So Much to Read, So Little Time

Upon the discovery of an amazing discount bookstore (worth the drive to St Catherines!), I find myself with a stack of new books to read. Glancing across my bookshelves, I caught sight of several other titles I hadn't read yet. So, grabbing my trusty pen and pad, I made a list (I *heart* lists) of all the fiction books I've bought, but haven't read yet.

I'm pleased that the list isn't as long as I feared.

Here they are, in no order:

• "The Dragon and the Unicorn" by A.A. Attansio
• "Mistress of Rome" by Kate Quinn
• "The Rosetti Letter" by Christi Phillips
• "The Tsarina's Daughter" by Carolly Erickson
• "Rampant" by Diana Peterfreund

• "The Lady Elizabeth" by Alison Weir
• "Namaah's Kiss" by Jacqueline Carey (I have to read the rest of the series first!)
• "The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana" by Umberto Eco (I went through an Umberto Eco phase that died out before I read this one)
• "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson (I may never read this one)
• "Quiver" by Holly Luhning

• "The Replacements" by Brenna Yovanoff
• "Sidekicks" by Jack D Ferraiolo
• "Not Suitable for Family Viewing" by Vicki Grant (an autographed copy, from OLA - this also won the Red Maple award for 2011!)
• "Between Two Ends" by David Ward
• "Dawn" by Octavia E Butler

• "Shabanu" and "Haveli" by Suzanne Fisher Staples
• "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
• "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves
• "The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells
• "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind

• "Eye of the Dragon" by Stephen King
• "Kushiel's Avatar" by Jacqueline Carey
• "The Good Fairies of New York" by Martin Millar

The conclusion of this list? I have to stop buying books :)
Also, what should I read next?

 

Annual Classic - DONE!

I did it. And I did it early this year.

I've read my classic novel for 2010. This year's selection was "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Through The Looking-Glass"

I really enjoyed these two short books, and I was impressed how much of it was actually included in the Disney "Alice In Wonderland". (I suppose that's because the Disney movie was made before everything had to be censored to avoid damaging the fragile minds of children).

Anyway...

I loved the weird Wonderland-logic and all the play on words. I loved the poetry and nonsensical songs, and I loved reading the notes in the back to see how Carroll incorporated snippets from Alice's life into his story. I can only imagine how delighted Alice must have been.

I also discovered a song in "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" that I learned in choir when I was in grade 1 or 2. I could only recall the first verse, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it in the book I was reading!

So, I give the movie ten stars, and the books ten stars (out of five, of course), and highly recommend them both.

And since I finished my classic so early this year (and since I kinda cheated and picked a really short one), maybe I'll read another ... but after I work through my current growing list of fiction!

Next on my list: a book inspired by Wonderland called "The Looking Glass Wars"

Annual Classic

Every year, I try to read a classic novel. Last year was "The Count of Monte Cristo" (which I'm still impressed I finished) and this year is proving to be a toss up. Here are my choices:

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass" by Lewis Carroll

Yes, there's movie hype, but I've been wanting to read this one for a while. I've seen the Disney-fied version of the story, and I'm dying to see the new Tim Burton version, but I'd also like to know the original. I remember as a child watching a live action version of "Through the Looking Glass" that scared the pants off me! My best friend and I would make a pillow fort, get big bowls of strawberry ice cream, and watch the dragon scene.

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austin

I have been very resistant to Jane Austin my whole life. I've never seen the movie versions, I've never read the written versions, and honestly I'm not 100% sure what they're about. And since I can't remember why I detest Jane Austin so much, perhaps I'll give this one a go this year. I've heard good things, and it would pave the way for this :

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame" by Victor Hugo

This has been sitting on my shelf for a while, waiting to be read. At first, I thought this would be my classic of 2010, but I've been reading a lot of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, so I thought perhaps I'd branch into a different author this year. This is another classic where I've seen the Disney-fied version and would like to know the true one!

So those are my choices. What do you think? What should I read?

The Magicians

Were you one of those kids who, after reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe went around testing every cupboard and closet in your house for a secret portal to Narnia? Or were you one of those kids who tried to learn magic tricks because it was as close to magic as you could get?

I was one of those kids, and so was Quentin. The difference between the two of us, though, is that Quentin found his magic portal to the world of Brakebills college.

