strategic rereading

I reread Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. I felt that once was not enough, and I was right. This book was really just as good the second time around, and I was able to perceive more of the subtleties, nuances, and ironies with my subsequent visit. I'm very glad I did this before moving forward with the rest of the series, which I continue to anticipate with pleasure. I don't usually reread books more than a few days but less than six months after my first read, but I'm glad I made an exception.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently reread Bloodsucking Fiends, the better to prepare myself for its sequel, You Suck, which came out this year and which I have now finished. I'm glad I did this, as well, since You Suck picks up only a few hours or maybe a day after the end of Bloodsucking Fiends, and I might not have remembered all of the characters and how they fit together without that reread. I liked You Suck very much, especially the addition of the new character Abby Normal and references to another new Moore novel, A Dirty Job. Her diaries were great fun. Three stars - I won't need to read certain passages over and over, cackling out loud, like I do with some of Moore's books, but it was still good.

General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn

I have been a fan of Sharon Shinn since her first published novel, The Shape-Changer's Wife. I have really enjoyed seeing the ways that she has grown as an author over the years.

Recently, 7j and I were discussing her work. 7j commented that Shinn has used fewer and fewer fantastical elements in her writing as the years have passed. I don't think this is entirely true, since her recent Twelve Houses series is extremely magical in its focus. However, the new stand-alone book, General Winston's Daughter, has almost no magic or religious elements in it, which made it pleasingly different from her other books.

GWD in general reminded me significantly of The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, which is one of my favorite books of all time. However, once again, there's very little magic in the story, which is unlike McKinley. The main characters of the two books are very different, as is the resolution of the story. I feel that Shinn's work is maturing, which is wonderful to see. I liked this recent example very much and would recommend it to any fans of Shinn or young adult lit. Three stars.

My favorite Shinn single novel continues to be Heart of Gold, an extremely spiritual book with poly themes and some science fiction. My favorite series continues to be the unnamed but alliterative series which began with The Safe-Keeper's Secret. Nonetheless, it's wonderful to see her branching out - more books for me to enjoy.

holiday wishes meme variation

We all remember this one, right? You post three things you wish for you. You post three things you could give someone else, and one wish for someone else. You see what matches up.
Things I am wishing for:

1) Oddly enough, I need someone to teach me how to deliver a proper Japanese bow to a room full of strangers of mixed rank.
2) The loan of some funny movies, this month.
3) One big plushy bath sheet. I don't care if it's lime green, puce, or some other outlandish color.

Things I could give:

1) A basic knitting lesson. I can get you from zero to garter stitch, from garter stitch to cast on/purl/bind off, or help you figure out what kind of project would suit your skill level and how to pick out a pattern for it.
2) And, to go with that, some yarn. I have a big stash. I'm not talking anything fancy, but a ball or two of wool or acrylic is totally doable. Chenille? I gotcher chenille right here.
3) I can recommend a book to just about anybody. It could be for you, or for someone you need to buy a present for. A short conversation about your (or their) interests and reading preferences, and I will hook you right up.

Something for someone else:

If you're the present-buying sort, buy something at a locally owned business this year, okay? Small businesses have a hard time competing with places like amazon.com. But as long as we don't want amazon and bn to be our only choices, we have to support them. To continue using the bookstore example, you can even buy books online from your local bookstore at booksense.com.