A Re-Occuring Theme in my Reading Material

My Utah girlfriends gave me a gift certificate for my birthday in December for a local bookstore. Beside myself, I took my $75 and an hour and a half during the holidays and went in to snoop and dig through the stacks. The two women behind the counter grinned at me and let me go about my giddy business.

I walked out with the following:

A new copy of Jane Eyre, to replace my sad old copy.

A book called London by Edward Rutherford that I'm reading now and LOVING!

The first two books in a series about a Victorian, schoogirl who discovers that she's gifted with magic. A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels. I've read the first one and it was great.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard to continue my Harry Potter collection. I've read two of the short stories and it inspired me to read The Seven again. I know, I'm a freak.

A copy of a historical fiction novel called Katherine. For obvious reasons this looked cool. Haven't read it yet.

I had $1.50 left on the gift certificate and seriously impressed the women with my huge stack of reading material. They suggested Edward Rutherford's book on Stonehenge called Sarum and with how much I'm enjoying London, I'm definitely going to seek it out.

On my way home I realized that ALL of them are set in England. At least I'm consistent.

Read Anything Good Lately?

I haven't done a meme in a while and since I'm such a bibliophile, it's only fitting that I do one that's centered around books. Here goes...

1. First book to leave a lasting impression?
That would have to be The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, since I'm stil reading it and loving it all these years later.

2. Which author would you most like to be?
J.K. Rowling! She created a super cool world that the entire universe knows about and she has more money than God. What's not to like?

3. Name the book that has most made you want to visit a place?
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara made me want to visit Gettysburg with a vengeance.

4. Which contemporary author will still be read in 100 years time?
I'm going with J.K. Rowling again. I don't think Harry Potter's going to fade over the next 100 years.

5. Which book would you recommend to a teenager reluctant to try ‘literature’?
Can I use Harry Potter again? Everyone I know has enjoyed them.

6. Name your best recent literary discovery?
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville. Thanks to my dear friend Andrew. A cross between Alice in Wonderland and Terry Pratchett. Weird, wonderful, and charming.

7. Which author’s fictional world would you most like to live in?
Hmmm... I might say the world of the Blue Sword, but that's mostly desert and I don't do well with heat. I think I have to go with Harry Potter yet again! But, as a wizard, not a muggle.

8. Name your favourite poet?
Tennyson. Specifically, "The Lady of Shalott."

9. What’s the best non-fiction title you’ve read this year?
I don't think I've read any non-fiction this year... Is that bad?

Come Closer, My Child

During a lovely day at the Huntington Botanical Garden today, we took the guided tour. I've never done it before, but we found some pretty interesting things. Such as, this African Fever Tree.


Now, my auntie and I had exactly the same thought at exactly the same time. (And now my mother is too...)


They grow my the banks of the great, grey, green, greasy Limpopo River.


Don't know what we're talking about? Read "The Elephant's Child" by Rudyard Kipling and then come back.

Mr. Pullman Has Me in His Power

So, I've been reading The Golden Compass, at the urging of my dear Auntie and I find myself fascinated. I've read so many books over the years, it takes quite a bit to catch my eye. This has done it, though.

Imagine a world with armored polar bears, a mysterious particle known as Dust, a consul of witches, and a little girl completely unaware of her own important destiny. I'm ensorcelled. One of the coolest things about this world, is that a person goes everywhere with an outward manifestation of their soul. Something called a daemon. It's always of the opposite sex, can only get so far from you, and constantly changes forms when you're a child. Once you cross into adulthood, it settles into one form that echoes your personality.

In my exploration of the website today, I found my daemon. At first, I was slightly offended at the idea, but the more I think on it, the more I like it.