The geekery must go on!

I was trying to post a comment when this obstacle arose:

Which Austen heroine are you?

Take the Quiz here!

I suspected as much.

While we're on the subject of Jane Austen, I'm currently reading The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James. Actually, I'm currently avoiding reading it. I'm at the good part. If this were an Austen novel, it would end at this point. Unfortunately, I know how her real story ends... I just don't want to watch as it all goes pear-shaped! :-( I will eventually though, because the book is really good and I like the Jane 'character' too much to abandon her now. Is character the right word when it's a fictionalised real person?

Tomorrow I'm picking up Jane Austen in Boca by Paula Marantz Cohen from the library, as well as Book Lover by Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack. :-D Gotta make the most of the calm before that storm that will be my first batch of essays.

My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter. Thomas Helm

Just some ramble

I wasn't looking forward to today, basically because it was kinda busy. Having just come off the 3 month summer break (break from university, that is) I'm not used to having more than one thing on my agenda for one day. However, it was fine. I had the pleasure of watching about half a dozen people walk into a crotch-height pole that was meant to prevent cars passing through. Mostly guys. I had the second best lecture moment yet,* when my lecturer on Shakespeare turned out to be a fan of ICHC and used a lolcat picture in her powerpoint presentation. She also used words like "kick-ass" and "dude." Unfortunately, when I started the readings for this week (the magic of beginning-of-term-motivation is still in effect though waning disturbingly quickly this time around) the first sentence was this: "The critical quest for expressive realism acts as the ally of classic realism in constructing the reader as consumer." I have a feeling the theoretical side of this course is not going to agree with me. But hey, as long as there are lolcats I'm happee. And it's only the first day of course (haha, see what I did there?).

* The best is still the American studies class I had where the lecturer asked, as a serious question, if anyone could explain the Prime Directive.

Of course there's a lot of knowledge in universities: the freshmen bring a little in; the seniors don't take much away, so knowledge sort of accumulates. Abbott Lawrence Lowell

Music Monday: The Picard Song

This is a purely self-indulgent post. :-) It's called "The Picard Song" and the clips are all from Star Trek.



The song was created by Dark Materia and can be downloaded here.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale

I seem to get along well with contemporary, Austen-themed novels. I loved Austenland and The Jane Austen Book Club and liked Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict too, though not quite as much. The mini-series Lost in Austen was awesome. What I haven't tried is any of the 'sequels' to Pride and Prejudice and I'm still not convinced I want to.

I'd love it if anyone could recommend more books like these. :-)

I just finished Jane Austen in Scarsdale, or Love, Death, and the SATs by Paula Marantz Cohen and it was another hit. Cohen is a professor of English who has published scholarly works as well as two other novels. Jane Austen in Scarsdale is about a high school guidance counsellor, Anne, whose job is to steer her students through the college application process. That's the SATs part, which seemed to me to be the main focus of the book. The love part is a more-or-less a modern day version of Persuasion. The love of Anne's life, Ben, whom she dumped because her family didn't think he was good enough for her, arrives back in town with his new fiancé and stress/regret/tension ensues.

What else? It's very well written, very witty, and there are plenty of interesting supporting characters in the students, parents, and family Anne deals with. I liked Anne, especially how she stuck to her morals throughout all the sneaky business that goes on with the college applications and how she dealt with both obnoxious parents and confused teenagers. I laughed out loud a bunch of times. I would have preferred a little less of the college application stuff and a little more of the Persuasion plot personally. It was definitely interesting, and entertaining, reading about how getting into university works in the US, since it's very different from here, but sometimes all the detail was a bit too much for me.

My sympathies to American seniors (is that the right word? Even after all those Sweet Valley High books, I'm still confused about where juniors, freshmen and seniors fit in.) applying for college. This book made me appreciate how much simpler it is here, although I think the US system has some definite advantages (which I will not go into).

Here there isn't the different in quality or prestige that seems to be important in the US. Our universities have different strengths - you go to Otago to do medicine, Canterbury to do engineering, etc. - but none is considered better or more prestigious than the others overall. Entry is "open." Basically, if you pass high school you can go to any university. You also get in automatically if you're over 20. No application essay. No reference letters. No need for back-up options. Mostly, entry into first year isn't competitive.

