Bookwyrme's Lair

Braiiiins: Murderbot vs. the Murderbot Diaries

2025-07-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

I’ve been watching Murderbot as it comes out on Apple, and… it’s ok.

I don’t hate it, but I also don’t love it the way I hoped to, and I’ve been trying to figure out why. Here’s the thing: I share with the SecUnit-of-the-book a dislike of watching helpless people, and a preference for watching the smart ones solve problems. In making Murderbot a comedy show, the Apple team has gone for slapstick and this has had an overall flattening effect on everything.

The book PresAux are a group of researchers who are used to thinking their way through situations. When they’re overwhelmed, they think about the situation. The book SecUnit is a very, very smart unit who has kept itself hidden through stealth and cunning. It wins many of its battles the same way—by not charging in firing. The TV team and unit are stumbling and fumbling their way through everything, whining when they are rescued the “wrong way” and attempting to head-butt attacking Security Units. Both teams are overwhelmed when they find themselves under attack by unknown Corporate entities, but one reacts intelligently and makes plans; the other just reacts.

The one time I’ve felt like I was watching a group of researchers was during Complementary Species when Arada marvels at the two alien animals and the team speculates about the shuttle’s probable resemblance to a warm rock; that, sadly, was buried in horrible CGI monsters, a lot of random reactivity, and followed up by the team being spectacularly lucky when attacked by a rival SecUnit – and to To quote the book SecUnit, “I hate luck.”

This leads to another, less important but still notable change: at no point to I feel like the Murderbot of the show is “a horrifying murderbot” or that SecUnits in general are “terrifying killing machines.” The fights shown so far have been short, slow, and unimpressive. No one human should be able to charge, unarmed, up to a SecUnit and live (see Complementary Species). I don’t object to the TV team being shocked and horrified when MurderBot shoots LeeBeebee; I object to Murderbot’s abilities being so deeply downplayed. Look, even LeeBeebee, the Corporate person, made sexual comments about it and gave it an awkward kiss which—SecUnits are terrifying. No one flirts with them, even while pretending to be an idiot. They all know the Unit could kill them in seconds.

Character changes are inevitable when a book is made into a TV show, and they are not always bad. I initially thought I would like the work being done to parallel Gurathin and Murderbot more explicitly. I mean, both characters are augmented, both (in the show) come from the Corporate section, both have seen how low and murder-y the Rim gets. The TV show did also just (clumsily) establish that Gurathin was controlled by drugs—a semi-parallel to MurderBot’s governor module. That could be fertile territory for mutual suspicion based on misunderstanding. However, all we’ve seen is Gurathin having a sort of creepy crush on Mensah which is leading to sexual jealousy, and –why? Sexual jealousy is boring and overused as a motive. Intelligent suspicion based on knowing just how dangerous a SecUnit could be, and/or intelligent suspicion based on Gurathin knowing just how dangerous he, himself, could be would be interesting. This—is not.

Similarly, we haven’t seen anything of the competent lawyer in Pin Lee, the impressive leader in Mensah, or the analyst in Gurathin. We’ve seen a little of the compassionate side of Ratthi, but he’s also being a doofus most of the time, so that’s pretty much a wash as far as I’m concerned.

It's not really that Murderbot is a bad show, exactly; it’s just it’s not living up to what it could be. I also wonder if people who haven't read the books will have any idea what is going on. Everyone has been so busy emoting that the mystery of what is happening on the planet and why is being left by the wayside.

1) The Murderbot Diaries are, actually, often funny; it’s that SecUnit’s style is much more of a dry, ironic humor.

2) And don’t get me started on the three-way marriage that the writers shoved in only to have two of the three over it almost immediately. **Yes, they do have a number of multi-partner marriages in the books, but the on-screen one is created for the show, and no one seems to know what to do with it now that it’s there; the last episode had it “hilariously” (I think it was meant to be funny?) turn into a tiresome triangle.

A Haunting in the Arctic by C. J. Cooke

2024-03-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

I have no idea why I finished this.

I know authors don't owe me anything, but I would really have liked a trigger warning or ten. This book is really, really full of rape scenes. About half the book, maybe more, is dedicated to the details of sexual abuse plus some random other abuse.

I respect that C. J. Cooke is trying something with memory and trauma. I don’t think it works, but she is making an effort and see the outline of what might be—though I also only see it in retrospect from reading her note at the end, so there we are. It’s a big attempt, so credit to her for trying something this complex

However; I have problems. The first part comes from the marketing. I was aware that the description indicated the possibility of rape, or rape threats, but I was hoping for none and definitely not expecting the amount. Also, I was expecting that there would be something else, something interesting involved. The description says that in 1901 Nicky finds herself on the Orman with "the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them..." This implies that she has some skill or gift, supernatural or otherwise, that would be of use to them.

This is not true. They want her for sex. And abuse, and abusive sex.

The amount of rape does not improve the novel: the events that follow could have followed without the detail. In fact, leaving out the descriptions would have left room for some meaningful character development.

The other half of the story takes place over a hundred years later. Dom arrived in the Arctic to explore the wreck of the Orman before it is destroyed. She’s something of a ruin-lover and is hoping to gain followers online from her films and photos. Shortly after arriving, she is surprised by the additional arrival of three other explorers who enthusiastically join in her online plans and work to extend it further. But: The land is harsh and dark, and there are a mysterious appearing and disappearing woman, sleepwalking, and bad dreams to confront.

And then, the explanation is given—and it is clever--everything is solved, and it ends.

