All Booked Up

More Spinning

2013-05-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

An update of sorts to Spinning My Wheels And Getting Nowhere, which I wrote last summer when I had a streak of bad luck with my spinning wheel and bobbins (mostly the bobbins). It must have been not more than a week after the events I described previously that my fiance convinced me that just gluing the bobbins back together wasn't going to work indefinitely - yes I'm a bit of a cheapskate at times, and I also believe that glue is a spectacular fix-all.

He got me to go order a few new bobbins - and what's more, to upgrade my wheel a bit. It's still the same old single-treadle Ashford Traveller - I love the look of the Traveller with the turned wood lines and old-fashioned styling, but I now have a jumbo sliding hook flyer, and the larger bobbins to go with it. Means I can do longer skeins of yarn now as the bobbins won't fill up as quickly. The sliding hooks took some getting used to - and they've changed the appearance of my wheel a bit - it's no longer quite so old fashioned in look. But, there's no more wasted space in on the bobbin where the hooks won't fill. I can slide the hook across to fill much more evenly.

The one thing I wish I could do is figure out how to match the finish on the wheel - I got it used a few years ago and it has a lovely rich finish, while the new bobbins and flyer are unfinished wood. A little jarring in appearance I find. I've kept the old flyer system for any time I want to take photos of the wheel, not that that's happened as yet.

I have yet to completely fill one of the jumbo bobbins too. The current project I have on the go is a pound of undyed wool that I'm trying to spin as finely as I can. It's taking a lot longer than I thought it would. It's funny. I know the name of the sheep the wool came from, but I don't know the breed. At any rate, the wool has a white base with the occasional dark brown hair, making for an interesting colour mixture as I spin it - some sections come out darker than others, depending on the frequency of the darker hairs. It's spinning up quite nicely (so long as the cats haven't been playing with it) - nicer than the merino I had on the wheel prior to this one. That's a project I've kind of given up on for a while, there were so many bits in the wool.

As usual, I have several drop-spindles on the go as well. One lovely multicolor pinks and purples in mohair that's spinning up even and fine. A purple merino and silk combo that I need to get back to (I just found it again yesterday). Blue and white sprinkle-dyed corriedale top that is spinning up into a lovely fine single. I've actually got several balls of singles for this one waiting for me to figure out what I want to do with them in terms of plying. The final spindle has an interesting mix of colours in merino, including yellows, blues and pinks, also sprinkle-dyed. This one's going to take a while to do, as I've got another two and a half bags of the wool. This one is slowly being chain-plied on the wheel - so far it's half-filled one of the jumbo bobbins, but I want to wait until I've got Freddie's wool spun before I do more.

The Kobo Family

2013-05-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Way back when, when I got my first E-reader from Kobo, they only had the one model. Now, there are almost too many to count - especially when you add in all the colour options.

The earliest that I still see on the market on occasion is the Kobo Wi-Fi. This was the second Kobo E-reader I got, and as a basic model, it still does absolutely fine. If I remember correctly, it held up to a thousand books and the battery typically lasted about two weeks. I remember getting about three to five books read on it at a time. I know this one was on the market in mid-2011 because I wrote a post about it around then. This was the first Kobo to give more than simply a choice between black and white. There was the black, all-white, white and lavender, white and silver, white and baby blue, and I think, white with a grey backing. Navigation was done via the thumb-pad in the bottom right corner.

The next models on the market were the Kobo Vox and the Kobo Touch. Two completely different e-readers catering to a completely different audience set. The Kobo Touch was the next generation e-ink reader and the first of the new touch-screen readers Kobo released. The biggest additions this brought about were more control over the page appearance - not just font size, but multiple fonts, line spacing and margins were all adjustable. They also added the ability to touch a footnote and have the book take you to that point and then back to your original page again, which in my mind opened up a lot of non-fiction reading options, not to mention the ability to highlight and take notes on what you're reading. Kobo also improved the battery life dramatically. As with the Wi-Fi, the Touch comes in several colour options, including pink, blue and white backs with a white front, and also an all black model.

The Kobo Vox is one I've written about quite a bit on All Booked Up. It was the first Kobo Tablet E-reader. As a result it has all of the positives and the negatives for the type. I have one though, and I quite like it, so in my mind given what it is, for a certain segment of the population, the Vox is ideal, and the shortcomings won't be as noticeable. Mainly the shortcomings are that the battery life is about seven or eight hours of use and that the tablet isn't the fastest one out there. On the positive side is the ease of being able to browse the internet via Wi-Fi, and get your e-mail, jot down a few notes or even play a few games. The Vox also retains the micro-SD card slot, which is one of the things I've used the most often with it. The Vox (and of course, the Arc) is ideal for someone who likes graphic novels, or for someone who likes to be able to do more than just read on a device. I have to say, this is the Kobo that I've found it easiest to load on library books for, and another neat feature was being able to install the Amazon Kindle app as well, giving me the best of both worlds - something that has since been made even easier.

Another first with the Kobo Glo: The first non-backlight built in light for reading. Also, the first to go completely to a touch screen with no navigation buttons. Two GB of storage allows for 30 thousand books, and there's a micro-SD card slot if you need more storage. The Glo also has a slightly faster processor than the Touch, making for a slightly faster reading experience. Not as dramatic a difference than there was between the Wi-Fi and the Touch, but a very nice update, and honestly, the one I recommend to anyone I know is going to be doing a lot of travel. The light is just too helpful I think. Adjustably bright, so useful in all kinds of reading situations from twilight to absolute middle of the night darkness. If I were going to buy another e-ink e-reader I think it would be a toss-up between this one and the Aura HD.

Along with the Glo, Kobo has come up with another bright idea: the pocket-sized Kobo, perfect for students, commuters and anyone who likes to snatch any stray moment to read: the Kobo Mini. With only a five inch screen, this one will literally fit in your pocket. On the other hand, this is a more basic model. All of the navigation features are there, but this Kobo has a slower processor than the Glo, which came out at the same time, matching the one in the Touch. The Mini is also lacking the ComfortLight of the Glo and the micro-SD card slot. For some, that doesn't matter - the smaller size is the big selling point. For me, I think those are the deal-breakers. I'm a fast enough reader that the thought of having less text on the page and having to turn the page more often would be an annoyance.

Kobo also has a new tablet e-reader out this year: the Arc. Like the Vox, it's running on the Android operating system. Unlike the Vox, however, this tablet doesn't have the micro-SD card slot - something I would miss greatly. I used it regularly for transferring books and other files to and from my e-reader. One nice change between the Vox and the Arc though is the choice in sizes. The Arc comes in 16, 32 and 64 GB sizes, so depending on what you're planning to do, there's going to be plenty of room to work with. Another improvement I can see right off is the dual front-facing speakers. Those should really improve the sound quality if you want to use this for something like NetFlix.

As I said with the Vox, I'd recommend this one primarily for those who want to read books that use plenty of colour, such as graphic novels and the like. I can see from the screen layout that this is geared more for multimedia use rather than for strict reading.

