming TBR pile. I don't know what I'm going to do if they start breeding on me :P

I think mine are already breeding on me. There's no way I could have bought that many books.

I started LT with about 400 books and I think I'm about to break 700 soon. I've been on LT for about eight months, so we'll average that in a year, it'll probably end up being about 500 books I've purchased/mooched. Math's not my forte, so to speak, but I think if I keep buying books at that rate, I'll have a lot of books really quick.

Sorry to hear Neuromancer wasn't that great. I've got a copy, and have had it on the shelf for a couple of years... guess it may stay there a while longer...

I have tried to read Neuromancer and never made it. I am not sure I am ever going to give that one another shot.

>108: If it hadn't been for the fact that a good portion of my grade depends on knowing the details of these books, I would have given up on the book early on. Actually, I did attempt to read it once during the summer and never made it past page 30ish. It's a book that I think I would like to reread in the future when I'm more acquainted with cyberpunk and postmodernism, but it was just a bit too much for me now ;-)

#109: I know absolutely nothing about cyberpunk and postmodernism, so I do not think a repeated attempt is in my future, lol.

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Message edited by its author, Nov 29, 2009, 5:45pm.

I just noticed none of my reviews are coming out. I typed up a review for both White Noise and Flight to Canada, but for some reason you can't see them and I can't figure out how to fix it. For those who are interested, I posted the reviews below.

Review for White Noise:

I actually finished this about a week ago and I'm still not quite sure if I liked it or not. Yes, the book was funny as hell in a lot of places. DeLillo's nothing if not a master of very dark humor. But still, at the end, all I found myself wondering was "What was the point?"

White Noise doesn't seem to even have a plot until the last of three sections. Surprisingly, it was the plotless sections I enjoyed the most. They were funnier and had some fantastic one liners. The third section, honestly, I'm not quite sure about. It had a plot, but it was kind of a stupid, over the top one that didn't make sense (to me) when taking the first two sections into consideration. The end of the book I read quickly just because I wanted to be done with it, and that's the worst reason to finish a book.

I'm giving the book a three for now. It's a neutral rating. In a couple years I plan to reread this book and hopefully, I'll have a better take on the book then.

Review for Flight to Canada:

This book, a satiric take on black slavery, had a few funny moments. And maybe I'm just too dumb to get it, but I didn't find myself enjoying it quite as much as I thought I would. I think most of it has to do with the fact that I'm not as familiar with the Civil War era history as I wish I were and therefore, some of the funnier quips just didn't register. It had some interesting notions of identity based on cultural heritage, but not much else (in my opinion). Perhaps everything just went over my head or perhaps it just wasn't there to begin with. Either way, this book was a quick read so I might try it again some day when I'm more familiar with both postmodernism and the Civil War but for now, I'm just going to put it to the side and let smarter people enjoy it :)

Message edited by its author, Dec 9, 2009, 9:26am.

>113: The same thing happened to all my previous reviews above. Does anyone know why this is happening and how I could fix this?

I think I will skip both White Noise and Flight to Canada. I hope your next read is better for you!

Sorry, I have no idea what is happening or how to fix it.

Wow! Your reviews really are gone. LT changed some things in the way HTML is handled in Talk and certain other areas of the site to counteract increasing spam. There are a couple of threads about bugs caused by the changes. There might be an answer in one of them on how to restore your reviews. Hope you get them back.

>116: Thanks! I'll check them out!

If there's no answer, it's really not a huge deal. The reviews come out fine as I long as I don't put a picture of the book up too. It's just the covers are so purrrrrrdy :)

>115: I don't really blame you. I don't think I would have finished either one of them if they hadn't been required for a class.

72. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Rating: 5/5

"In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...."

I find it extremely disturbing that I finished reading this book on the 25th anniversary of Bhopal. The messages and warnings found in this book sync up perfectly with that catastrophe: chemicals that leaked into the atmosphere making the environment around it poisonous, increased sterility, mass death...all that horrible stuff you read about but it never happens to you. This books shows you what might happen if it happened to us all.

