While She Knits: Friday!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

It’s Friday, Friday
Gotta get down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend
Friday, Friday
Gettin’ down on Friday
Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend
(What have you read lately that is AWESOME LIKE A LONG WEEKEND?  Sorry if you don't have one)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Partyin’, partyin’ (Yeah)
Fun, fun, fun, fun
Lookin’ forward to the weekend
(Yeah, stupidest song ever but whatever)
Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin’)
(Just in case you weren't sure about the order of the days of the week now you know.)
Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after...wards
(What books are you singing the praises of, on this Friday?)

Comments

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

And I will go first because I can't express how much I liked Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card. First in a series. Sooo good.

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

Well, I've taken everyone's advice, and read "The Eagle of the Ninth" by Rosemary Sutcliff.

OMGSUFDOIDjlkwejrR!@#$9sP&*F98auodfjk It was AWESOME!

I cannot express in words how much I loved it. I love Marcus. And I think I'm in love with Esca.

[ricardienne.livejournal.com]

I just read Heart of Iron, by Ekaterina Sedia. It's a Steampunk alternate history, where the Decembrists were successful and Russian had major social and economic reform early in the 19th century, such that by the 1850's she is a major industrialized power and the trans-Siberian railway is already in place. Sasha Trobetskaya's formidable aunt gets her one of the first places open to women at St. Petersburg University, which Sasha is at first not thrilled to accept, especially when it becomes clear that she, with the other female students, is expected to fail. But when her only friends -- a group of students from China -- are suddenly deported, helping them turns out to involve not only involving herself in the fate and direction of the Russian Empire, but coming to terms with what she wants and how she wants to be a woman.

Basically, this is an adventure-story romp that involves traveling in disguise, traveling through Siberia and China, traveling, occasionally, by submarine and airship, frantically trying to evade enemy spies and agents, a bit of the supernatural, and a very understated love triangle. But it's also a really neat alternate history because it is also intensely focused on Russia between East and West in a very different way: it becomes clear early on, for example, that the English are the bad guys, while internal Chinese politics (esp. the Taiping Rebellion) and Chinese characters have an important and sympathetic role.

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

I finally read Temeraire by Naomi Novik recently, and I am starting the second book. I'm glad I finally did, because Laurence is so STALWART AND GOOD AND SLIGHTLY TOO GENTLEMANLY and so on, and it's great, and Temeraire is the best precocious dragon. <3

Also because I am without focus I am reading Master and Commander (thematically linked to Temeraire by involving the 18th century British navy!), still slowly working my way through some delicious H.P. Lovecraft, and reading a popular history of ILLICIT BEHAVIOURS IN LONDON by Katharine Arnold.

I just finished rereading Magicians of Caprona and Howl's Moving Castle.

Today I am going to read a book called Hypocrisy and the Politics of Politeness: Manners and Morals from Lock to Austen by Jenny Davidson. You probably underestimate how excited I am about that.

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

I have A BOOK by Ekaterina Sedia that I've been meaning to read for years. Thanks for the reminder--I'm going to have to pull it out and finally get to reading it when I'm back in the states!

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

HAVE NOT YET GOTTEN TO THIS, SO EXCITED TO DO SO. I'm bad, though, my mother's been telling me to read Rosemary Sutcliff for YEARS and I just never had.

[bluestalking.livejournal.com]

I MISS YOU, CHECKERS. THIS IS THE BEST.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

MISS YOU, TOO. I miss everyone who doesn't come around here much anymore. Gah, I need to get back into chatzy sometime, too.

Remember back when there would be over 100 comments to a post like this? I would get all my book recs from sounis. I CHALLENGE Y'ALL TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT AN EXCELLENT BOOK WE SHOULD ALL READ.

[chocolate-smash.livejournal.com]

EVERYONE should read the name of the wind.

[(Anonymous)]

I've FINALLY gotten around reading Elizabeth Marie Pope. And OMGHOWINCREDIBLE. It's been looooooong time since I've felt so swept up by such a good book.

The Perilous Gard very very good but since I'm not familiar with the original Tam Lin story (I know! What's wrong with me?) I probably missed a lot of references. :/

The Sherwood Ring was all kinds of wonderful. Peacable Drummond Sherwood, anyone? <3<3

I'm now off to read The Glassmaker's Daughter by V. Briceland. Sounds promising. :)

-mems-

[booksrgood4u.livejournal.com]

I CHALLENGE Y'ALL TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT AN EXCELLENT BOOK WE SHOULD ALL READ.

No problem!!