I suspect Lev Grossman was one of those kids too.

The book reads like an adult Harry Potter or a dystopian Narnia. The characters in this book, upon discovering magic, do not suddenly find that their problems are over, but rather that their problems intensify. Quentin believes that once he finds his way to the land of Fillory (the book's version of Narnia), the emptiness in his life will be over and learning magic is just a stepping stone.

It's a great read, definitely an adult fantasy novel, but many of the themes would be appreciated by non-fantasy readers as well. Pick it up and give it a try, especially if you've ever gone searching for Narnia yourself!

Rough start to 2010

So, thanks to the magic of Facebook, it isn't a secret that the guy I've been seeing and I broke up. It happened Jan 2nd (after he didn't spend New Years with me) and I've been kind of reeling ever since.

But, thanks to the wonderful support of my amazing friends, I'm getting by. But I'm not going to turn this blog into a sob story ... I just wanted to highlight two amazing books that are really helping me out now.

Have you seen the movie, "He's Just Not That Into You"? Did you know it started out as a book?

Anyway, the book is not like the movie (which was also very good). It's a great way for you to clue in whether or not the guy you're seeing is actually into you. Believe me, it was an eye opener. I was sure my guy was drifting away, but I didn't think that he had fallen out of love for me until I read this book and realized that he wasn't into me anymore. It was sad, but reading it has helped me come to grips with his feelings.

So, one you've realized he's not that into you, you can read this:

Same author, but this time he's writing with his wife. Ways to cope with your break up, and stories by other people on how they reacted very badly to their break ups to help you out. Great advice, and if you feel yourself slipping into the "maybe I'll just call him to see if he's suffering like me" phase, they have steps you can take to ensure that you don't.

Currently, I'm in the "Don't See Him Or Talk To Him For Sixty Days" phase. After that, sometime in early March, I'll see if I still miss him or even care.

(And if you're thinking "What if he reads this public blog?", well, I don't really care if he does. And also, I don't think he will. If he's not into me anymore, why would he go out of his way to read my blog?)

There's one more book by the same author of the previous books, which I can't seem to find in Canada or the U.S. but I would really like to own:

I've only seen in on the UK version of Amazon. It was published 2007, so it's not that old. I'll have to see if I can get this somewhere. Thank goodness for the magic of the internet!

As for me, I'm doing ok. But if you're concerned, drop me a line or invite me out someplace!

Latest Good Book

Again, I've been neglecting my poor blog. But I come to you with another must-read book:

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. I'm a little less than halfway through this book, but I was hooked after the first page.

The world in which this book is set has people who are born with a Grace - an ability that makes them better at some things than other people. Some are Graced with cooking, with swimming, with talking backwards, or any number of things. For Katsa, neice of King Randa, she is Graced with killing... and it isn't a Grace she particularly likes.

Most Graced people live as outcasts, useful for their talent but otherwise shunned. Katsa's Grace makes her the King's dog, and she's sent out on any number of horrible assignments by his order. It's not until Katsa meets the mysterious Po that she decides to take her life into her own hands...

And that's as far as I am in the book so far. It's a fabulous read, very engaging, full of likeable characters. I highly recommend it to fantasy lovers :)

Distracted by Life

I've really, really been neglecting the ol' blog. Apologies to anyone out there who still reads this. Without getting into any details, let's just say my life has been a roller coaster ride the past few months with too many ups and downs.

Let's see... what I have I been working on?

Well, I've been knitting a gorgeous shawl out of the Noro Chirimen that Heather picked up for me at the Yarn Frolic (which I couldn't attend because, alas, I was working). Originally I was going to use it to make a sweater, but I really need a shawl for the summer (work is overly air conditioned) and the colours are so lovely!

And like usual, I don't have a picture of it. Sorry :(

The other thing occupying my time?

I've only had it for a few days, but it's oodles of fun :D

I also finished reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" (I'm stupidly proud of this - it's 1243 pages with really small type!) and I recommend it to anyone who has the time to read it.

Also, everyone should read "The Mystery of Grace" by Charles de Lint. I read it not knowing at all what it was about, and enjoyed it more that way. It's a fabulous read, supremely well written, and difficult to put down. Trust me, go read it :)

That's about it for my update. Once I figure out how to take pictures in Sims 3, I'll show you some of the wacky things you can do in the new game.

