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Les Semaines
February 18, 2007
what I'm thinking and doing § what I'm listening to § what I'm reading
what I'm writing § retrospective: old journal
I am expecting to find graffitti on the walls of our house any day now. I
expect it will say "Atia Rules, Sophie drools."
Atia's campaign for domination proceeds well.
It started accidentally. Atia and Titus were having a Ha-I-scared-you,
No, I scared-you game when Atia rounded a corner all "scared" only to
face Sophia, who because she was startled too reacted like it wasn't a
game.
Atia weighs maybe a quarter of what Sophia does. She and Sophia had an
ears-back, back-arched, tail-fluffed face off and Sophia was the one who blinked.
Atia is small but she is mighty.
But later in the week, much to everyone's surprise, this happened:
 | A shocking sight! Sophia putting up with kittens in close proximity! It didn't last long. By the way, the kittens aren't that big yet, it's just the angle of the shot. |
There was a little growling, but wow. This gives me hope that Soph is adjusting to the beasts.
last week's thinking and doing § next week's thinking and doing
The new Rachel Smith, famous secrets isn't quite as fully and individually formed as her debut, The Clearing, but has its charms for all that. She's wonderful.
last week's listening § next week's listening
Guy Gabriel Kay's new contemporary fantasy novel, Ysabel was a delight from start to finish, from the depiction of the half-awkward half-mature main character, a teenage boy, to the mystery of what he's caught up in. Thoroughly enjoyable. And funny, too.
John Green's young adult novel, An Abundance of Katherines is smart and fun. Colin, heartbroken after breaking up with Katherine XIX (his nineteenth) ends up on a road trip with his best (and only) friend, Hassan. They wind up in a small town in Tennessee, where they meet up with--not a Katherine and where they learn a whole lot about themselves.
Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer's The mislaid magician; or, ten years after is the third in their series of epistolatory Regency fantasy novels, and like the rest, is charming but because of that, the plot feels less involving that it should. It's all too told. But these are fun, and full of small felicities.
Maria V. Snyder's fantasy novel Magic Study hit me the same way her first book Poison Study did: it starts off where I'm very aware of some of the awkward writing (both language and how things are introduced, but I'm intrigued enough to persevere and eventually get caught up in the tale.
last week's reading § next week's reading
The light at the end of the tunnel grows bigger and more alarming every week with the novel. Also, finally finished a good draft of the poem I was struggling with.
last week's writing § next week's writing
Friday, July 31, 1992
London
Today was shopping day, starting off going through the streets nearby. Went to Dillons, first found Amidon book for Jim. Got a book which is a section of the Carmina Gaedelica at a kind of mytical bookshop. They had some lovely antiquarian herbals, too, but very expensive.
Went to Oxford Street Virgin megastore and bought Tori singles--one cd, two tapes--and went to many bookstores and didn't find the books for Bob. Went to Liberty's and got another length of the Strawberry Thief [William Morris] print and a couple of buttons.
Christina got a yellow silk shirt. It was very hot and nasty and crowded, but we persevered, going to Foyles, etc., HMV...
Finally, exhausted, back to B&B, quick dinner, then off to the Barbicon (late train at King's Cross) then rushed to the theatre only to discover that technical difficulties delayed the play for half an hour. I swear it was the strange metal curtain apparatus. It parts and moves and the stage comes out from it. Excessive.
The Alchemist was really a lot of fun. I was so exhausted I dozed through part of the early scenes, but woke up for later. So much fun--the three main characters servant/captain, the alchemist, and Doll. Then their customers--the Anabaptists, the dandy, the store yokel, the young blood--it was really fun. Still hot when we left, though.
last week's old journal § next week's old journal
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Email comments, questions, and complaints to neile@sff.net § Neile's main page
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