High schools are a slightly different story, but one for another day. To get back to Austen and Scarsdale, here are a few quotes from the book that I liked enough to mark with scraps of torn up receipt (which I had to lean a good few feet forward to fish out of my wallet).

"Life isn't a Jane Austen novel. It's one thing to be long-suffering in a story, where the author can make it worth your while, but in real life, who's going to make sure it ends happily?" (p.154).

This is from a speech Anne's grandmother gives her, basically telling her to get over Ben and move on. The answer to her question being, presumably, you. I have plenty of faults that will stand in the way of a happily-ever-after but I don't think that being unnecessarily long-suffering is one of them. On the other hand, if the love of your life is out of your reach and no-one else ever measures up, maybe long suffering is what you're stuck with.

"All Jonathan ever does is read." "And what's wrong with that?" demanded Winnie. "Much better he should read for the first half of his life and then life for the next half. That's the proper sequence to know what you're doing. Nowadays, they start off by living and never get around to the reading--it explains the mess we're all in" (p.186).

Anne's grandmother again. I really hope this is true. I like the idea that reading lays the foundation for a more fulfilling life. It also makes me feel better about spending more time with stories than at parties.

Ben gave a short laugh. "She can't understand that books don't get used up. I've tried to explain that they aren't like clothes or furniture--that we keep them because we might want to read them again." "And because they remind us of how we felt when we read them," added Anne softly.

I can't believe this never occurred to me. That is why glancing at my books makes me smile.

People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading. Logan Pearsall Smith

BTT: Storage

This week’s question is suggested by Kat:

I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?"

This is a good question for my sleepy brain! I love arranging and rearranging my books too. It's oddly relaxing. :-)

Mine are in split by genre if there are enough to warrant it. I have small SF, classics, and plays sections, slightly bigger fantasy, general fiction, and children's/YA sections, and a Mercedes Lackey section that is the biggest (not by much). :-) Within these they're arranged by author. CDs and DVDs are on a bookshelf too, arranged by artist and title respectively.

My books share space with a few dinky ornaments. I have a little archer dude made out of scrap metal that sits in front of Mercedes Lackey's Arrows trilogy and some wee owls that go by Owlsight/Owlflight/Owlknight. I couldn't resist.

I don't have much non-fiction, it's on two shelves - one for big books and one for small. Books on the same subject are together and arranged by height lol.

One day I'm going to arrange the lot by the colour of their spines, take a photo, and then put them back. :-)

Happy BTT everybody and thanks for visiting!

It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. Oscar Wilde

TV show meme

I have cheesecake and a meme about television. Good times. :-) I copied this from Rebecca at Just One More Page....

Actually, thanks to some distractions and mucking around, I now have less than a quarter of a cheesecake and a meme about television.

1. Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice: Friends probably. They just keep playing it! I'm pretty close on Star Trek: Voyager. There are a few I've only seen once, mostly in S7.

2. Name a show you can’t miss: Anything I've decided to watch, really. If I'm going to watch a show, I take it seriously. :-) Currently, Bones, House, and starting Friday, Battlestar Galactica. I'm okay with missing an ep of Boston Legal because I don't watch that for the story.

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show: This hasn't happened to me much but I guess I have to say Kate Mulgrew, since I started watching The Black Donnellys largely because she's in it. Anyone who has played a favourite character of mine would give my interest in a show a boost.

4. Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show: Um... I can't think of one.

5. Name a show you can, and do, quote from: I said "moo point" yesterday, so Friends. I'll use "I don't know what that means" whenever I can too, so Bones. Firefly is good for quotes but I'm not quick enough off the mark to use them. I sometimes get a kick out of using a quote no-one else in the room recognises as a quote.

6. Name a show you like that no one else enjoys: It has recently started to annoy me that whenever I start watching a show, my whole family will usually jump on the bandwagon. Call me weird, but I like occasionally watching thing by myself! So I don't have an answer for this one.

7. Name a TV show which you’ve been known to sing the theme song: Pretty much every theme song that is singable, or hummable. All the Treks, SG1, SGA, Battlestar, Boston Legal, Scrubs, Friends (even did that one in school choir), Seaquest, Earth: Final Conflict (that was great theme music), Buffy, Jonathan Creek, Firefly, QI, Dr Who, Sailor Moon...