And once I get someone to take pictures of me in my recent knitting accomplishments, I'll post them too!

The Friday Night Knitting Club

By all rights, I shouldn't have even read this book. It's definitely not the kind of book I usually pick up. I tend to avoid the adult reality type books, preferring to enjoy my escapism with books about fantasy and vampires.

But, the book is about knitting (which I enjoy) and I had just finished reading a fantasy book about politics and assassins ("The Way of the Shadows" by Brent Weeks - very good!), so I figured what the heck.

I was blown away by the readability of this book. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age, but I found all the characters to be extremely likeable. Their lives were beautifully displayed and each one was a unique and interesting person. The main character, Georgia, reminded me of the type of person I wanted to be. It was funny, heart warming, moving, and cathartic.

Whether you knit or not, you should read this book... okay, maybe not so much for guys, but everyone else should.

Guys, go pick up "The Way of the Shadows" instead. ;)

Stealin' posts for my blog

I just read a good review of Breaking Dawn (the final book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer). It's pretty much exactly how I feel about the book, so rather than litter the internet with the same thing twice, just go read it here.

Pictures from Nuit Blanche will be posted when I stop being so damned lazy and get the photos off my camera. I can't help it if every time I see my computer I automatically load up the Sims! I wonder if that's a sign I need help ;)

In knitting news, there's been a sudden baby boom among people I know (okay, only 2, but that's lots for me!) so I'm working on a surprise present for one friend, and thinking of a surprise present for the other. I also need more Taiyo to finish my sweater, and yarn to start a new sweater... Yarn crawl, anyone??

Twilight

So I finally got my hands on the must-read teen book of the year. I thought that I wouldn't like it. First of all, it's a romance. But not just any romance. A vampire romance. Seems a little too cheesy for me, but it's my job to know what all the cool kids are reading, so I bought a copy (the waiting list at the library would take me all year to read, and by then the hype would be over)

I'm about 280 pages into this 498 page book - and I'm hooked. Honestly, this book is very difficult to put down. It's very well written, in my humble opinion, and I can see with crystal clarity why all the teen girls want to read it. Very vivid descriptions, a good balance of mystery and action and (of course) romance.

I won't go into plot details. There's really no point. If you've heard of this book, you know what it's about. If you haven't heard of it, well, you should give it a try.

Dee, I think you'll like it. You can borrow it from me when you visit, if you like.

Wow. I'm gushing about a teen romance. I think I'm getting sappy in my old age.

Picture to share

If anyone out there is a fan of I Can Has Cheezburger, there's also a similar site called Fail Blog... whose name is pretty self explanatory.

Anyway....

This picture came to me through an LJ community I'm on, and it made me laugh so I thought I'd share:


Okay, technology clearly isn't on my side today. I swear that picture should be bigger... anyway, just click here instead.

It's been about a week....

It's been about a week since I last posted here, so I figured I should write something.

Unfortunately, not much has been going on.

Sure, I've been doing the usual going-to-work and being-shed-on-by-cats, but nothing really exciting has happened to me lately.

Let's see.... how about some updates on what I've been working on?

After cleaning out my bookshelf and getting rid of a lot of old books, I've decided to reread David Eddings' Belgariad series. Oh the memories. Reading these old books makes me smile because it reminds me of the style in which I used to write. I would mimic various authors in an attempt to find my own voice, and I definitely went through a David Eddings phase.

I'm still writing, but I found an old story on my hard drive that I hadn't touched in a while, reread it, and decided to start working on it again. It's based off an old D&D character I created, and then found too tricky to play. She's much easier to write, since I can control the other characters too ;)

Spirit Saga is on a temporary hiatus while I work out some details.... namely, should I kill this one character? It's an agonizing decision.

Knitting... well, Heather showed me how to do seams (which are really neat) so I'm stitching together my Easter lamb. The stupid yarn makes it really tricky, so only the head is attached to the body. And in the picture of the lamb, the body looks oval, but my lamb seems to have more of a triangular line-backer body. Weird.

I'm also knitting the Montego Bay scarf (is that what it's called? I'm too lazy to look it up), which is progressing nicely. I made a mistake, knit that mistake for a few inches, then made another mistake that corrected the original mistake and now I'm back on the pattern. Still looks good, though :)


But I haven't had a lot of time for my hobbies since I'm still trying to find a place to live. Gotta have one by the end of June or else I'm homeless... wish me luck!

