A Fresh Start in February - Esquiress' New Name and Second Thread

Hi, all.

I'm here now, and my username change has finally caught up down the line. All of my posts are coming up just fine as Esquiress, and both of my usernames are linked to each other in the threadbook. I hope I didn't lose anyone along the way!

While I'd generally like my threads to go month-by-month, I'm not going to stick to that as a hard and fast rule. I just needed a new thread w/ my new username in the title of it, since I couldn't change the old one.

For now, it's February, and I'm participating in Fantasy February, though not the group reads. I'll be starting with Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde some time on February 1st (which is today, but since I haven't gone to sleep yet, it feels like tomorrow).

Some of my planned reads for February at the moment are:
The Alloy of Law
The Simultaneous Man
Graceling - getting that one from the library b/c I just can't wait for PBS anymore!
For the Win
The Knife of Never Letting Go

I look forward to visiting threads and making new friends as the year progresses!

In the interim, a gift for you...



You mean I didn't mention I adore penguins? Silly me.

hello - I found your old thread, wow book bullets everywhere I started skimming to dodge some of them. You have completely sold me on Mania, *if* I ever decide to try and read On the Road, again, I shall read Mania first.

I haven't decided what to read for Fantasy February yet. I might dip my toe into discword and see if I like it.

Hi! You play D&D? I was always curious about the game, but I never knew anyone who played. I was an avid Magic the Gathering player in high school though, but unfortunately lost contact with all my M:tG-playing friends, so I haven't played in years unfortunately.

Hi - that looks like an intriguing set for February. I'll keep an eye out for what you think of them.

To answer a question from the previous thread, Jasper Fforde has not written a sequel to Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron yet. I saw him speak in October and he said that while there will be one eventually, it won't be for a few more years. He is, however, working on a PREQUEL to Shades of Grey, which will be published in 2015.

Morning Esquiress- See, I found you! I really enjoyed Graceling and need to get to the 2nd book. I also loved the Walking Chaos trilogy. Good luck on your Fresh Start Feb!

Es, Signing up for your new thread. I will have to keep a good record in order to count your posts in your old name and thread. Welcome to the group!

Uhm, what was your old username?

***Starred***

>2 kiwiflowa:. Kiwi, Mania really was a great book, and this is coming from someone who doesn't normally read a lot of non-fiction. It really helped to find out what was going on with the Beats and how everything fit into On the Road.

>3 Ape:. Ape, I do play DnD! I'm in two campaigns and a third dormant one right now - a monk, a warmage, and a rogue/ ranger :) I just got into it about a year and a half ago.

>4 humouress:. Thanks for swingin' by, humouress!

>5 norabelle414:. I'll take a prequel then :)

>6 msf59:. I got a little tough to find there for a time :) Glad you found me. I think I'm going to go to the library today and pick up Graceling and possibly read that before Shades of Grey.

>7 PaulCranswick:. Paul, thanks a bunch for stopping by :)

>8 majkia:. majkia, it was kcrisell. Both are in the threadbook, fortunately. I'll swing by your thread a little later today!

>9 LauraBrook:. Laura, thanks for the star - I'll be stopping by to star you later on today!

Gotta run, all, but thanks for the visits! Things are filling out comfortably in my comfy new thread!

Hi Esquiress, I followed your link to your first thread and now on to this one. I loved Ready Player One, in fact I chose it as one of my 5 top books for 2012. Looking forward to reading what you think of Graceling, another favorite of mine. I am currently reading Bitterblue, the third in that trilogy right now.

for either/both of you. Regarding Gracling. How much teen angst is there, and how much romance? I really hate the romance genre, and have little patience with teen angst. That said, the book sounds interesting despite that.

It's been a few years, Jean, but I would say minimum on both the angst and the romance. The romance was there, but not over done. The main character is of the independant, looks-after-herself type. Well written, nicely plotted, and a good story.

thanks for that, Judy. I'll stick it on the wishlist.

Starred.... again... lol I have never played D&D but I have always wanted to try world of war craft... my computer is not the greatest though so I have never given it a go.... I haven't read Graceling but it is on my TBR list so I may have to read that series after all my other FF reads....

Oooooh.... I'm listening to Graceling right now on audio in my commuting hours. I am really enjoying it thus far. We'll have to compare notes when you get into it! :)

Here I am returning your visit, Esquiress! I can't identify with any of your books this very minute except to say that I have the new MONSTER Brandon Sanderson fantasy on my Kindle, and it's one that I can't wait to get into! Happy reading to both of us!

LOL! Played D&D years ago and several other games involving magic with my ex (who loved strategy war gaming), but stopped when he quit playing--magic always destroyed his strategies! Current board game favorite? Ticket to Ride! Go train!

A present from Lovelyluck for all of you:



Now then.

I'm glad of all this Graceling talk. I just tried to get it out of my library, but a copy won't be in for me until maybe Tuesday. That leaves me about four days to read Shades of Grey. I hope I can do it! I'm glad it's low on angst and romance. Thanks for that, Delta!

Oh, D&D... I'm glad my husband and I both like to play it. He used to play WoW, and there was so much else I'd rather be doing that I just couldn't get into it. But our D&D groups socialize while playing too, and it's great fun!

LizzieD - let me know what you think of that Sanderson, because his Mistborn stuff was AMAZING. You must read at least the first book, Mistborn.

Tina - For sure, we'll compare notes :)

19. That's a great pic. Love it.

#19 Love the graphic.

Thanks, folks.
I can't take credit - Lovelyluck posted it first. Cool chick.

Great saying - I need a sweatshirt with that plastered on the back.

I've got The Knife of Never Letting Go semi-planned for this year. I've been warned though SPOILER that it might be tough for a dog lover, so maybe... not... for a while. A lot of my dog friends have left the world over this past year.

Hi Esquiress

I pop over to return your visit and wouldn't you know it, book bullets lol

Ready Player One sounds like something i'd enjoy, must check the library :)

I hope you enjoy Graceling. I did!

Hi, fairy: isn't that the way it always is? I'm going to start a post that is the book bullets from this month, since I already caught one yesterday!

Morphy: with all the high praise, I think I'm going to really enjoy it.

A post to keep track of this month's book bullets:

1. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
2. The Bean Trees
3. The Song of Achilles
4. Howl: A Graphic Novel
5. The Yellow Birds
6. The Line - the one by Olga Grushin
7. Bimbos of the Death Sun
8. Lady Susan
9. The Plague of Doves
10. The Night Circus
11. Fire and Bitterblue
12. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians
13. Hotel World
14. Soulless
15. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
16. We Don't Live Here Anymore
17: Olive Kitteridge

A post to keep track of ruffle scarves:

I can't remember who it was, but someone was posting pictures of afghans, and it got me thinking that I should keep track of the ruffle scarves I'm making while I'm doing the 75-book challenge. They are my other major pastime, and I consign them at local shops. I tried selling on Etsy, but no one was buying :(

January: 3

February: 3, working on a 4th

Pictures below :)

I am working on a superman afghan.... it is slow going counting all my squares and now I have to stop in order to crochet a sock monkey pillow for a friends daughter's birthday.... you should post a pic of your ruffle scarve... I'd like to know what one looks like!

Thanks, lovely! You're lovely!

The three scarves I made in January:

The one I've made so far in February:

Neat scarves! I don't usually like pink, but I think that one is my favorite.

those are cute!.... I am a fan of pink and I like that one too!

Love the scarves, Esquiress. I've looked at both the wool and patterns but couldn't quite figure it out, I guess I need to go to Youtube, there's probably detailed intstructions there. I have a daughter that has hinted strongly that she would love to receive a ruffled scarf!

Congratulations on the name change and the shiny new thread, Esquiress!

I'm going to break down and finally read Ready Player One this month - your enthusiasm was the final straw!

Your scarves are beautiful - the pink and the blue are both just lovely. I have no talent that way myself, but am always happy to celebrate the talents of others!

Are you participating in the TIOLI Challenges this month?

Lovely scarves, Esquiress. Forgive my ignorance for not being able to tell, but are they crocheted or knitted?

I'll throw in another recommendation for 'Knife of Never Letting Go'. It has an unusual style that takes a little getting used to, but I thought it had a lot more depth than the usual YA dystopia.

