365 Photo Challenge, Day Twenty Two... Knick-knack and a glass

A couple of things currently on my coffee table.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Twenty One... Endless Ocean

I took this yesterday but was too tired to post it when I got home.  So, you get it today.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Twenty... Gryphon again

And this is the look of "STOP TAKING MY PICTURE!!!"

365 Photo Challenge, Day Nineteen... mugs

See our lovely wooden mugs.  Want one of your own?  Attend a Renaissance Faire and look for the guy selling them.  We love ours.

[Book review] The World House by Guy Adams

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I’m a little biased towards books that showcase adventures indoors.  For most of my life, I’ve had wonderful recurring dreams of exploring vast buildings full of interesting things.  So The World House is the kind of book that’s right up my alley.  But this house is scarier and more dangerous than my worst nightmares.

All over the world, in varying time periods, people pick up a strange little box and find themselves transported to an odd and frightening place.  Taxidermied animals come to life to attack the unwary, hallways extend into infinity, and dark spaces contain faceless phantoms.  The house seems to contain everything you can imagine, except for one thing—a way out.

At the top of the house is a locked room.  In that room is a prisoner plotting his escape.  If he gets out, he will destroy the world.  

365 Photo Challenge, Day Eighteen... always good advice

My apologies for the run of knick-knack photographs, but the fog has literally not lifted here in days.  There's nothing outside BUT fog at the moment.  Once the sun resumes, the pics should have a bit more variety.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Seventeen... Belle and Beast

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is my favorite animated movie.  I collect things to do with the movie.  Thing is, I like to collect the Beast, not Belle.  This is difficult, as there's not much Beast stuff out there!  This, however, is a shot of part of my lovely collection in my curio cabinet.

[Book review] Among Others by Jo Walton

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There are certain novels that defy easy description.  There is something in them that speaks to our hearts and bypasses words.  Among Others is just such a tale.  For those of us who grew up with books as our best companions, Walton’s newest story is like a visit from old beloved friends.

Morwenna Phelps has seen her life turned upside down.  She and her twin sister Morganna grew up practicing magic and avoiding their half-mad witch of a mother as much as possible.  But when their mother tries to work a magic that would have given her immense power, the twins stop her, but at horrible cost.  Morganna dies and Morwenna is crippled.

Now Morwenna is in the care of her father, whom she has never met, but who shares her intense love of books.  He and her aunts place her in a local boarding school where Mori must struggle to find a way to live in a world far different than the one she had before.  As she slowly makes friends and finds a place to belong, she faces that hardest of trials: growing up.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Sixteen... Pack-scot

And today's picture...it's not a mascot, so my other half calls it a pack-scot.  It's attached to my backpack and gets lots of second glances when we hike.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Fifteen... Epic Mickey!

I forgot to post this yesterday, so here it is now.

This is the Epic Mickey figure that Scott got for me for Christmas to go along with the game itself.  It's currently sitting on the endtable in our living room.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Fourteen... one is the loneliest number

Aaaw, what could be sadder than the last brownie in the pan?  Perhaps I should end its suffering...

365 Photo Challenge, Day Thirteen... local garden

This is a garden next to the local Borders on the edge of the UCD Arboretum.

[Book review] The Fallen Blade by Jon Courtnay Grimwood

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Ever since I picked up Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice, I’ve been hooked on good meaty fantasy with a healthy dose of intrigue.  Ever since I picked up my first Philippa Gregory book, I’ve been hooked on historic fiction, especially as it concerns the dealings of royals.  So put both of those elements together to make a fantasy set in an alternate historical time and toss in some intrigue and I’m a happy reviewer.  Such is The Fallen Blade, which has supernatural characters and their doings in a version of 1500s Italy.

Tycho has no memories of his life from before his captivity.  He awakens naked and chained in the hull of a ship, a stranger breaking his bonds.  He escapes and finds himself in a strange country.  Barely surviving and unsure of how to quench the odd hunger within him, he becomes obsessed with a girl whom he saves from suicide.  With this act, he embroils himself in the machinations of those in power.

Giulietta is being sent away into a political marriage, much against her will.  On the eve of her departure, she’s kidnapped and spirited away to parts unknown.  The Duke’s chief assassin, Atilo, sets out to find her, but can’t find her.  His meeting with Tycho leads him to take the boy as his apprentice and potential successor.  But Tycho is more unusual than anybody can imagine, and though taming him may save Giulietta, it may damn the boy to a fate worse than death.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Twelve... Gidget

This is one of my mom and dad's dogs.  She doesn't like to have her picture taken, so this one was a bit tricky to get.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Eleven... Gryphon

Yesterday's cat has, sadly, passed on.  Today's cat is very much alive and will not hesitate to tell you so.  As a matter of fact, she won't hesitate to tell you ANYTHING that she's thinking.  I think the proper caption for this picture is "OMG MOM!!!"