The book was also marketed as Gothic, and I’m not sure it really is—I don’t have a firm definition, so I’m not going to argue too hard, but it didn’t give the subtle, creepy vibe that I associate with gothics, and it doesn't pick up on any of the complex place-and-family type themes I think belong there.

I have serious problems with overall plot points as well. This is spoiler territory.

Twist one: Nicky learns she is on the ship because her father gave her to the crew in lieu of monetary payment.

I don’t believe it. If the crew was willing to quit over not having money, the offer of a sex slave would not resolve the issue. A sex slave does not feed the family, buy clothes, or pay the rent. One or two of them might have taken the deal out of a desire for revenge, but the rest? Nope. Also, they mention with some degree of frequency that it is bad luck to have a woman on board. So—no money, some sex, bad luck? It doesn’t add up.

Twist two: The present day, haunted poeple are all ghosts! Dom is Nicky! This is clever, but—BUT. Dominique/Dom/Nicky is from 1901. She’s spent the intervening years being a vengeful spirit running on impulse and/or enacting strange camping scenes with her three ghostly companions. Where, when, and how does she learn all about the internet, likes, follows, solar batteries, cameras, drones and all the other paraphernalia necessary for the “urban explorer/camping” scenarios? The scenes are from her POV, and it's not presented as the oddly-glossed scenario created by someone who hasn't lived with these things. Also, Dom as a character makes no sense. Nothing, and I mean nothing, about Nicky indicates that the Dom persona is something she would create/become. The teeny bit of personality we see before she becomes a traumatized victim is that of a home-maker, someone grieving her daughter and missing her husband, not an adventurer in any sense.

Her three other companions are ghosts she has trapped into a recurring loop with her. Why? How? Why those three? One turns out to be the ghost of a sailor who was mildly nice to/at least didn’t rape her, and was not killed by her. The other two are from the Orman’s brief stint as a research vessel, well after Nicky’s death, killed in one of her vengeful phases. They were not anything to her in life. There is nothing to indicate that their personalities (such as they are), professions, or anything else actually links them to Dominique any more than anyone else she’s killed would be linked to her. So—why them?

They are aware of their plight and aware that they have lived through two hundred some iterations of meeting and spending time with her doing—something? Camping, apparently, most of the time. This time around, they manage to convince her that she is the one causing the scenario, she apologizes for killing the two innocent bystanders plus, the story ends and everyone heads off to the afterlife escorted by their best beloveds.

Ok—so they’ve been through this two hundred plus times. What makes this time different? Dom doesn’t get particularly close to any of them, doesn’t really seem to have more than a cautiously friendly feeling toward them. While they do work at being nice, they also display an underlying tension and hostility toward her (they blame her for their inability to die properly). Also, I suppose camping in the Arctic might get dull after a bit, even if the food is good

No dramatic development of character, friendship, or event seems to warrant Dominique’s sudden awareness of the situation, willingness to unite with her Nicky-half (who is the ghost she’s been seeing--and are the Nicky half and the Dom half regularly divided? I don't know. The plot is vague.) and ability to end it all graciously. Things just—end.

"A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods"

2022-03-24T12:34:00.001-07:00

A Secret Guide to Fighting Elder Gods by Jennifer Brozek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This has Away Game by Seanan Mcguire, and I will never not love her cheerleader stories. "The Art of Dreaming" by Josh Vogt is the best kind of creepy. "Being Emily Clare" by Jonathan Mayberry made me go look at his other books; sadly, none of them seem to be at all similar (possibly interesting, but not like this); the story is a strange mix of cute and creepy. "The Art of Dreams" by Wendy N. Wagner was solid and made me wish there were more to the story.

The others were a mixed bag--none terrible, but none that particularly stood out for me.

The book as a whole is entertaining, but not earthshaking.

View all my reviews

Random Blake's 7 Thought: Vila

2022-03-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

Just started re-watching Blake's 7 thanks to it being available for through BBC-something, which one can add to Amazon Prime Viewing for an extra fee (I find the extra fees annoying, but I am glad it is possible now to choose channels individually. One reason I never liked cable was that I'd want shows on three different channels that were in three entirely different packages). I had totally forgotten that Vila-the-coward chose to join Blake in the attempt to escape Cygnus Alpha, and there were actually quite a few people who didn't join but chose to stay in the prison/with the cult out of fear. I'd also forgotten his role in the ship rebellion earlier--that he'd been doing magic tricks for the guards all along & willingly acted as a distraction for the team (though he quite sensibly refused to go wandering through the ship's walls & thus avoided death-by-foam). I'm not sure what the point of this is: That Vila really isn't quite as cowardly as he thinks? That he really is useful? That Avon should shut up about him already? (Not that Avon is likely to shut up about anyone, ever!).

"Amethyst Dreams" is better described as beige

2019-02-11T13:50:00.001-08:00

Three parts to this review: 1) The introduction is entirely charming and I could listen to Whitney reminisce for much longer. 2) The narrator, Susan Ericksen, is superb and provides the protagonist with far more personality than the text. 3) The book itself, which is disappointing.

This is supposed to be a Gothic & a mystery. It's neither. Hallie enters a world of lost people and long buried secrets and...does nothing and has nothing done to her. She's confused, people decide to spill their secrets, the book ends.

I can almost believe people opening up about long-hidden secrets--there is something to be said for throwing a stone into a pond, and Hallie serves that role. The trouble is, she has about that level of personality as well, and one wants rather more in a protagonist.

Her "detecting" consists of saying "I can't do this" alternating with asking people "What do you think happened?" and ignoring people who said things about her friend "liking to cause trouble."

