They will be collecting school supplies for Knox County Teacher Supply Depot in lieu of fines May 3-10, 2009 at all library locations.

One approved school item will wipe out $10.00 worth of fines with a maximum of $50.00 worth of fines removed. Fees for lost or damaged materials or Unique Management referrals do not apply. Approved items include packs of construction paper, a bottle or stick of glue, scotch tape, a box of crayons, index cards, packs of ink pens, packs of notebook paper and post-it notes. All items must be new and in the original packaging. No used items will be accepted.
For more information, call 215-8750.

Eric? Calling Eric Trisler? I believe it was you, was it not, that had some leftover fines?

We’d also had a team meeting today, and Vicky brought in some Oreos as a snack for everyone.  This is me laying the groundwork, just in case you hadn’t noticed, for my awesome lunch-dessert.  Anyway — I popped the lasagna in the microwave to heat it up, and once that was done, I walked back to my desk.  Between the microwave and my desk was the tray of Oreos, so I took a few (ok, I took four.) and popped them on top of the plastic lid of my still-very-hot lasagna before going the rest of the way to my desk.

Taking the lid with the cookies off the bowl, I set it aside and didn’t think about it for the next 30 minutes of enjoying my fabulous lasagna.  But when I did pick up the first cookie and twist-and-pull as one is supposed to do with Oreos? The frosting/white stuff in the middle had gotten very warm and melty — and had stayed that way. Oh. My. Goodness. Not only did it make the Oreo experience even more enjoyable and fulfilling — I only had two cookies before my sweet-craving was satisfied. Which is a win, in my book.

In other news, I’ve been catching this new show on Lifetime that my mom pointed out to me called “Cook Yourself Thin”, and it’s GREAT. The ideas they have are completely doable, and though just like a lot of other diet cooking shows, they say that they want to give you the foods you like without the guilt of fat and calories — I actually believe it’s possible with some of their recipes.  I especially liked the spinach and mushroom veggie lasagna — mostly because I know my three cheese lasagna was of the “no no” variety.  The recipes are easy, and they LOOK delicious.  I’ll be keeping an eye out for the book, too.

http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/cook-yourself-thin/recipes

Mercy Thompson is a ‘walker’, not to be confused with a skin-walker, who finds herself caught up in the troubles and politics of the Fae, the Werewolves and the Vampires.  She’s a poor little Coyote who just can’t catch a break sometimes.  She’s an appealing character who doesn’t ‘Mary Sue’ her way through her various trials and tribulations, and makes some rather tough decisions without being insipidly obtuse, or spiteful.

The first book, Moon Called, introduces Mercedes (Mercy) Thomspon as a VW mechanic in Kennewick, Washington.  Having been fostered as a young child with a werewolf pack, she understands the requirements and duties of ‘pack life’, but has set herself outside of that sphere, choosing instead to live her life on her own terms, and by her own set of rules.  With a degree in history, she credits Zee, the fae who sold his garage to her, for providing employment after college that didn’t include the phrase “would you like fries with that?”

All in all, a good read — and a quick one.  Easy brain candy, without a lot of guilt (there’s plenty of romantic tension, though!).

Bitten is the story of Elena Michaels, a woman with the dubious distinction of being the only known female werewolf in existence.  With a troubled past that rivals my own, she’s managed to claw a ‘normal’ life for herself in spite of her so-called handicap.  Trouble with her Pack calls her back home and forces her to take a long, hard look at her life, and her decisions.

It’s a good book overall, though it took me a few chapters to really get a feel for Elena, and her point of view.  She can be painfully ignorant at times, to the point where I’d have loved to be able to just take her by the shoulders and shake her a few good times, but she did grow on me, and the story overall had a very satisfying conclusion.

An appearance by Karl Marsten, the male lead if you will of Kelley’s story in Dates From Hell, was a welcome addition too.  Nice to get a little history on the very debonair, very bad-boy werewolf.

The next book in the series, Stolen, also deals with Elena’s story so I’m looking forward to picking that up at McKays this week, if it’s available, and if not.. woot! Used books through Amazon will do.

Next in the cavalcade of books that I’ve been reading this week is James Herriot’s All Creatures, Great and Small.  The book was originally published in 1972, but I didn’t read it for the first time until 1980 or sometime thereafter.  My first introduction to the story was through PBS’s broadcast of the BBC series, and I was absolutely enchanted with the characters, and most especially with the Yorkshire Dales, where the stories mainly focus. James Herriot (the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE) is a country vet who is just beginning his work in the Dales in this first book.  He is hired on as the assistant to Sigfried Farnon at Skeldale House in Darrowby, and chums around with Sigfried’s younger brother, Tristan (lovingly and yummily portrayed in the BBC series by Peter Davison).