This book follows Offred, a Handmaid. She must deal with being nothing more than a "womb on two legs". It sounds horrible, and it is. Whereas we live in a very liberal time now, this book is very conservative. The Bible is the focal point of their society, but it has been twisted by the rulers, allowing them to manipulate the very creed they claim to obey. Those who don't follow this new "religion" are killed. The human population is dying off and those who stand in the way of renewing the population must be eliminated.

There were a lot of horrible things that happened in this book. Some parts actually gave me the symptoms one experiences when one is afraid (high heart rate, fast breathing, etc). But I think the scariest part is the end.

Spoiler Ahead

It worked. Using the Handmaids renewed the population, taking the human race out of dark age featured in The Handmaid's Tale and bringing it back to a society like present times. The ending makes you question your views about the entire novel. Was it okay, then? After all, it was a severe situation. In this particular case, do the ends justify the means?

End Spoiler

There was also "freedom from". As one person points out in the novel, they used to have the freedom to work and be independent. Now they have the freedom from work, sexual assault, poverty. "In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it." It's frightening how in some passages like this, I almost found myself agreeing with what was taking place. It makes me wonder how easy it would be for something like this to happen. Could we really allow ourselves to be brainwashed like this?

I would recommend this book to anyone. It's one of those books that just makes you sit back and think hard about your entire belief system. And on top of that, it's not a horrible story :)

Message edited by its author, Dec 9, 2009, 9:25am.

I read The Handmaid's Tale for the first time this year, and thought it was very good to. I wasn't so keen on the epilogue, which I thought a little unnecessary - the Republic of Gilead would have been more terrifying if it hadn't been later described as an historical aberration.

I eventually want to read The Handmaid's Tale again as it's my favorite Atwood along with Cat's Eye.

>120: Really? I actually thought the opposite. There's the spiel about how we need to understand what they did was actually "for the good of mankind" bit, which just seemed like an attempt to justify the horrors that went on throughout the novel. It would be like trying to justify black slavery by saying "If we hadn't had slaves, America wouldn't have been as powerful a nation because the slaves provided our food and and that allowed us to create a large population". Things like slavery and what happened in the Republic of Gilead can't really be justified. Nothing gives people the right to control others and make them "walking wombs" or ship them off to the Colonies if they're sterile, where they're "productive" by cleaning up the radiation but will be dead within years because of exposure.

There were other little hints thrown in as well that made me wonder how the Republic of Gilead affected society as a whole: the professor of Caucasian Anthropology and the "Frailroad" are all I can remember off the top of my head. The Caucasian Anthropology seemed to suggest that there was still racial division. If I remember correctly, the Republic of Gilead seemed to be attempting a utopia, but it was a white utopia. There were no other races mentioned except in secret, underground clubs or as tourists. I think Cora may have been of a difference race - she sometimes spoke with what seemed to be a dialect - but she was a servant, not a leader. The Frailroad seems to suggest that society is still patriarchal and men see women as weaker.

On a whole, the epilogue just creeped me out.

The film is pretty good too - one of those rare occasions in which it doesn't totally and utterly destroy your faith in the film industry, although it is noticeably a different creature from the book.

>123: I'll have to check it out. I looked on Netflix and it's only available as a save option so it'll be awhile, but it's on top of my TBW (to be watched :P ) pile!

Message edited by its author, Dec 4, 2009, 10:22pm.

I've a funny feeling it was scripted by Harold Pinter, so they were laying on the quality nice and thick! Have vague idea that the epilogue was really well done and kind of made sense in context (it's rather a lot of years since I saw it last...)

73. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Rating: 4/5

I knew before starting this book that it was definitive work in terms of black literature and feminist literature. I didn't know anything other than that though and to be honest, it's nothing like what I expected it to be. On the surface, it's just a tragic love story but underneath, it questions identity, power, love, and race.

The rural Florida dialect was exquisite. I'm very glad I listened to this on audiobook rather than read it. I'm a little worried that on paper, I might have given up because of that dialect. Ruby Dee was an excellent narrator though. Her pronunciation and the emotions she emitted made the story come to life in so many ways that part of me wonders if I would have even liked this book if I had read it.

