The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

(Yeah, I read like a thing that reads. What's your point?)

This book formed an interesting thematic arc with The Speed of Dark and Darkly Dreaming Dexter, in terms of main characters with unusual perspectives on the world. The narrator is an autistic teenaged boy. He finds his neighbor's dog dead, with a garden fork sticking out of it. Being a fan of Sherlock Holmes, he decides that he is going to solve the mystery of who killed the dog. This question turns out to be tied in with the relationships of people in the neighborhood, which he finds hard to understand. I enjoy the digressions about science facts and the narrator's preferences for things, and I loved the way the plot was set up. Apparently some people find it hard to get through, or get into, but I did not have that problem - it went by in a blink. Good book. Four stars.

The Sharing Knife: Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold

So, in the first volume, the sadder but wiser farmgirl married the mystical warrior dude. We got to see her rustic family being big meanies to both her and him. In the second volume, we get to see that mystical warrior families can also be big meanies and that each group is equally capable of being violently unfair to their grown children. Also, the world may still be ending and lots of people will die. But there's hope! Maybe! Somewhere! We just don't know what it is yet.

That actually doesn't spoil the book.

Can you tell I found it a bit frustrating?

I know that Bujold meant this as a duology, but a third book where Fawn and Dag actually make an independent life for themselves would really rock my boat. I can only give it three stars.

a reference I would really like to read

Are any of you academic types able to get me access to the article "How Mary Magdalene Became a Whore" by Jane Schaberg, published in Bible Review 8.5 1992, 30-37 and 51-52? Or can you suggest how I could access it as a non-academic?

ETA: Actually, I can get this through the Cambridge Library. The issue in question is not available to review in the stacks, but they can and will make me a photocopy of the article, according to Tim the Helpful Reference Librarian.

halloween, from first to last

I am always happy to volunteer to hand out candy when the time comes around. At six thirty-five, my doorbell was rung for the first time. Toddling towards me came a wee apparition in a Superman cape and shirt. His mom grinned at me and his dad said, "Say trick or treat, buddy!" "Twi TWEEE!" I held out the bowl, and after a moment of confusion, a lollipop was extracted. "Can you say thank you, buddy?" his dad enquired. Long pause. "HALLEEEEEN!!!" All the grownups were laughing by this point, and we wished each other a good night.

The middle of the evening was a blur. A mob of silent, unsmiling midgets grappled each other, my screen door, and my bowl to get the candy while their parents exhorted in the distance, "Don't forget to say thank you!" I didn't mind, though - I get the whole sugarlust as a motivator thing. And one adorable bunny rabbit said, "Thank you! Happy Halloween!" three times, just to make sure I got the message despite the crowd. Plus, a very tiny princess commented that my shirt had a ghost on it, which was completely true. ("From Cursed to First! Boston World Champions!")

At eight oh five, my doorbell was rung for the last time. I was surprised by this since I had left the bowl of candy on the porch when I went inside to start dinner. (Yeah, I know, I'm a big softie. Think of it as egg prevention.) I went down the stairs one last time, fearing further stalking by the agents of Fred Berman, hopeful alderman at large, and was pleasantly surprised by a group of festively dressed adults, led by pheromone. They explained they were engaging in Reverse Trick-or-Treating, which meant going from house to house, giving people nice things instead of asking for nice things. How novel and pleasing! Like karma in action. I accepted a very delicious cup of rum. Perhaps next year I'll join their merry band.

I concluded the evening by making red wine spaghetti, a favorite of mine, and finishing up that rum, which gave me a nice cozy feeling of tipsy goodwill. I really like it when Halloween and Samhain are two different days.