I have a playlist labelled 'TV/film' in my iTunes which includes no less than 4 different versions of the Voyager theme (one of which is in the style of Strauss).

8. Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch: Battlestar Galactica. The new one. I don't care if you're not a sci fi person, you will be sucked in. It's not Star Trek. Also Boston Legal. It's hilariously quirky and says so many things that need to be said.

9. Name TV series you own: Sadly, my list is a lot shorter than Rebecca's.

Voyager (s4-6)
Bones (s1)
Firefly
The Dresden Files
SG1 (s1)
SG:A (s1, which I haven't actually watched yet. I jumped in part-way through when it was on tv.)
Earth: Final Conflict (s1)
House (s2)
Scrubs (s1)
BSG (miniseries, which I also haven't watched yet. I foolishly started with s1.)

10. Name an actor who launched his/her entertainment career in another medium, but has surprised you with his/her acting choices in television: I can't think of any...

11. What is your favourite episode of your favourite series? No way. I'm not even going to try to answer this. The beauty of a series is that there are lots of wonderful episodes.

12. Name a show you keep meaning to watch, but you just haven’t gotten around to yet: I have a few. Andromeda, The 4400, more of SG1, ST:TOS, maybe Babylon 5.

13. Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad? Heroes. It's probably not that bad but some of the dialogue recently has just been awful. Plus I never really cared about any of the characters.

14. Name a show that’s made you cry multiple times: House gets me occasionally. Voyager a few times too.

15. What do you eat when you watch TV? Nothing usually. I like to have chips though. When my friends and I do DVD days we try to cover all the major junk food groups.

16. How often do you watch TV? *counts* There is something I 'have' to see on 4 nights a week at the moment. On the other nights I might catch a bit of the news but I tend to only watch the shows I've committed to.

17. What’s the last TV show you watched? Some of Chuck. But only because I was avoiding tidying the kitchen. The last thing I properly watched was the season premiere of Scrubs. :-D

18. What’s your favourite/preferred genre of TV? Science fiction. Movies, sometimes. Books, hardly ever. But sci fi television...

19. What was the first TV show you were obsessed with? I can't remember. I remember liking Sailor Moon and some other kids shows around that time but I don't remember if I was obsessive or not. I suspect Voyager is the one. It's definitely the obsession that has stuck around the longest.

20. What TV show do you wish you never watched? Um... Teletubbies maybe? I didn't watch much of it but I'll never get that time back...

21. What’s the weirdest show you enjoyed? None of my favourites are all that weird, IMO. Every show has it's weird moments though. "Get the cheese to sickbay!"

22. What TV show scared you the most? I tend to avoid things that scare me. Something that freaks me out is the times on House when things go horribly wrong with people's hearts and they show what's going on inside the body. *shudder*

23. What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched? QI.

24. What show was cancelled too early? Firefly, obviously. I wouldn't have said no to another season of Voyager but I have no complaints about it ending when it did.

They say that ninety percent of TV is junk. But, ninety percent of everything is junk. Gene Roddenberry. I had a hard time finding a quote about television that was even remotely positive. Thank-you, once again, Mr Roddenberry.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

Shakespeare's Henry V. I had to Google it this time but in six months time I will, if all goes according to plan, be a font of knowledge about Henry V.

Only *counts on fingers* five more days until uni starts! I got my enrolment done online (which made me very happy) with only one hiccup - the history paper I really wanted to do, and had arranged everything else around, got cancelled. Never goes smooth. How come it never goes smooth? :-( I'm over it now. Mostly.

I'm taking three courses this semester: one on Shakespeare, one on philosophy of religion, and one on ethics (also a philosophy paper). The two philosophy ones are all I need to meet the requirements of my philosophy major (yay!) and the English is just for fun really. And to stop my brain exploding from all the thinking in phil... I just downloaded the syllabus and am quite excited for all the wrong reasons. It's a first year course so the essays are relatively short (1500 words), and the topics look fairly straightforward. It has an exam, which sucks because English exams are (a) hard, (b) not fun, and (c) tend to pull down my grades, but... But. It's open book. We can take in the text and notes. And we get given some of the questions in advance. Of course, no exam would be even better...