There's also a lot of telling rather than showing: We are told Hallie is practical and stable and that her more flighty friend, Susan, listened to her advice. There's no point in the novel where Hallie comes across as particularly practical, stable, or useful. There are also no stories or memories of incidents in which Susan needed her help--just statements that she had.

And I love happy endings, but Amethyst Dreams consists of a sudden "Bam! Everyone is happy now!" Even someone who has spent the entire book dying of cancer is suddenly chipper and apparently well because he's regained the will to live.

I was so glad to visit Goodreads and see others saying Amethyst Dreams isn't Whitney's best because I have fond memories of her from high school and would hate to think that they were entirely based on fals premises.

Embroidering My Little Mermaid

2018-11-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

I'm embroidering and doll making more again. I just finished one of 3 mermaids I currently plan on making. My main concern about her now is that I made it for a little girl (6ish) and now I'm afraid I may have fancied it up too much for her to enjoy it. I was having so much fun putting beads on!

Facebook. Meet Friends or Manage Your Feed?

2018-11-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

This used to be true.

I am fed up with Facebook.

I have had a profile for years (more than a decade!) now, and somewhere along the line, the platform has gone from "Meet your friends!" to "Manage your feed!" The first was fun, the last—not so much.

I know it's common to complain about "The good old days," but Facebook, when I first got my profile, was fun. I played silly games with friends, I got to see pictures of their kids, their pets, their houses, and to be a part of their lives. I reconnected with people I hadn't seen in years, and stayed in touch with people who probably wouldn't have kept up with letter or email exchanges. We goofed off, we chatted, and we got to know one another better.

I quickly learned that the silly games were a bad idea—Facebook wasn't careful about making sure the apps didn't share data I wanted shared—but that was a simple fix. I stopped playing Farmville or trading zoo animals with people, and Facebook went on being fun.

Somewhere in there, though, it changed, slowly enough at first that I didn't really notice, or mind—much. Ads gained more prominence, the newsfeed started to be organized by an unexplained algorithm, I started to miss more and more posts by friends. Things got increasingly political and stressful, egged on by the mystery algorithm which, whatever else it was doing, promoted controversial posts over quiet ones.

I kept adapting. I read articles. I learned how to best manage my feed. I blocked this and tweaked that. I held onto the idea that Facebook was about staying connected to my friends, and I wanted to stay connected to my friends. This all started because I like these people and I want to hear about their lives.

And it wasn't hopeless: There are still flares of people meeting. I get to share pictures of my adorable dog, people still enjoy word play, and the amount of love and support people gave when my mother died helped through a very dark time—and still helps.

But that was almost two years ago. I'm not sure the same thing would happen today. Not because the people have grown any worse--They remain the same wonderful friends I have had for years—but because the mystery algorithm has continued to evolve and feed management has become ever more complex. These days, I don't know if my friends would see my post to respond to it. I don't know what triumphs or tragedies I've missed in their lives. The last time I logged on as a casual user, I could barely find my friends amidst all the noise.

There were suggestions that I "promote" posts from pages I manage, posts from publications one friend or another had liked at some point or another. Posts from publications whose articles I had liked, sponsored articles from various publications I might like, and a new set of "popular on Facebook" posts that had nothing to do with anything. It was almost impossible to find anything actually written by a friend amidst all this. I gave up on counting, but I think less than one in four items in that day's feed was an actual, real update by an actual, real friend.

And I realized: This has stopped being fun. It hasn't been fun for a long time now, no matter how I've tried to keep it about friends, how I've juggled timing or rearranged my "likes." And—it really doesn’t matter how much work I put into this business of managing my feed, it's never going t be enough. The algorithms are going to change again. The clutter is going to increase, and the stress is going to go up.

Yes, I still have an account—I need one for work—but the initial reason I signed on? That got lost somewhere in the shuffle. It's not coming back.

I might not either, not to my personal page.

How will I replace Facebook? I don't know. Maybe I'll try emailing again, or letter writing. Maybe I'll try carrier pigeons. I haven't decided. I'm away for the month, that's all I know for now.

PS: Yes, I am aware of the irony of sharing this on Facebook. But I do want my friends—the ones who can find me amidst that thicket of ads—to know that I haven't abandoned them. I still care for them. I just can't handle all that clutter.

Good Writers Should Never Die: Sue Hubbell

2018-10-21T16:02:00.000-07:00

Writers should live forever.

That's all there is to it.

I just found out today that Sue Hubbell died on October 17, 2018. As with other cases where authors have died, this is a selfish grief: I didn't know Sue Hubbell, I knew her work, and I wanted more of it.

She, or at least her writing self, is what I want to be when I grow up: Observant, endlessly curious, forever asking questions, getting people to show her behind the scenes and sharing what she found. She has a persistent and quiet sense of wonder about the natural world, and she shares it with everyone.

A Country Year: Living the Questions, Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugsm Waiting for Aphrodite: Journeys into the Time Before Bones and especially Shrinking the Cat: Genetic Engineering Before We Knew About Genes are some of my favorite books.

And, yes, in some ways she is living forever, thus the present-tense when I talk of her as a writer--her books are available and will, hopefully, remain so. But, I've been looking forward to her next set of questions, her next exploration, and now...there won't be any more.