The final and newest e-reader in the Kobo family is the Aura HD. I wrote a full post on it here earlier today, so I'll just summarise some of the points briefly here. Rather than the normal screen of 6 inches that the majority of the other e-ink/pearl readers listed here have, this one has a 6.8 inch screen, making it closer to a hardcover in size. Also, the Aura HD has at least twice the storage of the other e-readers at 4 GB of space. Finally, the ComfortLight has been improves somewhat so there's less bleeding at the edge of the screen. The only negative I've found so far is the removal of the "Free Books" category from the Kobo store menu. The books are still there to be found. You just have to know about them to be able to search by name, rather than being able to browse a list.

Kobo Aura HD - The Newest Kobo E-Reader

2013-05-16T13:17:00.001-07:00

I've been following the evolution of the Kobo E-reader from the very first e-reader of theirs, although my first post on the topic was after the second generation came out, when they added the wi-fi ability.

Last month Kobo released a new e-ink reader - the Kobo Aura HD. They've done something a bit different with this one too - it's larger than the Kobo Glo (which it strongly resembles) and they've apparently added some new features as well.

The most obvious change is the size. The Aura has a 6.8 inch screen where the Touch and the Glo both have 6 inch screens. As a result, the page is more the size of a hardcover's. So, for those of you that don't like to change the page that often, this e-reader will be able to fit more text per page. Definitely something that I like about it.

Like the Glo, the Aura has the front-lit screen, but they have improved it a bit. There's less bleeding around the edge of the screen, making for a more even lighting. This is the biggest advantage of the Glo and the Aura. I certainly wish my e-readers had this feature. It's perfect for reading on air-planes, especially those overnight flights. I remember with the Kobo Wi-Fi when I was travelling that I'd forgotten to have the light with me, and the provided light was almost useless it was so dim.

Now to get more technical. The screen resolution is 1440 by 1080, which is supposed to be one of the best on the market for this type of e-reader. Going along with that is the increase in the controls you have over how the text appears. Font sizes, margins, line spacing, and the fonts themselves are all adjustable. That's been true for the last three models of the Kobo - since the Touch came out, but they've added the ability to adjust the sharpness and the weight of the fonts as well.

The Aura HD has another feature that puts it above the rest of the Kobo E-readers as well: the storage space. My understanding is that this e-reader has the most storage space on board of any in its family, at 4 GB of storage, and a slot for a micro-SD card, so you can add even more storage if you need to.

Those are all positives. There is one negative I've seen with the Aura HD. They've removed the Free Books list from the menu. The books are all still available for you to download. They're just not listed together for easy browsing. Now you need to know exactly what you're looking for before you start. How big of an issue this is for you depends on the kind of reader you are. Personally, I've not used the free books listing with my Kobo in quite a while.

I honestly have to say that I've been quite tempted by the Aura HD.

Jamie's Food Revolution - Jamie Oliver

2013-05-14T16:30:00.002-07:00

Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How To Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals
Jamie Oliver
Hyperion Publishing
Copyright: 2009
9781401323592

The publisher's blurb:

Welcome to my Food Revolution. This book is inspired by all the people I've met who thought they could never and would never learn how to cook. Of course, that kind of thinking is like a red rag to a bull to me because I believe that simple home cooking is one of the most basic, primal skills that every single person on this planet should have in order to look after themselves, their families and their friends.
So I've written this book to empower you (or the person you're buying this for) to learn how to cook as easily and as quickly as possible. I've done this by picking a whole load of recipes that we all love to eat and giving you my easy versions of them, using clear instructions and step-by-step pictures to hold your hand and open up a whole new world of great food. Whether you're a reluctant beginner or a good cook who just appreciates simplicity, allow me and this book to help you cook some truly delicious, crowd-pleasing meals.

I've featured Jamie's Food Revolution a couple of times now on All Booked Up - there's the review I wrote last February, and it also has a spot in my Top Five Cookbooks list from before then. That, by the way, is a spot this book still holds today.

Jamie Oliver is one of my "go to" chefs, along with Michael Smith and Mark Bittman, and of his books that I own, this is my favourite. The recipes are simple, mostly affordable, and the ingredients are easy enough to find for the most part.

I keep finding more and more delicious recipes in this one book.

Macaroni And Cauliflower Cheese Bake
Frozen Fruit Smoothie
One-Cup Pancakes
Vanilla Cheesecake With A Raspberry Topping
Cracking Burgers
Cherry Tomato Sauce With Cheat's Fresh Pasta
Mini Shell Pasta With A Creamy Smoked Bacon And Pea Sauce
Chicken Fajitas

The above recipes are the ones I keep coming back to on a regular basis - the most recent addition to the list was the Cracking Burgers, which we had last week. The best burger I can remember ever having. Definitely something we're doing again, and the recipe doubled well. Other recipes I've tried doubling successfully include the Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake and the Chicken Fajitas.

There's a bunch more recipes I want to try as well, like the fruit scones and the roasted potatoes, parsnips and carrots dish.

A few random tips I've discovered with this book:
first, add an onion to the garlic in the Cherry Tomato Sauce With Cheat's Fresh Pasta dish. It's absolutely delicious.
Second, where most of the serving amounts Jamie Oliver gives with each recipe are correct, with the cheesecake recipe it's going to serve far more than he said. I've taken it to a potluck a couple of times and come home with more than half (there were about a dozen people or more there).
Third, with the dishes that have how long it takes to make them, don't be at all surprised if it takes you longer. I've never been able to make the Chicken Fajitas in less than about a half hour. He says it can be done in 19 minutes. Maybe if you're a professional chef like he is. For the rest of us? I'd say give them a bit longer.

Definitely one of my favourite cookbooks. Don't be surprised to see it pop up with another review in the future once I've tried a few more of the recipes.

An Amazing Overview of Our Planet

2013-05-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of years, I've been watching my way through David Attenborough's various series about our planet: The Blue Planet: Seas of Life, Planet Earth and now Frozen Planet. The first two I have on DVD and they're absolutely spectacular, but compared with the blu-ray of Frozen Planet? That last one is just WOW.

Amazon.com Widgets

I was first introduced to David Attenborough's shows a few years ago at work, when his Blue Planet and Planet Earth series were all the rage. Everyone wanted them - especially the combo pack containing both shows. At the time I had no idea who he was, or anything about either show. Later, I bought the Wildlife Specials on DVD - I wanted something I could watch with my Mom - I didn't have cable at the time, and none of the rest of my DVD collection was really her thing. All it took was one of the episodes (If my memory's not playing tricks, it was the Polar Bear episode) and I was hooked.

After that, I got the Planet Earth set as a gift and I haven't looked back. I love all of David Attenborough's shows that I've seen to date - most of the Wildlife Specials, all of Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, and as of the time I write this, the first two episodes of Frozen Planet.