Books part II

Here's what's left. I'll trade books for cardboard boxes!

BOOKS:

FICTION PAPERBACKS
- The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
- The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
- The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
- Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
- The Losers by David Eddings
- Kings by George V. Henderson (this was an author-published book I bought because I felt sorry for the guy sitting in front of Coles with a stack of books. It's signed, but honestly the story itself is pretty crappy)
- The Redemption of Althalus by David & Leigh Eddings
- Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist (conclave of shadows book 1)
- King of Foxes by Raymond E. Feist (conclave of shadows book 2)
- Shadow of a Dark Queen by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 1)
- Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 2)
- Rage of a Demon King by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 3)
- Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 4)
- Krondor the Betrayal by Raymond E. Feist (riftwar legacy book 1)
- Krondor the Assassins by Raymond E. Feist (riftwar legacy book 2)
- The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
- Shadow Moon by George Lucas and Chris Claremont (sequel to the movie "Willow")
- The Diamond Throne by David Eddings (elenium book 1)
- The Ruby Knight by David Eddings (elenium book 2)
- The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings (elenium book 3)
- Domes of Fire by David Eddings (tamuli book 1)
- The Shining Ones by David Eddings (tamuli book 2)
- The Hidden City by David Eddings (tamuli book 3)
- The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (memory, sorrow and thorn book 1)
- Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams (memory, sorrow and thorn book 2)
- Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
- Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
- The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn
- Merlin by Stephen R. Lawhead
- Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell (library discard but in good condition)
- Clothar the Frank by Jack Whyte
- Whistler by Roger Taylor

FICTION HARDCOVER
- Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
- Krondor Tears of the Gods by Raymond E. Feist
- Shadow Dawn by Chris Claremont & George Lucas
- The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough

NON-FICTION AND LITERATURE
- "Manga Mania: Fantasy Worlds" by Christopher Hart
- Two Spanish Picaresque Novels: Lazarillo de Tormes & The Swindler
- Goethe Faust Part One (Penguin Classic 1958)
- "Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion" by Donald Keene
- "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole
- "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory (volume 1)
- "Mega Manga" by Keith Sparrow
- Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe by Merry E. Wiesner (2nd edition)
- The Woman and the Lyre: Women Writers in Classical Greece and Rome
- Women's Life in Greece and Rome

Books!

I'm moving. That means I'm going to try to get rid of some stuff. For those of you who know me, you'll know how difficult that is for me :)

Anyway, here's a list of books that I've decided I can part with. If anyone wants any of them, tell me your best offer. Please note that if you don't live within pick-up distance, you'll have to pay for postage. I'm moving, so money is going to be tight for a while :)

Unwanted books will probably be dropped off at Goodwill or somewhere, along with the rest of the stuff I no longer want but can't sell / give away.

P.S. All books are used, unless otherwise said. They're all in one piece, though. I try to take good care of my books.

BOOKS:

FICTION PAPERBACKS
- The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
- The Elfstones of Shannara by Terry Brooks
- The Scions of Shannara by Terry Brooks
- Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
- The Losers by David Eddings
- Kings by George V. Henderson (this was an author-published book I bought because I felt sorry for the guy sitting in front of Coles with a stack of books. It's signed, but honestly the story itself is pretty crappy)
- The Redemption of Althalus by David & Leigh Eddings
- Talon of the Silver Hawk by Raymond E. Feist (conclave of shadows book 1)
- King of Foxes by Raymond E. Feist (conclave of shadows book 2)
- Shadow of a Dark Queen by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 1)
- Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 2)
- Rage of a Demon King by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 3)
- Shards of a Broken Crown by Raymond E. Feist (serpentwar saga book 4)
- Krondor the Betrayal by Raymond E. Feist (riftwar legacy book 1)
- Krondor the Assassins by Raymond E. Feist (riftwar legacy book 2)
- Forging the Darksword by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (darksword book 1)
- Doom of the Darksword Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (darksword book 2)
- Triumph of the Darksword Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (darksword book 3)
- Legacy of the Darksword Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman (darksword book 4)
- Darksword Adventures: The Complete Guide to Venturing in the Enchanged Realm of Thimhallan by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
- The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
- Shadow Moon by George Lucas and Chris Claremont (sequel to the movie "Willow")
- The Diamond Throne by David Eddings (elenium book 1)
- The Ruby Knight by David Eddings (elenium book 2)
- The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings (elenium book 3)
- Domes of Fire by David Eddings (tamuli book 1)
- The Shining Ones by David Eddings (tamuli book 2)
- The Hidden City by David Eddings (tamuli book 3)
- The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (memory, sorrow and thorn book 1)
- Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams (memory, sorrow and thorn book 2)
- Guenevere, Queen of the Summer Country by Rosalind Miles
- The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
- The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn
- Stargate by Pauline Gedge
- Merlin by Stephen R. Lawhead
- Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell (library discard but in good condition)
- Clothar the Frank by Jack Whyte
- Whistler by Roger Taylor