I'm happy about the reading list too:

As You Like It
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Henry V
Othello
Macbeth
The Tempest

I did Macbeth and Othello in high school which will hopefully make that section a bit more relaxed. I don't like tragedies anyway. :-P Apart from the fact that A Midsummer Night's Dream involves faeries (yay!) I don't know squat about the rest. The only thing I'm not thrilled about is the apparent emphasis on participation in class (i.e. talking) but oh well. Experience has taught me that 'class discussion' really means 'conversation between the lecturer and two or three people, most likely adult students, who are brave/knowledgeable enough to say anything.' You never know though.

Right now, I'm at the beginning of the line on this graph. I will likely end up going through most of the other stages. Not the drunk one though. Chocolate and novels are my drugs of choice. :-)


I wanted to end with a Shakespeare quote...

Music Monday: Summer

Every week my Music Monday goes like this: I get an idea, look it up on youtube, find about a dozen related things that are even more awesome and then get stuck trying to choose one.

I was going to post the largo movement of Winter from The Four Seasons because, although it's supposed to be summer here, the weather is crap today. But then, I accidentally opened a video of the presto from Summer, which is much more exciting. And then I found an electric guitar version of Winter...

In the end I went with the Summer one (this rock version was a close second):



If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music. Gustav Mahler

1 more sleep...

Darwin Day tomorrow!

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin

Wordles

At wordle.net you can input a bunch of words of a URL and get a pretty (and highly customizable!) one of these awesome thingies. The first is my blog a couple of days ago and the second is my blog after I added, in case you couldn't guess, the atheism meme.


I always thought Wordles were those puzzles where common phrases are represented in clever visual ways, like these:

ALLworld

It's a small world after all.

stand
I

I understand.

MCE MCE MCE

Glory and an invisible chocolate fish to the first commenter to answer this one. :-)

The beauty of a pun is in the 'Oy!' of the beholder. (I don't know who came up with this one.)

How hardcore are you?

A (mostly) light-hearted atheist meme, created by The Friendly Atheist. How hardcore an atheist are you?

1. Participated in the Blasphemy Challenge.
2. Met at least one of the “Four Horsemen” (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris) in person.
3. Created an atheist blog. In as much as this is a blog by an atheist and I occasionally take a specifically atheistic PoV toward something.
4. Used the Flying Spaghetti Monster in a religious debate with someone.
5. Gotten offended when someone called you an agnostic.
6. Been unable to watch Growing Pains reruns because of Kirk Cameron.
7. Own more Bibles than most Christians you know.
8. Have at least one Bible with your personal annotations regarding contradictions, disturbing parts, etc.
9. Have come out as an atheist to your family.
10. Attended a campus or off-campus atheist gathering. If the local Skeptic society counts, which I expect the vast majority of them do.
11. Are a member of an organized atheist/Humanist/etc. organization.
12. Had a Humanist wedding ceremony.
13. Donated money to an atheist organization.
14. Have a bookshelf dedicated solely to Richard Dawkins.
15. Lost the friendship of someone you know because of your non-theism.
16. Tried to argue or have a discussion with someone who stopped you on the street to proselytize. My friends and I have had a few lengthy conversations with student evangelicals on campus.
17. Had to hide your atheist beliefs on a first date because you didn’t want to scare him/her away.
18. Own a stockpile of atheist paraphernalia (bumper stickers, buttons, shirts, etc).
19. Attended a protest that involved religion.
20. Attended an atheist conference. Skeptic conference count?
21. Subscribe to Pat Condell’s YouTube channel.
22. Started an atheist group in your area or school.
23. Successfully “de-converted” someone to atheism.
24. Have already made plans to donate your body to science after you die.
25. Told someone you’re an atheist only because you wanted to see the person’s reaction. Can't remember, but I probably have.
26. Had to think twice before screaming “Oh God!” during sex. Or you said something else in its place.
27. Lost a job because of your atheism.
28. Formed a bond with someone specifically because of your mutual atheism (meeting this person at a local gathering or conference doesn’t count).
29. Have crossed “In God We Trust” off of — or put a pro-church-state-separation stamp on — dollar bills.
30. Refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
31. Said “Gesundheit!” (or nothing at all) after someone sneezed because you didn’t want to say “Bless you!”
32. Have ever chosen not to clasp your hands together out of fear someone might think you’re praying.
33. Have turned on Christian TV because you need something entertaining to watch.
34. Are a 2nd or 3rd (or more) generation atheist.
35. Have “atheism” listed on your Facebook or dating profile — and not a euphemistic variant.
36. Attended an atheist’s funeral (i.e. a non-religious service).
37. Subscribe to a freethought magazine (e.g. Free Inquiry, Skeptic) I get the Humanist Network News via email. Mainly for the comics...
38. Have been interviewed by a reporter because of your atheism.
39. Written a letter-to-the-editor about an issue related to your non-belief in God.
40. Gave a friend or acquaintance a New Atheist book as a gift.
41. Wear pro-atheist clothing in public.
42. Have invited Mormons/Jehovah’s Witnesses into your house specifically because you wanted to argue with them.
43. Have been physically threatened (or beaten up) because you didn’t believe in God.
44. Receive Google Alerts on “atheism” (or variants).
45. Received fewer Christmas presents than expected because people assumed you didn’t celebrate it.
46. Visited The Creation Museum or saw Ben Stein’s Expelled just so you could keep tabs on the “enemy.”
47. Refuse to tell anyone what your “sign” is… because it doesn’t matter at all.
48. Are on a mailing list for a Christian organization just so you can see what they’re up to…
49. Have kept your eyes open while you watched others around you pray. On a weekly basis during high school.
50. Avoid even Unitarian churches because they’re too close to religion for you.