Those are lovely. I hope they are crocheted then maybe I can steal the pattern...

Thanks for the scarf praise! I really enjoy making them.

>33 phebj:, 34: I love that pink one too. I'll be giving it to a friend next week, but I know I'm going to make more like it.

>35 DeltaQueen50:: YouTube is where I learned how to knit them, so I highly suggest that route. You need the the Starbella-type yarn, and you knit through a set of top holes. Much easier to understand when seen on a video.

>36 Dejah_Thoris:: Thanks, Dejah! So glad you're going to read Ready Player One! I'm a little confused about what the TIOLI challenges are. I looked at the thread a little and was having trouble following. I'm definitely doing Fantasy February, but I know that's not the same thing. I am worried I'm going to get overwhelmed, as it's Feb. 3, and I haven't finished a book yet :)

>37 rosalita:: Thanks, rosalita! You can do either, but I myself knit those scarves. Thanks for the chime-in on The Knife of Letting Go!

>38 Morphidae:: Thanks. I know you can crochet them, but I myself knit. Since I learned the method from YouTube, I have no pattern :)

Feb. 3rd and we're already up to a 39th post on the thread! WOOT! I'm loving this community.

The TIOLI Challenges can seem a little tricky at first, so here are a few hints.

This month’s main thread can be found here. Madeline ((SqueakyChu) sets up the threads and the wiki each month – it was her brainchild, after all!

On that thread, folks will list there Challenges with any needed explanations. Challenges may be posted through the 4th of the month. February already has 25 Challenges, which is more than I remember ever seeing before. If you have a question about a Challenge, that’s the place to post it.

The Challenges and the books everyone is reading for them are posted on the wiki; the first page for February is here. You may participate in any Challenge, as long as your book meets the criteria. If you post a book and don’t finish it, it’s no problem. You can just “Leave It” and remove it from the wiki.

There’s also a TIOLI Meter where some folks post the number of books they’ve read and how many were shared reads. One of the TIOLI goals is for people to read the same books, to foster conversation. Other folks try to read books that fit into as many Challenges as possible. It’s all very flexible – and fun! I hope you’ll join us.

Awww, the scarves are pretty!

The Knife of Never Letting Go was wonderful, I hope you enjoy it.

My husband grew up playing D&D, and tried to teach me. I LOVE the concept, but have zero patience for group role play. I just want to hack and slash. So, I enjoy the dungeon-running-type video games sometimes. Enjoyed Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate and Diablo, etc. His new obsession (along with my 9yo) is LoTRO, have you played that? It's an MMORPG based on Tolkein's world (of course). It looks neat, but again, I have no patience. I made a character and let it load... got through about 10 minutes of tutorial and got bored. :D

>40 Dejah_Thoris:: I think I'm trying one of the TIOLI challenges for February - the missing vowels one (#5). I put myself on the wiki. It is my hope that I'll be finished Shades of Grey early this week.

Thanks for the visit. I loved both Graceling and The Knife of Knife of Never Letting Go. I'm reading the third book, Bitterblue, in Kristin Cashore's series. I also enjoy knitting and my next project is to knit Amy Pond's red scarf from Dr. Who.

Es you are well in the lead in my league for Afghan ruffles.
Great re-start with the name moniker!

@37 I'm sure you're right about The knife of never letting go having more depth than a lot of YA dystopias. Here is its awards list: Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2008), Booktrust Teenage Prize (2008), Locus Recommended Reading (Young Adult, 2008), ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2009), James Tiptree, Jr. Award (2008), Branford Boase Shortlist (2009), Carnegie Medal Shortlist (2009)

I'm not familiar with all those awards, but Locus is a respected trade magazine for SF&F writers - their recommendations have some weight behind them. ALA Best Books is an amazing list from the American Library Association. The Tiptree award almost NEVER goes to YA. It is for sf&f that explores gender. That award is a bit off the beaten path, but imho, always worth watching. I'm thinking I need to find away to fit it in this year, but not this month. Too emotional a book for me this month.

Busy little thread you've got here... Love the scarves!!! Do you sell online?

>43 Tanglewood:: Hey, Tangle! Thanks for coming over :) I've been hearing so much praise for both Graceling and The Knife of Never Letting Go that I can't wait to get to them. I need to get much further in Shades of Grey tonight and tomorrow so I'm ready for Graceling to come from the library :) It's just that the comfy chair is in the living room, and my hubs always has a movie blaring for noise, and I can't read like that. That's how I've managed to finish two scarves for February and only 50 pages of one book :/

>44 PaulCranswick:: Why, thank you, Paul. Do you wear ruffle scarves?

>45 cammykitty:: Great info, Cammy! Thanks so much.

>46 TinaV95:: It's a little bizarre, isn't it, Tina? Just last week I was desperately trying to figure out how to get people to my thread!

Beautiful scarves.

I also have The Song of Achilles on the TBR pile and I highly recommend getting to The Bean Trees as soon as you are able.

Es, It is a little bit on the warm side over here for the wearing of scarves! I did of course back in the old country.

EBT: I ordered The Bean Trees from PaperBack Swap. I should get it soon and will probably read it next month, since I'm sticking to sci-fi/ fantasy this month for Fantasy February :)

Well, Paul, these scarves are for stylin' as well. They can definitely be worn in warmer weather :)

Another February scarf (this one's for my mom):



I started it last night during some downtime while playing D&D and while sitting and chatting with friends, and I finished it today.

>46 TinaV95:: Hey, Tina... I forgot to mention that soon I'll be posting a "request a scarf" thing onto Etsy, rather than selling each one separately, which I tried before and failed at. I'm going to take a picture of all my current yarn and then let people pick. Will post the link when I get it up and running!

Since you dropped by my thread, I thought I would return the favor. I love the scarves!

I am a huge board gaming fan and play the D&D board games. I have never played the RPG since I never had anyone to play it with, so the board games are the next best thing for me.

Ah! Wondered what happened on your old thread. It just kinda...died! Now I know where to find you again! So back to the old you and the old thread...I was wrong about Japser Fforde and the Shades of Gray series. Not slated for a new one until 2015. Sigh. But he published a new Thursday next end of 2012 as well a Dragonslayer one, so I am still behind. Good thing I looked into this!! Now, back to read the beginning of this thread.

I can't imagine trying to stitch while RPing but I do stitch while listening to audiobooks! Have you ever played the card game Munchkin?

>53 alcottacre:: Hi, alcottacre! Thanks for the visit. It's often hard to get a crew together to play D&D, but I'm lucky I have a bunch of geeky friends :) Board games still count! Have you played the Ravenloft one?

Thanks for the scarves compliment :)

>54 Berly:: I have The Woman Who Died a Lot, the newest Thursday Next book. I haven't read The Last Dragonslayer yet, so I'm behind on that. Heck, I'm behind on working on Shades of Grey :)

>55 Morphidae:: Sorry we lost you there for a little while! I was worried that might happen to some of the followers, but I needed a fresh start thread b/c of the username change.

Well, we have a party of between 6 and 8, so I have a lot of downtime during battles, except when I'm helping my newbie friends figure out what they're going to do :)

We love Munchkin! We have Vampires, Zombies, Cthulu, and Superheroes :) We have yet to play a mashup of all four of those, though. We have done two or three all together, though!

I have embarked on some TIOLI challenges this month with the books I'd already planned on reading for Fantasy February.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron fits into the "missing vowels" challenge.

The Alloy of Law fits into the "school subjects" challenge.

And The Knife of Never Letting Go fits into the "listed in the top 5 of 2012 thread" challenge.

If someone adds one more book to the "rolling Washington" challenge, I'll be able to put up Graceling as well.

Now I just have to finish Shades of Grey so I can move on and hope to finish all of these books this month :)

PS: I'm so excited that I might be able to use the continuation feature on this thread because of how supportive you all have been! That makes me very excited. I'm feelin' the love :) The 75'ers is a great community, albeit very busy!

My Etsy shop now has a listing for custom-made ruffle scarves, if anyone's interested. I have all of my yarn listed, plus links to each of the yarns I use and the colors they have available.

So, yes, now I do sell my scarves online!

Scarf Listing on Etsy

Hi Esquiress! I don't think you'll have any problem hitting 200 posts! Glad you are enjoying your current FF reads.

