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A delightful new Christmas novella from Connie Willis. Some aliens (inaccurately dubbed the Altairi) have landed in Colorado, but no one has been able to figure out how to communicate with them. They have such an air of disapproval ("like great aunt Judith") that the people working with them keep moving on to other projects. Which is why the narrator, a newspaper columnist who once wrote about aliens, is included in the group. Meg makes for a very amusing narrator, and she's one of the ones who finally figures out the aliens. Near the beginning of the story, the aliens have been taken to a mall to see if they respond to anything, and they suddenly sit down. Meg enlists the aid of a choir director there with middle school girls, the only one who noticed that the aliens sat down in response to a Christmas song playing in the mall, and they sat down exactly in time with the title words. Together, Meg and Mr. Ledbetter begin to puzzle out which songs the Altairi respond to and why, and finally figure out what the aliens were waiting for.

This is a delightfully humorous take on both alien invasion type of stories and Christmas stories. Early on, Mr. Ledbetter calls Meg frantic that she not let the aliens listen to any other carols, since there are all kinds of dark and dangerous verbs sprinkled through them, and they don't know what the Altairi might start doing. It's obvious that Willis is pretty well-versed in her Christmas carols and has thought about this before-- including the "Satan's power" in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" that G. loves to do in a dark sinister voice. The answer, when it comes, is perfectly logical and makes great sense-- and makes you wonder what intelligent, wise aliens would think of humanity if they came to visit (turning them into a media circus, claiming they are there to support a particular religion, everyone trying to use it for their own ends).

The first part of the story is available online, but I warn you-- if you read it, you will probably do like I did and find yourself needing to buy a copy of Asimov's so you can finish the story.

Title:	All Seated on the Ground
Author:	Connie Willis
Date published:	2007 (in Asimov's Science Fiction December 2007 issue)
Genre:	Christmas Science Fiction
Number of pages:	44
Notes:

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This book was not as good as I remembered-- and I always knew it was not great literature. Now it seems like a lot of male wish-fulfillment fantasy. Stile, a serf on the futuristic planet of Proton, has an attempt made on his life, discovers he can cross over into the parallel but magical world of Phaze, and finds out that there he is one of the most powerful magicians, an Adept. In Proton he has a beautiful android named Sheen that an unknown benefactor sent to protect him, and in Phaze he befriends a shape-changing unicorn named Neysa. He sleeps with both of them whenever he is in their respective worlds, all the while admitting to himself that he can never truly love either of them since they are not human.

One of the features of Proton that seems particularly male wish-fulfillment fantasy is that all the serfs are naked-- only the citizens wear clothes. This is taking Mark Twain's humorous statement about clothes a little too far ("clothes make the man-- naked people have little or no influence in society"). Anthony makes a big deal (repeatedly) of how clothing and partially covered nakedness is so much more appealing than complete nakedness-- but his male characters also seem always to look over and visually evaluate the nude females they come into contact with. A part of me is horrified that I read this when I was younger (although I'm sure I didn't pay attention much to the nudity or innuendo, and read it more for the adventure and the unicorns). Supposedly, life is so great on Proton that people would rather be a serf there than live like kings elsewhere in the universe. There's a lot to this that doesn't quite make sense, and a lot of things that seem impractical to do nude (riding horses, running marathons, etc.), but Anthony doesn't worry about that.

I picked this book up because it was convenient when I had nothing to read; I pulled it out because I thought G. would enjoy it-- particularly because of the Game of Proton. Here, Anthony has created something pretty interesting. The great Game is one where two players make selections from broad categories in a grid, together choosing a game to compete in-- and the strategy comes in at the very beginning, trying to maneuver your opponent into a category where they are not skilled but you are. This is an interesting idea, and the descriptions of the Games Stile plays are always pretty interesting. However, Stile's wide range of expertise and skill seems a little ridiculous-- he has practiced everything from sword play to music in order to make himself a competent Gamesman, and one wonders how he has any time for his job.

I vaguely remember there being some clever reference to the title, but I didn't find it in this book. Odd.

Title:	Split Infinity
Author:	Piers Anthony
Date published:	1987
Genre:	Fantasy / Science Fiction
Series:	Apprentice Adept
Number of pages:	368
Notes:	repeat reading

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This time around, Dresden is dealing with ghosts popping up everywhere. Someone is stirring them up, causing trouble, and the barrier to the spiritual world is thinner than usual. Then, there is some kind of nightmare demon that is destroying people in their sleep and coming after Harry with a vengeance. Eventually, Harry has to face off against vampires (three different kinds, one of them an uneasy ally) to figure out who is behind the ghostly disturbances. This book did not seem as well-written or edited as the previous books in the series, but it's still a pretty fun ride. I particularly liked the character of Michael-- he fights alongside Harry against evil, but he's a holy warrior with a sword that's some kind of relic. The part I like best is that Harry, with his wizard's sight, can see the visible aura of power surrounding Michael-- which is his faith.

Harry also has to keep dealing with a fairy godmother every time he goes to the Nevernever. She wants to make him a captive (like one of her trained bloodhounds) and take his power for her own, and she causes trouble for him-- but she also protects him, since she wants him for herself. And the times when she arrives and saves him it seems a little too convenient. Also, the ultimate answer to the mystery seemed a little too obvious (although it was fairly satisfying). When a book like this talks briefly about a case that happened recently, you know that someone or something from that case is going to be relevant to this one.

Title:	Grave Peril
Author:	Jim Butcher
Date published:	2001
Genre:	Contemporary Fantasy
Series:	Dresden Files, book 3
Number of pages:	378
Notes:	borrowed from Garvey

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Written with two presents .. a boy, Johnny, growing up with his best friend, Owen Meany .. and Johnny as a teacher much later in life. The two times easily fade one into another, with events that strongly affected the near present slowly being revealed. Johnny was born to a wealthy family in small town, to a mother who won't reveal the father. She remarries a wonderful man, Dan Needham, who treats Johnny as a real person, and not just a nuisance. Johnny and his friend, Owen, travel through life together.. With Owen spending much time with Johnny and his mother, helping Johnny with his schoolwork, and sharing his strong opinions. They affect each other (as best friends typically do), with Owen helping to shape Johnny's future in a strong way.

Owen is a memorable character. He is short and has a voice that belongs only to him. It's sort of a shout, with no ability to speak quietly. Irving employs an enjoyable device, in that whenever Owen speaks (or writes) it is written in capitol letters, which continually conveys to the reader the power of his words and ideas. Whenever he talks people are forced to listen, and he is given to making pronouncements (which fit with his loud & obnoxious voice). Even though he is small, he has a strong presence, and is respected by many. When he is a young teenage, he has a vision of his tombstone -- and believes that he knows when he will die. Nobody believes him, but he continues to have dreams that make it more and more clear. People (namely Johnny & his cousin, Hester) try to stop him, but it cannot be done. How amazing, to be so sure of what one is called to and do be. Some people would try to run away, to stop it from happening, but Owen runs toward it despite what others want. And prepares those he loves for their futures .. helping them know how they are gifted and what they are called to do.

