Wordless Wednesday -- sea lion

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Back on track .....

Just a short post to say that I'll be posting on my regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday kind of schedule, beginning this week.    I spent several days this past week at Worldcon (which was awesome and a bit overwhelming at times), then admittedly spent some time indulging in some reading (just sitting for a while and reading, uninterrupted, feels so luxurious......).

Today, am rooting through my emails and my Reader ..... which is a bit overwhelming, but at least it means I can spend time listening to the Birthday Massacre CD I got from the library recently.

So, anyway, will be posting book reviews this week.   I hope everyone had a lovely long weekend.

It's all about perspective.  This poppet is only 2 inches tall...

Having a stretch ... and making a change

The other day, when I was taking photos at Woodlawn Cemetery, I started thinking about how I've really made cemetery photography into a bit of a hobby, and how many photos I've now accumulated as a result.

So, I'm stretching my creative muscles and am going to try something different ---- a photo blog.   This blog, Fluidity of Time, will stay as it is ---- but I'm not going to post cemetery photos on Wordless Wednesday.  I've begun a new Wordpress blog to focus on cemetery photography (and history):  Marble Towns.   I think separating this into it's own space will be interesting, and hopefully, other people will find the content interesting, as well.

How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them?

Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother. With rapier wit, Moran slices right to the truth--whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children--to jump-start a new conversation about feminism. With humor, insight, and verve, "How To Be a Woman" lays bare the reasons why female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself.

And here's what I thought:  I thought this was an interesting book, although I had expected it to be more consistently funny.  Actually, sometimes it was thought-provoking and sometimes it was funny (sometimes, both at the same time).   Moran certainly doesn't shy away from frankly writing about things that might make some readers a bit squirmy, and I liked that.  The back of my book says "Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own...", and that's true.  What confused me at times was that, since this is a series of essays, that it doesn't proceed chronologically --- that is, sometimes she's referring to her childhood, and then jumping to something from the present time ... and I found I was sometimes trying to play catch-up.   However, she says some things in this book that did make me laugh out loud, and things where I was nodding my head in agreement (her section about bras is pretty funny, especially if you're like me and not an A-cup kind of girl).   She does say some frank things about feminism that I agree with --- and I think if you're not sure about what feminism today really is, or think that "feminism" is a dirty word (or applies to crunchy granola women from the 1960s who hate men), I think this is a must-read.  And actually, I think if you're female, this is a should-read, and even if you don't love every single thing she's writing about, I'm almost certain there's going to be parts you'll like, or at least, parts that will make you think (which is always a good thing, I believe).

Some of the writing I liked (since this is essays, a first line won't really do the trick): (p 69)  But on the plus side, I am not alone because - as with a million lonely girls and boys before - books, TV, and music are looking after me now.  I am being raised by witches, wolves, and unexpected guest stars on late-night chat shows.  All art is someone trying to tell you something, I realize.  There're thousands of people who want to talk to me, so long as I open their book or turn on their shows.

Wordless Wednesday -- looking through one to see another

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Libriomancer by Jim Hines

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  Isaac Vainio is a Libriomancer, a member of the secret organization founded five centuries ago by Johannes Gutenberg.  Libriomancers are gifted with the ability to magically reach into books and draw forth objects. When Isaac is attacked by vampires that leaked from the pages of books into our world, he barely manages to escape. To his horror he discovers that vampires have been attacking other magic-users as well, and Gutenberg has been kidnapped.
With the help of a motorcycle-riding dryad who packs a pair of oak cudgels, Isaac finds himself hunting the unknown dark power that has been manipulating humans and vampires alike. And his search will uncover dangerous secrets about Libriomancy, Gutenberg, and the history of magic. . . .

And here's what I thought:  So where do I start?  So many wonderful things to mention about this book --- like a totally awesome librarian who has magical powers .... and his fire-spider ..... and the dryad who shows up at his door ..... and did I mention the magic?  And did I say Isaac is a librarian?  Extra bonus points for that (speaking as a Librarian).  This book is a completely fun ride, where there are twists and turns, and dark tunnels, and every so often, you wish you could know what was coming (so you'd know how to react), but you hang on and love every minute.   Yeah, it's like that (and hopefully, that made sense).