My result = 15. "You are, literally, a “New Atheist.” But you now have something to strive for! Go for the full 50!"

I feel a bit disadvantaged by living somewhere that doesn't have resident Horsemen, creationist museums, religious currency, etc., but hey, I'm not complaining!

Music Monday: Whatever You Want

No, it's not DIY this week. ;-) My parents used to play the album this is from on long car trips when I was little and this was my favourite. Until this week it'd been years since I heard it and yet I was singing along the first time through. If only stuff I hear in lectures would hang around in my brain for that long...

On a different tangent, do you think that happy associations can overrule taste to make you like something you would otherwise ignore or dislike?

I have quite a few beloved songs that I learned because they were connected to good times/friends/memories/stories etc. Even one or two that I first heard in fanvids on youtube lol... But what if I'm listening to crap and can't tell because I'm blinded by sentimentality? Does it matter? Actually, I don't really care if that is the case.

On the other hand, there are lots of songs associated with good times that haven't become favourites so maybe this is a case of confirmation bias and I would have liked all these songs even if I'd met them under neutral circumstances. Or maybe all music is enjoyable because of associations and it's just more obvious with some.

Here's 'Whatever You Want' by Status Quo. I'm guessing there's more to this than nostalgia (which is not quite right anyway 'cos I hated long drives) because there are only a couple of tracks on the CD that I still like.

Try saying these 10 times fast

Japanese tongue-twisters, from here.

Kono kugi wa hiki nuki nikui kugi da.
This nail is hard to pull out!

Sumomo mo momo, momo mo momo, sumomo mo momo mo momo no uchi.
A Japanese plum is a kind of peach, a peach is also a peach, both Japanese plum and peach are kinds of peaches.

Nomu nara noru na, noru nara nomu na.
If you drink don't drive, if you drive don't drink. (NZ anti-drink-driving slogans take a slightly different approach: "If you drink then drive, you're a bloody idiot.")

I taught one of the Korean kids I'm tutoring 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore' the other day and he really enjoyed it. Does anyone know any other good ones?

Also, trying to blow 'smoke' rings

BTT: TMI

Suggested by Simon Thomas:

Have you ever been put off an author’s books after reading a biography of them? Or the reverse - a biography has made you love an author more?

Short answer: No and no.

Long rambly answer: I've never read a whole biography of an author but if I really like a book I'll probably have a quick look on the net to find out a bit about the genius behind it. I've learned a lot of things about authors that have made me think, 'man, he/she is cool!' I'm probably a bit selective about what I remember though - I'll pay more attention to things I find particularly awesome or things I have in common with the author (I have the same birthday as George R. R. Martin!).

I can still enjoy a book when there are things about the author I don't like. Sometimes it's older writers who had views that I think can be excused (to an extent) as being a 'product of their time.' Contemporary writers don't have that excuse so I'm sometimes a tad disappointed to find out an author whose books I love holds a political or moral position I disagree with but it doesn't really bother me that much. I certainly haven't learned anything horrifying enough to warrant boycotting books I like!