Every time I put one of the discs into the player, I find myself to be amazed at the beauty and diversity of life on our planet. We as individuals may never be able to see many of the creatures filmed in these shows in the natural world, but thanks to the BBC, we can at least see them on T.V. And, of the narrators I've heard for shows like this, David Attenborough is the best, hands down.

The camera work is beyond description too. Under the ice in Antarctica (Frozen Planet), catching a shark leaping out of the water after a seal (Blue Planet, I think), hunting and capturing scenes of the snow leopards in their daily lives (Planet Earth) and so much more. Not to mention the deep-water creatures we'll never be able to see outside of their own habitats, they're so specialized.

I can't recommend the shows of his that I've seen enough, and the ones I haven't seen, I want to - the trailers for some of the other BBC nature shows that I saw on the Frozen Planet disc were amazing too.

Trouble finishing - anything

2013-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

I seem to be having trouble finishing books - or anything else right now. I've got several books on the go and I can't settle in to any of them.

Star Wars At War With The Empire vol. 1.
I've been intrigued off and on by the Star Wars graphic novels even though I'm not very much of a graphic novel reader. Mostly this was inspired by the Star Wars Panel To Panel book I got last year. The artwork and short descriptions of the stories told in the graphic novels were quite intriguing. And, actually, I'm finding that I've been really enjoying reading this one. Problem is, I'm sharing the read on the graphic novel.
Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner vol. 2) by Lynn Flewelling
The sequel to Luck in the Shadows, which I really enjoyed reading. I've only gotten a few pages into this one though as of now. Not enough to have an opinion yet.
The Elite by Kiara Cass
The sequel to The Selection, which came out last year - and is a book that I'd been looking forward to. I think I really needed to re-read The Selection before I picked this one up to really enjoy it.

The same thing is true with crochet. I've got a baby blanket I'm working on for my best friend's new son. It's not even half way, and the child was born over a month ago. The rounds for it are quick enough to do, just tedious - and I need to get a hundred and sixty eight of them. Then I have to join them. Not looking forward to that at all. And I thought this would be an easy project.

Looking at the instructions (which I've memorized for each "square") the Puffs Baby Blanket, is simple enough, just as I said before, tedious - to the extreme. I've gotten over 60 of the puffs done though.

Rather than buckle down and really work on finishing the baby blanket, I started a new project: the Hilo Shawl from the March issue of Inside Crochet magazine. I'm using two lovely skeins of Madelinetosh yarn in Cousteau (shades of deem tourquoise) for this one and the more I work on it, the more I love the colours and the feel of the yarn. Still only on the first full row, but I started it last night. And, of course, I had to wind the skeins before I could start. I tell you, having my own swift and winder is a wonderful thing, both for the yarn I spin, and for the yarns I'm buying now. More and more, they don't come in pre-wound balls as the price goes up. And sometimes, the store's swift is broken. The biggest issue with this pattern is that it's from a UK magazine and some of the terminology is different. Triple Crochet stitch for the US Double for example. I've learned on the US stitch terminology so far, so I'm sitting here with a conversion chart. Thank goodness for the pattern diagram as well.

Part of the problem with all of this (books and crochet) is that I feel like I should been working on the readings and assignments for the indexing course I'm taking whenever I'm not actually working - guess I'm feeling a bit guilty. So, as much as I want to be reading or crocheting, I feel as though I can't, that I'm wasting time I don't have. And therefore, I can't settle to any one hobby/project.

My lastest time waster (Kanoodle)

2013-05-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Kanoodle. I don't usually review toys, but this one caught me. I remember playing with something similar as a kid - red tray with yellow blocks of various shapes that you had to set in to fill the tray. So, when I got the chance to play with Kanoodle a bit at work over the last couple of months, I couldn't stop myself.

Neither could one of the store managers. I see him at the table with the Kanoodle display all the time. And, I've caught some of the other employees fiddling with it now and again when I'm on shift. I like it enough that I bought myself one as well.

The 2D puzzles are fun enough - to start with and learn the way the pieces fit - you'll have to do one every time you want to put your Kanoodle away - the grid where they fit is how the puzzle pieces are stored. Not to mention, at the various levels, they're good for kids too. However, it's the 3D puzzles that really captured my eye. I've only managed to beat the first one at the most difficult level so far.

There's only seven of them though at that level. I'm wishing there were more puzzles at the challenger level. That's the main criticism I've seen about the Kanoodle in other reviews. But, for the price, it's well worth it - and I'm contemplating this as a Christmas gift this year for a few people.

The Kanoodle is compact - making it perfect for taking travelling, and great for the whole family: the listed age range is from seven to adult.

I have to ask though on a related topic, what's your favourite puzzle game? I know some people swear by the rubiks cube for example - I've certainly never been able to beat it, but one of my former co-workers could do so in less than a minute.

Upcoming Tolkien Book - Fall of Arthur

2013-05-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

There's a new Tolkien book coming out at the end of this month:

The Fall of Arthur
J.R.R. Tolkien
Ed. Christopher Tolkien
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: May 23, 2013
978-0544115897

The amazon.com product description:

The Fall of Arthur, the only venture by J.R.R. Tolkien into the legends of Arthur King of Britain, may well be regarded as his finest and most skillful achievement in the use of the Old English alliterative metre, in which he brought to his transforming perceptions of the old narratives a pervasive sense of the grave and fateful nature of all that is told: of Arthur’s expedition overseas into distant heathen lands, of Guinevere’s flight from Camelot, of the great sea-battle on Arthur’s return to Britain, in the portrait of the traitor Mordred, in the tormented doubts of Lancelot in his French castle.

Unhappily, The Fall of Arthur was one of several long narrative poems that he abandoned in that period. In this case he evidently began it in the earlier nineteen-thirties, and it was sufficiently advanced for him to send it to a very perceptive friend who read it with great enthusiasm at the end of 1934 and urgently pressed him ‘You simply must finish it!’ But in vain: he abandoned it, at some date unknown, though there is some evidence that it may have been in 1937, the year of the publication of The Hobbit and the first stirrings of The Lord of the Rings. Years later, in a letter of 1955, he said that ‘he hoped to finish a long poem on The Fall of Arthur’; but that day never came.

Associated with the text of the poem, however, are many manuscript pages: a great quantity of drafting and experimentation in verse, in which the strange evolution of the poem’s structure is revealed, together with narrative synopses and very significant if tantalising notes. In these latter can be discerned clear if mysterious associations of the Arthurian conclusion with The Silmarillion, and the bitter ending of the love of Lancelot and Guinevere, which was never written.

I'm definitely looking forward to buying and reading this one when it comes out for several reasons:

It's Tolkien, and for me that's enough of a reason right there.
Adding to my Tolkien collection.
King Arthur is one of those topics that has intrigued me ever since I read Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon years ago.

I know that Christopher Tolkien will do as good a job with this one as he has with everything else of his father's that he's edited. I'm hoping for an experience similar to that of reading Sigurd and Gudrun - which taught me more about poetry, rhythm and meter than did any of my English classes at university.