I love the question of race in this book. It was interesting to the racism within the black community, not against white people, but against lighter or darker skinned black people. Janie's relationship with Tea Cake questions independence and power.

Overall, a very good book which I would encourage anyone to read, or listen, to!

Message edited by its author, Dec 9, 2009, 9:25am.

#126: I have had that one in the BlackHole for at least 5 years. I have really got to get it read!

Reading about this really takes me back to being a teenager: I had a long patch of reading African-American women writers: Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and then backwards to Zora Neale Hurston, Mildred D. Taylor... some really powerful writing, and haunting stories. I ended up writing one of my uni dissertations on Toni Morrison.

>128: Two of the other books I'm currently reading are Beloved by Toni Morrison and Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. Beloved's required for a class (and it's miserably late - I was supposed to have it done about a month ago but I don't think I'll finish it before the class is over) and I found the other two on Audible. They just seemed interesting and I had extra credits, so I nabbed them :) I've never been particularly interested in African-American literature, but it's something I'll definitely be looking into in the upcoming years - maybe not 2010 since it wouldn't fit into any of my 1010 categories but maybe 2011 :)

It's a very long time since I read A Handmaid's Tale, but I do remember being very struck by it at the time (my first Margaret Atwood book) and also that I found the Epilogue very disturbing. Maybe it's time for a re-read...

Anothercouple of suggestion on race related literature: Go Tell it on the Mountain and Native Son

I was so close to getting a copy of Go Tell it on the Mountain from BM, but the owner of the book mysteriously disappeared after I placed my request :(

Thanks for the recommendations, though! They've both been placed on my wishlist and hopefully I can attain a copy soon!

74. Silver on the Tree by Susan Cooper
Rating: 4/5

Well, I'm not behind on finishing this book at all :P

Spoilers ahead:

I found this be a mostly satisfying conclusion to this series, even if it was a bit sad. The action was exciting the whole tone of the bookw as much darker than previous ones (with possibly the exception of the fourth book - The Grey King). Some parts of the book I found almost theatrical in nature. The scene where Will and Bran are in the maze of mirrors and all the glass shatters musically left me breathless.

I do the ending was just a little disappointing, and perhaps this is because I'm not very familiar with Welsh mythology, but I didn't understand how the winner in the battle between the Light and the Dark could be decided by who slices through a bush of mistletoe on one special tree. It seemed a little...anticlimatic.

The very end was also just a little bit sad. I mourned for Will because neither Bran nor the Drew children would remember any of their adventures or how much they helped the Light. I think the ending was supposed to be happy, but that's not how I saw it. Still, it was a very good book and I greatly enjoyed the series as a whole. It's a keeper and one that, at some point in the future, I hope to reread.

Message edited by its author, Dec 9, 2009, 9:24am.

#126: I picked up the audiobook of Their Eyes Were Watching God from the library Tuesday and am 3 CDs in. You were so right about Ruby Dee's narration - terrific!

75. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 5/5

Notorious mass murderer Sirius Black has escaped from the most heavily guarded wizarding prison, Azkaban. Known to be a strong supporter of You-Know-Who, he's on his way to Hogwarts to get rid of the Boy-Who-Lived once and for all. But never mind Black, Harry's got his own problems just dealing with the dementors who are the appointed school "guardians" until Black has been caught. And why does Malfoy keep showing up, taunting Harry about Black and revenge?

This is, hands down, my favorite book of the entire series. I think this is really when the series starts to take a turn for the more mature audience. I think we start to see a much darker side to many characters, Harry included - from his childish, petty desire to leaving Neville waiting for him in the library while he snuck out of the castle to the deep, burning desire to kill he begins to feel when he learns the lesser known story of Sirius Black's betrayal.