What pretty scarves!!! The colors you've chosen are gorgeous. Love the purple.

It's funny how you just find a right groove here then your thread goes wild for a while! It comes and goes in cycles sometimes so don't despair. I will have to go check out your etsy link. I'm seriously broke until the wedding is paid for but I love your scarves!

I've added you as a favorite on etsy. :)

>59 msf59:: Thanks for the encouragement, Mark. Shades of Grey is going more slowly than I would like it to, tbh.

>60 cammykitty:: Thanks, Cammy!

>61 TinaV95:, 62: I know what it's like to be broke, so I feel your pain. Thanks for the favorite-ing!

We just have Munchkins and Vampires, but then we've just started playing. Our next game we're going to mash the two.

I bet you get a lot of hits on your listing just from this thread! :D

Love the variegated purple in the third picture.

I have to admit that Shades of Grey didn't do it for me! I'm a fan of the Thursday Next books, but I bailed on Shades of Grey pretty quickly. I hope you like it better than I did!

>64 Morphidae:: Good fun!

>65 UnrulySun:: I hope so :) I was so bummed that they didn't sell before. I think the "choose your color" might be incentive to purchase.

>66 Dejah_Thoris:: It's not all that great; definitely nothing like the Thursday Next books. But I'm hoping it gets at least a little better.

Well, I'm past the halfway point in Shades of Grey and hoping I can finish it some time tomorrow (no way I'll finish it by a reasonable hour tonight) so I can start in on the copy of Graceling that I picked up from the library today. It's already the 5th, and I'm feeling a little pressured that I haven't finished a book.

I know it's more about fun than the numbers, but I have a compulsive comparison problem, it seems. Here's hoping I get some solid time to sit down and read tomorrow.

Review

Shades of Grey fits into two areas I enjoy: it is a dystopia, first, and, second, it is by Jasper Fforde, whose Thursday Next books I really like. Thus, coming into the reading, I was expecting a future, fantastical, dystopic world that was going to keep me laughing from beginning to end, just like everything else I've read by Fforde.

Unfortunately, Shades of Grey didn't live up to the hype I gave it. In fact, I don't think I really laughed at all while reading. Perhaps I missed a colossal, book-spanning joke, but the book just wasn't funny. The premise of the dystopia, that everyone is judged by what color he can see and how much of it, wasn't even all that interesting. It gives no clues as to what may have happened to cause the society to become the way it is in the book (referring to the cataclysmic event as Something That Happened), and I was really put off by that. Usually the dystopias I enjoy give some sort of inkling as to how things came to be; nothing like that surfaced in my reading.

Not one of the characters is exceptionally likable, though there are several who are very unpleasant indeed. Obviously, Fforde can create memorable characters, since he created ones I strongly disliked, but I felt no bond or camaraderie with any of the characters I "should have liked" - Jane and Eddie in particular.

The book took me much longer to read than I would have expected for a paperback that rolled in at under 400 pages, and I found that annoying as well. There were times when I almost didn't want to finish it, but I kept thinking it might get better.

Shades of Grey ends with a beg for a sequel. I'm not certain I will actually read either of the two planned sequels, though. I think I will stick to Thursday Next for the time being.

Rating: 2.5 stars
TIOLI Challenge: 5 (Missing Vowel Challenge: Read a book whose title has only 4 of the regular 5 vowels)
Part of Fantasy February
Book #9

Just to keep it straight in my head, this month's reading order is as follows:

Shades of Grey - TIOLI challenge 5, Fantasy February
Graceling - TIOLI challenge 1, Fantasy February
The Knife of Never Letting Go - TIOLI challenge 22, Fantasy February
Alloy of Law - TIOLI challenge 3, Fantasy February

Ok. Now that I have it in writing, I think I'm good to go. It was just confusing myself with what went with which TIOLI challenge, I think.

ONWARD! :)

ETA:
The Woman Who Died a Lot - Fantasy February
The Simultaneous Man - Fantasy February

Oh, I'm sorry that you didn't like Shades of Grey so much (as it's my favorite book of his so far), but I'm glad that you finished it and still enjoy the Thursday Next series. If you're ever curious about either the prequel (pub'd next year?) or the sequel, keep an eye on my thread, and Nora's too, since we will most assuredly read them.

I've heard such good things about Graceling lately, that I'm afraid it might leap onto my TBR pile. :)

Laura,

Yeah, I don't know why it didn't appeal to me. I must've missed something, but, man, did I have a hard time getting through it.

Graceling is already good, and I only read the first chapter last night :)

In scarf news, I just got another skein of yarn last night from my mom with a note that she'd like me to make her yet another scarf :) It's a beautiful cream color.

I also updated the photos on the Etsy listing, so now it is more to my liking.

Etsy listing

Sounds like you are busy knitting and reading. I hope you enjoy Graceling, it's a big favorite of mine.

>75 DeltaQueen50:: Hi, Delta! Yes, I have. Thread's been quiet of late. I'm very much enjoying Graceling I'm on about chapter 7 already.

Just purchased my first book of the month: a Nook book called The Round House. I got it for $1.99!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad I popped in; I've never heard of the Knife of Letting Go before, but I'm definitely going to add it to my library check-out list.

#70 - Hope you enjoy Graceling. I thought it was really captivating.

Es, I've heard very good things about 'The Round House' — good catch. I found Louise Erdrich's 'Plague of Doves' to be very thought-provoking. I understand 'Round House' has some of the same characters.

Es, I was disappointed by the first Erdrich that I read but The Round House has had such great reviews that I will surely pick up the book soon. Have a great weekend.

>78 perchance.cl:: Any time! It's so nice when people come greet you on your thread :) I'm glad you caught a book bullet already! Hope to see you around here again :) I'm loving Graceling, btw.

>79 rosalita: and 80: Thanks, you two - I definitely trust what you have to say about it. I'm going to put it on my to-read for... next month, I think.

You have a great weekend too, Paul :)

I've got Alloy of Law coming up too. :) Looking forward to your review

Just checkin in and catching up.... my husband was being greedy this week and hogging the internet so he could play Call of Duty.... but it is my turn until later on today when I go to a birthday party with my daughter and he hogs the internet to play Call of Duty again!

Sorry Shades of Grey didn't meet your expectations but I am looking forward to your review of Graceling because that is on my TBR list and many of the other LTers reviews have been positive too!

Es, this is what happens when one gets too dependent on the continuation feature--despite your mentioning it on several threads I completely lost your new thread! Thanks for posting the link to your scarves on my thread. I've favorited your Etsy page. But don't you think they are a little underpriced? Most of the ones I've seen have been $20 or $25, and the yarn is pricy. I got started on a knitted scarf last night and should finish during the basketball game this afternoon--I'll post a picture on my thread tonight.

Shades of Grey is definitely a switch to straight science fiction for Fforde without his heretofore trademark humor. I still found it interesting and wish the sequels weren't so far away. But I do prefer his Thursday Next books.

>82 Kassilem:: I assume you've read the first three Mistborn books? They're so fantastic :)

>83 lovelyluck:: Glad to have you back, Luck! Silly boys and their games :) My review of Graceling will be very positive - I'm loving it. Enjoying it is more than making up for my dislike of Shades of Grey.

>84 ronincats:: Hey there, Roni! Sorry we lost you for a while!

As for the pricing... well... I've been getting all my yarn on sale or with coupons. I'm also hoping that my lower price might draw in some people who won't pay the $20-30. When I consign, I charge $20 so I still make $15 per scarf. I'm ok with it right now. Thanks for the advice; I'll keep it in mind for the future.

I started one last night during D&D and will probably finish it at a different gaming session tonight, because I'm more than halfway done. I'll post a pic too, and I can't wait to see yours.

Some of the reviews on the book cover said that Shades of Grey was, like, uproariously funny. I missed that part. My friend said, "The real joke is that you spent the whole book waiting for a joke, so the joke's on YOU!" :)

Esquiress,
I'm currently reading and very much enjoying The Plague of Doves which is apparently the first book in what is to be a trilogy, with The Round House being the second. I hope you enjoy Erdrich's work. She is not for everyone but I love her use of language and her incredible storytelling.

when i wanted to sell my blankets my husband suggested that i total all my materials and then multiply by three and add that to the price of materials.... so if you spent 5 and multiply by 3 and add the 5 you have 20.... i think.... I was always better at reading than math LOL.... the blankets cost me about 40 to make so he suggested i sell them for $160.... i told him all the people i know would not pay that much for a blanket when they could go up to the walmart and buy a comfort set for less than that.... so I think it works for smaller things like scarfs.... $20-30 is a pretty good deal...