Book Buying

2013-04-30T22:20:00.001-07:00

I went on a bit of a book buying spree today - as hinted at in my last post, the review of Lynn Flewelling's Luck in the Shadows. I'd only intended to buy the next two books in the series, but I kept seeing more and more other books I wanted. I ended up with:

Best-Ever Vegetarian: The Definitive Cook's Collection
Linda Fraiser

The amazon.com product description (with typo corrections):

Whether you want to expand your existing repertoire of vegetarian recipes or embark on a healthier lifestyle, Best-Ever Vegetarian is delicious proof that eating the vegetarian way is not only nutritious, but an exciting & enticing experience too. '

I've been looking at this one for a few days now, and there are quite a few recipes that have caught my attention. I'm not a vegetarian in any way, but I don't mind meals without meat, and having a few more options is always a good thing. Every recipe has it's photo, and another neat thing is the nutritional information given for each recipe as well.

Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner vol. 2)
Lynn Flewelling

The amazon.com product description:

With the Leran threat laid to rest, Alec and Seregil are now able to turn their attention to the ancient evil which threatens their land. The Plenimarans, at war with Skalans, have decided to defeat their ancient enemy by raising up the Dead God, Seriamaius. The early attempts at this reincarnation--masterminded by the sinister Duke Mardus and his sorcerous minion Vargul Ashnazai--once left Seregil in a sorcerous coma. Now, an ancient prophecy points to his continuing role in the quest to stop Mardus in his dread purpose.

Seregil's friend and Mentor, the wizard Nysander, has long been the guardian of a deadly secret. In a secret, silver-lined room hidden well beneath the Oreska, he has served for most of his 300 years as the keeper of a nondescript clay cup. But this cup, combined with a crystal crown and some wooden disks, forms the Helm of Seriamaius, and any mortal donning the reconstructed Helm will become the incarnation of the god on earth.

Based on how much I enjoyed reading Luck in the Shadows, the first book in this series, I'm really looking forward to reading this one and the sequel. These, by the way, were the books I went out to buy.

Traitor's Moon (Nightrunner vol.3)
Lynn Flewelling

The amazon.com product description:

Seregil and Alec have spent the last two years in self-imposed exile, far from their adopted homeland, Skala, and the bitter memories there. But their time of peace is shattered by a desperate summons from Queen Idrilain, asking them to aid her daughter on a mission to Aurenen, the very land from which Seregil was exiled in his youth.

As I said for the previous book, I'm looking forward to reading this one and seeing what Alec and Seregil get up to next.

And now, on to the inevitable additions of history books:

The Crusader States
Malcolm Barber

The amazon.com product description:

When the armies of the First Crusade wrested Jerusalem from control of the Fatimids of Egypt in 1099, they believed their victory was an evident sign of God's favor. It was, therefore, incumbent upon them to fulfill what they understood to be God's plan: to reestablish Christian control of Syria and Palestine. This book is devoted to the resulting settlements, the crusader states, that developed around the eastern shores of the Mediterranean and survived until Richard the Lionheart's departure in 1192. Focusing on Jerusalem, Antioch, Tripoli, and Edessa, Malcolm Barber vividly reconstructs the crusaders' arduous process of establishing and protecting their settlements, and the simultaneous struggle of vanquished inhabitants to adapt to life alongside their conquerors.

Rich with colorful accounts of major military campaigns, the book goes much deeper, exploring in detail the culture of the crusader states—the complex indigenous inheritance; the architecture; the political, legal, and economic institutions; the ecclesiastical framework through which the crusaders perceived the world; the origins of the Knights Templar and the Hospitallers; and more. With the zest of a scholar pursuing a lifelong interest, Barber presents a complete narrative and cultural history of the crusader states while setting a new standard for the term "total history."

Looks interesting, and it's an aspect of medieval history that interests me. I have a dream of one day writing a novel set in and around the crusades, so I'm always on the lookout for books on the topic. I'm actually looking forward to reading this one with a binder and pen to take notes as I go.

Chronicles of the First Crusade
Ed. Christopher Tyerman

The Amazon.com product description:

The gripping story of the First Crusade, as witnessed by contemporary writers

The fall of Jerusalem in 1099 to an army of exhausted and starving western European soldiers was one of the most extraordinary events in history—with a legacy that remains controversial more than nine centuries later. This remarkable collection contains firsthand accounts from the knights, religious leaders, and peasants who experienced the First Crusade in all its cruelty and strangeness. Edited with an introduction and notes by one of the foremost experts on the Crusades, Chronicles of the First Crusade is a comprehensive look at the climax of Christian fervor and the record of an ultimately futile attempt to implant a European kingdom in an overwhelmingly Muslim world.

I've been eying this one for a while now - I'd like to know (more or less, anyway, knowing how speeches were recorded in the ancient and medieval world) what Pope Urban's speech that triggered the Crusades actually was. And that's among the other things contained in this book.

Christopher Tyerman has a good reputation as a historian as well - I had one of his books (The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction, also known as Fighting For Christendom) assigned as a textbook in one of my university courses.

Luck In The Shadows - Lynn Flewelling

2013-04-30T13:16:00.001-07:00

Luck In The Shadows (Nightrunner vol.1)
Lynn Flewelling
Bantam Specra
Copyright: 1996
9780553575422

The amazon.com product description:

When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.

I really do have to thank one of my former co-workers for introducing me to Lynn Flewelling's books. As good a read as she was saying it would be. Now I've got to go out and find the next two in the series, Stalking Darkness and Traitor's Moon.

Luck in the Shadows is an intriguing introduction to a complex and well-created world. However, it is also the first book in the series, and aggrivatingly, it ends with the words "to be continued". So, be warned that you'll probably want to buy the first two or even three books when you start reading.

I found that the characters and the world combined to grab and capture my interest, even when I should have been doing things other than reading - like working on the assignments for the indexing course I'm taking. It's definitely a sign of a good book when that happens.

Some people have said that Luck in the Shadows is a very slow paced book where not a lot happens, but I didn't find that at all. Instead I found a lot of intriguing build-up to the various plot-lines - there are several developing throughout the story, all of which seemed needed.

Definitely an author I'm going to recommend to anyone who likes fantasy novels, especially Mercedes Lackey's books and Elizabeth Moon's novels.

Personally, I can't wait to start the next book in the Nightrunner series.

Book Rambling: DVD/Blu-Ray Question

2013-04-24T14:06:00.000-07:00

I'm calling this a "Book Rambling" post because of the style it's ended up as, even though it's not about books at all.

When you're buying DVD's or Blu-Rays, especially for TV seasons, are they for shows you've already seen on TV? or do you buy for shows you haven't seen but think might be interesting? In other words, how much of a risk do you take?

I'm asking because I seem to find myself doing the latter, and sometimes it works out, while others not so much. I guess in part, I'm wondering how to judge a promising looking season/show, or maybe I'm just judging too soon.