Now that I'm reading this as an adult, I begin to see some of the moral themes Rowling has skillfully put into these books. Prominent in PoA is the theme of hate. She uses Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape to get her point across. Malfoy has a hatred of Harry, driven primarily by his upbringing and jealousy, and he hurts Harry in the worst way possible, through his friends. After an "attack" by Hagrid's hippogriff, Malfoy has his father declare the animal put down. Having my own pet, this would be a devastating announcement. Malfoy knows that the hippogriff didn't do anything dangerous, but he knows taking the life of this animal who means so much to Hagrid will hurt Harry.

Spoilers:

Severus Snape, an old school mate of Sirius Black, hates Black. He wants him to receive the worse punishment possible, regardless of the fact there is strong evidence Sirius is innocent. He refuses to even consider the possibility of there being another side to the story.

End Spoilers:

I think both Malfoy and Snape's hatred make them the most despicable characters in the entire book. Rowling makes both of them look utterly foolish in the moments they are consumed by their hatred, and she shows how much you can hurt someone and how lives can be ruined through hatred.

The ending, of course, is a tragedy. Everyone wants Harry to get away from the Dursleys and he comes so close in this book that you can see the hope in his eyes. About ten years later, I still get slightly teary-eyed at the end of this book.

I strongly encourage anyone who has not read these books and has any sort of fondness towards youth fiction to read this series. The story telling is delightful and the adventure will leave you breathless.

EDIT: Another user pointed this out to me and I thought it was such a great point that I had to amend my review to put it in. Snape's hate of Sirius does come from somewhere. While at school, Sirius, James Potter, and two of their friends were horrible to Snape (and this is shown in much greater detail in later books). One particular prank almost resulted in Snape losing his life. Though Sirius, James, and Snape were just kids, these incidents left their marks. It left Snape so scarred inside that he abuses his position as teacher in order to make Harry, James's son, as miserable as possible, placing the sins of the father upon the shoulders of the son.

In addition to that, Malfoy is a product of his environment, same as everyone else. He's been brought up in a world where money can get him everything and because of that, he can get away with anything, including murder. This would be primarily the fault of his own father. But then again, wouldn't Lucius's behavior be the result of how he was raised? The chain could continue in this fashion and in the end, everyone would be innocent because everyone was just raised wrong. Malfoy is only thirteen in this book. It's hard to say whether he's old enough to be held accountable for his actions or whether he's still too young to know how much he's hurting other people.

I think this book forces us to look at the way we treat other people (as mentioned above, even Harry becomes petty in his treatment of Neville), but it also asks us to take a look at ourselves. We start as the product of our environment, but at some point we have to start taking responsibilities for our own actions. Snape had a horrible childhood, but he has to also step outside of that and grow up. He's not a child, but the grudge he's held all these years make him act like one. It's another reason I love this book: it makes us question the dividing line between innocent childhood and the responsibility of becoming an adult. Where does one end and the other begin?

Message edited by its author, Dec 11, 2009, 9:47am.

>134: I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I think her narration made the story so much better than what it would have been had I read it in print. I think the dialect is so important in this book. It's kind of like Shakespeare. If it's not pronounced correctly, you miss half the puns. They just don't have the same effect in print :)

ah hah... found you and starred you. *waves hello*

Congratulations on your Hot Review!

Thank you! I hadn't noticed it came back :)

76. Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
Rating: 4/5

Like any recount of the Holocaust, this story was both horrifying and heart-wrenching. There are two stories that occur simultaneously here. The first is Artie wrenching the story from his father, Vladek, over an unknown span of time. The second story, of course, is Vladek's life during the Holocaust. The story is told a bit differently, though. This a low brow graphic novel, not some artsy film or memoir. Spiegelman shows us the things his father experienced in a raw, gritty manner. The Jews are portrayed as mice and the Germans, their predators, are cats. I found this interesting. He stripped away the humanity and made the Jews, as thought of by Hitler, literally vermin. To the German cat, there was the American dog and the Polish pig. I think there are many meanings one can take from the nationalities being portrayed as animals. Is it just human nature to constantly torture each other? Were we just being our instinctual, animalistic selves? Or is this just a way to bring the Holocaust to a younger generation? Did Spiegelman just want to appeal to a younger audience and make the Holocaust easier for them to understand?