>86 EBT1002:: Hmm... So should I read Plague of Doves first, then? Or can the second stand alone?

ETA: I love fun language use. That's why I love Elliot Perlman so much.

>87 lovelyluck:: Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll bump them to $18, but I'm still not comfortable asking a full $20 for them.

85 > I've read the Mistborn series. :) I unfortunately didn't like the series as much as Sanderson's Warbreaker and The Way of Kings but I liked it well enough to want to read The Alloy of Law. I've heard from some that they liked it more than the first three. I'm looking foreward to it.

>89 Kassilem:: See, I adored the Misborn books. I'm going to need to check out some more Brandon Sanderson, methinks :)

>90 Esquiress:. Haha. Definitely!

Review of Graceling

I absolutely loved Graceling; it was everything everyone I talked to said it would be. It was a fun, quick read that had a really good storyline, not too much sappy gross teen romance, and very little teen angst. The setting had just the right amount of fantasy for me, and I loved Katsa as a character.

The premise of characters having Graces echoed the Misborn trilogy for me, which, since Mistborn was a favorite read of 2012, was definitely a good thing.

I found myself utterly wrapped up in the story of Katsa, along with Po and eventually Bitterblue. I didn't want to walk away from the book for an instant, because I just needed to get to the end. I laughed, I teared up, I gasped... I was just so *into* my reading that the 471 pages just flew by.

In a nice turn of events, my husband is actually going to read it next because of the similarities it bears to Mistborn (and the fact that it's not due back to the library until about two weeks from now!).

In short, Graceling exceeded expectations and didn't feel like too much of a YA book to put me off of it. I haven't been feeling YA as much since leaving my work as a 9th grade teacher, and I had no problem reading Graceling. I highly recommend it to anyone who has any level of liking for fantasy, because it's not too heavy on the fantastical, and the characters feel real.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #1 (book that ends on a page with a 7 in it)

Part of Fantasy February

Book #10

Update on my reading, knitting, and life statuses, in case you were wondering:

The snowpacalypse we were supposed to have administered only about 1" of snow here in SE Pennsylvania (Berks County, to be more exact), so we were not snowed in in the slightest. We were able to spend our normal Friday night playing D&D with friends, and things were clear by the time the friends needed to head home, so there were no problems there. I knit more than half a scarf for my mom during downtime/ RP-ing to keep my hands busy.

Saturday was lazy during the day, but the husband and I watched Pitch Perfect, which I loved, pardoning the running vomit joke that I could've done without. We bought the soundtrack immediately after the movie was over because we loved the music :) That night, we teamed up with the same friends at their house to play another D&D campaign we've got going on. I forgot my knitting, so I didn't finish the scarf I was working on Friday night.

Sunday was laziest of all, and I celebrated my Thingaversary by reading a lot when I wasn't catching some Zzzz's :) The hubs finished Ready Player One, and he really liked it. I had less than 100 pages of Graceling to go by bedtime, and I just couldn't keep my eyes open to finish it, but I finished it today (Monday). It fulfilled TIOLI challenge 1, a book that ended on a page with a 7 in it, and it was my 10th book of the year.

I still haven't finished that scarf for my mom, but maybe I'll get to it some time today. I'll post a picture when I'm finally done, b/c it's a really pretty cream (and so soft!).

My next read will be going back to The Knife of Never Letting Go for my 11th book of the year and 3rd of Fantasy February. Everyone's been so encouraging about it that I'm going to give it a better try this time.

I'm pretty sure that's all at the moment. Things have been quiet around here... no more car wrecks or anything crazy like that!

So glad you loved Graceling, it holds a special place in my heart as it was one of the first books that was recommended to me when I first joined LT.

Hello Esquiress - now i have your second thread starred as well. Love your scarves!

>94 DeltaQueen50:: Delta, that's really neat to know! Do you remember who recommended it to you?

>95 PrueGallagher:: Hi, Prue! I'll have to be stopping over to your thread now. Thanks! I love making the scarves.

Today, I got two packages from PaperBack Swap. One contained a collection of Austen short novels along with Northanger Abbey. The other contained Lapsing into a Comma, a book I've been dying to own for quite a while.

Technically neither was purchased :)

Es, I adored 'Lapsing into a Comma' when I read it many years ago. But then, I am a total word and copyediting geek. :-)

The author, Bill Walsh, works for the Washington Post and often tweets grammar and style tips. In fact, just a few minutes ago I was reading several of his tweets about when and when not to hyphenate compound adjectives. Grilled cheese sandwich? No hyphen because it's the sandwich that's grilled, not just the cheese. His Twitter handle is @TheSlot.

I have NO idea who recommended Graceling to me, but I just finished it on audio yesterday and agree fully on your 5 star review!! I haven't written my thoughts yet, but I loved it from start to finish! I just checked out the prequel on audio today, so I will start it on my drive tomorrow!! Yay LT recommendations!!

HI Esquiress *smile* just returning your visit. Still trying to catch up on a lot of threads after my long illness and I am slowly getting there.
I see that you started on The Knife of Never Letting Go again. I just finished the whole trilogy as audiobooks and absolutely loved them. Very well done and I can see how these books appeal to YA's. I hope you will like it more this time round.

Thanks for the visits, folks :D

Rosalita: I am a total grammar geek, so I know I'm going to love Lapsing into a Comma. I'll have to follow Walsh's Twitter now :) Thanks for the info!

Tina: I can't wait to "hear" your thoughts. What's the prequel called? I'm looking forward to reading Bitterblue, but I'm pretty sure that's a sequel, right?

Bianca: Welcome back! We've missed you. After so many good words about The Knife of Never Letting Go, I can't just put it on the rejected pile. I think I'm more "in the mood" to read it right now, too, so that helps.

Just finished my third scarf of February. This one, like the second one, is also for my mom. I'll be starting one for an aunt next.

Picture time!



The yarn was so, so soft. It's a Sashay cream called Aran. I have no idea where my mom found it, but it's beautiful.

oooohhhhh I like that Aran one!

Esquiress- I loved your review and your enthusiasm for Graceling. I liked the book too and NEED to get to Fire soon. I hope you enjoy The Knife of Never Letting Go, once you get back into it again. It's an off-beat read, that's for sure but hang in there.

>103 lovelyluck:: Thanks, Luck!

>104 msf59:: Thanks, Mark :) Fire is the prequel, and Bitterblue is the sequel... yes?

I'll do my best hanging on with The Knife of Never Letting Go.

Happy Belated Thingaversary!

>105 Esquiress: I'm not Mark, so I hope you don't mind me jumping in, but yes Fire is the prequel (written 2nd out of the three) and Bitterblue is the sequel. Characters from both Graceling and Fire find their way into Bitterblue.

Love the scarf. It makes me want to learn to knit sooner rather than later. But I'm not putting anything else on my plate until I finish this class. It's taking more out of me than I thought it would.

Es, I think you can read the Erdrich novels in either order, although it's hard for me to say since I've not yet read The Round House and I'm not quite done with The Plague of Doves. I know I read her first "trilogy" out of order and it mattered not. I don' think her works follow in a linear chronological order; rather, they include members of the same extended families and communities.

I love the scarf.

I'm not usually much of a fantasy reader but Graceling is tempting me with all the rave reviews it's receiving!

Have a good Wednesday.

>106 cammykitty:: Thanks, cammy! It's been a nice three years. I can't believe it took me so long to get to the 75'ers!

>107 bell7:: Thanks, bell. That helps. I was a little confused.

>108 Morphidae:: Morphy, the knitting is pretty easy, but I totally understand a class taking over everything. My Research Capstone course for my MA did that to me. I couldn't believe how much effort I put into it, but at least I had a 45-page research study to show for it at the end!