For example, I bought a couple of seasons of Stargate SG-1 a few years ago, not having watched any of the series - maybe an episode or two but I'm not sure. I was hooked immediately on watching the first episode, Children of the Gods. That fascination kept up all the way through the next nine and a half seasons - though I found the last couple of seasons not quite as much to my tastes. I think it's because I liked the original four characters and their interactions - somehow the addition of Cam and Vala didn't work quite as well for me.

Based on the SG-1 seasons I'd seen by that point, it made sense to buy the Stargate Atlantis seasons unseeen - still haven't gotten around to watching them though. It's the same world and premise though, just slightly different characters, I think.

I've gotten a number of other seasons of things where I've not seen the show prior to getting the dvds as well, the latest being the new Amanda Tapping show, Sanctuary. I'll admit that I've only seen the first episode so far, but it's not grabbed me the way Stargate did. Maybe I'm expecting too much from the show - half the reason I bought it was because Amanda Tapping is in it, and it's completely a different type of show. I'm definitely planning to watch more though.

I've been looking at the Game of Thrones DVD's as well, but the price is definitely holding me back. Well, that and the fact that I haven't been able to read my way through the first book in the series as well. I get to chapter ten and stall out, both times I've tried to read the book now.

What are the criteria you use when buying seasons of TV series that you haven't seen? Or, do people still buy seasons of TV series rather than simply streaming them from somewhere like Netflix?

Shalador's Lady - Anne Bishop

2013-04-23T23:27:00.000-07:00

Shalador's Lady
Anne Bishop
Roc Publishing
Copyright: March 2, 2010
978-0451463159

The Amazon.com product description:

For years the Shalador people suffered the cruelties of the corrupt Queens who ruled them, forbidding their traditions, punishing those who dared show defiance, and forcing many more into hiding. Now that their land has been cleansed of tainted Blood, the Rose-Jeweled Queen, Lady Cassidy, makes it her duty to restore it and prove her ability to rule.

But even if Lady Cassidy succeeds, other dangers await. For the Black Widows see visions within their tangled webs that something is coming that will change the land-and Lady Cassidy-forever...

I've read Shalador's Lady before, and the link to my review is here. This is the sequel to The Shadow Queen (which I reviewed recently here), and the two books are really tied together. These ones do require you to read them in order for maximum enjoyment, and it's also helpful to be somewhat familiar with the storyline and characters from The Invisible Ring, as the history told there has a lot of influence on the current events in both The Shadow Queen and Shalador's Lady. Despite that, it's one of my favourite books in the Black Jewels world - although there are some short stories in the two collections that almost equal it. Certainly one of them cracks me up every time I read it.

Cassidy is a character that I really grew to like through both books - though, as usual, the Scelties really steal the day. She's a very down-to-earth character, which I liked. The other thing about her is that she wears possibly one of the lightest jewels for a character in this world. It makes a nice change to see how things are experienced for someone who's not one of the most powerful beings in any of the three Realms.

I also have to say that I love the cover art throughout this series. It's both gorgeous and slightly spooky - which fits the atmosphere of the stories in my mind.

Amazon.com Widgets

The world itself is very different from most of the fantasy-based worlds I've read too, both in terms of magic and in the power-structures. Even the geography, with the various Realms and the portals between stands out.

Despite that, I'll be honest and say that no matter how much I enjoy the world of the Black Jewels, I don't think the books are for everyone. The character attitudes might be rather shocking to some, and I wouldn't recommend this series to younger teens either. Adults only.

Real Bread - Success at Last!

2013-04-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've said before that I wanted to be able to bake real yeast-breads at home as compared to the quick breads I've been doing for the last couple of months (Bread Baking - Take Two, and my review of Linda Collister's book Quick Breads). Well, last night and this morning I finally decided to give it another try. With a brand new bottle of yeast, I attempted the Country Loaf from Michael Smith's book The Best of Chef At Home.

It was easier than I thought it would be to make the dough, and overnight (the first rising period), the mixture about doubled in size in the bowl. Then, this morning it was a breeze to knead into the ball, then into a log and place it into the loaf pan.

After the second rise, the top of the dough was above the level of the loaf pan, and it gained I think almost another inch in the oven, where it turned the most perfect golden colour. I can't wait to slice into this loaf and see how it tastes.

Every time I've tried to bake yeast-breads in the past, I've had no luck with the rising. This time, it worked out perfectly.

Planning to have some of the bread for a late breakfast with the asparagus soldiers from Jamie at Home, one of Jamie Oliver's older cookbooks, but a newer acquisition in my collection.

Edited to add: The bread is delicious - somewhat more yeasty tasting than I'm used to, but delicious, with a great texture, and the eggs, with asparagus wrapped in bacon were divine. Worth the effort to make for sure (and I hate handling raw meat, which category bacon fits into). I'd do it again.

The Shadow Queen - Anne Bishop

2013-04-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Shadow Queen
Anne Bishop
New American Library
Copyright: 2008
9780451462541

From the chapters/indigo website:

From the national bestselling author of the new novel set in the "darkly fascinating world" ("SF Site") of the Black Jewels.
Dena Nehele is a land decimated by its past. Once it was ruled by corrupt Queens who were wiped out when the land was cleansed of tainted Blood. Now, only one hundred Warlord Princes stand without a leader and without hope.
Theran Grayhaven is the last of his line, desperate to find the key that reveals a treasure great enough to restore Dena Nehele. But first he needs to find a Queen who remembers the Blood's code of honor and lives by the Old Ways. The woman chosen to rule Dena Nehele, Lady Cassidy, is not beautiful and believes she is not strong. But she may be the only one able to convince bitter men to serve once again.

I've read The Shadow Queen before a few times now, and it and it's sequel, Shalador's Lady and these two are my favourites of the Black Jewels world. My original reviews for The Shadow Queen are here and here, and my review of Shalador's Lady is here.

I have to say, right off the bat that I love the cover art on all of the Black Jewels novels. To me it suits the story type and themes, not to mention the characters.

This is a world that I find that I can nearly always drop into and enjoy, even reading the books out of order, now that I've read and re-read them a few times. On the other hand, it's a world that drives me a little crazy at times too - some things about it are just a shade on the jarring side, such as some of the things that feel a little too modern for other elements of the world - coffee, some of the naming conventions - which stand out as only a couple of the characters are named that way, as compared to the uses of horses, carts etc. To be honest most of these grumbles come from my readings of the original Black Jewels trilogy, and not this duology though.

As I said though, this is an intriguing world and the magical structure is more or less unique in the way it works and the various limitations it has. Also, it's rather refreshing to read a book where it's not an automatic thing that the men are the rulers (although I'm generalizing quite a bit here).

Still, I quite like Cassidy and her love for the garden and the land, and it's nice to see a bit more of the fate of Jared's people. A large part of the more distant background referred to (though how distant that can be when there are characters alive who remember the characters from that book) is the tale told in The Invisible Ring, set distantly prior to the main trilogy.