The story itself isn't new. Most people are familiar with what went on and I don't feel like retelling it here. This graphic novel shows how the horrors that went on then affect us now. It shows how Vladek was affected because of the war, both his physical and his mental health. He suffers physically because of the torture he endured, but he also became a miser. He had nothing for so long that, it's almost become physically painful for him to throw anything away.

It's an interesting take on a familiar subject. It's also a quick, powerful read that I highly recommend for everyone.

Message edited by its author, Dec 13, 2009, 12:53pm.

#140: It's also a quick, powerful read that I highly recommend for everyone.

I agree - and would recommend Maus II as well. They are both on my 'memorable reads' list for the year.

>141: I'm reading that next, as soon as my finish my $^#$% paper that's due soon :|

#142: Well, good luck with the paper! Then you can move on to bigger and better things like reading!

Thank you! Though, my paper would probably go faster if just got of LT altogether. I keep getting distracted, but in a good way :P

I completely understand that problem, lol.

77. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Rating: 4/5

Since the semester is almost over, I thought nothing sounded better than reading some youth fiction. It's fun and doesn't require me to read with a dictionary sitting next to me, as did some of the harder stuff I read this year. When browsing the stacks at the library, I came across this series and couldn't resist grabbing the quartet. These were a favorite of mine when I was younger and the urge to reread them in an effort to procrastinate in writing my paper was irresistible!

Alanna of Trebond isn't what one would call an ordinary girl. She's more of a tomboy than a lady and wants nothing more than to be a knight. Of course, this isn't allowed. But mischievous and crafty as she is, she decides to switch places with her twin brother. She'll go to the palace, disguised a boy, to become a knight. He'll go to the convent, the place where all young men who dream of becoming a sorcerer must go to begin their studies.

Alanna's a strong female character, even if she is a bit foolish and headstrong at time. She's incredibly witty and fun to read about and several parts of this book had me laughing. I also think, apart from just being a great read, the book also has a lesson in identity. Alanna at first dislikes her femininity, thinking it a weakness. But as she grows stronger and stronger, surpassing many of the other male pages, and as more of her friends realize her secret and accept her anyways, she comes to accept herself. The book is very heart-warming in this regard and I look forward to continuing Alanna's adventures.

Unfortunately, I've procrastinated as much as I really can on my paper so Alanna and co. will have to wait for a couple days :(

Message edited by its author, Dec 13, 2009, 1:03pm.

#146: I have never read that series, although I think Catey owns it, so I may have to borrow it!

I really enjoy them, but I am a bit biased. I loved them as a kid. If I remember correctly, Alanna does get a little Mary Sueish in the later books and I recall being annoyed by a love triangle even when I was younger (though it never deterred me from the books :P). I haven't read any of Pierce's other books so I think, after I've finished the Song of the Lioness quartet, I might check those out.

Of course, I also have about 40 youth books checked out from the library to read first :)

Ah, I think Catey owns the Song of the Lioness quartet, not the Alanna series. I am definitely going to have to check.

Hey, I am 47 and still reading kid's books, so 40 out of the library does not surprise me!

I actually just found out the other library in town has all of Tamora Pierce's books so tomorrow, after one of my finals, I'm making a trip over there with a couple of totes to pick up the ones I couldn't find at my university library (so I need all but three - I think it's eighteenish total). They're quick reads (Alanna only took me a couple hours to finish) so I doubt I'll even have to renew them :)

The other library also has a ton of Diana Wynne Jones books. I listened to one on audiobook this year, but I didn't pay much attention so I really want to give her another shot.

Kid's books are amazing. Never underestimate them.

Message edited by its author, Dec 13, 2009, 9:45pm.

#150: Kid's books are amazing. Never underestimate them.

I have rediscovered juvenile and young adult literature since joining LT and for the most part have enjoyed every single minute of that reading!

I completely agree - there (and always have been) are some fantastic children's books and I will never understand why some people dismiss them...

