Crocodile on the Sandbank, A Review

When I finished my last book, I was ready for some light, amusing reading.  Not wanting to read my last new Christopher Moore just yet, I decided to pick up  Crocodile on the Sandbank, an Amelia Peabody mystery by Elizabeth Peters.  My friend has been reading this series fora while now.  She is always looking for Peter’s latest book when we go to the used book stores.  This is not something I would normally remember, but while visiting my eldest sister in Seattle last summer, she had just started reading this series, and had to share her ethusiasm for it with me. So with a hole in my reading list and a particular book bug in my brain, I set out to read the first book in the Amelia Peabody mystery series. … Continue Reading

Fanatic Infects Others at Bookstore

I love the authors you find by accident, or that you feel you have “discovered”.  It makes them somehow more personal.  You feel a sense of ownership and prides in these authors.  You actively try to get others to share the joy of your discovery, through lending books out, or, (in the case of how I was introduced to Dave Duncan), you accost complete strangers in the bookstore. … Continue Reading

The Second North American Discworld Convention is announced!

Hello out there all you Terry Pratchett fans!  Already I can hear some of you thinking…”Terry Who?” I know he is not a very well known author here in the states, but he is a terrific fantasy/satire writer.  He has written over 36 books in the discworld series, all of which satirize a few different themes found here on planet earth (rock and roll, religion, crime procedurals, the banking system, the postal system, etc). 

Yes, this is basically a convention for one author.  It takes up a whole convention space, and is filled with crazy people like myself that love Terry Pratchett and all the wonderful books he has brought into this world.  We watch movies, have masquarades, banquets, and seminars on that range in topics from Terry’s works to how to write your own book and get it published.  There is drinking and singing and dancing and board games and free food and great people from all over the world (I met a guy from Switzerland at the first convention). Again, all gathered in one place to celebrate one author.  But really, how many authors can claim to have written a truly funny and educational/thoughtful book about the banking system?  I mean it sounds like an oxymoron.  Or to be the most shoplifted author in 1996? (I have no current stats).  How about over 55 million copies sold in over 36 languages?  Also, Terry Pratchett has been knighted for his work in literature.

Knighted for work in fantasy literature! 

Too cool.    How did we not know about this guy in the states? … Continue Reading

Stieg Larsson, Lisbeth Salander and the books you are seeing everywhere!

So I have recently been drawn in to Steig Larson’s Millenium trilogy.  Living in New York, you can’t help but see people reading it all around you on the subway.  I got interested after reading a review of the first movie (The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo).  I went to see the movie in an art house theatre and I was hooked.  It is amazing how quickly you forget you are even reading subtitles, when the movie is good enough.  This led me to begin reading the books. … Continue Reading

My Love/Hate relationship with the SyFy Channel

So, currently I live with no cable television.  I work as a pastry chef, which means late nights, and that I am not at home  to see almost anything but soap operas and infomercials in real time.  Ahhh, well, this is where Tivo or DVR rear their tempting heads.  Alas, I live in Manhattan/New York City, and did I mention I work in the food service industry?  With my limited income, I have compromised by paying for internet, through which I have the lovely, free service known as Hulu.

Anyways, I have seen ads all over the city which reminded me that the new off-season television season is upon us, and cable networks have all started broadcasting their original programming.  As I have limited time to watch television shows, I am currently watching only a few shows, including Wherehouse 13.

I am willing to give most shows on the SyFy channel a shot.  Sometimes this works out beautifully, as it did with Battlestar Galactica or Farscape.  Other times, I don’t make it through a single episode, as most memorably, part of an episode of The Black Scorpion, which I watched with my dad.  (No wonder that one didn’t last.) … Continue Reading

The Dresden Files….Please leave Harry alone…

Wizard for Hire...and maiming?

I enjoy reading the Dresden Files.  It is a hard-boiled  detective series, with a touch of the supernatural to liven things up.  I think the writing is witty, the relationships and the characters well developed and the typical creatures (vampires, werewolves, etc) unexpected in their development.  The endings to each book seem well thought out and  there is always something to build on for the next book. 

All that being said, I have a problem with The Dresden Files.   … Continue Reading

Christine’s Top 7 Favorite books from Childhood

Crivens!

Hello Everybody! So I know it is not Tuesday, but it has been a crazy week. I really liked this topic and so (a little late) and by way of introduction, I am about to reveal a slice of my past to you all. Here is my first post: 7 books I loved when I was younger, and which, (to be perfectly honest) retain a space of honor on my bookshelf to this day.

When I tried to think of my favorite 7 seven books, my first impulse was to return to my bookshelf, see what I had kept and make the list.  Since that bookcase is stored in Phoenix right now, all I could think of was the great children’s books I have read more recently. So, like getting a bad tune out of my head, here is a quick shout out before I start my list for real.   Harry Potter goes without saying, at least for me. Then there is Garth Nix’s Abhorsen books, Niel Gaiman’s Graveyard Book and Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books (I dare you not to say “Crivens” after reading these books). These are just a few, but I couldn’t resist throwing them out there. Now to begin in earnest… … Continue Reading