Honestly, this series is not for everybody, but I quite like it, even though the books are something of a quick read. Still, The Shadow Queen made for a needed break from working on my assignments for the Berkley indexing course, and also is the first novel I've managed to finish in the last month or so.

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey Movie Review

2013-04-12T14:58:00.002-07:00

Six white boomers, snow white boomers,

Racing Radagast through the blazing sun...

My apologies to Rolf Harris for the paraphrase of his Christmas carol, Six White Boomers, but if you've seen the movie in question, you'll know what I'm referring to. That's the only thing that came to mind for certain scenes.

It's been almost a month since the DVD was released, and you've either seen it, or (hopefully) read the book, so I'm not going to worry too much about spoilers at this point.

I should note right off that I'm something of a book purist - some might say extremely so. As such, based on the Lord of the Rings movies done by Peter Jackson, I didn't go to see The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey in theatres. Whereas I did go see the LOTR movies on their opening days.

So, I finally got around to seeing the new Hobbit movie. Right off the bat, I have to say I was expecting good things concerning sets and scenery - those they got right in the Lord of the Rings movies (only helped by the fact that my two favorite Tolkien artists were involved), and the same thing held true for this one. It was kind of nice seeing Rivendell and the Shire again. No complaints there.

I was surprised at how true to the text of the Hobbit and the dialogue Peter Jackson stayed (at least for the scenes that were in the actual book). Of course, I'm trusting my memory here on this, and it's been somewhere between five and ten years since I read The Hobbit - and what's more, all my Tolkien books have been packed away. Somewhat aggravating to say the least - there were a few times last night where I was wanting to be able to reach over and double-check some detail against the book. Still, it felt a bit like I could tick off the lines, starting with that rather famous line "In a hole in the ground lived a hobbit. Not a dirty, nasty, wet hole....". Slightly changed, but still there.

Andy Serkis certainly did a good job as Gollum again. No quibbles there - I especially liked the scene where we're watching his face in the reflected water.

Now for the starting run of grumbling. I knew going into the movie that there were things that were going to annoy me about it - after all, it's another movie adaptation, and one done by Peter Jackson.

Did we really need the constant chasing by Azog and his minions? It added too many battles and special effects extravaganzas. To the point where I found the running battle/escape from the Goblins' caves under the Misty Mountains to be somewhat comedic. Probably not the effect they were going for.

The other running gripe was Jackson's portrayal of the dwarves as slobs with no table manners. Beer running down their beards, grabbing for food, etc, etc. My feelings on that change were probably not helped by the fact that I couldn't really tell them apart for the majority of the movie.

I've already alluded to Radagast's means of transportation at the start of this post. Rabbits pulling a sled. Really? That got comments from the rest of the audience as well - "Christmas in New Zealand" for example. I have to say, I didn't like Jackson's portrayal of the Brown Wizard at all.

There were also a number of scenes I found to echo scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies - Gandalf talking to the butterfly to bring the Eagles in The Hobbit, vs. Gandalf talking to the moth at the top of Isengard in the Lord of the Rings movies for example.

I have to say though, I was surprised at how little I found myself grumbling about Jackson's version of Bilbo. There were a couple of things - that he willingly started out on the adventure, for example, and his willingness to fight - my thoughts on the latter could be somewhat confused due to the length of time it's been since I read the book though, but I don't remember Bilbo doing much of any fighting at all.

Overall, I think Jackson did a slightly better job with this first movie in the Hobbit trilogy of movies than he did with the Lord of the Rings movies.

Book Rambling: Writing, Novels, Tolkien, History of Middle-Earth

2013-04-05T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, what do all the things listed in the title have to do with each other? In this case, only that I got to thinking about the way we write things these days as compared to the way Tolkien did for example. Longhand form - however messy, as compared with typing on the computer. One is not better than the other - I still do both, albeit with most of my writing on the computer, but I still do some longhand, and have binders for various projects stashed around.

Yes, it's an open secret that one day I'd love to have managed to write a book, novel or non-fiction and get it published. In going back over one of those started projects (and the notes I've left in the margins for a second draft, should I ever get that far), I got to thinking about how much we know of the way J.R.R. Tolkien created Middle-Earth and wrote within it thanks to all the drafts and re-worked pages throughout his life. Hand-written and corrected, with things crossed out and rephrased, different colours of ink, written over top of typed. It's possible on each page to trace the evolution of a plot point, verse or story idea and to realize the amount of work that went into each sentence. Will we ever have that kind of information for any other author or novel again? Will we want to have it again?

Of course, even if we have that kind of information, will there ever be someone with the dedication of Christopher Tolkien to making all that information available to the public in an organized fashion?

I got to wondering about all this as I thought about the ease of editing and rewriting on the computer - a couple of clicks and the whole thing can be deleted only to start again - half the time, I think, all you're left with is more or less the final version. All the changes are more or less lost to history - should, of course, anyone be interested.

What kind of an impact does the computer have on writing? It's so easy to change things over and over. Of course, should you decide later that you preferred an earlier version of something, unless you did "save as" or pasted out the sections you're editing, you've got to try and reconstruct it from memory - and depending how long ago it was edited, that can be quite the challenge.

First draft, second draft, do they even exist any longer, seeing as half the time with the computer we can work within the same document? All the things we were taught to do in terms of essay writing and creative writing in English classes? Or, have they just been compressed.

I'm not saying that one form of writing is any better than the other - just that they're different and each has it's advantages for both the writer and for anyone coming along later. For example, the thought of essentially rewriting something I've already written isn't something I look forward to - at least not doing so by hand. On the other hand, having been through at least four major computer failures, the thought of keeping my writing in a format that isn't going to be lost by dropping it is extremely appealing - not to mention the problems that come from incompatible formats and older formats becoming unreadable to current software. That is something I see coming up on various author's blogs from time to time.

It's also another blow to things remaining available for posterity. Now, I'm sure that Tolkien never seriously thought about having something like the History of Middle Earth series published, but the papers involved did end up in university libraries, such as Marquette, and I for one, am glad for the effort that his son has made in editing and preparing them for publication - and not just the Middle-Earth stuff, but also Sigurd and Gudrun, and the soon-to-be-published Fall of Arthur.

In a sense, I guess I'm wondering if the discoveries of some "lost" work by an author of yesteryear (both literary and musical) is also a thing of yesteryear, or if a century or so from now, they'll be discovering manuscripts hidden away in basements and attics from the authors of today - or will they be only unreadable computer files, if that?

Bread Baking, Take Two

2013-04-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Last month I posted a review of Linda Collister's book Quick Breads. Since then, I've not bought a loaf of bread. I've been making loaves of quick-breads instead. Since that review, I've added the brown soda-bread variation to my repertoire with great success, and a properly done pumpernickel and fig loaf. I'm also planning to try the quick rye bread soon - I've got the ingredients. The only thing holding me off on this one is that it should be made the day before you want to use it. One of the draws to making my own breads is the wonderful taste and texture of the fresh, hot bread with real butter melting into it.

