GeeCee's Not-Entirely-Original Miscellany

I am charmed by the idea of a Jane Eyre board book. I gather it's a counting primer rather than a baby-friendly version of the story, but that's okay. (All I can think now though is: <The Count>One! ONE mad wife in the attic! Ahahahaha!</The Count>)

(Via this post in genrereviews)

Thanks to the recent $1.99 Georgette Heyer ebook sale, I've just been introduced to my new fictional boyfriend, Miles Calverleigh.

Hm, I realize I haven't been tracking what I've been reading lately. I suppose it's time to try to catch up, although I suppose I could just dump the titles in my Calibre library and get most of it in one fell swoop. Ebooks are dangerous; I don't have space for another 200 physical books and that helps keep purchasing in check, but they all ever-so-conveniently fit quite nicely onto my Sony Reader.

So, I'm almost done mainlining Kage Baker's "The Company" series and will need something else shortly. I do have a bunch of stuff sitting around waiting to be read, but right about now I feel like a teenager looking at the full refrigerator ("There's nothing to eat!") or like a late-night viewer flipping through cable channels ("There's nothing on."): lots of options, none of which seem appealing right at the moment.

I turn to you, oh friends list. What should I read next?

Suggestions for titles on the unread list that you think I should go ahead and read or for something completely unrelated are welcome. Extra bonus points if I can get it from my local library. I'll read pretty much any genre although I'm not all that keen on stuff like self-help most of the time. Cheesy romance? Will read it. Biography? In theory, depending on the subject. SF? Fantasy? Yup. Police procedurals? Those too. Dense scientific tomes? Will read them, although it will take me much longer than a Harlequin vampire romance. If you want to see the sorts of things I've been reading, the books - YYYY tags are my reading lists.

Good mail week: my copy of the new Dresden Files installment Turn Coat was waiting for me on the doorstep when I got home, as was my copy of Ravens in the Library. The day before, my Big Brick o'Shakespeare showed up (from an Amazon seller, who stuffed the nice, new hardback book into a plain tyvek priority mail envelope with no padding at all and turned it over to the USPS).

Louboutin pumps in today's crazy Gilt sale. *daydreams* I have fantasies of getting rid of most of my clothing and shoes and replacing them with fewer, high-quality pieces, but reality conspires against me. Challenge #1: finding flattering clothes for an apple-shaped fat chick. (Note to designers: no, empire waists do NOT flatter "everybody". They invariably hang, tent-like, from my not-insubstantial rack and get me asked when I'm due.) Clearly some of these clothes do exist; I've seen pictures! I just need to get better at finding them myself.

For those of you who loved Cat Valente's "The Orphan's Tales" books, or--even better--those of you who haven't read them yet (I'm looking at you, chadu), she's presenting a podcast of her reading the entire thing. See her post for details.

Through July 27, Tor is giving away copies of all the ebooks and desktop images previously available to mailing list members. The list of books includes Old Man's War by John Scalzi, Farthing by Jo Walton, Four and Twenty Blackbirds by Cherie Priest, Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell, and In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker. Most everything is downloadable in PDF, HTML, and/or Mobi format.

Cat trees *cough* ;)


Self, when you are running in to the library to pick up the one book you have on hold that's come in, you do NOT need to take "just a quick peek" at the new arrivals section. That's how you leave with an armload of books, some of which can't be renewed, when you already HAVE a hundred books waiting to be read. (Hey, look! It's Red Seas Under Red Skies; that's on my wish list. Oooh, Halting State. *yoink* And Whiskey and Water! No, wait. You have Blood and Iron sitting on the "to be read" stack; finish that first. Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run?)

I watched a couple of kids leaving the library with shopping bags full of books that they'd checked out. I used to do that myself when summer vacation rolled around. Now I find myself wondering if I'll manage to finish five books in the three week checkout period. =/ I hope I can swing a trip to the beach this summer; I will take a shopping bag full of books and sprawl on the sand and make my way through the stack.


I was planning to take the laptop and watch an episode of "Ghost Hunters" (a guilty pleasure) while working out on the mini-stepper for a bit, but it's getting late enough that I think I may just shower and crawl into bed instead with a Fandorin novel instead.

If you haven't already signed up for Tor.com's mailing list, you should do so tonight or tomorrow morning. If you do, on Friday you'll get an electronic copy of Cherie Priest's Four and Twenty Blackbirds for free. I signed up for them a while back and so far the only mail has been the promised free books, with links to some pretty wallpapers if you want 'em. Nothing even remotely spammy.


Edit: Also, Powells.com is offering a free PDF download of Star Wars: Legacy of the Force #01: Betrayal through May 13.

For the past decade, a small group of rare book experts has sought to re-create Jefferson's library, scouring antiquarian book collections on two continents to acquire thousands of volumes. The entire collection of more than 6,000 volumes -- some originals and some replacements -- will go on display [today] at the Library of Congress, looking much as it would have 200 years ago.

Note to self: bring Windex wipes to clean off any drool you leave on the protective glass.

More stuff to move off the "to read" pile:

8. In the Company of Crows and Ravens, John Marzluff. A beautifully illustrated and entertaining study of corvid society and interaction with humans. Crows = scary smart and absolutely fascinating (ObFlirt: that goes for the human ones of my acquaintance, too. ;) ), and this book is like a 400-page love letter to them. (For the record: if I had pet crow, I too would have to name it "Edgar Allan Crow". Because that would never get old.)
   
9. Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Cherie Priest. I'd been reading Cherie's blog (cmpriest) for a bit and figured it was high time to actually read some of her fiction, so I requested the first two Eden Moore books, which is all my local library system had on hand. Man, I'm glad I did. I loved these books (a Southern gothic horror series with a protagonist who sees and can communicate with ghosts), and the whole series is going on my Amazon wishlist so that I can reread them at will.
   
10. Wings to the Kingdom, Cherie Priest. A few reviews I've read claim that the first book was scarier, but I found that this is the one that made me jump at random noises while I was reading it at 3 AM. I think it's probably because the story of Old Green Eyes (which figures prominently in the plot here) fascinates me and, honestly, severely creeps me out for some reason. While reading Four and Twenty Blackbirds does explain some things referenced in this book, I think it's entirely possible to read this as a stand-alone and enjoy it immensely. But you should read the first book anyway if you at all enjoy this sort of story. Trust me.
    
11. First Among Sequels, Jasper Fforde. I think the novelty of this series is starting to wear off for me. I was mightily amused by the idea of a Stupidity Surplus though. (Not something we'll ever have to worry about over here, as Stupidity seems to be put into use as fast as it can be produced.) By the time book six comes out next year, I suspect I'll be ready for more truly awful puns again though.
    
12. The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade, Ann Fessler. In a word: heartbreaking. Will noodle on this one a bit later.