Title:	A Prayer for Owen Meany
Author:	John Irving
Date published:	1989
Genre:	Historical Fiction
Number of pages:	543

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The second book in the Dresden Files series features werewolves of every kind. There's a brutal murder and Murphy calls in Dresden to take a look; he notes the fact that it was done on the night of a full moon, and this one is a repeat of another about a month ago. At Murphy's request, Dresden does a report on all the different kinds of werewolves, how to recognize them, how to kill them-- werewolves, hexenwolves, lycanthropes, and loup-garou. And, of course, pretty soon Dresden runs into all of the different kinds of werewolves. Some of them are bad guys, some are good guys who are supposed to be bad guys, and the most vicious in wolf form is actually sort of the victim.

Eventually Dresden figures out that someone was trying to frame MacFinn, the last in a family cursed to be the dreaded loup-garou, the most vicious and destructive of the werewolves. They destroyed the mystical cage that MacFinn used to keep himself from wreaking havoc during the full moon, and then committed a few murders-- as wolves. Another piece of the puzzle is some corrupt FBI officials who have taken things into their own hands-- or rather, paws. Someone (a sinister, mysterious someone) gave them belts that allow them to transform into wolves, and they've been using this ability to do the dirty work of taking down known criminals that they can't get by legal means. But, of course, they are corrupted by the power and animality of the experience. In the final showdown, Dresden runs out of options and ends up using a stolen wolf-belt himself to fight off the attackers, and almost succumbs himself-- but, as always, he manages to prevail.

There are some interesting characters and great moments. Particularly interesting is the feral shape-shifter Tera, who loves MacFinn and is trying to rescue him from himself. Dresden determines fairly early on that she's not one of the bad guys, but he doesn't realize until the end that she's yet another kind of werewolf he hadn't included in his list-- a shapeshifter, but one whose natural, original shape is not human.

Title:	Fool Moon
Author:	Jim Butcher
Date published:	2001
Genre:	Contemporary Fantasy
Series:	The Dresden Files
Number of pages:	352
Notes:	borrowed from Mike

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My first novel in Romanian!! Took me a number of months, but the last ten chapters were less than a week .. because I started reading for gist instead of looking up every vocab word that I didn't know. I've read this book before in English a number of times, so was able to catch much of the story (and pick up grammar and vocabulary along the way!). This time, I noticed that when Aslan talks to the coach driver he talks about being familiar. That Frank somehow already knows Aslan, which I had never picked up on before. Already Lewis is starting to put in place the ideas which will become much clearer in the following books.

Uncle Andrew always has seemed quite a peculiar character to me. He is very proud, arrogant, and egocentric. Everything that happens is somehow related to him or connected to him. Which is funny, but also sad, because there are really people like that. The most enjoyable thing that happens to him (for the reader, at least!) is when the newly created, talking animals find him. They aren't sure what he is or how to treat him. Because of his disbelief, they cannot understand each other, and while they are trying to figure out what he is, they decide he must be a tree and therefore must be planted. So they dig a hole and put his legs in (lucky for him they decided this way and not the other!). They they find out that he is alive and try to feed him .. all things that would be wonderful food for themselves, so worms from the birds, honey from the bear, grass from some.. most of which he is not too happy about. I guess the imagery of choosing to live in darkness and thus living in darkness (and not being able to understand these wonderful talking animals at all) is carried out in our own times, in many places and ways.

Title:	Nepotul Magicianului (aka The Magician's Nephew)
Author:	C. S. Lewis
Date published:	1955
Genre:	Children's, Fantasy
Series:	Chronicles of Narnia
Number of pages:	186
Notes:	Repeat reading

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A very enjoyable book, about a woman who loves the forest and nature and freedom. One day, a man walks into being in her forest .. and she sees him change from sunshine into human. A man who wants to become human, but cannot quite do it. He is stuck in another world .. without freedom. His grandfather cursed his father, and the village wonders where this new man fits into the curse and the story. Roise, the woman who loves freedom, sees more than most, and so has the ability to know Corbet is more than he appears and also to fight with him for his freedom.

Two characters are known to chase after what they cannot have. Perhaps not to chase physically, but to so long for it that they begin to waste away, to care about nothing else, to cease living fully in this world. How hard for those around them to watch .. and to see them choosing poorly. They both care about a man and he goes away, and part of them is carried with them. These men go to another world .. a parallel world, perhaps, and the women cannot follow them. But they try. One is described as slowly taking up less and less space, belonging less and less to this world -- eating less, breathing less, feeling less, giving up self. Makes me wonder how we do this in less visible ways - seeking things we cannot have, searching so strongly for things that are gone that we begin to lose what is right next to us, becoming preoccupied with the past or future so the present loses its power. How easily we humans can be distracted from this business of living, choosing instead those things which lead to death and lifelessness.

The lives of Roise and Corbet become slowly intertwined, and in that other world the possibility of them becoming inseperably intertwined is very real. Roise loves nature and the woods, and is always bringing home beautiful flowers and tasty mushrooms and healing herbs. Corbet is stuck in the woods (in a sense), and she goes into them to bring him out. In one of the last scenes, the Woman of Winter (who has control over this other world) promises Roise that she and Corbet (who she loves) will be together forever, the ivy and roses growing together so one cannot live without the other. This woman has turned Corbet into ivy a number of times before, so it stands for and is part of him. Roise is given the opportunity to be married to him and to have children with him .. but in this other place, with no option for freedom. She will not accept it and fights for their lives. But the image of ivy and roses growing together is beautiful, crosses the lines between worlds, and full of meaning.

Title:	Winter Rose
Author:	Patricia McKillip
Date published:	1996
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	262
Notes:	Repeat reading (and more to come!)

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This is fiction, but written as a biography of a Japenese woman (Sayuri), who as a young child (Chiyo) was sent to the city for training to become a geisha. One of the first descriptions in the book is of her eyes .. they are grey, almost without color. Which is taken to mean that her personality is like that of water, which is flexible and able to adjust to anything. (Her father is like wood .. slow and steady and unchangeable). Which turns out to be very important for her survival, that she can adjust and make do and find ways to move around obstacles -- as well as her eyes, which are memorable and beautiful and attract attention. On her lowest day, she sits down to cry and a nice man comes to her and talks to her (which is basically unheard of in this society, and even gives her his handkerchief. He becomes a symbol to her of hope, and as things begin to happen well for her (there is a shift in many things which happens fairly quickly), she always has a dream that she will see this man and be able to thank him. In fact, he becomes her ideal in every way. She runs into him early on in her career, but circumstances are such that she cannot pay him much attention, and this causes her fairly constant worry and wonder and hope and doubt.