>109 EBT1002:: That's great to know. Thanks so much, E, for both the information and the scarf compliment. My mom loved it. I couldn't believe how good Graceling was until I read it for myself! It's definitely deserving of the praise, and I tend towards the sci-fi end of the SF/F spectrum. Good Wednesday to you too :)

Hi Esquiress- I haven't seen anyone have a problem with reading Fire 2nd, since it was released that way, so that's probably what I'll do. I NEED to find a copy, pronto!
I hope to get to The Plague of Doves next month. I am WAY behind on Erdrich!

>111 msf59:: That's probably what I'll end up doing too, then.

Guess what, all? My fresh look at The Knife of Never Letting Go is working. I'm already past the 60-page mark, and I'm liking it. It moves quickly on my Nook with glowlight too (always a bonus)!

Ha, glad to hear that The Knife of Never Letting Go works better for you this time round. I will be curious about your thoughts on that one.

Love the pics of your scarves. I am a knitter myself, so I very much appreciate the time invested into a creation like that.
I haven't done any knitting in some time, but definitely will get back to it soon.

Hope you continue to enjoy The Knife of Never Letting Go -- I really liked it a lot. Hope you are feeling the love today. ; )

Es - I am really enjoying your thread. I am planning to buy The Round House next week as she obviously deserves another chance from me with all my pals loving her work. My weekend is starting here so I'll get in early a bit for you and wish you a lovely one.

>114 drachenbraut23:: I'm more than a third finished with the book, and I can't wait to finish it so I can review it :) Thanks for the scarf love. Now if I could just sell some on Etsy, that'd be great!

>115 Berly:: Yesterday was a rough Valentine's Day, though it ended well with a nice dinner out, at least. I felt some love, but it was a hard day.

>116 PaulCranswick:: Paul, glad you're enjoying! I'm loving that people are visiting and chatting and so on :) Thanks for the good weekend wishes! Right back at you.

*Warily checks in* Sorry your V-Day was difficult, I hope things are better now...

The "prequel" to Graceling is Fire and I'm listening to it now. It makes perfect sense so far bc it's in a different world from that of Graceling. I'm enjoying it lots! :)

That's a nice review of Graceling. I got fed up of waiting for it at the library, so I nabbed Fire off the shelves; though I'm not reading it yet, in the hopes of picking up Graceling. Everyone who has mentioned the series on LT really likes it (at least, that's my impression).

You were right - the scarf came out nicely. That's a pretty picture of it; I'm sure your mum will love it.

ETA: cross-posted with Tina. Now I'm confused.

>118 Ape:: Hi, Stephen :D Well... the friend who was dying on V-Day is now at peace, so I can be grateful for that; the family is as peaceful as they are able at a time like this. Thanks for the hopes.

>119 TinaV95:: Sounds good. I'll have that on my list for this year. I keep thinking about "it's only February," but I swear I'll *never* get to 75 books!

>120 humouress:: Thanks about the scarf :) I really liked Graceling and cannot wait to read Fire and Bitterblue at some point this year!

Hi Es - it can be very difficult to sell your knitted stuff for a good price, because very often people just don't want to pay the money. I knitt since I am a small child and I am pretty good at that. However, out of kindness I did knitt a couple of times for collegues of mine, but they didn't appreciate the time invested at all. Last year I made a beautiful round poncho with sleeves and a large polo neck, with a very complicated cable pattern for one of my collegues - she loved the poncho well enough, but asked me why it took me soo long and at the same time asked me if I could make her a coat as well - Ahem, I told her that I wouldn't mind to show her how to knitt, that I could lend her some needles and give her some wool to start off with *smile* she didn't ask me anymore if I would make something for her. First the wool used was quite fine, second the pattern was very opulent and third it took me almost 60 hours to knitt that poncho. I firmly believe a simple thank you very much Bianca would have been fab. However, that's how a lot of people look at knitting and this lack of understanding is very often the problem they don't want to pay for beautiful knitts :(



This is not the poncho I made, but I made something similiar with a much more opulent cable pattern and a large polo neck which could be used as a hood :)

Wish you a lovely weekend Es!

>122 drachenbraut23:: That is a beautiful poncho! Wow. And so sad that you weren't even thanked!

My mother-in-law is far more skilled than I (I can knit... scarves :D), and she is making me something called a prayer shawl, which looks awesome. I'm being very patient, though, because she makes baby blankets for lots of expectant mothers. She has the same problem with the lack of understanding and no courtesy of a thank you or offer of repayment.

I wish you a lovely weekend too, puddin' pop!

I suppose when you can get mass produced stuff off the shelves cheaply, people don't understand how much labour has to go into knitting, unless they've tried themselves. Me, I can't get past about 20 rows of basic stitch.

>124 humouress:: Very true. Luckily for impatient me, these scarves are relatively simple in comparison to some of the stuff mentioned here!

Review of The Knife of Never Letting Go

After an initial false start trying to read The Knife of Never Letting Go, I found my groove in the language of the book, finding it less distracting than the first time I tried to read it. I was told that if it hadn't gripped me by about 60 pages in, then it was time to put the book down. Well, I quickly flew past page 60 and was well over a third of the way through the book before I even thought to look at pagination.

I am a sucker for a good dystopic read, and The Knife of Never Letting Go does deliver in that regard. I liked that the information about the world itself, its laws and its origin, came gradually rather than all at the beginning; obviously, it's far more compelling when it is the former.

I won't say that I connected with the characters on a deep level or anything, for it is a YA novel, after all, and I do bear some... unpleasantness towards teenagers after leaving a ninth grade teaching job just recently. This is the only reason for the 4 and 1/2 stars as opposed to 5. I found their youth a little distracting. I did like the character of Hildy, however.

When the author played with word pictures, I was impressed and surprised at the effectiveness. It doesn't translate quite as well on the e-reader screen (I just happened to have this book as an electronic copy), but it was still quite a sight. I think it really accomplished what the author was after.

Overall, The Knife of Never Letting Go was a faster read than I originally thought. The story was compelling, but I don't think the cliffhanger ending was necessary. I'm not entirely certain I want to read the rest of the trilogy, so the fact that this first book couldn't really stand alone was an irritation for me. I would recommend it to fans of dystopias (particularly teenagers), and I think it deserves the praise that it has been getting.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #22 (book mentioned in the LT "Top 5 of 2012" thread)

Read for Fantasy February

Book #11

well thanks for the rec.... I'm not a teen but I do love a good YA dystopia.... I think this one is already on my TBR list so I will be getting a round to it eventually...

Knitting is a mystery to me. I understand you take yarn and turn it into stuff. I'm pretty sure there is some magic involved that is similar to that practiced by people who can cook.

Cliffhangers make me want to throw the author...over a cliff. See how they like it. *Grumbles*

128. Knitting is basically making knots - with the help of sticks. I love knitting, but I never seem to get around to doing it anymore.

And I'm with you on the cliffhangers. HATE them.

Terrific review of The Knife of Never Letting Go! It's such a good and freshly original book. big Thumb for you! The next 2 books are very good too!

>127 lovelyluck:: Sorry for being a little anti-teen... it's a personality virus that's been hanging on for dear life for the past 10 months. *shakes head* Can't seem to get rid of it. It's def a good YA dystopia, though!

>128 Ape:: OMG STEPHEN'S BACK! :) *faint* So I take it you don't cook?

>129 PawsforThought:: That is the best way to describe knitting. Ever. I too agree with Stephen's assessment of cliffhangers. Blech.

>130 msf59:: Thanks! I'm not sure if I'll be reading the next two or not, tbh. I want to know what happens, but at the same time, there are so many other things I want to read instead that I just can't decide. We'll see as the year goes on, especially if my angst about teenagers (go figure... 31 and I have teen angst, just in a different sense) subsides. I've got a mountain of unread books to climb before I get to ones I'm not totally sure about.

Of course I cook! So long as it comes in a box, and only requires me to add water... *cough cough*

>132 Ape:: You know, my 4 year old can pour water into his cup by himself. It doesn't qualify him as a cook.

On the other hand, he did make lemon meringue tartlets yesterday - I think even you could manage that, Stephen. ;0)

ETA: link

>132 Ape:: Oh dear... we'll have to rectify this somehow.

ETA: BTW, humouress, those tartlets sound yummy.