The book is more like a collection of vignettes than a point-A to point-B story, though there are a couple of arcing story-lines that carry on throughout the book.  What’s amazing to me is that the author was never formally trained as a writer, but his stories are so well drafted, so comically and emotionally well-timed that you’d never know it.  When I’m nose-deep in this book, I can hear the bleats of the new lambs, feel the moist and clean air of the Dales, and thankfully not smell the metric ton of muck that James has to slog through.

This book is certainly a classic and well deserved of the title, and it’s very heartily recommended to you, by me.  So go get it.  Ri’now! (ps. I scored a copy from Amazon for fifty cents from a used book dealer — the shipping knocked it up to 4.50, but you can’t beat that for a fairly pristine book)

So having finished the series — and eagerly awaiting the next installment, The Outlaw Demon Wails — I figured I may as well go ahead and read the anthology as well that Kim is included in, along with Lynsay Sands, Kelley Armstrong, and Lori Handeland, called Dates from Hell.

“Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil” is about Ivy, Rachel Morgan’s roommate in the series, and it’s a prequel to the series, taking place in the time just before Ivy and Rachel meet and begin to work together for the first time(a period that’s alluded to in her first book, Dead Witch Walking, but never gone into in much detail). Ivy and Kist are living together and dating, and she’s got a problem with the boss that is solved with her usual clever and sharp as a blade method.

I enjoyed Kim’s story quite a bit, but had planned on just putting the book down after reading it, as I didn’t know the other contributing authors, and wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy their writing as much. But with little to do at work but repeat the exact same phrase over and over, I figured, “what the hell.” And boy am I glad I did.

The second story, “The Claire Switch Project” by Lynsay Sands is charming, the two main characters Claire Beckett and Kyle Lockhart are endearing and likable. I wasn’t as impressed with Kyle’s sister, Jill though. For someone who is supposed to be Claire’s best friend, she’s pretty ruthless about meeting her own needs. There is lots of fun in this story, and Claire certainly gains a power that I think a majority of women would love to play with, if not keep.

Next up was “Chaotic” by Kelly Armstrong. Hope is a half-demon, and gained a bit of her father’s power, without the gross “looking like a demon” drawbacks. She’s young and naive, but is quick to come to terms with that knowledge, unlike other heroines I’ve come across who annoyingly decide that they know everything, including what is best for themselves at any given time, and rush headlong into idiotic situations, that anyone with half a brain would at least pause and think for just a moment…before rushing headlong into said situation. This particular story also wins in my book for the no-sex-happened sex scene. Reading it at work…phew. Difficult. Much blushing. But it’s hot hot HOT. I’ll definitely be looking out for Kelley in my future book runs.

Lastly “Dead Man Dating” by Lori Handeland. Positively adored this story and the heroine. And not just because she was short and dumpy with glasses. And not just because the hero of the story happened to be very hot for short, dumpy, glasses-wearing book-reading, large-busted women. Ahem. Ok, those reasons helped, but Lori has written a pretty good story around those facts, involving Incubus’, demons, rogue demon hunters (I want one for my very own, I do!) and literary agents who must content with all of the above.

All in all, it seemed like a very quick read (I got through the book in an med-slow 8-hour shift), though that could be because it was four separate stories, rather than one. If you like sci-fi/fantasy, sexy vampires, sexy shape shifters, REALLY sexy werewolves(pant pant), and sexy rogue demon hunters? This is a must read. If you like a good mystery and the short-story format, this is also a good read. It’s just a plus that you’ll get the aforementioned sexiness as well.

I don’t think I even want to see the movie at this point.

You’re adapting a novel, you want to respect the writer and all that. But at the same time — perhaps it’s different with Harry Potter or something, where it seems like every child has read it — but when you’re looking at a book that was written a long time ago, that quite a lot of people have not read, then your duty is to the film, not to the author.”

Or the story, for that matter.

Ebba Forsberg – Lost Count

Been walked out upon
And been the one walking
Out on the ones I love
Made my life a mess
Can’t put the blame on no one but myself

I’ve lost hope and I’ve lost faith
So many times I’ve lost count

Been stumbling, groping, caught
But found a way out of
Each and every trap
Somehow, and so far
Made my life a mess
I can’t put the blame on no one but myself

Lost hope and I lost faith
So many times I lost count
I lost count…

Sounds dismal, I know, but it’s really a beautiful song. And talking all day about Rescue Remedy (which I only know about thanks to zammis, thanks!) I realize just how much I might need it. That’ll have to go on the list. Along with actually talking with a Dr. regarding some OCD and depression issues I also might be experiencing. I’ve been on a roller coaster of internal anxiety, elation, stress, enjoyment, fear, ad infinitum.