365 Photo Challenge, Day Ten... Merlin

Right before Thanksgiving, our little feline boy, Merlin, had to be put to sleep.  Since he loved to lie on the hearth when we made a fire, that's where we keep his ashes.  He was the world's sweetest cat and deserves a loving memorial.  I miss him every day.

[Book review] Finding the Way and Other Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey

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December means that it’s time for another Valdemar anthology—or at least, what passes for one.  I’ve been critical of these volumes in the past because I felt that too many of the stories really weren’t tied to Valdemar as strongly as they could have been.  I’m quite thankful to notice a difference in the most recent collection, and a small and narcissistic part of me wonders if someone read my comments and took them to heart.

Free short story!

Free short story from Baen author Larry Correia

365 Photo Challenge, Day Nine... Sunset

Sunset over Davis.  I managed to get the lovely colors that were in the sky.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Eight... A winter tree

This is the view outside our bedroom window.  Come spring, this tree will be covered with cherry blossoms.  I'll probably take a pic of it then for comparison.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Seven... Oak grove

One of the oak groves in the UC Davis Arboretum, now with newly renovated paths and interpretive signs.  This pic was taken just before Scott and I saw a local production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night in the Arboretum gazebo.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Six... Pretty rocks

This is a photo of a bowl of stones that I keep on my workstation at home.  I love rocks and minerals and pick them up when and where I can.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Five... Artificial smile

Someone at work made this for me during Rush, when I was having a particularly bad day.  It's meant to hook into the sides of your mouth and wrap around the back of your head to pull your mouth into a smile.  I promptly hung it in my cubicle with the attached note.

[Book review] A blast from the past--The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg

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Since this novel just came out in mass market format, I thought it would be nice to repost the review.

Carol Berg's storytelling style draws readers irresistibly into her tales, and this new novel is no exception. Set in a mythical version of the Renaissance, at a time when science and magic are colliding, The Spirit Lens combines fantasy with a murder mystery.

Portier wanted more than anything to be a mage, but his magic is too weak for him to wield. Taking over the school's library instead, he lives a peaceful life until being summoned to an audience with the king, his distant cousin. Portier discovers, much to his dismay, that an attempt has been made on the king's life.

The queen is being blamed for it, and Portier is assigned to find the truth.

His helpers are a foppish courtier and an unruly rogue mage. As events proceed, what should be a simple case of exposing a frame-up turns into something far larger and deadlier. The attempt on the king's life may have been nothing but a flashy distraction, to cover more sinister doings.

As magic and science clash, some plotters are determined that magic won't go down without a fight.

[Book review] Empress of Eternity by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

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This review contains minor spoilers.

I’m beginning to think that the prevalence of fantasy is slowly squeezing out science fiction.  I don’t think sci-fi will vanish entirely, but it does seem to be around a bit less nowadays than I remember from years past.  As such, I make a concerted effort to cast my net wide for sci-fi novels and see what’s out there.  This is what led me to Empress of Eternity, the newest standalone novel by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.

Far in the future, Earth’s dominant feature is a massive canal, more than two thousand miles long and impervious to any damage.  Its origins are lost to the mists of time, but there are those who believe that it contains powers unlike any imagined.  Many study it, but few come close to solving its secrets.

In three different time periods, scientists are close to doing just that.  But in each of these eras, political unrest and violence mar their efforts.  On the off chance that the canal might yield valuable information, forces of these governments will stop at nothing to control the canal and eliminate any who stand in their way.  But the canal’s builders may not be as dead and gone as everyone thinks, and soon, they too get involved in a conflict which could unravel the very fabric of the universe.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Four... kitty statue

This was a Christmas gift from Scott while we were still dating and he was still back in Texas.

New books!

Orbit has released its list of books that will go on sale during the Spring and Summer!

365 Photo Challenge, Day Three... my "to read" pile

Well, part of it, anyway.  *blush*

365 Photo Challenge, Day Two... my cubicle

Just my desk area on a typical day.  Maybe later I'll post a pic of my desk area on an ATYPICAL day.

365 Photo Challenge, Day One... Gryphon

Such a cute little kitty!  She covers herself up when she's cold.

[Book review] Walking the Tree by Kaaron Warren

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This review contains minor spoilers.

Once in a while, I’ll come across a book that’s hard to describe.  This may be because it doesn’t neatly fit into one genre, or because the story has lots of twists and turns, or just because I don’t want to give away too much of the plot.  It’s not that I don’t like these books, but something in them defies easy description.  I find myself at a loss to figure out how to review Kaaron Warren’s Walking the Tree, because so much of what I got from the book is tied to emotion rather than logical ideas.