Things that make an author awesome don't help me to like their books. Everything I've heard about Terry Pratchett makes me think he must be pretty awesome but his writing just isn't my cup of tea. On the whole, authors seem to be a pretty wonderful bunch of people. I can think of quite a few who sound really cool although I don't really like their books.

I think that even without doing any extra reading about an author you learn a lot about them through their books. I often learn things about authors that don't surprise me at all (although the opposite happens too occasionally too). Anybody else find this?

I would guess that you're more likely to enjoy a book if you and the author are on the same 'wavelength' to a certain extent. Stories come from minds so it makes sense that if you love and really 'get' a story, you probably have a few things in common with the person who wrote it.

Happy BTT everyone! :-)

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all. Abraham Lincoln

LOL Together!

It's a lolcat-themed version of the Beatles' song 'Come Together.' The singers are Allison Lonsdale and Eben Brooks. You can see them sing it here but I thought the pictures made it funnier. You can also download the mp3 from Allison Londale's website.

Same but different

I've tentatively set myself the goal of posting 20 times this month. To that end, I'm repeating my last post and adapting the meme questions (where necessary) to ask about movies.

One movie...

that you saw last: Possession, based on the book by A. S. Byatt

that changed your life: Forrest Gump. Not because I particularly like it, but because we did it in English at school and now I will never not consider the significance of movies' opening sequences.

you’ve seen more than once: The Lion King.

you walked out of/turned off before the end: I've never walked out of a movie theatre. On DVD, Anchorman was one I couldn't finish.

you’d want on a deserted island: Mamma Mia!

that made you laugh: Flash Gordon. At, not with.

that made you cry: Movies with lost animals were the worst for me as a kid. Milo and Otis. Homeward Bound. Eventually I started refusing to watch them. I'm still pathetic. I think I even cried a little bit in High School Musical 3.

you watch over and over: Lately, The Jane Austen Book Club. I've seen it three times and don't intend to stop any time soon.

you’ve been meaning to watch: Alien

you believe everyone should watch: The Matrix. It's just one you ought to know, in the same way you ought to be at least vaguely familiar with Harry Potter and the Beatles.

Pick a quote from a movie. First commentor to name the movie wins!

My quote: "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but valuable. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."

Book meme and Backup

A quick meme I copied from Mish at Stage and Canvas. I'm going to attempt it without mentioning any of the favourites I always put for this kind of thing.

One book…

you’re currently reading: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

that changed your life: Killing Monsters by Gerard Jones.

you’ve read more than once: Austenland by Shannon Hale

you’ve never been able to finish: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins

you’d want on a deserted island: same as above - then I might actually get through it!

that made you laugh: Backup by Jim Butcher

that made you cry: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I wasn't bawling or anything, I just had to wipe my eyes a few times and blink a lot.

you keep rereading: I can't do this without mentioning a favourite, obviously. By the Sword by Mercedes Lackey.

you’ve been meaning to read: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. The problem is, I already know how it ends...

you believe everyone should read: Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

Grab the nearest book. Open it to page 56. Find the fifth sentence: "Why would something that eats people be interested in saving humanity from devouring demon gods?"

Backup by Jim Butcher (a novella set in the Dresden Files 'verse with Thomas as the protagonist). And in case you're wondering, the answer is "Because we don't like competition."

* * * * *

I just finished reading Backup and if you're a fan of Harry you will want to check it out. Basic plot is that Thomas has to save Harry from danger he doesn't even know he's in, without telling him. Since it's Thomas narrating there's a lot of info about what it's like being a White Court vampire, dealing with the 'Hunger' etc. which is interesting. Also a bit of mocking Harry behind his back, so to speak. I was only disappointed that Murphy didn't make an appearance. :-( Would've been fun to see her and Thomas talking about Harry. Is it bad that I'm interested in gossip about a fictional person?

"Harry's a wizard. A genuine, honest-to-goodness wizard. He's Gandalf on crack and an IV of Red Bull, with a big leather coat and a .44 revolver in his pocket." Yep... Dresden would totally pwn Potter.

Music Monday: Je Cherche l'Ombre

Céline Dion - Je Cherche l'Ombre ('I seek the shadow,' I think...)
The video has an English translation.