I absolutely love the Truth series by Dawn Cook (hence the icon.) Its about a girl who is sent by her mother in search of an ancient fortress from one of her father's bedtime stories. On her way, she meets a traveling minstrel fleeing the news of his family's tragic death. Together the travel to the forstress, where they are snowbound the entire winter with the insane 'sorcerer' who muredered her father. I probably didn't do it justice with that summary, but check it out. THe first book is called First Truth.

P.S. As far as I know my sister and I are the only two people who have actually read the book, so more fans would be great!!

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

Haha, well like everyone else, I must say that you should definitely get around to it soon, because it's very good.

And these past two days, I've just been scouring The Eagle of the Ninth's Livejournal community, because there are tons upon tons of good stuff to read there. It's more of a fanfiction library though than a discussion comm like Sounis.

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOODNESS (also linked to Termeraire because Naomi Novik started writing Termaire because she was doing so much research for her Master and Commander fic) MOM AND I LISTENED TO THE HIS MAJESTY'S DRAGON AUDIO BOOK ON THE WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND

omg Temeraire's voice was the cutest. THE CUTEST.

I cannot convey the cuteness for you here but omg I still go around saying, "Laurence, I think I did that" in my best surprised-proud dragon voice omg.

I have the first like three books in a big hardback; I need to pull it out and go through them.

THESE BOOKS SOUND SO AWESOME.

also

Temeraire.

<3<3<3

[jade-sabre-301.livejournal.com]

MAN would we be able to do a comm-wide book read? is this a thing we should talk about? we should probably talk about this kind of thing. being you know, responsible. also now I do not have steady employment and have discovered this other thing: free time.

(seriously love this post. :D)

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

YES. Elizabeth Marie Pope is amazing. I re-read The Perilous Gard every single November, and I re-read The Sherwood Ring every year, too.

[1221bookworm.livejournal.com]

I CHALLENGE Y'ALL TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT AN EXCELLENT BOOK WE SHOULD ALL READ.

Definetly better than what I will be reading this weedend, (which will probably be nothing, but maybe you guys can help with that!)

Anyway, I would definetly recommend the Farsala Trilogy! It is about a country that is about to be trampled by an invading army, and the 3 young people who are determined to keep that from happening. Each chapter is from one of the three's perspective and they each have their quirks and their faults. Through the books, you get to watch them mature, and grow into responsibilities. The world building is excellent as the author, Hilari Bell, draws from Persian myths and culture and a touch of Roman culture. What makes these books even more amazing is the "Legend of Sorahb" mixed in. The first book is a little slow, as there is a lot of set-up, but once you get through it, the 2nd book improves, and the 3rd one is the absolute best!! (The first book is called "Fall of a Kingdom" or sometimes "Flame," but that is an old title, the 2nd "Rise of a Hero" and the third "Forging the Sword." Don't they just flow together?!)

Alright, sorry for the gushing, but it is a little known series that definetly deserves more recognition!!

[sandtree.livejournal.com]

Well . . . I'm re-reading the Harry Potter series. How's that for a rec? :P I'm currently on Chamber of Secrets.

I also recently read Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell which was an interesting look at creativity, spirituality, and suffering (from a Christian perspective).

[meltintall3.livejournal.com]

The book of the week for me is Entwined by Heather Dixon. One of the best, if not the best, retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, that I've read. So much fun! It's slightly macabre and has horses jumping through windows and inscrutable men getting slapped... and villains getting their cumupance and...! If you like fairy tale retellings, don't miss this one. :-)

I'm also looking forward to getting Arrow by R. J. Anderson from the library and the first book in the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy to see if it is as good as it sounds... but since I haven't read them I can't recommend them yet.

[meltintall3.livejournal.com]

The proposal scene in The Sherwood Ring is amazing, and the very last conversation between the Lady and Kate in The Perilous Gard is just. I have no words. *waves hands incoherently*

I second the motion for regular re-reads of both Elizabeth Marie Pope's books.

[meltintall3.livejournal.com]

I've read the Shield of Stars trilogy by Hilari Bell and that was pretty good. And every time someone mentions Farsala it sounds good. *is taking notes*

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

Of course we could; it's a great idea. We have to do something while she knits surfs writes the next book.

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I STILL have not read that!

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I have Entwined on my latest book order! It sounds great.

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

I love the Truth series! I reread it recently and was pleasantly surprised to find it just as good the second time around.

[booksrgood4u.livejournal.com]

YAY YAY YAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so excited, I couldn't even get my username and password right!! I didn't know anyone esle liked them!!

Strell or Lodesh??? I love Strell, he's sooo sweet, and Lodesh is soooooo arrogant!

I'm so glad to find another fan!!



Wow I really gave the exclamation key a work out :)