Thanks, Es.
(Or rather : I know, right? Geez)

And they were so hard to make. ;0)

(You try helping an over-enthusiastic 4 year old. Although yesterday he was in a listening mood, not an 'I can do everything by myself, like my big brother, so don't even think of helping me' mood)

132. Cup-a-soup and Pot noodle doesn't qualify as "food" and therefore preparing them doesn't qualify as "cooking".

>132 Ape: I cook too.... I use all the best recipes.... my mac and cheese is awesome.... it comes from kraft!.... my spaghetti is better... it comes from Hunts.... and when I'm in the mood for something yummy for breakfast I make biscuits.... it comes from pilsbury.... So with the help of these popular recipes.... you can bring magic to the table too!

*hold on my husband is talking at me.....

* he said to tell you those are directions not recipes.... sorry :( guess we are in the same boat....

You folks crack me up :D

Ah, I'm avoiding reading your review of Knife because I'm hoping to read it soon (or soonish). It impresses me that someone with a little "anti-teen" sentiment gives a YA novel a 4 1/2 star rating.

I have some "anti-teen sentiment" too but still manage to keep reading YA. As long as it's not too angsty and drama-ridden (do you hear me Cassandra Clare?), I usually enjoy it.

I really enjoyed Patrick Ness' series. For what it's worth, I rated books 2 and 3 higher than the first book. ;)

Oh, I'm glad folks understand my "anti-teen" stance. I've been paying more attention to "adult" books (not "adult" like bodice-rippers, "adult" like meant for adults :D) of late, and there are just so many to read!

I might break down and read books 2 and 3 at some point, but I'm not sure about doing so this year. February is escaping me, and I'm only about 70 pages into Alloy of Law!

Hey Es... Back to scarves... I think I'd like a solid color. I'm out of town this week and have a bad headache so I'm not on my computer. I wear lots of multiple colors, so most scarves don't work with my outfits. I wear lots of teal, greens, blues... Suggestions?

Greetings, Esquiress!

I'm sorry I missed your Thingaversary - I hope it was wonderful! Did you buy books for it? Many people buy one for each year they've been on LT plus one - you're entitled to four, right?

I have a limited tolerance for dystopian fiction - dystopian YA appeals to me even less. As a result, even though your review was positive, I'll have to pass on The Knife of Never Letting Go. Graceling, on the other hand, I think I'll have to break down and read.

If I'm not active on LT, I read scarcely any YA. But so many people keep writing positive reviews I get sucked in....

Tina, did you see this one that Es did?



While not a solid color, it has many of your colors in it.

Sashay comes in solid--they have a turquoise and a blue.

http://redheart.com/search/apachesolr_search/sashay

>143 TinaV95:: See what Roni has to say, b/c that was exactly what I was going to say :D I've added some below too. I'm sorry you have a headache; that's the worst.

>144 Dejah_Thoris:: Welcome back, Dejah! I didn't actually buy any books for my Thingaversary, but I did spend the day reading, so I'm content. I've been getting a fair number of books on trade from PBS, too... so while not buying, I'm still acquiring :)

I actually love dystopian fiction, but I'm suffering teen angst right now and am trying to stay away from YA. Graceling was worth it, though. The Knife of Never Letting Go had enough in it that it kept me hooked.

>145 ronincats:: Oh, Rumba! I love my Rumba scarves :) Starbella does a solid black, white, and cream too. The Starbella Flash is solid shades with a complimentary sparkly shade on the outside edge; I have a turquoise one that has turquoise sparkle on the outside of it. Sashay has a little sparkle to it too, which is always lovely!

Here's a site for Starbella Flash:

http://www.premieryarns.com/product/Premier+Starbella+Flash+Yarn.aspx

The one in particular I'm speaking of is "Peacock."

Hi Es, way back up at #96 you asked if I remembered who recommended Graceling to me. I sure do, it was Joe (jnwelch), and if memory serves me correctly he also recommended The Hunger Games to me at the same time. A real home run!

The Knife of Never Letting Go is also on my wishlist but I have no idea when I will get to it. It seems that everytime I visit LT I add more titles to my wishlist!

>147 DeltaQueen50:: Cool beans! Seems to have hit two gems right there - Graceling and The Hunger Games!

I'm glad for that little button when you go to a book information page "Add to Wishlist." I keep using it more and more as I catch bullets through the threads...

Update: I'm about 150 pages from the end of Alloy of Law, so I might be able to fit The Woman Who Died a Lot into Fantasy February too!

Hi Es,
okay, I'm all caught up on your thread now. Still enjoying the artwork. :-)

Hi Es, glad to see that you kinda enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting Go in the end *smile*
However, I had to chuckle at your comments about the teen angst. As Morphy said you definately shouldn't read then the books by Cassandra Clare. Well, I have to be in a particular kind of mood that I actually can enjoy those books and I did enjoy the books by Cassandra Clare.

I love that green scarve. I think I have to start posting some of my beauties as well.

>150 EBT1002:: Welcome back, Ellen :) We've missed you!

>151 drachenbraut23:: I think what really helped me enjoy The Knife of Never Letting Go was that it was dystopian. I love a good dystopia.

Yes, teen angst... my downfall these days. I used to be all about it. Gail Giles and I were like this *crosses fingers*. But since leaving teaching, I'm bitter towards teens :)

You knit as well? Do post! And thanks, btw!

You know, I thought it might be a good idea for me to post a clarification of how I choose stars for things. It's kind of based on how "Shelfari" labels their starts, but with a twist. It'll help some of my followers to understand how I can be rating a YA book 4.5 stars, even though I hate teenagers :)

5: Awesome read. I loved reading it.
4.5: Really good read. Kept my attention. Had one or two minor things that bugged me.
4: Good read - I liked it. Had some flaws, though.
3.5: Pretty good read, but there were just some things about it that really bugged me.
3: Mediocre read - neither good nor bad.
2.5: Less than mediocre. While there were things I liked, it was hard to finish.
2: Quite flawed. Very hard to finish. Maybe one or two redeeming bits.
1.5: Very flawed. Finished, but just barely.
1: Highly flawed. Dragged self to finish it or just abandoned it. Really didn't like it.

ETA: Now that I'm figuring my way around even better, I plan to put this at the beginning of my next thread for information (Eeek! I could get one of those neat little "Continued by" things! :D).

Review of The Alloy of Law

Having loved the Misborn trilogy, I couldn't help but want to read The Alloy of Law when I saw that it took place in the same world as the other books. I was definitely not disappointed in this one. Sanderson did a great job.

The book was fast-paced and, despite being nearly 400 pages, read very quickly. I was engaged almost from the start, because the opening sequence is very engaging. What kept me hooked was the interesting blend of Allomancy and Feruchemy, with which I was familiar from the earlier books, and the way "alloy" was used throughout the text.

To that end, I think that Sanderson did a really nice job of integrating the book's title into the text itself. I felt like I knew to sit up and take notice when the word "alloy" was used, and it helped draw even further out the discussions of law and how it should be viewed or upheld. I really liked that, because using the title to "unlock a book" has always been one of my favorite strategies when analyzing a text.

The characters were engaging, and while I didn't necessarily identify with them per se, I liked them all quite well.

Some of the action was edge-of-seat, hold-your-breath, which I like in some books but don't like in movies. The Alloy of Law is definitely a book where the action worked for me. It really kept me turning the pages.

I loved the subtle ties to the earlier books. However, I thought it was also nice that one didn't necessarily *have* to have read the Mistborn trilogy to understand what was going on in the book.

The novel could stand alone, as I said above, but there is definitely room for a sequel. I'll be on the lookout for that one too, because I haven't been let down with anything from Sanderson's Mistborn universe so far.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #3 (book with a school subject in the title - "Law")

Read for Fantasy February

Book #12

Hi Es! Did someone say "bodice-ripper"? I don't read them but that term always catches my eye. Wow! 5 stars for Sanderson, eh? I'll have to give him a try at some point.
Have you read Blood Red Road? I am reading the follow-up rebel heart. It's good dystopian YA and reminds me of the Walking Chaos trilogy.

Ripping bodices sounds dangerous for the lady involved, as if they weren't bad enough just to wear, having someone tear at them sounds like a good method to insure suffocation.