As well, I tried one of the quick breads from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything (the yellow edition) - an apple loaf. Tasty, but an entirely different texture. I don't know yet if all of the quick bread recipes in Bittman's book have the same texture, but I think so, given the descriptions of the method used in the book. He uses minimal mixing in order to retard the formation of gluten, making the texture of the loaf more like that of a pound cake rather than a true bread.

I've discovered that I prefer a more "bready" texture to the caky one in this latest attempt. Mostly because I want to use the bread with cheeses, meats and jams, all the same things you can do with "real" or yeast breads.

Really, I've got to figure out how to make yeast-breads successfully. I've tried it a few times, but had no successes to date. Until then, these soda breads and baking powder breads will do very well. They're certainly fun to make, and I look forward to each loaf being finished up because it means that I get to make another loaf.

Fair Game - Patricia Briggs

2013-03-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

Fair Game
Patricia Briggs
Ace Hardcover
Copyright: March 6, 2012
978-0441020034

The amazon.com product description:

Patricia Briggs, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson novels, "always enchants her readers." (Lynn Viehl, New York Times bestselling author) Now her Alpha and Omega series-set in a world of shifting shapes, loyalty, and passion- brings werewolves out of the darkness and into a society where fear and prejudice could make the hunters prey...

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

This is a re-read occasioned by the mass-market paperback release of Fair Game, and also the hardcover release of Frost Burned, the latest book in Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series. My last review of Fair Game is here.

As with my previous review, I found that I absolutely couldn't put the book down, reading it even when I was telling myself I needed to be reading my textbooks instead. This is one of my favourites of the books in this world - and the cliff-hanger at the end was just as compelling. It's really going to be rocking the world in the upcoming Mercy Thompson book as well as in future Alpha and Omega books (the spin-off series).

Anna and Charles are both extremely compelling characters and even on a re-read I was hoping everything would work out well for them, something I find myself saying with nearly every book set in this world.

The world of Mercy Thompson is one of my favourite urban fantasy series, and I know I've said this before, but if you haven't given any of the books in the series a try, you should, starting with Moon Called, the first book in the main series.

Quick Breads - Linda Collister

2013-03-03T21:28:00.000-08:00

Quick Breads
Linda Collister
Ryland, Peters and Small
Copyright: August 2007
9781845974756

The amazon.com product description:

No kneading, no waiting for the dough to rise--these breads are the easiest of all to make. The ingredients can be assembled, mixed, and ready for putting in the oven in less than 15 minutes. Linda Collister tells you how to make a wonderful variety of quick breads using fresh herbs, spices, seeds, nuts, fresh fruit, and vegetables for texture and taste. There are Savory Breads to serve with lunch or supper, with soups and salads, or toasted for breakfast. These include Quick Rye Bread, Watercress and Arugula Loaf, and Sri Lankan Coconut Roti. In Cornbreads, you will find recipes that use milled and fresh corn. This section features hearty option such as Buttermilk Cornbread and Texas Hot Pepper Cornbread. Old-fashioned Blueberry Gingerbread and Sultana Almond Bread are among the novel ideas for Breakfast Breads. For snacks and lunchbox treats, turn to Small Breads. From Maple Pecan Scones to Quick Spiced-cider Doughnuts, these recipes are so good you will want to try them all. *The recipes are simple enough for the absolute beginner to follow and satisfying enough to please the seasoned bread maker. *Beautiful photography by Kate Whitaker.

I've had this book for a while now, and the more I use it, the more I love the recipes. I haven't tried them all yet - not sure if I'll ever manage that, but some of the different breads have become repeat staples in my kitchen.

So far, they've all been incredibly simple and quick to make - just as the title suggests. The soda bread and the molassas-oatmeal bread are my two favourites, even with the time investment on the latter. This loaf takes more than the 15 minute time-frame given in the blurb. Even with that, it's my favourite to date. The loaf is dense, a little sweet and wonderful with cheese or jams - especially something like homemade blackberry jam or plum butter.

The soda bread is one of the simplest recipes I've seen, and it's quick baking, making it handy for lunches and dinners - wonderful served with soup, especially when it's warm out of the oven.

The most recent recipe I've attempted is the pumpernickel and fig loaf, which was delicious. I've got to make this again - with cheese or jam, it's incredible. Very similar to the molassas-oatmeal loaf, but with chopped figs for added sweetness.

It's been a while now, but I remember the fresh orange and nut loaf to have been a success as well, every time I made it. The same thing for the lemon, almond and raisin loaf - I've made it several times. Although, this is a recipe I'm somewhat cautious with - one time my fingers slipped while I was grating the lemon zest. Suffice it to say, that hurts!

If you like baking, Linda Collister's book is almost a must-have, I'd have to say. I know I've had more success with these than I have with trying to make actual yeast-breads. Although, I haven't given up on trying to make those.

Still, this is one of the cookbooks I refer to frequently, sometimes more often than others, depending on my mood. An impulse buy that I'm really glad I bought.

Libraries are "no longer relevant"?

2013-02-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe this one. Author Terry Deary is quoted as saying that libraries have had their day and that there is no entitlement to read for free.

The entire article is from the Christian Science Monitor, here. To me at least, his entire argument makes no sense at all.

As someone who loves libraries, (and who, by the way, has ended up going out and buying a lot of books after borrowing them) his argument that libraries hurt authors and publishers because people will read their books from the library instead of buying them is complete nonsense.

Terry Deary is, by the way, the author of the Horrible Histories series, which, irony of ironies is in 7th place for most borrowed children's books in the libraries of the United Kingdom.

What do you think? Does his argument make sense to you?

Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs

2013-02-03T15:55:00.001-08:00

Blood Bound
Patricia Briggs
Ace Fantasy
Copyright: 2007
9780441014736

From the back of the book:

Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return the average law-abiding solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places - and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary - and neither is the demon inside of him...

This is a re-read of Blood Bound, so there probably won't be much that's new and different from my previous reviews of this second book in the Mercy Thompson series, found here and here. Re-read or not, this is one of my favourite urban fantasy series.

Blood Bound follows on Moon Called, the book that introduces us to the world of Mercedes Thompson, walker and mechanic. Where Moon Called focused on the werewolves, although the other supernatural communities had a presence, this book involves the vampires more, and there werewolves and fae move more to the background.

What makes the whole series so different in my mind is that the supernatural is in the process of becoming openly known about, although some segments are still hidden, others have exposed themselves to the public. I can't think of any other urban fantasy where this process is depicted as being in progress. Usually, the paranormal and supernatural are staying as deeply hidden as possible. The other common option is that they've come out of hiding at some point in the past, but are accepted by the time the book has been set. You don't usually get to see the growing pains in progress.

Even on a reread Blood Bound was a riveting read, keeping me turning the pages as though it had been the first time I read the book. Not too many books and series manage this in my mind.