FICTION HARDCOVER
- Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace by Terry Brooks
- Krondor Tears of the Gods by Raymond E. Feist
- Shadow Dawn by Chris Claremont & George Lucas
- The Elder Gods by David & Leigh Eddings
- The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough

NON-FICTION AND LITERATURE
- "Manga Mania: Fantasy Worlds" by Christopher Hart
- Two Spanish Picaresque Novels: Lazarillo de Tormes & The Swindler
- Goethe Faust Part One (Penguin Classic 1958)
- "Yoshimasa and the Silver Pavilion" by Donald Keene
- History of Rome (published 1884)
- Castglione "The Book of the Courtier"
- "The Castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole
- Japan: A Country Study
- Classical Gods and Heroes: Myths as Told by the Ancient Authors
- Atlas of Classical Portraits (1898)
- "Jesus" by Michael Grant
- Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius (1919)
- "Le Morte d'Arthur" by Sir Thomas Malory (volume 1)
- "Mega Manga" by Keith Sparrow
- Horace Odes - books 1-3 (1953; in Latin)
- Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe by Merry E. Wiesner (2nd edition)
- Italy in the Age of the Renaissance 1380-1530
- The Woman and the Lyre: Women Writers in Classical Greece and Rome
- Women on the Edge: Four Plays by Euripides
- Seneca: The Tragedies Volume II
- Women's Life in Greece and Rome
- Studies in Etymology by Charles W Dunmore


Okay, give me your best offers!

Scavenger Hunt and Book Launch

Oh my, was yesterday ever an eventful day!

I'll post details later with pictures (once I get them from Heather), but the long and short of it is this:

I used my lieu day at work to spend the day running around Toronto doing a sock scavenger hunt from the Yarn Harlot, to celebrate her book launch. Essentially, there was a list of places and things to take pictures of while holding a sock-in-progress.

Heather and I started around 10am, and finished about 6:15pm (with only one and a half breaks!)

We went from Casa Loma, to Ontario Place, to the CN Tower / Rogers Centre / Steamwhistle Brewery / Union Station, to the St Lawrence Market, and back up to the ROM with a detour in China Town, pausing a dozen times on the way.

Oh, the blisters on my feet! And now, I'm off to the gym. I hope my trainer has pity on me.

And, of course, yesterday was a blustery blustery day, and while the wind wasn't so bad in the early afteroon, by 5pm it was *frigid* and we were *exhausted* and *cranky*.

But it was totally worth it. We won 4th prize - sock yarn.

(Oh yeah. The book launch itself was awesome. I love reading the Yarn Harlot, but hearing her speak in person was fantastic. She's a truly funny lady. I can't wait to have her at the library!)

Pictures later - maybe even later this morning!!

Glad I'm not the only one

This is the best summation of the Sophie Kinsella's Shopoholic series that I've ever read:

"For those who haven't read it, Confessions of a Shopaholic is the first in a series of increasingly annoying books about a pretty darn irritatingly stupid girl for whom things seem to work out beautifully despite the fact that she never learns her damn lesson in a lasting way."

Bless those ladies at Go Fug Yourself. Nice to know I'm not alone, and that I'm in good company.

My post for day will be quick

I have to head out earlier than usual this morning to head to another branch, so my daily post will be quick (I can hear you out there all sighing in relief)

First: If you're a fan of Garth Nix (author of Sabriel), read his Keys to the Kingdom series. It's junior fiction, so it's pretty light and a fast read, but strangely compelling. I love his messed up world of the House.