*Smooches Es*

156. Not tearing at them, Stephen, tearing them up. Makes the breathing part much easier.

But there is still lots of tugging involved...with the bodice, I mean.

158. No, no tugging. If there is tugging it's not "ripping". Ripping requires force enough to rip open at once.

I see...would it be weird to use scissors?

>155 msf59:: That would catch your eye, wouldn't it? :P I'm on a bit of a YA strike, and The Knife of Never Letting Go was definitely YA... though if it's a good enough dystopia, I might overlook those evil teenagers.

Brandon Sanderson is AMAZING in the Mistborn world at least. I loved all four of the books that take place in that universe.

>156 Ape:: *smooches back* Now was that so much like kissing your grandmother? I'll bet I'm way cuter :)

Re: Bodice-ripping discussion...

Oh dear. What have I started? But really, I mean, bodice ripping does sound a bit... well, violent. But I guess that's the intention. I always thought it was supposed to be tearing them *open*, like ripping the ribbony parts or something.

Either way, those books have, like, men on horseback with long hair and damsels in distress. I refuse to read that malarkey :)

Stephen, you may use scissors on mine :P It wouldn't be weird at all... to me...

Did I mention I'm working on reading The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde right now? It's amusing me already, and I'm not even 100 pages in. This is the Fforde I like.

Tonight, I'm going to see one of my fave bands, The Front Bottoms, open for a group called Bad Books. Their music is good, but there's something about that band name that bugs me :) I wonder if it has to do with bodice-rippers...

161. That's what I meant. Pulling hard enough that the laces break or hooks come off or whatever way the bodice is closed. A historical version of the shirt-ripping I know was discussed a while ago on someone's thread.

>163 PawsforThought:: Oh heavens... now we're onto shirt-ripping :)

Trust me, we all understand wanting a "no teen-angst zone." I read a lot of YA, but can't stand the angsty ones, or the ones with the ill-tempered bored with everything protags (which, forgive me Twilight lovers, is why I couldn't take more than 30 pages of Bella.)

& now it's "button-ripping." ;) No guys with long hair on horses, but there's still malarkey.

I'm so with you, cammy! I don't know how I finished Twilight. That was back when I was teaching, though, and I dealt well with teen angst every day.

164. Really, what is the difference between shirt-ripping and bodice-ripping? None, I tell you, none at all!

165. You managed 30 pages of she-who-must-not-be-named? I applaud your patience. I made it through about 3.

Nice review of The Alloy of Law. I hear there's a sequel coming out in the near future.

Thanks Roni & Es for the suggestions. I'm back on my phone so I'll look at the yarn on the real computer tomorrow!

Hi Es, great review of The Alloy of Law it's on my TBR as well. I have read most of Sanderson's books so far and I seriously enjoyed most of his books. I think he is a great storyteller.

161: *Brandishes garden shears with a maniacal grin* I'm so glad you don't find this weird! :D

I'm enjoying the company around here very much :) Thank you all for visiting.

167: Well, then... discuss away!

168, 170: Thanks! Ooh, a sequel? I'll look forward to that. Sanderson is a good storyteller.

169: Sure thing, girl!

171: Ok... garden shears are not the same as scissors. And trust me, the smile would not be maniacal :P

Maniacle and devious are the only ways I know how to smile, I think. :P

>173 Ape:: Devious is ok... if it's the right kind of devious :)

I'm 2/3 of the way through The Woman Who Died a Lot now, which is exciting... I'm sure I'll finish it before FF ends. But I don't know if I'll be able to finish The Simultaneous Man in February too. Accursed short month!

We shall see how the month shakes out. I feel like there's so much time left, but there really isn't.

Headed to do our taxes at the M-I-L's house tomorrow, so maybe I'll get some reading done... I just discovered a huge hole in the yarn I was using to knit, which has brought my 4th scarf to a halt until I figure out how to deal with the issue, so I won't be knitting tomorrow!

You are up awfully late, Es!

>176 ronincats:: I was indeed. I was reading in bed for a while, and "my boys" - hubs, roommate, and best friend - were playing video games in the living room, where my netbook was still on, so I popped on for a bit before heading to bed :)

I'm getting quite a bit of reading done here at the M-I-L's house, so I'm hoping that I can finish my book today and have time for The Simultaneous Man!

HI *waves* .... hows it going?.... I was reading for a while in bed this morning and then was told to get my lazy butt outta bed and cook the pork because "I want BBQ for dinner" *shakes head* stinkin husbands.... now I haven't been able to find another chance to read.... but the BBQ will be done in about an hour so that is a plus :) talk at ya later!

Hey, Lovely!

Things are going well. I've been running around like a madwoman all day today and haven't gotten any reading in, so I feel your pain.

Homemade BBQ, eh? Cool beans!

Talk to you soon! Glad you checked in :)

Review of The Woman Who Died a Lot

I love Thursday Next and the books that are about her, so this book was no letdown. The only thing different about The Woman Who Died a Lot and some of the other books is that there were fewer references to literature in this one, because Thursday was not necessarily doing her normal Literary Detective antics.

However, the book was still very tongue-in-cheek and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. I really like the way Fforde writes these books, and I cannot wait until the next in the series Dark Reading Matter comes out!

Rating:

Read for Fantasy February

Book #13

I'm now reading: The Simultaneous Man by Ralph Blum (hoping to finish by Thursday!)

Well, I had a bit of a mishap while working on my 4th scarf this month:



That huge hole is *not* supposed to be there, and it seems to be a manufacturer's defect, because I've never done that to any Sashay I've been knitting :)

So... as you can see, I was pretty far along in my knitting of the scarf, but there was no way to work with that yarn, and the scarf was a bit too short to really work as a full scarf. So I took it back to Michael's and was able to exchange it for a brand new skein of yarn, with no problem at all.

I am not going to start a new scarf until Wednesday, when I'll be showing off my current stash of finished scarves plus my box of yarn to a woman at my mom's work. If she wants an already done one, then I'll just start from the top of the box and work down :) I have 25+ skeins in the box anyway...

Es- Sorry about the knitting mishap! I hope the reading is going much better!

>182 msf59:: Thanks, Mark... the reading is going quite well, in fact :)

Well, that is frustrating, Es, but it's good you were able to exchange the yarn. Still, it's too bad the fatal flaw couldn't have been a little closer to the beginning to save you some time knitting. :-)

>184 rosalita:: Oh, indeed. The lady said, "Oh, I don't want you to have to lose all that," and maybe I would've chopped it off and spliced it if I had been able to get the same color yarn, y'know? But since I could only get a different color, I just didn't bother.

That definitely was a flaw in the yarn. Twice now I've encountered a knot tying two strands together in the middle of a skein now--I hate that too, it just happened in the one I finished tonight.

Bodice ripping, yarn mishaps - goodness, you cover a lot of ground on your thread, Es!

It's time I got back to Thursday Next - next up for me is the one before The Woman Who Died A Lot - I'm blanking on the title. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

>187 Dejah_Thoris: One of Our Thursdays is Missing?

I really need to get back to that series, too, but it's been such a long time that I need to reread a few first, or get a crash course reminder from a Fforde fan. :)

>186 ronincats:: I'd much rather the knot than a huge hole, I will say :) I've had that happen to me too.

>187 Dejah_Thoris:: Like bell says, it's One of Our Thursdays Is Missing. We do cover a lot of ground around here, don't we? We have greater range of topic when Stephen shows up :)

>188 bell7:: I've never found the Thursday books to be difficult to pick up, even after an extended absence. I'm not sure I could go back and sum up each of the books, to be frank.

I forgot to mention that I picked up a cheap copy of The Map of Time at Barnes and Noble the other day. My husband also found me an .epub of a non-fiction Margaret Atwood book that I'm going to read in April - In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination.

I also won an ER book for February, Nothing Serious. It should be interesting, though I really did want the Colum McCann book... I'm still missing two of my ER books, though: Approaching the Hunger Games Trilogy and Born This Way. I'm kind of bummed that they didn't show up. My first book of March is going to be the ER I won last month, White Lines.