I've read some of Jim Hines' books before, most notably his Stepsister Scheme books .... and I have to say, I think this is his best book yet.  Not only does he create interesting characters, but he spins a wonderful tale.    Think about the magical power he creates here: Libriomancers can reach into any book and pull out objects .... really awesome objects, like the healing potion in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, for example, or the "eat me" cakes from Alice in Wonderland. Personally, as a child, I was more fascinated with what Turkish Delight might be .... I had no idea and was always curious about it.  Isaac can also pull out magic weapons, which comes in handy when he's attacked at his library by some vampires.   And speaking of vampires .... imagine that some of the different types of vampires came out of their books (thinking of all the vampire-book-writing authors I know of, that's quite the variety).   Hines doesn't just give us a great story, but he also gives us wonderfully written, interesting, multi-dimensional characters.  Yes, characters --- the other characters, like Lena (the dryad), and even Smudge, have backgrounds, and dimension.   It's really refreshing, especially with a female character like Lena, who not only kicks ass, but is pretty unapologetic about it (and about who, and what, she really is).

Even if you don't think you're a fantasy book reader, I'd recommend this book if you're a reader -- because, really, there's so much here for book-lovers ..... and it's such a great story, too.   This is the first book in the  Magic Ex Libris series, and if the next one is anything as good as this one was, I'll be pre-ordering it for myself.

I also want to mention that Jim Hines is one of the nicest people I've met.  I had an opportunity to meet him at a convention, and he very nicely signed some of my library's copies of his books (and he didn't mind when I started getting a teensy bit fan-girl, either).   Check out his site if you'd like to learn more (and see his completely awesome takes on book cover poses)

First lines:  Some people would say it's a bad idea to bring a fire-spider into a public library.  Those people would probably be right, but it was better than leaving him alone in the house for nine hours straight.  The one time I tried, Smudge had expressed his displeasure by burning through the screen that covered his tank, burrowing into my laundry basket, and setting two weeks' worth of clothes ablaze.

Ingo by Helen Dunmore

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  I wish I was away in Ingo, Far across the sea, Sailing over the deepest waters, Where love nor care can trouble me...

Sapphire's father mysteriously vanishes into the waves off the Cornwall coast where her family has always lived. She misses him terribly, and she longs to hear his spellbinding tales about the Mer, who live in the underwater kingdom of Ingo. Perhaps that is why she imagines herself being pulled like a magnet toward the sea. But when her brother, Conor, starts disappearing for hours on end, Sapphy starts to believe she might not be the only one who hears the call of the ocean.
And here's what I thought:  I had never heard of this book, or this series, until someone I work with lent me her copy --- and I'm glad she did, because this was a really good read.

There were a lot of elements here that I liked.  First, the writing pulled me in, so that I became wrapped up in the characters, and the two places (Sapphire's home, and Ingo).  The author has a way of giving the characters such true voices that I felt like I was experiencing the book through Sapphire, and not just reading about her doing things, and seeing things, and hearing things.   I also liked that the author took some of the familiar aspects of traditional mermaid lore, and gave them some fresh twists.  This story isn't just about Sapphire being drawn to things that are in the sea, but it's about her having to understand the difficult choices that she faces, as well as how she has to face the changes that have happened since her father vanished.   The author does a nice job with foreshadowing in the story, so that here and there, there are little hints of what is really happening --- but not so much that the story is predictable.  It's actually not completely predictable, which I liked.  The author also puts some sinister elements in the story, which I also liked --- the sea is fickle by nature, and can be dangerous, even when it's beautiful.

First lines:  You'll find the Mermaid of Zennor inside Zennor Church, if you know where to look.  She's carved from old, hard, dark wood.  The church is dark, too, so you have to bend down to see her clearly.  You can trace the shape of her tail with your finger.  Someone slashed across her with a knife a long time ago.  A sharp, angry knife.  I touched the slash mark very gently, so I wouldn't hurt the mermaid any more.