Add to that the fact that I’m trying to read Finnegan’s Wake, a loaner from the LJless coworker E. Jesus wept, but this is a difficult read.
thysbee was kind enough to send me Joseph Campbell’s Skeleton Key to help me slog through it, and so far it’s been a godsend. James Joyce, for all his brilliance, hurts my brain. If any of you have read it and have words of wisdom to impart, I’m all ears.

Joan Armatrading – Love and Affection

I am not in love
But I’m open to persuasion
East or West, where’s the best
For romancin’?
With a friend I can smile
But with a lover I can hold my head back and really laugh
Really laugh

Thank you
You took me dancin’
Cross the floor
Cheek to cheek
But with a lover I can really move
Really move
I can really dance, really dance
Really move….move

Now if I can feel the sun in my eyes
And the rain on my face
Why can’t I feel
Love?
Really love, really love

Now I got all
The friends that I want
I may need more
But I shall just stick to those
That I have got
With friends I still feel
So insecure

Little darling I believe you could
Help me a lot
Just take my hand
And lead me where you will
No conversation
No wave goodnight
Just make love
With affection

Sing me another love song
But this time
With a little dedication
Sing it, sing it
You know that’s what I like
Once more with feeling
Give me love

I’ll leave that as it is.

It was over 20 years ago when I started reading the Belgariad. We got the first five books in paperback, and I recall taking those books with me everywhere I went, reading when I could, indoors or out. I positively inhaled the story.

Over time though, I gradually became less and less interested in the story for whatever reason, and never really finished reading them all.

Due to having likely lent the first book of the Belgariad out to someone–or hell, I may have lost it for my mother myself.. Pawn of Prophecy was not with the collection when she sent it. So, I kept the books, intending on eventually picking them up again and reading when I had the time and inclination to do so.

Well, I have that time now, don’t I? I picked up a paperback of Pawn of Prophecy from eBay, and it arrived on Friday.

I’m now on Book 3, The Magician’s Gambit–and almost finished with it. This is Sunday.

Once again, I’m inhaling the story.. but it’s amusing to me that after 20 years having gone by, I remember only tiny things about the story, so it’s almost all new to me. Almost, I say, because I started first with reading Polgara, the Sorceress, and Belgareth the Sorcerer.. because I knew I had never read them before, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Good lord, was it ever. Both of the books mentioned above are like a primer for the world I’m diving into.. giving seven thousand years of back-history and planning and plotting for what would eventually take place in the Belgariad. Being very silly, I read the books out of order–I was supposed to read Belgareth first, and then Polgara–but didn’t. I suppose it would make more sense to actually read them in order, but meh. Consequently, I really enjoyed Polgara’s story much more than Belgareth’s… and I wasn’t so pissed off at Polgara for being such a bitch, either.

Reading Eddings too, it strikes me how much more I enjoy his writing than L.E. Modesitt’s. Modesitt can create a really interesting story, but he can be so repetetive that I just want to throw whatever I’m reading of his away. For some reason, he doesn’t do that as much in his Recluse series–but what he does do in that series is fuck with tense. My great god, but that can make my job, as a fan and reader, all that much more difficult. Pick a tense and run with it. Granted, I see what he’s doing with the changes… you can always tell what group he’s telling the reader about by the tense he’s using (in some books, not all), but it’s very jarring and can be difficult for me to see past that change and focus on the story, rather than on how annoying the change is.

So yeah, that’s where I am in reading. If you have any good suggestions for some good fantasy/sci fi–please speak up.

BookCrossing.com

In short, from their site:

“What is BookCrossing, you ask? It’s a global book club that crosses time and space. It’s a reading group that knows no geographical boundaries. Do you like free books? How about free book clubs?. Well, the books our members leave in the wild are free… but it’s the act of freeing books that points to the heart of BookCrossing. Book trading has never been more exciting, more serendipitous, than with BookCrossing. Our goal, simply, is to make the whole world a library. BookCrossing is a book exchange of infinite proportion, the first and only of its kind. “

Join up, if you’re into it. My username there is Liakela. Enjoy!

I’m hermiting again. I hate summer. Makes me want to hermit.

Reading another David Brin novel. Kiln People. It’s odd. But good, in an odd, gumshoe of the future sort of way.

Made fabulous chicken tonight:

heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a few pinches of garlic powder, black pepper, rosemary, salt, and oregano. Slice chicken breasts in half and lay down in heated oil/herb mix. Fry until both sides are that yummy caramel brown. Pour a cap or two of tequila into the pan. Continue to fry until the chicken is -almost- blackened.

Taste sensation.