The Mercy Thompson books are a series I highly recommend to any readers of urban fantasy and paranormal romance (although most readers seem to have already given them a try).

Moon Called - Patricia Briggs

2013-01-31T12:18:00.000-08:00

Moon Called
Patricia Briggs
Ace Fantasy
Copyright: 2006
9780441013814

From the back of the book:

Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me too.

Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.

She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.

But then, Mercedes Thompson is not exactly normal herself... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

Yes, this is yet another re-read. I've read Moon Called a couple of times in the past, along with the rest of the series (Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne and River Marked to date) and loved it every time.

Mercy Thompson is quite the character, and involved with a very interesting world. Where in most of the paranormal worlds (either in the romance genre or the urban fantasy) the supernatural is either well known about or completely kept secret, in the world Mercedes Thompson lives in, it's in that middle-state. At the moment, the Fae are out (for the most part, anyway) and werewolves are something of an open secret, although not officially known about as yet. Not even a hint of vampires or anything else, although they do exist.

All of that adds a whole new set of tensions to the normal set. How to keep these secrets, how to maintain the image that is needed. Dealing with bigotry and prejudice, etc. The whole series (and the spin-off series Alpha and Omega) keep me turning the page, even on re-reading.

From the start, we're thrown right into her world with a bit of a mystery, and we're kept going from there. Who is Mac, who's after him and why? What do they want? The pace never really lets up, although there are plenty of funnier moments to lighten things up - Mercy's parts car, for example. Every time she's annoyed with her neighbor, it gets funnier. I think, by the end of the series, it's missing three of the four wheels and has graffiti scribbled all over it.

If you're an urban fantasy fan and you haven't given Patricia Brigg's Mercy Thompson series a try, you really should. It's one of my favourites and I can't recommend it enough.

Unleash The Night - Sherrilyn Kenyon

2013-01-27T14:04:00.000-08:00

Unleash the Night
Sherrilyn Kenyon
St. Martin's Press
Copyright: 2007
978-0312934330

The amazon.com product description:

It's a predator eat predator world for the Were-Hunters. Danger haunts any given day. There is no one to trust. No one to love. Not if they want to live…

An orphan with no clan that will claim him, Wren Tigarian grew to adulthood under the close scrutiny and mistrust of those around him. A forbidden blend of two animals—snow leopard and white tiger—Wren has never listened to anyone when there was something he wanted. Now he wants Marguerite.
Marguerite D'Aubert Goudeau is the daughter of a prominent U.S. Senator who hates the socialite life she's forced to live. Like her mother before her, she has strong Cajun roots that her father doesn't understand. Still, she has no choice but to try and conform to a world where she feels like an outsider. But the world of rich and powerful humans is never to meet the world of the Were-Hunters who exist side by side with them, unseen, unknown, undetected. To break this law is to call down a wrath of the highest order.
In order to have Marguerite, Wren must fight not just the humans who will never accept his animal nature, but the Were-Hunters who want him dead for endangering their world. It's a race against time and magic without boundary that could cost Marguerite and Wren not just their lives, but their very souls…

My favourite of the Dark Hunter series. This is also one of the "old style" Dark Hunter novels - where the story is a hundred percent focused on the two main characters - no continuing story arc or anything from the previous books or to build on for the next one.

At this point in the series its' still possible to read the books out of order and not miss anything other than the occasional joke. However, that starts to change with the later books in the series.

Unleash the Night is a quick and funny read if you're a fan of paranormal romances. There's myth, were-creatures and fun all around, despite the various character issues (or perhaps because of). I've read the book before and laughed my way through it, and I'm sure I will again in the future.

The Fire Rose - Mercedes Lackey

2013-01-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

The Fire Rose
Mercedes Lackey
Baen Books
Copyright: 1996
978-0671877507

The amazon.com product description:

San Francisco, 1905: Rosalind, a medieval scholar, is hired by Jason, a powerful sorcerer. Jason's enemy offers to restore Rosalind's family fortune if she will betray Jason. And then the earthquake strikes. . . .

Although it's a much older book and from a different publisher, I still consider this to be a part of the Elemental Masters series. For the most part, the magical system is the same as is the time period, not to mention the fairy-tale framework of the story.

I don't think I'll be giving anything away if I say that this one's based around the tale of Beauty and the Beast in the same way that each of the Elemental Masters series features a fairy tale, for example Sleeping Beauty (The Gates of Sleep).

I don't know if this is my favourite novel set in that world, but it's certainly right up there. Rose is, I think, one of my favourite characters. I just wish I had her talent for languages: German, Latin, some heiroglyphics, French (and the medieval versions of the same). Not to mention wishing I had access to a library like Jason has.

I've read The Fire Rose before several times and I know I'm going to read it again in the future. Every time I open the book it pulls me into the story. I can almost see the mansion Jason has, with the conservatory of birds, the gorgeous Arabian stallion, and the wonderful library.

The Free Bards - Mercedes Lackey

2013-01-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

The Free Bards
Mercedes Lackey
Baen Books
Copyright: 1997
978-0671877781

The back jacket blurb:

Rune, Robin and Nightingale -

Together They Will Save Us All (If we're very lucky...)
Rune: She ran away from an abusive home to become the greatest violinist her world had ever known - and when The Ghost of Skull Hill tried to stop her, she played him to sleep!

Robin: No mean musician herself, she must make her own visit to Skull Hill - to recruit the dreadful ghost to their cause.

Nightingale: Alone she could accomplish nothing. So she joined forces with T'fyrr, a strange nonhuman with the face of a raptor and the voice of an angelic choir.

This unlikely set of heroes had the daunting task of saving the King - and through him the Gypsies, Free Bards, and non-humans of the twenty kingdoms. Fortunately their opponents had no idea how potent a weapon music could be...

I just typed that jacket blurb out, and found myself cringing multiple times at how wrong it is. Frankly, if that were my introduction to the Bardic Voices books and Mercedes Lackey's writing, I don't think I'd have picked the book up. This isn't the first time I've read the book - there was a time when I owned all three of the books included here, along with the fourth, A Cast of Corbies, as separate volumes. Those books were The Lark and the Wren, The Robin and the Kestrel and The Eagle and the Nightingale.

Mercedes Lackey has created an interesting world with the Twenty Kingdoms and their structure, although we don't get to learn a lot about them. Still, there are some tantalizing hints to a past I kind of wish we could find out more about - some off-hand mentions of Delambren technology and the various references to the Cataclysm come to mind.

I'm going to class this one as not being "great literature" but instead being a fun read - but still one that leaves you thinking about things as you read it. A lot of the story elements are fairly standard, but Mercedes Lackey has thrown in some interesting twists and turns.

The one thing that frustrated me a little bit was that I've forgotten the story from A Cast of Corbies almost completely, and that one's referred to a fair bit in the third book of this omnibus edtion. Overall, that's a fairly minor thing though.

Not my favourite Mercedes Lackey novel, but a good one nonetheless.