I LOVE This! Flip-Flops become Art

2018-07-14T08:55:00.001-07:00

I'm in love with people who can make things out of trash anyway, and these are unexpected and beautiful:

Your Day Just Got 100% Better because Patrick Stewart read 1-Star Reviews of Famous Monuments

2017-02-25T14:40:00.001-08:00

I have no idea what prompted GQ decide to ask Patrick Stewart to sit down and read 1-star reviews of famous monuments, but whoever thought of the idea deserves our gratitude.

And, now that I think of it, Mt. Rushmore is rather inconveniently located. Let's move it closer to some other landmark--Disneyland, perhaps?

Books From the Book Club that Never Was

2015-10-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I was going to lead a book club. I was very excited about the idea and spent some time choosing the books--which involved lots of reading of all kinds of authors I had never heard of before. Other demands kept taking my time, though, and when someone else volunteered to lead the club, I stepped aside

Still, I spent a lot of time working on the list, and I still think it's a good list, so here, for your own book club and private enjoyment, is a list of twelve books for the year, plus some "Maybe next year" books with shorter blurbs.

I had three rules when I was making this list. I wanted:

1) Books written by women

2) Books that were easily available

3) Some diversity.

They also had to be good, of course, and if the book was a part of a series, I chose the first book.

1. The Book The Last Planet by Andre Norton (also published as Star Rangers; it's out of print in either title, but there seem to be plenty of second-hand books available.)

What It's About: The Patrol are proud members of the Galactic Empire's Fleet. They're also in the way, and the Starfire has been ordered to re-map lost territories, going past the edges of currently known space. Ultimately, the ship crashes irreparably on a world so far off the map the crew doesn't know the name. Now, they must choose between reviving an ancient city or striking out into the wilderness. They also have to deal with long-standing divisions in the ship, divisions between human and non-human and between Patrol and Rangers. There may also be allies out in this new world—or enemies.

Why I Chose It: Andre Norton is the Grand Dame of science fiction and fantasy, one of the Golden Age writers (the Andre Norton Award was named after her) and author of over three hundred published works. The Last Planet combines her interest in history (the Starfire's mission was inspired by a tale from Roman history) with her loosely developed Galactic Empire. Many of the races and relationships shown here appear in her other books. Also? It's good, one of her best.

Additional: Adult, older book not currently in publication. There are plenty of second-hand copies, though.

Ultimately, I might have chosen a more readily-available Andre Norton. There are even some free ebooks. But—this is my favorite of her books.

2. The Book: Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees

What it's About: Lud-in-the-Mist is a quiet, staid, and sensible town. So what if it is near Fairyland? Everyone knows better than to eat fairy fruit or to follow the fairies anywhere. They don't even mention it, if they can help it. Then the mayor's son turns out to have eaten fairy fruit and several young women from Miss Crabapple's Academy for Young Ladies disappear. Now what?

Why I Chose It: It's early fantasy. It's beautiful. It was written by one of Virginia Woolfe's friends. Really, the question is why not read it?

Do give yourself some extra time for this one. It asks for the reader's full attention.

Additional notes : Adult; just barely out of the Victorian era.

3. The Book: Foreigner by C.J. Cherryh

What It's About: Bren Bren Cameron is the paidhi, the only human allowed to set foot on the atevi mainland, the ambassador between the two races. Most humans, descendents of a group who landed on the planet long ago, live on the island of Mospheira, the place they were allowed after a disastrous war between the races. Mostly, Bren's job is ceremonial and quiet—until it isn't. Suddenly, he's being shot at, shuffled off, away from the capital where he has always lived, trying frantically to figure out what has changed and why, and which of the factions is telling the truth.

Why I Chose It: Cherryh creates some of the most fully-realized aliens in contemporary science fiction. The Foreigner series is her most elaborate and layered creation, featuring a planet full of aliens with varied cultures and responses—and humans with almost as much variation. Also, there is intrigue, some fighting, and cross-country rides on beasts that are rather like mammoths. And this is the book where it all started.

Additional notes : Adult, the first of FIFTEEN books and counting.

4. The Book: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

What It's About: Magic in England is entirely theoretical, something clubs of magicians sit and chat about comfortably. Oh, it was real once, but that was a long time ago. Then Mr. Norrell announces he can work real magic, Jonathan Strange figures out how to do some spectacular works, and it's being used in warfare. A fairy (not the little kind; the scary sort) shows up making dangerous bargains, and the Raven King may be returning.

Why I Chose It: Footnotes! This book has some seriously funny footnotes. It's also the best Victorian novel written in the twentieth century. There's great world-building, some terrifying fairies, and an eccentric pair of not-exactly heroes. Also, Mr. Norrell is a book-miser.

Additional notes : Adult, long, so far the author's only full-length book.

5. The Book: Shadows by Robin McKinley

What It's About: Maggie's new stepfather may make her mother smile, but he comes complete with terrible taste in shirts, an odd accent, and far, far too many shadows. The shadows are oddly shaped and they don't move the way they should. Maggie has enough to handle dealing with her senior year of high school, hauling around an enormous Algebra book, and helping out at the animal shelter to cope with shadows that shouldn't be there, and that she shouldn't be seeing anyway. Then she meets a handsome young man who recognizes her stepfather, gaps in reality start opening near her town, and the army moves in to help out, and magic, which should not exist in Newworld, where Maggie lives, becomes increasingly important.

Why I Chose It: Robin McKinley. Also, there is a friendly Algebra book. It's has a unique look at magic, good character development, a cheerful and mostly obedient dog, and is simply well-written.

Additional notes : MG.