The world that this young girl is thrown into is harsh. She is the lowest person in the household that she is part of and must listen to and obey orders from all those above her (4 main people, plus other servants). Everything familiar is taken away from her .. parents and even her sister, and she is left to fend for herself and find new reasons to live and dreams to keep. Geisha have to be very good at what they do .. entertaining men. They are somewhat related to prostitutes, but they have to learn many more things and are a valued part of their society. They must learn dancing, singing, instruments, the tea ceremony, how to dress properly, how to wear their makeup, and how to be in conversation with men in such a way they are entertained -- knowing what can entice and just how far to push things. The lessons and way they are prepared for their life includes strict punishment, strict rules, an apprenticeship to an older geisha, and a learning how to compartmentalize life in such a way that they can survive what they do each day and evening. Sayuri does remarkably well .. at first she cannot adjust and almost is sent away to a hopeless life (in many ways), but through a few circumstances (namely the Chairman and Mameha, a successful geisha who took her under her wing), she becomes successful and eventually leads a life that she enjoys.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book that so many people have read and that became a movie, but it was well worth my time. A good story, with any number of phrases and ideas that I sat and savored. Also managed to get a few stares and odd looks as people read the title, but that's alright .. a good book is worth a bit of trouble. As with another book I read recently, I learned about culture and values as well as enjoying the story, causing me to wonder about the values and traditions of my own culture. Some are worth keeping, and others .. could use a bit of challenging.

Title:	Memoirs of a Geisha
Author:	Arthur Golden
Date published:	1997
Genre:	Historical Fiction
Number of pages:	493
Notes:	Read in a few days (traveling to Turkey!)

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Elena is a werewolf-- the only female one, in a world where being a werewolf is only hereditary for males and the Pack is the ruling class of werewolves. She's been running away from her identity and trying to live a normal life when the Pack begins having trouble and summons her back to help deal with the "mutts" (non-Pack or "wild" werewolves) who've been causing them trouble. She's torn about being near Clay again-- her lover and the man who bit her without asking or telling what he was (because he loved her and this was the only way they could be together). Meanwhile, the mutts seem to have banded together and begun recruiting human serial killers to try to take down the Pack, and Elena begins losing friends and pack-brothers.

Elena's relationship with Clay bothered me a little bit. It seemed obvious that she loved him deeply and belonged with him, even if she was mad at him for what he did, but she is supposed to be oblivious to this fact-- until she fears that he is in danger and goes racing across the country (in wolf form) to save him. But even before she admits to herself that she loves him, she seems to be having amorous adventures with him almost every other chapter. The sensuality seems somewhat appropriate for the werewolves as Armstrong describes them, but it was more than I needed and didn't make sense to me for how the character supposedly felt.

This was a pretty fun read. Elena is a very interesting character, and I liked Armstrong's new take on werewolves. Might be worth reading more of this series sometime.

I've been mildly interested in this book for a while; when I read a decently good review of it on Bureau42, I finally decided to check it out.

Title:	Bitten
Author:	Kelley Armstrong
Date published:	2001
Genre:	Contemporary Fantasy
Series:	Women of the Otherworld
Number of pages:	342

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The story of Michelangelo Buonarroti, the Italian artist who created the "David" and painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. His life was more interesting and complicated than most people, which is probably a very good thing. Michelangelo is born to a father who wants him to work hard to earn money for the family, but all he wants to do is sculpt. He is from Florence, a city that celebrates artists and art, which turns out to be a huge blessing to him. Michelangelo, with his ability to create beautiful art, ends up serving under a number of Popes (three or four, at least), and having relationships with them that the average person wouldn't dream of (i.e. he sought to ask for what he needed and challenge what was expected of him and his art). This book shares not only about the life of one man, but also about the way his society worked, some of the other major players during his time, and his culture.

Stone does a good job of portraying the life of an artist. Michelangelo does art not because it can make money for him, but because he has to -- because it comes from inside him and is his best way to relate to the world and to convey truth and ideas. Since I too enjoy art (although in no way would I compare myself to this artist!), it was enjoyable to read this book and be reminded that art is something good for the world and for those who do it. That art can communicate and express when it comes from inside. It was inspiring and encouraging .. in the direction of actually pulling out art supplies and getting to work. Or to play. Or to expression. Or to practice, at least!

Title:	The Agony and the Ecstasy
Author:	Irving Stone
Date published:	1961
Genre:	Biography
Number of pages:	758

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Still the best novel in the English language. In my fourth reading, I still found myself fascinated with Mr. Lydgate, Mr. Farebrother, Dorothea Brooke, and Caleb Garth. Rosamund Vincy and Edward Casaubon remain deliciously hateful. Though the book is set in the early 1830s in Britain, the characters are alive and nuanced in a way that grips me today. All the residents of this country town do their part to "make sport for their neighbors," but their lives also have something timeless to teach about honor, ambition, and diligence.

The book opens and closes with Dorothea Brooke, a young woman of independent means and a keen sense of duty. She feels called to do some great humanitarian work, but propriety dictates that she refrain from working, or participating in unwomanly activities, or spending her money in ways inconvenient to her family. In short, no one expects her to accomplish anything in particular, and she has no one to guide or direct her ardor. Dorothea leaps at the chance to marry a learned clergyman twice her age, thinking that his intellect and spiritual wisdom will allow her to labor in a great work within her reach, namely, assist Mr. Casaubon in writing a comprehensive book on religion. Too late, she finds that Mr. Casubon is not an intellectual and spiritual giant, but full of self-doubt and vain ambition - his efforts at writing are fumblings in the dark. Moreover, he seems incapable of true affection - he accuses Dorothea of base desires and freezes her tenderness with icy mistrust. It is sobering to watch her youthful idealism erode under the influence of her husband's suspicion, her family's worry, and society's opinion. Her lack of direction and her own blind spots prevent her from being other than ordinary.

Mr. Lydgate resembles Dorothea in his longing to accomplish a lasting good. He arrives in Middlemarch bent on medical reform. Unlike Dorothea, he has concrete tasks and goals before him, and is confident in his fitness for the work. He is an honorable and masterful man, who enjoys fellowship with the strong but has compassion for the weak. He errs in supposing Rosamund Vincy's beautiful exterior is an extension of her inner character. In fact, she is cunning, secretive, and obstinate, not to mention wholly self-centered. After they marry, Rosamund's strategems and Lydgate's entrenched pride subvert his career and all his lofty goals. He, too, fails to achieve what he set out to do. Lydgate's story is tragic, all the more so because of the several ways his misfortunes might have been prevented, if Rosamund had been different, or he himself had been different.

Mr. Farebrother, Fred Vincy, Mr. Bulstrode, Mary Garth, Will Ladislaw, and Caleb Garth all their stories told as well. What strikes me again and again about Middlemarch is its intelligence and depth. Each individual is drawn with sympathy and accuracy, to map a human landscape full of suspense, truth, and sometimes beauty. I hope to read this book many, many more times.