I do hope you enjoy Diana Wynne Jones - she's been one of my favourite authors since I was about 7 (mostly comfort reading now ;)) Which was the audiobook you listened to? ...and may I recommend Fire and Hemlock, Archer's Goon, The Magicians of Caprona, Howl's Moving Castle, The Time of the Ghost, The Spellcoats... (better stop...)

I like the sound of Alanna - I shall have to investigate, and I've had Maus on my TBR pile for over a year now - must get round to it...

Edited to remove a shameful apostrophe

Message edited by its author, Dec 14, 2009, 10:23am.

Definitely move Maus up on the TBR pile, flissp!

Loved your review of PoA. I read it several years ago but will soon reread with my son as soon as he's finished with CoS. I will remember the points you made as I reread.

Message edited by its author, Dec 14, 2009, 8:23am.

#153 Okey dokey!

>152: The one I listened to was Howl's Moving Castle. I love the movie to death so I checked out the audiobook from my library. It was my first time listening to an audiobook and I'm fairly certain I zoned out a lot. I know I listened to it a couple of times before bed so I was half asleep and not paying attention and I listened to it over the period of two or three months (it's only an eight hour audiobook) so I'm sure I forgot things. I've since gotten used to audiobooks and I know the places where it's not good for me to listen because I don't pay attention, but I'd really like to revisit HMC and her others. I just have a gut feeling that I'll love her if I give her another chance :)

>154: Thank you! I felt so strongly about PoA because it is my favorite book and I think it make some of the best points. I hope your son enjoys it (and the rest of the series!).

Ah, well the film adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle is very different to the book (although I did enjoy it - particularly the Witch of the Waste), so it's definitely worth giving another go. I like the sequels less, but, while some of her books are definitely better than others, I've never disliked one (that may be rose tinted glasses to some extent of course...)

I know what you mean about audiobooks - I'm not very good at listening to them either - unless I'm on a long car journey where someone else is driving!

Well, you KNOW I'm a big DWJ fan. Don't forget one of her more recent books, Dark Lord of Derkholm, which I love for its characters and its look at fantasy tropes.

I really like Tamora Pierce's work, but her first quartet, while essential to the progression of all the books that follow, is one of her earliest writings and is not as strong as some of the later books. I love her world-building, though, and especially like the Trickster books, her last in that world. I also enjoy her Circle of Magicseries.

>158: It's kind of reassuring to hear the Song of the Lioness Quartet is weaker than later books. If I like them, hopefully I'll love the rest!

The Trickster series were the only ones I couldn't find on my library trip this morning. I'll just have to ILL them when I get closer to that series.

I checked out several DWJ books (I think I nabbed all the ones our library had which wasn't many, maybe six or seven total). I'll be reading those soon too!

78. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
Rating: 4/5

Alanna is now a squire, serving Prince Jonathan himself, and soon she'll be facing her own Ordeal to gain her knighthood. First, though, it seems someone has it out for Alanna. Attempts are being made on her life, she's been sent out to fight her first battle, and there's still Duke Roger to worry about. On top of that, both George and Jon have expressed the desire to court her.

This book had much more action than the first and even though I'm a dog person, I still love Faithful the cat. The love triangle between Jon, Alanna, and George is no where near as bad as I remembered (it must been one of those things that annoyed me because last time I read these books, boys still had cooties). The events in the book mature as the characters do and they're faced with realistic situations. Alanna must kill soldiers from an army attempting to take over Tortall. She's growing up and begins an affair with Jon and learns of intimacy. I think Pierce does a good job of discussing such adult themes in a YA book. She doesn't portray killing as fun, glorious, or honorable. Rather, it's very much the opposite. Alanna does have sex for the first time, but Pierce emphasizes that she is wearing an amulet to prevent pregnancy and there is absolutely no explicit detail. All in all, I think it was very well done.

I'm excited to continue my adventures in Alanna's world!

Message edited by its author, Yesterday, 4:19pm.

>157: that may be rose tinted glasses to some extent of course...

I kind of feel that's how I'm reading the Tamora Pierce books. They were such of favorite of mine when I was little that now, even when I see Alanna is a bit of a Mary Sue at times, I have a hard time caring. I still think they're wonderful reads and I'm enjoying them immensely regardless of their flaws, which is more important I think.