6. The Book: The Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones

What it's About: Mr. Chesney offers Pilgrim Tours to a magical realm where people are promised the chance to go on a quest, slay a dark lord, and see some magic. The trouble is, the people of the magic realm are getting tired of the tours. They have to take turns being the Dark Lord and they're tired of keeping their villages looking just so. They're obligated to continue hosting the tours, however, unless someone can think of a way out.

Why I Chose It: It's funny and a good story, both. The author of The Tough Guide to Fantasyland had taken all the fantasy clichés she can think of, given them a good shake, and told a story with them. It even includes a genuine quest as the Dark Lord and his children try to figure out how to get rid of the tourists once and for all.

Additional notes : YA/Adult

7. The Book A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

What It's About: Felicity Pickle and her sister, Frannie Jo, travel with their mother from place to place, never really settling down. The two girls are getting tired of it, and when the family arrives in Midnight Gulch, a town that tales say was once full of magic, Felicity feels at home. She decides that in order to stay she has to bring the magic back full force. As she moves through the town learning the town’s stories and that of its people, she figures out the magic that is left and the mending that is needed to bring it back.

Why I Chose It: It is beautifully written, as in the prose itself is beautiful. Lloyd is writing about small, everyday magics and how they affect life. She is also a word-lover, writing about words.

Additional notes : MG.

8. The Book: Apparitions: Ghosts of Old Edo by Miyuki Miyabe

What It's About: A series of short stories based on Japanese tales, now translated into English. There are ghosts, of course. Some of them are harmful, some are quite helpful. The tales are borderline fantasy/horror stories.
Why I Chose It: These stories are haunting in both senses of the world. They are full of ghosts, and they will linger in your mind long after you have finished reading. They are somewhere between fantasy and horror.

Additional notes : Adult, Japanese author; borders on horror.

9. The Book: Half World by Hiromi Goto

What It's About: Fourteen-year-old Melanie Tamaki is struggling to take care of her often-ill mother and struggling to figure out what they will eat at home. She's more or less used to being bullied. Then her mother disappears, and she finds out that both her mother and father are in the Half World, a kind of Purgatory. She follows to rescue them and learns that the half world, the spirit world, and the material world split long ago, trapping everyone in the Half World in an endless cycle, and the only way to save her mother is to break the cycle.

Why I Chose It: It has one of the spookiest villains in literature. It also has a stubborn heroine who keeps on putting one foot in front of another, even when life gets difficult. Add to that a green Jade rat who gives advice, an eight-ball that asks more questions than it answers, and an unusual and detailed setting, and this book is a winner.

Additional notes : MG, Japanese-Canadian author

10. The Book: Prophecy by Ellen Oh

What It's About: Kira is the only demon-slayer in the king's army and bodyguard to the prince. When treachery and a demon invasion endanger the prince, her cousin, she is charged with keeping him safe. Some think that he is the savior predicted in the Dragon King's prophecy, the one who will drive back the demons and restore peace. She has to keep him alive for this to happen.

Why I Chose It: It's not just that Kira is a skilled fighter and a determined bodyguard, though she is. It is also the way Ellen Oh has written the family dynamics in the traveling group: The king is Kira's cousin and they travel with her older brother. Then there is the beauty of the kingdom they travel through, and the way Oh weaves the kingdom's mythology through the book. This is the first book in a trilogy, but it functions well as a standalone

Additional Notes, : YA, Korean-American Author

11. The Book: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

What It's About: Yeine Darr spent her life in her father's homeland of Darre, a small kingdom looked down on by the ruling Aramari, her mother's people. Then, four months after her mother's death, her grandfather summons her to the capital and makes her one of his heirs. The trouble is, there are two others—and she is in competition with them. She finds herself dealing with unfamiliar people and manners and meeting the captive gods, held as servants to the royal family. These gods might be her friends, but they also want something from her.

Why I Chose It: N. K. Jemisin does a first-class job of world-building here. The mythology is strong, well-developed, and memorable. Yeine has to balance what is true and what is not from the conflicting tales she has been told in the past and is told now.

12. The Book: Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

What It's About: Fourteen-year-old Sophronia Temminneck is extremely annoyed when her mother sends her to finishing school. The school catches her attention when she learns that, in addition to teaching social discourse, proper deportment, eyelash fluttering, and how to curtsy properly, it includes courses on “the fine arts of death, diversion, and the modern weaponries." There are is also a mystery to solve: What and where is the "prototype" everyone keeps hunting for?

Why I Chose It: It's a funny, light-hearted book with plenty of wit and whimsy—perfect for reading during the busy holidays when most people are "too busy" to read. There are plenty of read-aloud and laugh-aloud lines included.

Middle Grade

Other Possibilities:

Sister Mine by Nolo Hopkinson (Strong characterization, great use of the mythos. Makela and Abby keep on having the same argument. It may be realistic, but it's also tiresome. Adult, African American author.)

Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper (MG, a fantasy classic; haunting in spots; annoying in others)

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

In the Forrests of Serre by Patricia Mckillip

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Jinx by Sage Blackwood

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Don't Look Now: and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier

Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine

Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow (will make you cry)

Speed of Dark Elizabeth Moon

Zahrah Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafo (Great world-building, overused exclamation marks; middle grade, African American)

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (Japanese. Adult(?) I totally loved this story—the warrior guardian has to take care of the prince while he serves as a "nursery" to the egg of a rain spirit; Uehashi has a fantastic supporting cast, too. The drawback? The translation is stilted. There's nothing overtly wrong with it in terms of grammatical construction, but it gets dull after a time)

Pickiness That Can Trouble A Reader

2015-09-29T17:53:00.001-07:00

I'm back to looking for a new cozy series to follow again. Part of the problem I am having is that, while I really enjoy a lot of the tropes, I've now read enough books to be getting picky.