Title:	Middlemarch
Author:	George Eliot
Date published:	1871-1872
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	766

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I've been hearing good things about Vinge for a while, and finally read the book he is (I think) most famous for. It took me a while to get into this one, but when I did I found it completely engaging. This book presents a fascinating vision of the universe, full of diverse life-forms and aliens. The big idea is that there are different "zones" in different parts of space where different technologies function-- in the slower zones, like Earth, there is no faster-than-light travel and the more complex technologies don't work. In the higher zones, beings can evolve into something like gods (or "transcend"). What sets all the conflict of this book into motion is a group of humans discovering an old archive near the Transcend and awakening an ancient and powerful evil being. The rest of the book is the story of the battle against this being as it grows more and more powerful, taking over civilizations and starting interstellar wars.

Vinge has created a fascinating and compelling universe, and particularly interesting are the alien life-forms. There are the clever Tines, a pack-mind creature made up of several dog-like animals communicating and thinking together at subsonic levels-- they can live for centuries, with different members of their packs dying out and new ones taking their place. Also, the skroderiders-- a plant-like creature riding a mechanical "skrode," which provides them with the short-term memory they would otherwise lack.

Great science fiction, fascinating and compelling. This book is the beginning of a series, but it stands perfectly on its own as well.

Title:	A Fire upon the Deep
Author:	Vernor Vinge
Date published:	1992
Genre:	Science Fiction
Series:	Zones of Thought
Number of pages:	391

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This man came to speak at my college while I was a student there, and incited a number of dialogues and questions. He's good at that, I think .. stirring up the way people are living in such a way that they have to ask questions and wonder and perhaps even change the way they are living. Which seems to me to be a very good thing. Claiborne's main premise is that many Christians don't actually live as followers of Christ. We may go to church and do good things periodically, but we don't actually do the things that we read about in the Bible. If Christ's words (and other words and ideas in the Bible too, of course) were taken seriously, our lives would have to change radically.

Claiborne's main ideas are conveyed through stories, most of which he has lived through himself. He spent some time in India working with Mother Teresa and getting to know some lepers. He has experienced a variety of churches and ways of doing Christianity. He lives in Philadelphia with a number of other Christ-followers, seeking to live out what it means to be a community and care for their community. He makes many of his own clothes (if not all?), doesn't settle for easy answers, and likes playing with the kids on his street. Claiborne has things to say, and is worth listening to .. not simply because they are good things, but because he is seeking to live what he talks about. To be a radical for Jesus not because it's cool or because he has to, but because it is simply what all those who follow Christ are called to.

Title:	The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical
Author:	Shane Claiborne
Date published:	2006
Genre:	Spiritual, Nonfiction
Number of pages:	358
Notes:	borrowed from Diane

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This was not exactly the story I expected when I started this book-- but by the time I'd discovered that, it was too late to stop. I hadn't heard of Susan Palwick until I read a brief article about her book The Necessary Beggar being nominated for the Mythopoeic awards. The book sounded interesting, and according to the article Palwick is a Christian, so I thought I'd try some of her stuff-- the only one I could find in the library was this one. It's actually a story about dealing with sexual abuse, but there are still some fantasy elements because the main character, Emma, is visited by the ghost of her sister Ginny, and together they deal with the father that visited them both. What I found particularly interesting is that neither of these girls will fight for themselves, but they are both willing to fight for others-- Ginny comes back to help Emma, Emma won't stand up for herself, but will to protect her mother and other girls.

The idea of the title is one I've come across before in other books-- the person who is being abused sort of leaves their body to escape the terrible thing being done to them. This book takes it a bit further-- Emma is flying on the ceiling the first time she meets her sister Ginny. Then, together they begin exploring and flying other places.

The book is set up with a frame narrative-- an adult Emma is finally telling her husband (and, a little, her young daughter) about her childhood and her special relationship with the sister who died before she was born. This device gives some nice closure to the story, but otherwise it felt a little unnecessary to me, since most of the book was the story of her childhood.

I enjoyed the book pretty well, and found the characters believing and engaging. I still hope to read The Necessary Beggar sometime if I can find it anywhere.

Title:	Flying in Place
Author:	Susan Palwick
Date published:	2005
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	192

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Parallel story to Ender's Game, except the protagonist (and thus viewpoint) has changed. This time Bean is central - the little kid who is in Ender's army and is brilliant, even more than usual for the kids at Battle School. The story starts in Rotterdam, where street kids run in crews to protect themselves. Bean (as a tiny, starving 3 or 4 year old) manages to attach himself to a crew and civilize the whole system from the inside without seeming to. He and the crew he is part of are tested by Sister Carlotta - and she recognizes his genius (he's taught himself to read, and to speak a few different languages, to name a few of his more obvious skills at age 4 or 5). This eventually gets him sent to Battle School, where he is still miles ahead of those around him academically, but must learn how to lead well (because his small size somehow leads to negative comments) .. all the while being compared by everyone around him to Ender, who is going to save the world from the buggers (aliens).

Bean is a unique character .. he is small but more intelligent and quick thinking than most adults. Instead of having strong feelings, he is seen to analyze the situation and act as he feels fits. Because the barriers between him and others are so large (his small size, his brilliance, his analyzing which comes off as pride..) he doesn't have many friends, but at Battle School he gets his first friend - Nicolae. This turns out to be a nice 'coincidence', and they have more connections than they know. Bean is able to connect ideas in such a way that he understands what the teachers are doing, what are simulations and what is real, what is really at stake. Which turns out to be very frustrating to his teachers and those above him, but also leads to him being second in command for the simulation of the bugger war. Even as they are preparing for and fighting the war, he is thinking of what will come next and what will happen on Earth (what other battles there will be) and what part he is to play. Easy book to read and enjoy, and will be read again.

Title:	Ender's Shadow
Author:	Orson Scott Card
Date published:	1999
Genre:	Young Adult, Science Fiction
Series:	Ender Wiggins Saga
Number of pages:	467
Notes:	Repeat reading

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Saw this book when I was in the Mary Stewart section of the library, and was intrigued enough to check it out and read them. I was mildly surprised (although maybe I shouldn't have been, since Stewart's writing is generally pretty tight, careful and well-crafted) to find myself enjoying them. For the most part, they are fairly formal and make use of rhyme schemes, although not all of them. There's one about a petrel that reminded me very strongly of Hopkin's sprung rhythm, particularly his poem "The Kingfisher."

There were also several mythological poems (none of them particularly struck me), and the book ends with her Merlin poems which I guess were originally published in her Hollow Hills series.

(The copy I read is a hard-bound library book with no cover; I looked all the usual places online and couldn't find a single book cover image for this book.)

Title:	Frost on the Window
Author:	Mary Stewart
Date published:	1990
Genre:	Poetry
Number of pages:	110

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A story about a young girl, Carrie, and her sister, Emma. Their father (who was a good man) died, and their mother remarried a man who is not so good. Really not good, actually. He drinks and is very abusive. These two sisters find good things in life, and continue to survive despite harsh conditions. Carrie has a book that is full of postcards of places to visit, and when she is very sad it is comforting to her .. the idea of going someplace else. Eventually, they decide to run away .. and life gets much worse after that for a while. Their mother should be a protector, but can protect neither herself or her children. Many ideas and events presented in this novel are sad, but there is some hope throughout.

