two great books, one so-so book

[snugglekitty]

While sick, I re-read The White Gryphon by Mercedes Lackey. I'm glad that I've evolved enough that it no longer freaks me out that I'm turned on by the villain's sexual practices. (Anyone else? Beuler?) It's an okay book. Three stars, but Lackey is capable of so much better.

The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka deserves a post all its own, but it's not going to get one. The subtitle is "A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live" and I found that to be accurate. It talks about the different kinds of things that we, as modern Americans, want and need from our houses and what it takes to give us those things. The focus is mostly on building your own house but the principles very much extend to treating the house you have differently. This book was the inspiration for me to set up the reading nook in the corner of our dining room that has been well-received by everyone (as far as I can tell). The central idea is that you should have a place in your house that is suited to each thing that you do every day. It also talks about how to bring your dreams and budget to a place of agreement, and what design elements tend to feel homey.
We don't have our own house, but I had to recognize it as truth that I was spending a lot of time sitting on a hassock in the dining room because it was the best place I could find to read and sit in the sunlight. Not a very good one, though - it hurt my back to sit so long without any support. Now there are two comfortable chairs there, plus a table for me to put my laptop and a glass of water on. It's also turned into a nice place to eat breakfast.
At any rate, the book has made me put some serious thought into what I want from the eventual house of myself and mrpet, and things we can do in our current space to make it more like a home. Five stars.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld and Rodrigo Corral was a suggestion from buxom_bey. Wow. This book blew my mind, in a really really good way. I swear you'll never think about attractiveness the same way again. I can't wait to read the two sequels. I hope that these authors write a lot more books that are just as original as this one. Four and a half stars.

Comments

er...

[asciikitty.livejournal.com]

re: white gryphon: yeah, me too. in the hands of someone who wasn't a raving psychopath... mmm...

re: uglies: oh my yes. nchanter has my copy of Pretties which you are totally welcome to borrow from her, assuming you don't get your hands on it before you see her. They just keep getting better.

Re: er...

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

in the hands of someone who wasn't a raving psychopath... mmm...

Right! I should have mentioned, "without the killing."

Thanks for the offer of Pretties. I'll take you up on that.

[srl.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that I've evolved enough that it no longer freaks me out that I'm turned on by the villain's sexual practices.

I'm sure I read that book long enough ago that I've forgotten precisely what you're talking about. But does it make me a freak that I'm considering re-reading it because of this comment? ;)

[lady-anemone.livejournal.com]

Nope. You're not the first person to say so, either. Just re-read the second chapter and call it a day. :)