Aw, the Alanna books! Those were my absolute favorites in middle school. I may have to reread them soon myself!

#161 Ah, I have many books like that - something you were fond of when you were littler can never be bad really, can it?

Which DWJ books did you nab? So jealous of you discovering her for the first time - just hope they live up to ronincats and my high praise for you! ;) There's a new one (Enchanted Glass) out early next year - can't wait...

>162: So nice to meet another Alanna fan! Have you read her other series too? I haven't yet, but I plan to. I've checked them all out from the library so hopefully I'll get them read soon :)

>163: I checked out:

Deep Secret
The Merlin Conspiracy
Aunt Maria
The Power of Three
Stopping for a Spell
A Charmed Life
The Magic of Caprona
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Mixed Magics
The Spellcoats

I have a few incomplete series here so I ordered from ILL (though they haven't come in yet):

Witch Week
Stealer of Souls
Conrad's Fate
Mixed Magics
The Pinhoe Egg
The Drowned Ammet
Cart and Cwidder
Crown of Dalemark

I think the librarians hate me right now. I've checked out so many books and then ILLed these ones...

But I can't wait to start reading!

Ooh that's loads - I do hope you enjoy them now!!

The ones you've already got out contain a lot of my favourites...

Just in case you weren't aware (which you probably are, but...), you should really read Deep Secret before The Merlin Conspiracy although, only a couple of characters are carried forwards.

Also, strictly speaking, The Lives of Christopher Chant is chronologically before Conrad's Fate, then Charmed Life, then, The Magicians of Caprona, Witch Week and The Pinhoe Egg (which can't be pinned down in the timeline particularly, but were written in that order). That said, I read them as they were published (Charmed Life, The Magicians of Caprona, Witch Week, The Lives of Christopher Chant, Conrad's Fate then The Pinhoe Egg and that worked too!

If you do enjoy them, you should look out for Archer's Goon, Fire and Hemlock, Homeward Bounders and The Time of the Ghost too and maybe Dogsbody - all of which are stand alones and all great (also, all set more in the real world than the rest, so they feel different, even if there is magic involved...)

The librarians can't hate you for requesting books! Surely that's their raison d'être! ;)

>165: "Just in case you weren't aware (which you probably are, but...), you should really read Deep Secret before The Merlin Conspiracy although, only a couple of characters are carried forwards.
"

Nope, not aware at all. Thanks for letting me know!

Wikipedia tells me this:

Charmed Life (1977)
The Lives of Christopher Chant (1988)
Conrad's Fate (2005)
Witch Week (1982)
The Magicians of Caprona (1980)
The short stories can be read in any order after that.

is DWJ suggested reading order so that's probably what I'll do. Author knows best!

Thank you for the suggestions on the other books. This is an author I really, really, really hope I like so I'm excited to start reading her. I'm going to finish the Song of the Lioness Quartet before I do, though that shouldn't take too long. I plan on starting Deep Secret within the week!

"The librarians can't hate you for requesting books! Surely that's their raison d'être! ;)"

But that extra work I put them through, reshelving and ordering books! I hope they don't mind but I still did feel kind of bad :P

Just realized Stealer of Souls is one short story published in 2002, not a collection. The poor librarians couldn't find it anywhere so I went back to Wiki and sure enough, it says it's just one story.

Oops.

Ah, so she probably places Witch Week ahead in time of The Magicians of Caprona - interesting.

I think I probably agree with DWJ in reading Charmed Life ahead of all the other Chrestomanci stories, even if The Lives of Christopher Chant is about the young Chrestomanci - being the first written, it does just set the scene best.

Re Stealer of Souls, that's actually one of the 4 short stories in Mixed Magics, which is on your request list, so you won't miss out ;)

Actually, if you're interested in which short stories are in which collections (there's a lot of overlap), I've recently started to list these in the comments section of my library (only done DWJ & Neil Gaiman so far...) - you can take a look here (just DWJ books).

Message edited by its author, Today, 11:47am.