They move to a new place because the step-father found a new job, and there is an old man, Mr. Wilson, who lives nearby. He also has not had a hard life, but he enjoys getting to know this young girl and her sister. He treats them like real people and takes time to teach them how to shoot. Since they live in a fairly rural area, this is somewhat common. Mr. Wilson is a sharp contrast to the stepfather .. he doesn't let things slide by, but he actually cares about Carrie and her sister. In the last few chapters, there is a twist that changes the whole story. It is well done, in that I wasn't expecting it .. but also very sad. A very psychological book, although perhaps one doesn't realize how much so until the end.

Title:	Me & Emma
Author:	Elizabeth Flock
Date published:	2004
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	298

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This book is rather different from most of the other Mary Stewart books I've read. A young woman visiting northern England is mistaken for a missing heiress who disappeared years ago. Con, the cousin of the missing girl convinces Mary to pretend to be the missing Annabel and come visit her father's farm-- all in order to cement the disposition of the property on Con, who has been managing the land for years. Of course, when she gets there things are much more complicated than she expected, and she becomes less and less certain that Con can be trusted, as it seems he will do anything (even commit murder) to accomplish his goals. She also discovers, seemingly by accident, that the missing Annabel had a relationship with a neighboring farmer-- they used to leave each other notes in the hollow of an old ivy tree where the road split between the two properties.

This is one of those books that intentionally tricks the reader-- and at the end, when all is revealed, you flip back through the pages and realize, yes, the evidence was all there, carefully placed, but obscured and easy to miss. In Stewart's novels, things are rarely what they seem-- but in this book that is even more so than with the others I've read. Characters in the book are often surprised at Mary-- she seems so changed from the Annabel they knew, and yet she knows and does things that fit so well. Even as the reader I found myself wondering and then second-guessing myself-- in spite of the fact that Annabel was a masterful horsewoman, and Mary Grey seems quite terrified of horses. Of course, this made it a much more interesting and exciting read.

This seemed like a darker book and a more questionable romance than I remember in other Stewart novels. Annabel, as a young woman, was having an affair with a married man who detested his wife. This forbidden love was the reason she left her home and fled to America, and now the old lover is scarred and wounded by his terrible life. It has a fairly happy resolution, but it seems bittersweet, and there is plenty of darkness and evil around, too.

Title:	The Ivy Tree
Author:	Mary Stewart
Date published:	1961
Genre:	Mystery / Romance
Number of pages:	320
Notes:	recommended by Nancy Pearson, author of Book Lust, on her NPR radio show / podcast

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This book took me months and months. Because it's really more than one book, but rather four or five books in one. And while detective stories are enjoyable, to read too many at once is not so good for one's brain or looking over one's shoulder. Sherlock Holmes is famous for his eye for detail. He sees things many of us miss and is able to determine where they come from and what they signify. In every story, some of his reasoning is made clear to the reader, and it does not cease to amaze. Toward the end, there are some examples of Holmes even being able to follow Watson's train of thought and agree or disagree even without Watson saying anything. This is fun to read about and imagine, and although Holmes holds to it being simply scientific, I have a hard time believing something like this possible. It's at least really really unprobable.

One device that I enjoyed is the use of Watson. He is also a character, but is the narrator and chronicler and is written well enough that he could indeed be the author. Not just another character. Watson is often refering to cases that he cannot write up (because there are too many), which makes the stories he does tell seem even more real. All the details and places, people, history, weather .. combine to make Watson feel like a person instead of simply a character. And as good as Holmes is at discovering and catching criminals, it's too bad that these two people and their adventures are fictional. Ah well.

Title:	Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume 1
Author:	Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Date published:	1887
Genre:	Mystery
Number of pages:	1059
Notes:	borrowed from Amy

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Bryony is a young woman from an old British family, the Ashleys, and she returns to her family home under strange circumstances, after her father dies in a suspicious hit and run. There are plenty of legends and colorful stories about the Ashley family history, but one story-- that some family members have a "gift," some kind of psychic ability-- turns out to be true, because Bryony has had a special connection with one of her cousins since she was a child, and now thinks of him as her psychic lover. The only problem is, she isn't quite sure which cousin it is; none of them quite seem to fit. Of course, there turns out to be a cousin she didn't know about, and another interesting complication to the Ashley family legends. It's been long enough since I read this book that I didn't remember right away who Bryony's love was, which made reading it more fun.

As in most Mary Stewart novels, there's plenty of intrigue and mystery. Bryony's cousins (twins who were always partners in crime as children) have started selling off heirlooms from the estate (which they will inherit) because they have a "cash flow problem," in the process corrupting the young American girl whose family is renting the estate (and who is in love with one of the twins). There's also a cryptic message from her father that she can't quite make out, and interesting connections and revelations about their family history, the family crest and motto (which is where the title comes from), drawn and combined from various sources over history. And then, near the end of the book, after the trauma of a flood and near death, the discovery of a ancient Roman mosaic (of a cat, of course) that might be enough to save the family home.

The cover image is from my copy-- an old paperback I bought somewhere with a strange design, but it plays with the idea of the family crest and the maze and the cat images that run through the book.

Title:	Touch not the Cat
Author:	Mary Stewart
Date published:	1976
Genre:	Mystery / romance
Number of pages:	302
Notes:	repeat reading

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Harry Dresden is a working wizard (at one point he calls himself a blue-collar wizard), listed in the Chicago phonebook-- not for parties or entertainment, but to use his power to help people, find lost items, etc. He also consults with the police on unusual cases, and this book finds him getting drawn into the investigation of a gruesome double murder which his own people (the White Council) think he may have committed. The book is narrated by Dresden, and at several points he talks about a wizards' perception; he's careful not to meet people's eyes, because if he looks for too long he sees into their soul and they see into is his, which apparently can be quite a shock. He also recognizes the non-human creatures around him that normal people don't see (and are generally safer because they don't know). When he's thinking about the power and movement in a storm going on, he gets an insight that opens up the case he's working on-- he realizes that the dark wizard he's trying to find is harnessing the raw power of the storm to do his dirty work.

An engaging story with an interesting mystery, and sub-plots that connect in fairly believable ways. I like the way the otherworld of magic and monsters is integrated into the regular life of Chicago. But sometimes it wasn't the magic that strained my credulity. In one long scene Dresden is fighting for his life against a demon summoned by the dark wizard he's trying to track down-- but the whole time he is supposed to be naked, with shampoo suds running down from his air into his eyes (he jumped out of the shower suddenly and grabbed a towel, but he loses it pretty quickly), and then of course the lady friend that is trapped in his house accidentally drinks a love potion (which is really more of a lust potion) instead of an escape potion. I'm not sure why this bothered me so much-- it just seemed completely superfluous and unnecessary. It doesn't advance the plot any, it doesn't really convey anything about Dresden's character (is it supposed to make him tougher that he survives in spite of these facts?).