Today, I wore one of the first scarves I made when I first learned to knit ruffle scarves, and I got a ton of compliments on it. It made me feel good :)

Sorry I've been quiet! All the knitting talk, yeah, I'm just trying to keep my head above water. When I saw that your scarf had a hole in it I pictured something else entirely, and though maybe you could repurpose it as naughty male underwear, but after I got the image loaded I realized I was picturing the wrong thing entirely. :(

>191 Ape:: As I said to Dejah, "We have greater range of topic when Stephen shows up :)"

:P

I'm not sure I'm getting the picture of what *you* pictured... will have to ruminate on this.

>189 Esquiress: I found myself a little confused when I read First Among Sequels years ago, so I kinda want to go back (starting with Something Rotten, since I fairly recently reread the first three) to remind myself what happened before getting myself up to speed in the series.

>193 bell7:: I get you. I wish I could bring you up to speed, but I just feel like I'm not up for the job with what I remember :)

Review of The Simultaneous Man

I'm not sure where I was introduced to The Simultaneous Man, to be honest. It's one of those books that I just can't remember having recommended to me anywhere down the line. However, the premise that one could "copy" consciousness from one human to another is an intriguing one, so I embarked on this short novel as part of my February wrap-up.

It's not that I was disappointed, per se in the novel, but I did finish it feeling like I'd just missed something huge. It didn't feel like a waste of time, but it wasn't an enjoyable read either. There were quite a few technical pieces that I don't feel I fully understood, and I did not relate to Bear for the most part. Of course, that doesn't mean he wasn't well drawn, because I think he was, for what the novel was trying to achieve.

When Black Bear said that "the hand was always white," that really struck a nerve for me. I felt like that summed up what I needed to gather from the novel itself, even though that wasn't the ending line or anything. However, getting to that line felt significant enough that the read wasn't a complete waste of a few hours.

Rating:

Read for Fantasy February

Book #14

Now Reading: White Lines by Jennifer Banash - an Early Reviewer book; this might be too angsty of YA for me, I don't know

Oh, I forgot to mention that Approaching the Hunger Games Trilogy finally showed up today! So I'll be reading that after I finish White Lines.

I'm sorry your last book was a disappointment - may your next one be better!

@195 Cyberpunk started playing with that idea of making back ups of people's lives/identities, running alternate actions in a simulated consciousness before committing to the action, extending lives of the wealthy by downloading someone's consciousness and memories into someone else's body - but it looks like The Simultaneous Man is exploring race. ??? That seems a little unusual. Am I right?

I just finished White Lines myself! It's fairly angsty but not as bad as some of the books out there. Maybe reading it in chuncks will help with that?

195: Huh, when I read the title I thought it was going to be a romance novel. :P

>200 Ape:: You sound disappointed, Stephen?

>197 Dejah_Thoris:: It was a little bit of a disappointment, but not a total waste of time, I guess you could say. I just hate that feeling of missing something major about a book. I think White Lines will actually be interesting, even though I'm not big on YA at the moment.

>198 cammykitty:: You're right The Simultaneous Man does explore race too, but not in a really overt manner. It wasn't until I got to that major line that I really realized just how much race had to do with it.

I love cyberpunk, by the way. This book didn't have that cyberpunk feel to it. I think it was supposed to be a cautionary moral tale of some kind... maybe I've read so much sci-fi that I just absorbed that part of it without thinking too much.

You know what it reminded me of? Heinlein's I Will Fear No Evil, which just did not work for me; the previous consciousness was there in the new body with the new consciousness. That was bizarre, kind of like The Host in a way.

>199 Kassilem:: I think I'm going to like the protagonist. I've only read a few pages, but as the book is under 300 pages and has relatively large print, I think I'll manage in a few days. Did you win it through ER?

>200 Ape:: Yeah, definitely not romance... Got romance on the brain, Stephen? :P I don't read romance, btw :)

>201 humouress:: He does, doesn't he?

Oh look! I have the ability to continue this thread, just in time for march to start! I can't wait until I have time to sit down and set up my new thread the way I want it. Now is not the time, though. Carry on here :)

:) and yep, I recieved it the book as an ER. I love ERs :)

>203 Kassilem:: I'm so glad to have finally gotten my November book in the mail yesterday :)

Rather than cleaning up the clothes that are lying all around my bedroom because I'm too lazy to put them away properly... I did a book weeding instead. I went through all of my shelves and pulled out the book I am going to put on PaperBack Swap (they'll go in a box in the basement while waiting to be claimed) so that I can put all of my new books onto the shelves in their places. I filled two bags of duplicate books, books I know I'll never read, or books I've read but don't plan to re-read. Man, am I a book packrat!

ETA: I also pulled out a bunch of books I want to get read this year and put them on a stack together. They're a little daunting when I look at them like that and remember that I have a bunch of e-books to read too... but I'm excited to have all those "to-read" books together. I'm not sure if any of them fit into the TIOLI's, though.

Es, please PM me your account name for PBS so I can make you a friend there! (Also, I want to see your books!)

> 204. You only got your November book now? Ouch! :(

>206 ronincats:: Will do :)

>207 Kassilem:: I know, right? I haven't gotten my October one yet either!

I'm still waiting on a November book :-(

>209 norabelle414:: It's so annoying when that happens. I get very frustrated, but then I try to remember that it's a free book, after all. However, when it's one you really want, that's so hard!

I noticed the only other person who rated The Simultaneous Man gave it a 1 star. yi yi yi... I think I'll avoid it, but I am curious about it - especially since most SF of the 70s avoided race as a subject - unless the author had been reading Delaney.

>211 cammykitty:: Well, it's not a long read. Perhaps if approached in the right mindframe, it would be a better book than my experience with it leads you to believe. I don't feel that Ralph Blum did *enough* with the race issue, to be honest, until that line I mentioned. That snapped it into focus for me, but it just wasn't enough.

If you can believe it, I managed to finish one last book by midnight of February 28th. It was going to be a March book, but I just had to finish it because I knew I could.



Review of White Lines:

I surprised myself by enjoying White Lines, to be honest. My "issue" with most YA books these days is the level of teenage angst that permeates the books, and this book certainly did not skimp on the angst. However, I didn't hate it. It was an emotional book for me, and I actually cried twice while reading it, if I'm going to be wholly honest.

Cat wouldn't want herself to be described as likable, but she sort of is, if one is tapping into that parental part of one's self. I don't have much of a maternal instinct, but I ached for her to take care of herself as I was reading. I felt her pain, too, which I think is a testament to pretty decent writing on the part of the author.

I hated the last chapter, though. Were this a book for adults, I would have rated it far below four stars just for the ending, which is almost saccharine. On the other hand, it is a YA book, and teens often yearn for things to seem "ok" or even "happy" at the end of a book. They might want all the loose ends tied up, and White Lines certainly left no end untied; the last chapter was a neat bow on top of the book. I really believe the book would have been better without the last chapter, though. There would have been just enough hope to be satisfying for anyone concerned about Cat's character, but enough left open to speculation that it would allow for a good conversation to happen after the book closed.

Were I still teaching, I would lend this out to students of mine, despite the intense drug use throughout the book. I think that Banash manages to deal with the subject at least sufficiently that I could defend the book to any potential censors. Do I think she could have dealt with it better? Yes, I do. But her work does allow readers to understand that "doing drugs is not a good idea."

White Lines reminded me, in terms of some of the content, of Rachel Cohn's Gingerbread, so fans of Cohn and authors like her would definitely like this book.

Rating:

TIOLI Challenge: #6, read and review an ER or MG book

Okay, I have a question. Or a conundrum, in any case.
One reason I've never stuck with a creative activity like knitting or cross-stitch is that it takes away from my reading time. I can't knit and read at the same time. How is it that you find time for both?
I'm just a bit envious.....
Sorry about the flaw in the yarn for that last scarf. :-(

>214 EBT1002:: Hi, Ellen :) Here's the reason I have time for both: I'm unemployed. So... there are pros and cons to it.

That's ok, I'll just start a new one :)

*Gives Esquiress an Unemployment high-five* Hurray for having time to do stuff, at the cost of not being able to afford to buy things to do...

*return high five*
I used to have this crazy, energetic life when I was teaching... now I fold laundry, read, knit, and go to lunch with my mom a lot.
*sigh*
At least there's the library to support book habits.

Ok, folks! New March thread is up and running!

MARCH!