Rings on my fingers...

[lady_schrapnell]

of the BookCrossing variety, that is! I was stressing just a tiny bit as I was expecting two to arrive at roughly the same time, with another due soon (I think) and one already here (though that was stress-free, thanks to generalblossom!) and I'm also struggling my way through Katherine Mansfield's short story collection for next year's course. So, both books arrived yesterday morning, naturally, and I finished both yesterday! Pobby and Dingin was first up, as it was very short. Funny thing - though they're not in any way alike (at least to a rational mind!), this reminded me a bit of The Summer Book, myntti's ring. Maybe it's because both are short and deceptively simple, and about love between family members (brother and sister here) expressed quite caustically at times. The settings certainly couldn't be less alike!

So then I moved onto Ill Wind. I actually wasn't expecting that much from this, as I'd been so unenthusiastic about all other BC specfic rings/rays (except ones started by my friends, of course), but I really enjoyed this immensely. Reminded me a lot of Huff's Summon the Keeper, but perhaps less funny and more interesting dilemma-filled. I really loved the system of magic in the book - nice change from the usual mother nature as warm and benevolent! Not an L.E.E. (Life Enhancing Experience, as my daughter calls the books she wants me to read), nor a book without flaws (<b>three</b> hot guys to one heroine??), but still highly entertaining. Read it on a perfectly horrible day weather-wise, appropriately enough! I want to see a lot more of one character in the next book, so will be crossing fingers. This one is off to you, Katayoun!

Now reading Horses of Heaven, which I'm liking a lot, though there was either an unusually clunky for Bradshaw info-dump in the first few pages, or I was just too tired to focus last night. Past that now anyway, and looks good.

Comments

Book tempted here....

[generalblossom.livejournal.com]

Three hot guys for one heroine is not a book flaw IMO ;) Unless it is a book by Laurell Hamilton, of course, or maybe a few more authors, but not inherently a flaw, says I :p as long as they really are hot? *hopefull* I am getting interested in it actually, fluff but fun fluff sounds brilliant, maybe I will ask katayoun to smuggle me at the end of the ray ;)

About Horses of Heaven, it is not one of her best books, but I love it for the setting and the relions there - and it is such a fascinating setting I forgive her for info dumps, I mean Hellenistic Ferghana is just totally OWWW to me as a seeting. I love that about Bradshaw, she really is not boring with settings and cultures. I can think of some historical authors which write perfectly well but it is always the same times and characters and kings, in a while they would have the whole country people just with their characters, plus I dunno it a bit poor somehow, with such a big wide world to novels always be about same things and places. Love that about Bradshaw, she can take a place and setting nobody else touched before in fiction and make it well, awesome. I am not explaining this well at all, but I am not deleting it, letting it stand as a first draft of what i think of Bradshaw´s settings.

Re: Book tempted here....

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

Three hot guys for one heroine is not a book flaw IMO ;)

:) Yeah, it's fun, but just might conceivably be a bit of a flaw when the heroine also looks completely amazing in a bikini! Which is mentioned twice. :) Can we say Mary Sue? Two of them are definitely hot (though one starts out hot-under-cover - one has got a bit of the - awww, he's such a good guy appeal - which maybe only I could translate into hot - but definitely good romantic hero material anyway! And - awww - can't tell you, as it'd be a spoiler. ;) Yeah - see how honourably I refrained from actually pushing? I CAN triumph over the dark side! But if you were last on a ray, there'd be no hurry and no pressure and you'd have some fun fluff for when you needed it. Cool cars too, if that's more incentive. ;)

I know exactly what you mean about Bradshaw - it's part of what blew me away about The Island of Ghosts.

I just finished a necklace, (four-stranded) for which I'd used too thick beading wire, and had tremendous difficulty getting the crimps on & wire back through the beads - succeeded, only to realise I'd forgot to put the clasp on before doing so! Aiiieee! Now re-threading onto thinner (and much more expensive!) wire.

Re: Book tempted here....

[generalblossom.livejournal.com]

Ouch about the beading! crimps and thickness and all can be annoying sometimes - I got a confession regarding beading though, I tend to use fishing thread, but really is what they sold at the shop and in japanese sites they also use it. It sort of works - though for others I use that silicone elastic string, or some "steel" wire which is actually plastic coated metal or something, but which looks good simple with crimped beads floating. But fishing thread is good :)

Yeah, it's fun, but just might conceivably be a bit of a flaw when the heroine also looks completely amazing in a bikini!

well, cynical in me says that would be just about the only situation in which the three hot guys for our Mary Sue would make sense ;) I know what you mean though, but if the book is nice, me want to try. it got pushed without you even trying ;)

[lady-schrapnell.livejournal.com]

Hey, it's not any kind of confession - I'd use whatever I can find, and the flexible steel stuff with the coating was the first thing to hand, and they'd a necklace with the beads floating and so I went for it.

Ill Wind went off to Katayoun today, and older daughter read it too before it went - she enjoyed it as well, so you can call us both nuts if you think it's dire. ;)

Oh, ow, though - strangely negative Eva Ibbotson comment on dwj list today! I'm still trying to gather energy to decide whether to respond, though I probably won't manage - today was frustrating and exhausting!