I'm not sure how to categorize the kind I've been devouring lately, but they are a subgenre of the cozy and usually include:

1) A female amateur detective
2) A bitchy rival--often she's the person who dies in the first book, thus making Our Heroine suspect number one and getting her involved in crime solving.
2) Sexual Tension between the amateur detective and the police detective in charge of the crime.
3) A carefully described, usually idyllic setting (Idyllic except for the bodies)
4) A punning title
5) Lots of good food.
6) A murder that really doesn't bother the reader significantly and is usually not that big a deal to the protagonist either (Unless it's bitchy rival; then she gets whatever niche to herself).

Also 7) They tend to be written quickly for summer reading and therefore don't generally have the best prose (though there are exceptions).

And...I am probably missing a few traits.

The thing is, when I'm in the mood for these, I really love them. They are reassuring and comfortable, like a favorite pair of jeans, or the baggy T-shirt you wear just for watching TV or reading in.

But--even while I love them, I eventually turn away because some of the tropes start to grate. Like--Why does the heroine have to date the policeman in charge of the investigation? Can't she just investigate alone? Or date the local chef or something? And, can we please, forever and always ditch the bitchy alternate? All she really does is prove Our Heroine to be good by contrast. And die. Like I said, she often dies. Surely the heroine can start elsewhere?

Yet, it's almost impossible to find a punny-titled cozy that doesn't include those two things, and I'm left with a quite unreasonable push and pull.

Do you ever find that pickiness gets in the way of enjoying something? How do you overcome it?

This doesn't mean I haven't found any to enjoy, on the contrary. It just means sometimes I get in my way!

The Postman Always Purls Twice by Anne Canadeo is an Extra Cozy Cozy Mystery

2015-09-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Postman Always Purls Twice is the seventh book in the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series. I have read them all and am constantly checking the library to see if the latest one is in. These are extra-cozy cozies. In each of them, a group of women get together to knit, chat, and eat delicious food. Somewhere along the line, someone is murdered, and the women pool their resources to figure out who did it and why. There's not much gore, and the victim is usually someone the women like, but not someone the reader has necessarily gotten too fond of. In other words, they're perfect for those times when you just want a really relaxed read. It's like snuggling in a warm blanket.

The focus in these is really on the friendship between the women. They generally walk over to Maggie's shop, Blacksheep Knitting, at least once a day to exchange news and speculate, often carrying something edible—this is in addition to the regularly scheduled meet and knit. They chat, exchange news about their lives, and generally enjoy being together. The Postman Always Purls Twice is no exception. In this one, a studio is filming in Maggie's Black Sheep Knitting shop, and a series of suspicious accidents has everyone on the alert even before someone dies. Feeling a proprietary interest in things, the women get to work right away. With an entire film's worth of people to suspect, there is no shortage of suspects.

Much as I enjoy these books, there is one caveat: Each and every one of them has several typing errors. This one has what looks as a Find-Replace error running through the whole book. I can more or less ignore them, but they are there. Also, Anne Canadeo has yet to meet a sentence she can't fragment. That is a little harder to overlook. For me, the atmosphere and friendship overrides the grammar and punctuation concerns, but others may find it harder to overlook.

I will say, though, that she has recovered nicely from her desire to show everyone's texts and emails. The first couple of books were rougher going as each email would summarize events that had already been described in the book, usually right before the email or text. Now, if someone texts, she just writes "she texted" rather than detailing the text.

If you're looking for a really relaxing cozy with good friends working together and can overlook some grammatical faux pas, The Black Sheep Murder Mystery books are perfect.

Supergirl! Who else is looking forward to her?

2015-09-23T10:48:00.001-07:00

So who else loves the action-girl version of Supergirl?

The newest Supergirl trailer has all the action anyone could ask for, showing her in costume battling an array of villains and carrying out daring rescues. She's going to be as active as anyone could wish. Add in the strong supporting cast and the fact that the last trailer showed her apparently having fun with her powers and it looks like Supergirl is going to get off to a strong start.

Now I'm starting to look forward to this! Always assuming, of course, that I can manage to squeeze watching it in! I am woefully behind on my superhero shows. Don't tell anyone, but I haven't actually finished Season One of Flash yet, and I liked it! Barry may be an idiot, but he's a likable idiot. I'm also still early Season Two on Arrow. Oliver is also an idiot, but he's a handsome idiot and he has Felicity on his team.

Anyway--Supergirl trailer:

Synopsis for Supergirl

Born on the planet Krypton, Kara Zor-El escaped amid its destruction years ago with her famous cousin. Now at the age 24, she finally embraces her superhuman abilities to be the hero she was always meant to be.

This a chattier version of a post I wrote earlier for FangirlNation. Post update/repost made with permission!

Parting is Such Sith Sorrow: A Look Back at Shakespeare's Star Wars | Quirk Books : Publishers

2015-09-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

Because it's been a long time since I updated, and because I love the Shakespeare Star Wars Books:

Parting is Such Sith Sorrow: A Look Back at Shakespeare's Star Wars | Quirk Books : Publishers

Watch the Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell Online NOW

2015-06-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

BBC America has decided to have pity on us poor Americans and put the premiere of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell online now. Enjoy!

First-Century Silk Scams, Popcorn, Elephants, and Other Answers with More Questions

2015-05-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Things I have learned and things I still need to find out:

1) I have learned that Chicago Style Popcorn is mixed Caramel and Cheese Popcorn

I still need to know what makes this Chicago style popcorn, not just "yummy, mixed flavor" popcorn.