Not a perfect book by any means, but it's a fun read and a great idea to stick a wizard in the middle of Chicago. I'll probably read more Dresden Files sometime.

Title:	Storm Front
Author:	Jim Butcher
Date published:	2000
Genre:	Contemporary Fantasy
Series:	The Dresden Files
Number of pages:	322

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This book is labeled on the cover as a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, and while that is the case, it's not a typical sequel. Many of the main characters show up again, although not where you expect them, and not in ways you will necessarily recognize, at least at first. The main story centers on a young carpet merchant named Abdullah whose daydreams (good and bad) start coming true after he is given a magic carpet. But then the princess he has fallen in love with is stolen away by a djinn, and Abdullah must do whatever he can to recover his beloved-- traveling to a strange land with interesting companions to find the castle visible in the sunset skies where the djinn has taken hostage many princesses from all over.

Like many of Diana Wynne Jones other books, this is a delight to read. Abdullah in particular is always complimenting people in ridiculously flowery language (because that is how he is used to negotiating in the marketplace of Zanzib), until he learns that some people (like the genie in a bottle he's carrying around) prefer a more straight-forward approach.

The djinn who is stealing all the princesses, Hasruel, is actually a good djinn who has been enslaved by his brother, a half-wicked djinn. He is forced to do these deeds, but everywhere he steals a princess he sets up a lover he hopes will come to her rescue. It eventually becomes clear that Hasruel is having a great deal of fun playing this game (almost like a huge kind of chess game, with human pawns at stake across a board spanning many countries).

It was a delight when familiar characters started showing up-- particularly Howl and Sophie still arguing all the time, but happy that way, in love and now with a new son. When I finished the book and discovered the twist about where these characters had been hiding from the evil djinn (because he stole Howl's magical castle), I almost felt like reading the book straight over again, so I could pay proper attention to them. I'll have to read it again sometime soon.

Title:	Castle in the Air
Author:	Diana Wynne Jones
Date published:	1990
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	298

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I had seen the movie before, but not read the book. And there is more to be enjoyed in the book (as one would suspect). Emma Woodhouse, a wealthy young woman, lives with her hypochondriac and worried father, and has much influence over her whole neighborhood and small town. She is used to being powerful and having her own way, and is spoiled but not horribly so. The only person who ever stands up to her and reprimands her for unhealthy attitudes and actions is her neighbor and longtime family friend, Mr. Knightley. She tries to play matchmaker with her new discovery (and friend), Harriet, but that doesn't go over well for a number of reasons.

Miss Bates is an unforgettable character. She is poor, takes care of her mother and her mother and niece from time to time, has never been married, always has plenty to say, and is liked by everyone. Miss Bates often has not much of substance to say, and even that she says multiple ways. But she has a good heart and is grateful for any kindness that she is shown. At one point, a number of people are out on a picnic and Emma humiliates Miss Bates in front of everyone. Mr. Knightley escorts Emma to her carriage as she is leaving and says "badly done, Emma." (slight paraphrase) Because Emma has the better situation in life, she is the one who must show restraint and kindness and not judge harshly. Over time, Emma shows her care and sorrow for what she said and the relationship is repaired. But how true it is that a few words or actions can damage others so easily.

Title:	Emma
Author:	Jane Austen
Date published:	1816
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	376

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This book is so clever and the characters so resilient that it is a delight to read. Ella is a young woman living with her parents on the imaginary island of Nollop (off the coast of North Carolina). The name Nollop commemorates the founder of the small nation, who was also renown for creating the pangram (sentence using all letters of the alphabet) ,“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” One day, the memorial featuring the sentence in tile on the town square loses the "z", and though many blame the 100-year-old cement adhesive, the High Council interprets the event as a spiritual message from Nollop to drop the use of "z" from all spoken and written communication. Stiff penalties await those who defy the edict. The citizenry, though proud of their wordsmithing history, confront the change with composure, but they are troubled when more letter tiles fall. Since the book is composed entirely of letters, notes, and memos, the reader sees firsthand how the Nollopians must invent in order to continue communicating. I love the paradox of whimsy and solemnity in this book. The setting at first seems mildly ridiculous, yet the implications of a restricted alphabet are compelling and merit serious contemplation.

This book bursts with a celebration of words. Savory words! It is interesting to imagine how contemporary English usage might differ in two distinct but neighboring countries like the US and fictional Nollop. The letters make enthusiastic use of new words, make-believe in our minds but valid in Nollopian English: detachation, leapdash, bandiford, multytypewritudes, posteritified, scissoresonance. Since they don’t appear in the dictionary, I just had to make my best contextual guess and move on! It was sometimes difficult to distinguish Nollopian usage from real English because the author doesn’t shrink from advanced vocabulary: I’d never heard of words like "cenotaph," "lucubrate," and "caesura."

The High Council begins as a paternalistic group armed with legislative zeal. But they quickly become totalitarians, adding religious fervor to their governance (they encourage a change from respect to reverence of Mr. Nollop). Some of the apt parallels with today’s Religious Right made me extremely uncomfortable. The High Council refuses to consider scientific evidence of the deteriorating nature of the adhesive holding the tiles on the memorial, and instead push their Almighty Nollop agenda, losing the confidence and respect of the people. The scenario brought to mind attempts by people of faith to legislate their positions on social, economic, or political questions that do not logically follow a belief in Christ’s kingdom.

The progressive abolition of letters revealed the unique structure of the English language and how we rely on a few letters to perform special functions. For example, the loss of “z” or “p” is mostly an annoyance. Words containing those letters can usually be replaced by other synonyms. But losing “d,” which is often needed to express the past tense, is a serious blow to communication. Important or not, the loss of each letter, with the subsequent scrutiny of everything written and spoken, is keenly felt. Each prohibition causes constraint and increases fear, and often leads to betrayal and alienation among neighbors. The book’s quaint setting, far from being an obstacle to credibility, heightens its thoughtfulness.

Title:	Ella Minnow Pea
Author:	Mark Dunn
Date published:	2001
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	205

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A biography of C. S. Lewis that approaches the man through his writing, particularly his fiction. Jacobs says at the outset that he is not going to include every detail of Lewis' life because he is interested in "the life of a mind, the story of an imagination"; through this book he is trying to answer the question, "what sort of person wrote the Chronicles of Narnia?"

It was surprising to me how little I actually knew about Lewis' life. For a man who is so well-known, and whose writings are so familiar and often-quoted, I think we don't know all that much about him (what kind of childhood he had, his relationship with his father and brother, his education, his experience in the war). Wherever possible, Jacobs relates Lewis' experiences to those of his fictional character-- so, for instance, in the hardships of Lewis' schooling, there are resonances with what we know of Edmund's and Eustace's schools. Also, I found that having Lewis' writing placed in the context of his life (what he wrote when, who influenced various books) was very illuminating.