Second: If you haven't already, visit this site - The Superest. These two artists take turns creating superheroes and villains that can defeat the previous one. Start that the first hero and work your way through. Some of them are pretty funny!

Librarians in "Happiness(tm)"

I just finished reading "Happiness(tm)" by Will Ferguson. It's the first thing I've read by him (other than his website) and I really enjoyed it. Kinda depressing, but very funny. I love a dark sense of humour :)

So, here's his take on a library in a tiny nearly-ghost town:

*~*~*

The library, in proud late-Victorian sandstone, was still the most impressive building in the county, even though its once grand square had been reduced to a scraggy patch of brown grass around a fountain that hadn't seen water in years.
...
Inside, there was dust and darkness, and in contrast to the blistering sun outside, there was if not a coolness, at least a certain lack of heat. The librarian, a tall thin-lipped woman with a fire-and-brimstone air about her, was hiding behind a stack of old books and had to be prodded out.

"Hello? Anybody here?"

Nothing. They could see her, huddled down, pretending not to notice, hoping they would go away.
(pg. 289)

....

He looked at the stacks of books, the shelves lined up on three floors, the old rolling ladders lying rusted in their tracks. The smell of must and mildew permeated the air. The entire place was heavy with words and deep with ideas. It was less a library than a depository of lost words.

"We haven't had any new additions since the 1920s," the librarian noted with a certain amount of misplaced pride.
(pg. 291)

Word.

Yesterday was Toronto's Word on the Street festival! Onto the photos!

Word on the street...


We heard Melanie Watt read "Scaredy Squirrel Makes A Friend" and "Chester"

... and I got her to sign two books for me :D

There was a memorial service honouring fallen firefighters, just outside the festival, so we saw a parade of firemen in dress uniform


They also had a giant flag hanging from two fire trucks.


After the exhausting book festival, we sat in front of the new addition to the ROM (which I dislike) and I took a picture of the diagonal scarf I'm knitting in front of the diagonal ROM

(more on the scarf in a later post)

Heather decided to take some shots of her knitting too... so here's a shot of her setting up for her knitting shot :)


And a picture of me, with my many tiny buttons and the signed copies of Scaredy Squirrel :D


Last, but not least, I leave you with a demonic squirrel

Librarians in "Lirael"

Remember a while ago, I said I wanted to post about different interpretations of libraries/librarians in books (mostly fantasy)? I started off with Terry Pratchett and I've moved onto Garth Nix.

Let me start by saying I'm finally reading his trilogy (I don't think it has a name, but it starts with "Sabriel", then "Lirael", then "Abhorsen") and I love it! It's one of the best books I've read in a while!

But, onto the part of "Lirael" where the main character (Lirael - duh) wants to get a job as a librarian.

---
The Chief Librarian had a large oak-paneled office, with a very long desk that was covered in books, papers, and a large brass tray with that morning's breakfast still half-eaten upon it. There was also a long, silver-bladed sword on the desk, unsheathed, with its hilt close to the Librarian's hand.

"So," said the Librarian, her deep, commanding voice making Lirael jump. "You want to be a librarian?"

"Y-yes," stammered Lirael.

"But are you suitable?" asked the Librarian. She touched the hit of her sword, and for a moment Lirael thought she was going to pick it up and wave it around, to see if it frightened her.

Lirael was already frightened. The Librarian scared her, even without a sword.
(pg. 79-80)

Then, there's the equipment that every librarian needs...

"Now, this whistle clips on the lapel loops here, so you can bend your head and blow into it, even if something's holding your arms. But you should whistle only if you really need help. If you hear a whistle, run towards the sound and do whatever you can to help."

"Of course, the whistle's good only when someone can hear it," continued Imshi, handing Lirael something that at first glance looked like a silver ball. She indicated that it should be placed in the front left pocket of her new waistcoat. "That's why you have the mouse."

"What's it do?" asked Lirael.

"It gets help. Anyway, you have the whistle and the mouse. Here's your belt and scabbard, and I'll just see which dagger is sharpest. Ow! That'll do, I think. Now we just have to put the number in the book, and you have to sign for everything."
(pg. 82-85)

---

I wish I got all that equipment when I started working at the library.