2) I have learned that trees share nutrients through the fungal web, even with trees of different species. Douglass firs and paper birch, for an example, have a seasonal relationship: Paper birch trees send nutrients to Douglass fir trees when the latter are shaded by other trees; in the fall and spring, when the birch have no leaves, the Douglas firs send nutrients their way. It's very tidy.

I still need to know how many other trees do this? How much is the fungus deciding and how much the tree? Or can we even say "This is the tree, and that is the fungus"?

3) I have learned that the Syrians spent years in the first century unweaving heavy Chinese silk and reweaving it into something lighter. The Parthians then took it back to China claiming that the Romans just had better silkworms (See Justinian's Flea)

I still need to know how long this went on, how many people were in on the scam, and what the Chinese did or thought when they found out.

4) I have learned that all comic books should have T-Rexes

I still need to know why they don't.

4) That some farmers in Kenya are using bees to protect them from elephants, and have been for a while. It seems that in 2002 someone noticed that elephants don't bother acacia trees with hives in them. In 2011, this was taken to the logical conclusion: The hives are placed on a fence around the crops, and when the elephants bump the fence, the bees get mad. Elephants do not like being stung and usually steer clear. As a bonus, the farmers are harvesting the honey.

Apparently, the elephants don't always even need to bump the fence since they know what bees smell and sound like.From the 2002 acacia observations:

Elephants may even avoid the sound of bees. One old bull that had been badly stung several years earlier turned tail at a tape recording of a buzzing hive, the researchers point out. The control treatment - a Bach violin concerto - left elephants unmoved.

I still need to know how the farmers get in and out of the field without getting stung, how widespread it is (there is a Facebook page that may help with that), and what elephants really think of Bach.

5) Yes, that adoring doggy gaze is adoring, and dogs actually respond positively to holding the gaze of a known human.

I still need to know how this relates to all that advice about not looking directly at a dog because it signals an attempt at dominance. Is this only true with strange dogs? Or was it never true at all?

6) That bees may actually like some of the new neonicotinoids pesticides (IMD & TMX). In the lab, when given a choice between sugar water and sugar water with just a teeny bit of pesticide--the equivalent of what would be in nectar--they actually sought out the pesticide-laced stuff. This is not good, as they are still damaged by it. The researchers who did the experiment were extremely careful not to say that the bees were addicted to the pesticides, and to say that there needed to be further study, but if the bees do find the pesticide tasty, that's...not good, to put it mildly.

I still need to know: Are they addicted? Also, what are IMD & TMX compared to everything else?

7) That spiders sprayed with graphene produce silk that is 6x stronger than regular silk.

I still need to know: Why would anyone spray a spider with graphene? What were the researchers doing, sitting around and spraying spiders with whatever they had on hand? Hairspray? Paint?

It's nifty in a way because it does raise the possibility of making other "bionic materials" and it leads to more questions about how spiders spin their webs anyway (Why did the graphene end up strengthening the web?). It's hard on the spiders, though. Four of the five died shortly thereafter.

US to See Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in June

2015-05-07T11:13:00.001-07:00

Hey, they've finally given us an air date! Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell the miniseries will start in the US on June 13 at 10 PM on a Saturday.

I guess we can analyze the three minute clip obsessively in the meantime. Or reread the book--or listen to it. I really do like Simon Prebble's narration.

Anyway, the blog will probably stop being almost entirely about J&N for a while now.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell--UK release date and THREE MINUTES from the first episode

2015-05-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

Ok, so those of you in the UK will get to see Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on May 17th. We in the US apparently still have to wait until "this summer." In the meantime, we can all console ourselves with three minutes from the first show. I also want to know why the US is watching it later than the UK when it is described as co-produced by BBC America and BBC One--as in, they made it together.

The official description from the BBC America page to prove I'm not making that made-it-together thing up:

BBC AMERICA’s new original drama series, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, is based on The New York Times bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. The series is adapted by Peter Harness (Wallander, Is Anybody There?) and directed by Toby Haynes (The Musketeers, Doctor Who).

The seven-part series stars Eddie Marsan (Best of Men, Ray Donovan, Filth) and Olivier award-winning Bertie Carvel (Restless, Hidden, Matilda) who take on the magical roles of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Further casting includes Alice Englert (Ginger & Rosa, Beautiful Creatures), Marc Warren (Hustle, Mad Dogs, The Musketeers), Samuel West (Mr Selfridge, Fleming), and Charlotte Riley (Wuthering Heights, Easy Virtue).

Set at the beginning of the 19th-century, England no longer believes in practical magic. The reclusive Mr Norrell (Marsan) of Hurtfew Abbey stuns the city of York when he causes the statues of York Cathedral to speak and move. With a little persuasion and help from his man of business Childermass (Enzo Cilenti), he goes to London to help the government in the war against Napoleon. It is there Norrell summons a fairy (Warren) to bring Lady Pole (Englert) back from the dead, opening a whole can of worms…

The series is produced by Cuba Pictures for BBC One and co-produced with BBC AMERICA, in association with Feel Films, Far Moor, Screen Yorkshire and Bell Media’s SPACE. It is distributed by Endemol Worldwide Distribution.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will premiere on BBC AMERICA in 2015.