This book is very readable and enjoyable. I found myself amazed at the amount of research Jacobs must have done-- trawling through the masses of papers we have from Lewis' life (it is wonderful that we have so much of it, but I find the idea of it a little overwhelming) and his voluminous writing to find the perfect quotes from or about him to describe a particular episode or part of his life or characteristic.

I'm glad I read this book. Now when people quote Lewis or illustrate a point from his life, I have an idea of the big picture (and often they're oversimplifying-- although I don't know where to start to try to tell them that).

Title:	The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Author:	Alan Jacobs
Date published:	2005
Genre:	Biography
Number of pages:	342

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If you don’t mind wending your way past erotic remarks and details on practically every page, this mystery can make a suspenseful read. Gordianus is a respectable man in Rome, enjoying semi-retirement when an old philosophy teacher comes to his door afraid and seeking his help. The events that follow lead Gordianus to make some interesting (and usually randy) new acquaintances and uncover several disturbing secrets. The book is very well-written and serves as an illuminating introduction to what the streets of Rome might have been like in the 1st century B.C.

The title ought to serve as a warning about the cloying sexual overtones that pervade the story. Everyone is thinking about sex and talking about sex. If the topics of sex and human anatomy haven’t popped up in a little while, you can be sure to see them re-introduced directly. For some readers, this can be a boon, but I found it irritatingly predictable after the first few references.

The ancient Roman setting enhances the mystery. Not only are the events themselves unexpected, but the unfamiliar Roman culture adds its own surprises.

No cultural practice is as shocking as that of slavery. The depiction here is extremely disturbing, as it must be when any group of people are systematically denied their humanity and treated as chattel – sometimes worse than livestock. There is an instance of a slave bought merely to try out poisons and times when slaves are tortured cruelly at the aloof whim of an owner. Slaves are used in sexual servitude and summarily sold if they become “damaged.” Gordianus at one point mildly expresses his opinion that slaves really should be treated decently, but doesn’t raise a fuss or even an eyebrow when he witnesses inhumane treatment. The slaves’ suffering is painful to contemplate, but the comfortable distance Gordianus and the rest of free Rome place between themselves and the reality of slavery is discomfiting. As Americans, are we guilty of the same complacency with respect to the many injustices perpetrated within our sphere of influence?

Title:	The Venus Throw
Author:	Steven Saylor
Date published:	1995
Genre:	Mystery
Series:	Roma Sub Rosa
Number of pages:	308
Notes:	4th in the series

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As in Stegner’s other novels, the writing is excellent here. Also as in his other books, one of the main characters is an older man of keen intellectual sensibilities who gets caught up in reflections of his family’s past. Unfortunately, the accounts of this remembered history is unnecessarily sensationalist and seems only a device for generating shock value. Moreover, Joe Allston is jaded and smug, and spends his time giving affected speeches about his disappointment in the world and himself. Crossing to Safety and Angle of Repose are much better than this novel.

Mr. Allston lives in a remote cabin with his wife. He’s retired from a career as a literary agent and is bitter about growing old. He receives a postcard from an old friend and hunts down his journal written during the time he knew her in Denmark. What follows is an introduction to a nobel Danish family that has a long history of important contributions to crop improvement, agricultural methods, horticulture, forest management, animal husbandry, and on the darker side, eugenics. The patriarchs use incest and controlled intergenerational breeding with their peasants as a means of studying the possibility of advancing a superior line of humans.

What I found strange in this plot twist is that the knowledge of incestuous goings-on doesn’t seem to affect Joe Allston, neither for good nor evil. It’s just one more lurid spectacle in the corrupt world of ours. Allston’s tone throughout is passive, aloof, and superior. He is uncritical of his friend’s family, but while he seems to withhold judgment, he also fails to bring any insight or valuable thought to the subject. Perhaps his experience caused the human race in general to sink in his regard and paralyzed his power to act for good. Perhaps his bitterness and jaded demeanor only show the demoralizing effect that human baseness and cruelty can have on others, even if not inflicted directly. Whatever the cause, it was difficult for me to relate or empathize with the brooding contemporary Mr. Allston or the confused younger one.

Title:	The Spectator Bird
Author:	Wallace Stegner
Date published:	1976
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	214

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The last in this enjoyable series, and well worth the wait. Harry and his two dear friends are on a quest to find and ruin the rest of the horuxes, so that Voldemort can finally be defeated. And for much of the book, they are on their own .. without adults to help them or trust, without comfortable places to stay, without Dumbledore to guide them, without many things. But they have enough to get by on .. even enough to do well with. As they spend a lot of time together with building tension, their attitudes and tempers aren't always the best .. but together they have power. And of course, it comes to a final battle between the two destined to fight to the death. Some beautiful moments happen .. especially since the battle is not just two people, but two armies .. and one army is full of all those characters (and their relatives!) we have come to know and love in the previous six years of Harry Potter's life.

Dumbledore gives one gift to each of the three .. Harry, Hermione, and Ron: to Ron, the deluminator which can put out any light (and also do one other vital thing); to Hermione, a book of wizard fairy tales which she must translate and learn from; and to Harry, the first snitch he ever caught. These three gifts don't seem to make sense. They are simple things that don't seem to have any special powers .. but each does, and plays a vital role at one point or another. That seems to fit well with life too .. as humans, we are given talents or abilities that sometimes don't seem to make sense or be very useful. But they are! At their own time and for their own reasons, even if they are not the reasons we would expect.

The epilogue has gotten a lot of flack, I've heard. Because it's about normal life .. nothing spectacular. But after being chased by Voldemort for seven years (or his whole life), it makes sense that for Harry and for his friends, having 'normal lives' is just the right ending. The whole series has been very much about relationships, about friendship, about mentors who lead well, about the importance of family, about fighting for good no matter what. And the epilogue comes back to these key themes. Savoring relationships that have lasted many years, looking with hope toward the future, enjoying today and what life has given. This is a series well worth reading (and re-reading), and book that finishes the story well. Thanks, J.K. Rowling.

Title:	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Author:	J.K. Rowling
Date published:	2007
Genre:	Young Adult, Fantasy
Series:	Harry Potter
Number of pages:	784
Notes:	A gift from Aunt Carla!

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At first, this graphic novel left me feeling unsatisfied, overwhelmed, and disoriented. So many disturbing and painful things happen to this Iranian child and her family, so many different factions inflict suffering, and the suffering ranges so much in degree that the novel seems to proceed as a barrage of highly charged and emotional experiences. But having reread some portions and reflected a little, I see now that the succession of images works as a child’s memoir. Much of a child’s life is spent navigating unfamiliar territory even in the best of circumstances. Add civil unrest, war, political repression, violence, and fear, and a childhood might very well progress as a series of bewildering and contradictory events.