Lillah wants more than anything to be a teacher, to walk the Tree with other girls her age and escort the younger children on their five year journey.  When she’s picked, her excitement is tempered by a request from one of the village mothers: she is dying, and she fears that her son Morace is also ill.  In this society, illness is feared above anything else, and what they call “treatment” ends in death.  Lillah agrees to not only watch over Morace, but to hide his possible condition until the school reaches his relatives’ village.

On her journey, Lillah will come face to face with beliefs and cultures that differ wildly from her own.  The school’s purpose is to teach tolerance and understanding, but such ideals don’t come easily.  And would anyone be understanding of Lillah’s actions in protecting Morace if they are found out?

Technical difficulties, please stand by...

Well, the 365 photo project got derailed by a flaky camera battery, but the problem seems to have fixed itself.  Maybe.  O.o  I'll be starting over again today.

More reviews to come this week as well.

Darn it!

I forgot to do a picture post yesterday!  O.o  Well, I'll just have to do two today.

*grumbles*  That didn't take long for me to start to forget.  Then again, it IS Winter Rush, so I think a bit of brainlessness can be excused...

[Book review] The Dark Griffin by K. J. Taylor

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This review contains spoilers.

My first real introduction to griffins in fiction (or “gryphons”, as I learned to spell it) was in Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar novels.  Her characters were rich and living beings, and I fell in love with them unreservedly.  I even made some friends based on that mutual admiration, most notably the man who would become my husband.  So you can imagine that I was excited to see a new novel from a new author that would utilize griffins as main characters.  I wish that my expectations had been more fulfilled.

Arren Cardockson is a Northerner, and as his race has traditionally been enslaved and reviled for their violent natures, he shouldn’t have been allowed to become a griffiner.  But his bond with the white griffin Eluna was too strong to be denied.  Now he lives in Eagleholm as the Master of Trade and is accorded a certain measure of respect.  But an incident involving a smuggling ring leaves Arren in debt.  To pay it off, he agrees to try to catch a wild griffin.

The nameless black griffin has lived alone almost all his life, and he has no knowledge of humans, other than that they’re good to eat.  His encounter with Arren and Eluna will change all of their lives for the worse.  Broken and discredited, both Arren and the griffin now known as Darkheart will come to a moment of choice that will define their lives forever.

What I'm reading...

Well, plus what I've recently finished.

Yesterday, I finished Kaaron Warren's Walking the Tree, which I greatly enjoyed.  A review of this book will likely post tonight or tomorrow.  I'm finding myself quite happy with what I've been reading from this new imprint, Angry Robot Books.  (They're a UK imprint that distributes through Random House here in the states.)  In fact, I'm finding that I'm having to space out what I'm reading from each publisher, as lately I've been gravitating towards Angry Robot and Orbit.  Not a bad thing, per se, but I'd like to spread the wealth to the other publishers as well.  :)

Currently, I'm reading something that's neither sci-fi nor fantasy: Bill Bryson's latest book, At Home.  It's a history of the house and what it contains, along with some fascinating digressions into American and British domestic history.  It's quite enjoyable and I find myself laughing out loud at Bryson's wry style.

I'm not sure what will come next after At Home, but I'll decide that once I finish.  There are a few books in the running.

365 Photo Challenge, Day Three... Old Glory

The American flag and the California state flag (although the wind refused to spread it out) on the UCD campus.

[Book review] Tempest's Legacy by Nicole Peeler

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If you’ve been reading my reviews for any length of time, you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I appreciate a novel with some wit and humor.  After growing up on Douglas Adams and finding Terry Pratchett many years ago, I came to like my novels with a bit of a chuckle thrown in.  Nicole Peeler’s Jane True novels fit the bill nicely with their combination of sly winks and raunchy ribaldry.  Tempest’s Legacy is no exception, although its overall tone is more serious than the previous books.

Jane hasn’t seen Anyan Barghest for a while, and so it’s a surprise when he shows up at her door.  But he’s there to deliver terrible news: her mother has been found dead in a lab that was experimenting on supernatural beings.  Heartbroken, Jane insists on joining the search for the guilty parties.

Jane’s task is complicated by the fact that the other investigator is Ryu, the vampire that Jane just recently broke up with.  And he really doesn’t like having to take “no” for an answer.  Couple that with Jane’s growing affection for Anyan and you have a recipe for tension.  But when someone begins attacking the people that Jane loves, all other concerns must be set aside so that the killers can be found before it’s too late.

[365 Photo Challenge] Day Two... a winter tree

A bare tree on the UC Davis quad.

[365 Photo Challenge] Day One... backpacks

What better way to start a new year and a new challenge than with a picture of our backpacks?  The red one is mine, the gargantuan green one is my husband's.  Side by side and ready for adventure!