Guardian article on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

2015-05-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

My thanks to Georgina Malcom for pointing to this lovely article by Susanna Clarke on her visit to the set of the Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell miniseries:

Susanna Clarke on the TV Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: ‘My own characters were walking about!’:

But nothing, I find, has prepared me for the sight of my own characters walking about. A playwright or screenwriter must expect it; a novelist doesn’t and naturally concludes that she has gone mad. (What do they need so many umbrellas for? Don’t they realise that they are imaginary?)

In other news, I am beginning to suspect I should rename this blog. Is "Obsessing about a miniseries" a suitable title, do you think?

In truth, I am enjoying rounding up bits and scraps and wondering. As I have every expectation of the show being worth the wait, I can be quite happy in my impatience (I still hope we get a US airdate soon, though!).

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell--May 16 (in the UK)

2015-05-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

So, BBC One now has Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell on schedule for the week of May 16-22 (I can't see the exact day, can you?)

BBC America, which does claim it will air it, does not appear to have a date yet, or at least, all I could find was "Sorry, this show is not airing in the near future." Shake the Magic Eight ball?

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Gets a Page

2015-04-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Still no air date, though and you have to be in the UK to watch any of the clips on site, but it is progress, right?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02mrqzv

Maybe BBC America will make one too, and we can not have the date in two countries.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell--AN ACTUAL TRAILER!!

2015-04-25T18:20:00.003-07:00

No release date, though.

Death and the Robot--Sweet, Sad & Strange

2015-04-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

I heard about this a while ago & only just got around to watching it. Now I think everyone else should, too.

Death and the Robot from Alex Thompson on Vimeo.

Directed & Animated by Austin Taylor (atayloranimator.com/)
Written & Co-Produced by Alexander Thompson
Co-Produced by Julia Festa
Music by Tom Hauser
Sound Design by James McDonough
Photographed by Chase Shultz
Full crew list at IMDB: imdb.com/title/tt2913704/

Bones, Monsters, and Magnets: Links April 25, 2015

2015-04-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Some new-to-me stuff:

1) It is possible, at least in some cases--at least in one case so far--to use nose nerve cells to repair spinal cord damage. A Bulgarian man paralyzed after being knifed, is now walking again with a walker for support after physicians grafted cells from his nose into his spine. They also used tendons from his ankle to give the nerve cells something to grow on. Apparently, nose nerve cells, unlike spinal nerve cells, are programmed to keep regenerating and repairing. No one is sure, though, whether this is going to be generally applicable, or applicable only after very straight cuts.

2) Blind rats (one article said their eyes ere "sealed shut," which makes me hope they were unsealed afterward) implanted with geomagnetic sensors that let them sense the difference between north and south could use them to navigate. This is interesting because--well, because it is. I mean, brains not wired to run on magnetic signals can learn to do so in a remarkable short span of time. Also, it might be useful because of the possibility that blind people might be given similar sensors. Or, sighted people might also be given them "just because:"

"I'm dreaming that humans can expand their senses through artificial sensors for geomagnetism, ultraviolet, radio waves, ultrasonic waves and so on," says Yuji Ikegaya of the University of Tokyo in Japan, head of the team that installed and tested the 2.5-gram implant. "Ultrasonic and radio-wave sensors may enable the next generation of human-to-human communication," he says.

(Newscientist.com)

Personally, I am not all that thrilled about people poking around in my brain to add extra equipment, but I have to admit that it is interesting, and if anyone else does it, I'll be there asking questions.

3) Ten Things to Know About Medieval Monsters: A useful guide to monsters you may happen to meet if you go time traveling. There is also a book on the subject published by the British library.

4) EpiBone is figuring out how to grow human bones "In the future, Tandon says, EpiBone’s technology could be used to treat anything from bone loss and broken femurs to complex facial fractures and genetic defects." It will take a while to be ready for commercial use; right now EpiBone has only 3 full-time employees.

5) 3-D printed food continues to spread. One company is planning on selling home-printers (called Foodinis) soon. The results can be decorative, like layered chocolates with the country of origin printed in gold on the outside of the sphere, or odd, like purple broccoli-flavored cubes (Why?). It's still super-slow, but I'm trying to imagine what I would print if I could. What about you?

6) I meant to post this last week, but I got so distracted by trailers and all that I forgot: THE BRONTOSAURUS IS BACK! Pluto will probably never be restored to planethood, but our favorite big vegetarian has been recognized as real.

7) Carnivorous Flamingos Abound:

http://erinbowbooks.tumblr.com/post/114554398369/stunningpicture-a-flock-of-lawn-flamingos-can

Apparently, this is actually on the Google Campus, though the T-Rex, at least, predates Google.

8) Three Reasons Not to Leave a Dead Body on the Carpet. In case you were wondering. Also, dogs are amazing.

Book News

1) As I am totally in love with Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series, I was delighted to learn that, not only is there going to be a Rivers of London comic book miniseries, it is going to be set in the same continuity (Between Foxglove Summer and Broken Homes) and Ben Aaronovitch is one of the writers!

2) April has been a very good month for books. I have not actually managed to read them all, but I have most of them corralled for reading:
Tracker by C.J. Cherryh--the sixteenth (!) book in her Foreigner series
The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens by Henry C. Clark
Jinx's Magic by Sage Blackwood (A satisfying end to the series that leaves the right number of things open while tying up the main points)
The Mad Apprentice by Django Wexler
Captain Marvel Vol. 2 by Kelly Sue DeConnick
William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace by Ian Doescher (Which I reviewed over on FangirlNation)

Special mention to two books from earlier this year:
The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente, which I have only just started.
A Darker Shade of Magic by by V.E. Schwab, which is an awesome book, has an upcoming sequel, and possesses a marvelous cover.