Marjane Satrapi relates an autobiographical account of her younger years growing up in Iran during the repressive regime of the Shah (also called the ‘King’) prior to 1979, and then during the violent, uncertain era of the Islamic cultural revolution, which also turned out to be repressive. Marji’s life intersects constantly with people who have been imprisoned and tortured by the Shah’s regime or the Islamists. Many are killed. The war with Iraq follows, and Tehran is exposed to bomb attacks and food shortages. Many more people die in the raids and in offensive efforts against Baghdad. Meanwhile, Marji is trying to go to school, her family contemplates emigrating, and her classmates rebel against wearing the veil and regurgitating Islamist propaganda.

This is only second graphic novel I’ve read, and I am still very ambivalent about the format. It is obvious that the author feels deeply about her experiences, and through her spartan black-and-white drawings, compellingly draws the reader into her story. The pictoral setting, however, with scant opportunity for nuance and detailed explanation, often leads to a simplistic account which serves her purpose very imperfectly. Such important topics as her religious sensibilities, (apparent) loss of faith, first crush, indignation at injustice based on social class, rebellion against school authorities, and the perceived hypocrisy of her parents are very difficult to discuss in a meaningful way through a graphic novel. I often felt like the story was dumbed down and incomplete. Nevertheless, the format makes the story very accessible and easy to read, and perhaps more readers will benefit from its telling because of it.

Title:	Persepolis
Author:	Marjane Satrapi
Date published:	2003
Genre:	Graphic novel
Number of pages:	153
Notes:	Recommended by L.

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As usual, McKillip crafts her tale with a variety of characters. The Kingdom has a magic school where anyone with strong power is taught. All other magic is illegal, so that the king can have all the power. But what about magic that is not controllable and does not fit into the mold? Then, there are some wonderful questions and intriguing dilemmas.

Brendan Vetch is called by Od to be a gardener at the school .. Od, whose magic includes knowing and caring for animal .. and begins to discover that he has much more power than he thought. Yar, a magician who has been teaching at the school for a long time begins to question the assumptions about 'acceptable magic' that have become foundational. Sulys, the princess, struggles with the expectations of her father and betrothed and what place she and her talents are to have in their relationships. Valoren, the King's head magician & advisor, comes into contact with magic that does not make any sense and is reminded about the beauty of not knowing everything. Tyramin and his daughter Mistral come to town with an illusion show, but the King wonders whether it is illusion or magic, and their freedom to stay in the city is questioned. There are more characters, but all these stories interweave to form a book that will be read again... soon!

Title:	Od Magic
Author:	Patricia McKillip
Date published:	2006
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	315
Notes:	Gift from Lark

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Merton's diaries before he became a Monk, during the time that he was doing graduate work and teaching at Columbia University, trying to get his fiction published, traveling, and wondering about his vocation. It also includes a trip to Cuba, and of course during this time World War II is going on. Merton writes about a huge range of things, from memory exercises to making all kinds of lists, describing his experiences at the movies and art exhibits (including observations of other people and how they reacted to particular paintings), thoughts on books he has read or the news or the drafts of books he is writing or submitting to publishers. I was surprised at how immediately engaging his writing is, and how interesting it was-- although there's quite a lot here, so it still took me a while to finish it.

Early on, Merton has some interesting comments about the act of journaling-- what it means, who it is for. At some point, he finally admits to himself that he hopes it will eventually be published and made available for others, which means that it is okay to edit, which he does-- removing pages, revising, etc.

It's also pretty amazing to kind of travel along with Merton as he's trying to find out if he has a vocation, visiting monasteries and wondering if they will accept him, and deciding whether or not he is willing to give up his writing if that is what he is called to. When he first visits the Trappist monastery at Gethsemani (which is where he ended up, I think), he writes this:

This is the center of America. I had wondered what was holding this country together, what has been keeping the universe from cracking in pieces and falling apart. It is this monastery if only this one. (There must be two or three others).
... This is the only real city in America - in a desert.
It is the axle around which the whole country blindly turns.

When he finally finds out, near the end of the volume, that there is no impediment to his becoming a Trappist monk (there was an indiscretion in his past, before he became a Christian, that kept the Franciscans from accepting him), his excitement is palpable and sincere.

Merton was quite the scholar, and he sometimes writes down quotes from things he's reading in the original language. The editors have provided translations, but since I have a little Latin and French I'd try to read it on my own first, checking my understanding against the translation. I was part of the way through one Latin passage before I realized that I was reading Anselm's famous argument for the existence of God (as the being than which no greater can be conceived), which I remembered from my philosophy course. It was kind of a strange moment, but really cool.

I purchased this several years ago at a discount price after someone had recommended Merton to me, but never got around to reading it until now.

Title:	Run to the Mountain: the story of a vocation (The Journals of Thomas Merton Volume 1 1939-1941)
Author:	Thomas Merton (edited by Patrick Hart)
Date published:	1996
Genre:	diary/journal
Number of pages:	483

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This satirical novel portraying the various players that make up a large university campus is just plain fun to read. Maybe not foot-stomping-knee-slapping fun, but certainly laugh-through-your-nose-smile-quietly-to-yourself fun. The cast of characters is comprehensive: urban students, rural students, faculty in the humanities, professors in the sciences, secretaries, cafeteria workers, provosts, deans, spouses, technicians, even animals. Smiley very deftly swivels points of view and convincingly describes the feelings, instincts, and reasoning of her characters. I was impressed and amused. Add the fact that the university has an agricultural mandate, and I was hooked. The plot is not particularly fast-paced or linear, but as a chronicle of a year in the life of a university, with all of its political, intellectual, and personal intrigues, the book is witty and perceptive.

Several of the main characters, Mrs. Walker, Lionel Gift, Chairman X, Tim Monahan, Nils Harstad, Dean Jellinek, are endowed with an excessive amount of self-importance. Perhaps academia breeds conceit; perhaps university folk are not more prone to it than others but merely have a more visible arena in which to act on it. I found it easy to dislike several of these people but was more sympathetic to Mrs. Walker and Chairman X, probably because I respected the Robin-Hood quality of their actions. Chairman X was perhaps the most compelling person in the book, certainly the most complex: driven by elevated ideals but beleaguered by base desires, drumming up support for his dearest causes but personally repulsive and remote. It didn’t hurt that I identify entirely with his bitterness with the world, where “the forces of greed, carnivorousness, exploitation, technology, and monoculture were everywhere more firmly in control than ever before.”

It was very interesting that this book culminates with two marriages – and between couples who have heretofore been perfectly contented to live together or merely enjoy each other on an as-needed basis. Given their unconventional lives (or maybe they’re actually ordinary?), marriage seemed all too conventional. But I found the unions to be symbols of hope and redemption at the end of an ugly semester.

Readers who wish to avoid overly explicit sexual situations would do well just to skip the "Who's in Bed with Whom" chapter.

Title:	Moo
Author:	Jane Smiley
Date published:	1995
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	414

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