Untying One's Cravat

As you can guess, the title is a bit of a joke... I lent my friend a book and we are counting the times the word "cravat" was used.  (Multiple times, apparently.) Anyways, surprisingly I have not read as much as I would have liked since school ended.  I am having a hard time finding a book that provides the type of escape I am looking for.  So I have decided to start the perilous work of writing the books I would like to read.  But don't ask about my startling protagonists or I shall bite you. Writing is tedious work and is worth little unless someone else reads and enjoys it.  So wish me luck instead!  I'm starting off by filling a character sheet to build up my characters' personalities.  I will post one up when I am finished.

In the meantime, here is a rundown of the books I have read:
Poison Study by Maria Snyder - A- I really enjoyed this one and am looking forward to reading the sequels!  It was YA fantasy (dare I say, slightly trashy?) but very interesting.

Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede - A I want the next one to come out! I was hooked on it from the start. I really think the whole controversy about leaving out the Native Americans was rather stupid; allow her to finish the series people!

Fire and Hemlock by Dianna Wynne Jones - B The ending made no sense.  I cannot stand it when endings do not make sense! I liked the rest of the story however.  Not my favorite by Ms. Jones.

Ehehe

I bought three more books today.  Only one week of school left.  The countdown begins... haha.


1. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield
2. Soulless by Gail Carriger
3. Her Awful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenger


How I wish it were Friday of next week!

Bookish Delights

Oh, I am so lucky to have been given so many bookish delights for my birthday... I got a bibliophile tattoo from my fiance, a Murakami book from Trish and Brian, and almost $150 in bookstore gift cards... Sigh... How I long to just have some time to read!  Well anyway, after I finished my hellish second TPA last night, I decided it was time to buy some books, even if I can't read them yet.  To make a long story short, I ended up buying 8 books last night (and still have gift card to spare!), and now I have quite a few novels to read this winter break. They are, in no particular order:
Going Bovine - Weird plot, but I like her work, so I'll give it a try.
The Fairy's Return - Totally a kid's book and I don't care.
Our Dumb World by the Onion (I'm already working on this one, LOL!)
Through a Glass Darkly - French courtier life.  Sounds juicy.
Thirteenth Child - Pretty controversial as she apparently made Native Americans disappear out of history, but sounds interesting.
The Grand Sophy - I just like Regency-era stories...
Poison Study - Juicy YA novel about a food taster, haha.
What I'm Talking About When I Talk About Running - My dearest Murakami! Thanks Trish and Brian!
The Lost Symbol - I read the first two, got to do the third, despite his dramatic writing style.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Sounds good, but we'll see. I wasn't too impressed with the beginning.
Eve, Novel of the First Woman - Not sure why I picked this one, but I think it will be interesting to say the least. Let's just get this straight - it is fiction, and not inspirational fiction either. I believe quite a few Christians were unhappy with this book.
Fire and Hemlock - Love Ms. Jones, her books just take me away!
Picking Bones from Ash - Sad Japanese mother/daughter story... the kind of book I like to read to make myself miserable.
The Girl from Junchow - sequel to the Russian Concubine.  Wanna know what happens to the characters, even if it is slightly trashy.
The Children's Book - Curiouser and curiouser.
The Lightening Thief - I want to read this before the movie comes out and ruins everything!
The Concubine's Daughter - Sad Chinese book... I just like reading them... don't know why.


I also am trying to finish The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which still turns me off with its nasty language and Spindle's End which I began and have not been able to pick up.


Whew. Not bad. I also picked up "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith because I loved it so and had to have a copy.  


Time, I order you to pass quickly!