Flight into Fantasy

So it’s been a crazy week here in Chez Shannon.

Early this week, I resigned from my reviewing commitment at The Good, the Bad and the Unread. I love that I got to review over there, but I didn’t have the time to devote to writing for two blogs in addition to being a full-time student. In addition, I’ve been feeling really burned out on romances lately. I haven’t read one in a while that I thought was a keeper, and I slowly want to ease back into reading them. This happens to me a lot. I’m not meant to be a one-genre reader, and I don’t quite get people who can do that.

I also had a brief struggle to find a way to use Net Galley, which I thought would be a useful resource. But sadly, I was stymied by DRM it is illegal for me to strip which makes the books unreadable. This actually nearly caused me to write up a whiny blog post, before I reminded myself that it didn’t matter. My blog is small potatoes. I’m content with it remaining so, since this is largely something I do for my own enjoyment and I have enough homework. I’d much rather campaign for e-arcs I really want, which is a relatively small number, and read what I want the rest of the time, whether it was recently published or not.

As I posted a few days ago, I’m participating in the Women Unbound challenge. I have several of my books ready to go, and I am excited to participate. I also really love that there’s this whole community on twitter who is doing the challenge, which will make it more fun.

Anyway, there’s an opening meme for the challenge, so here are my answers below.

1. What does feminism mean to you? Does it have to do with the work sphere? The social sphere? How you dress? How you act?

I think it means all of those things. For me, feminism is all about finding our voices and using them, as often as possible and as bluntly as we can. It’s about not being ashamed of those things that make us female, and not participating in shame of others. It’s not about fucking the patriarchy, bringing the man down, or making it so that men can never ever have fun again, which is what people who oppose feminism seem to think it is. I believe there are issues feminists face in the work and social spheres, and I think they’re all important.

2. Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not?

Absolutely I consider myself a feminist. I’ve always found the complications of gender fascinating. And the more I read about the feminist movement, how far it’s come and what still needs work, the more I identify with it. Also, I’m a left-leaning tree-hugging pinko commie liberal, so feminism naturally follows from that. LOL.

3. What do you consider the biggest obstacle women face in the world today? Has that obstacle changed over time, or does it basically remain the same?

Honestly, I think the biggest obstacle women face is dealing with our own issues. I ran across the term internalized oppression in my social work classes last year, and I think that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Statements like, “I don’t have any girl friends because they’re all such catty bitches.” are all too common. Assuming implicitly or explicitly that a woman’s worth is tied up in whether or not she has a man and can keep him still goes on today. In fact, if I can go off on a tangent, one of the things that’s turned me off about romance novels in particular has been the treatement of female characters. In a genre that is meant to be so women-centric, the number of authors who develop such fascinating, multi-faceted male characters and then pair them with women as interesting as drying paint is absolutely appalling. Also, if I never read a description along the lines of, “She wasn’t like all the other women he’d met, who all *insert awful stereotype here*.” it will be too soon. I’m not asking for every single woman to embrace sisterhood and solidarity, but not cutting each other down would be seriously awesome.

The Readathon is here! I just started reading about half an hour ago. Currently I’m reading The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I’m not sure if I’m going to manage to read anything else today, because I have plans this afternoon, but this is definitely a good readathon book.

Anyway, here is the opening meme that the contest hosts have asked us to fill out!

Where are you reading from today?

My apartment. More specifically my living room, which happens to be where the computer isn’t. The computer is, after all, full of distractions!

3 facts about me …

1. I’m a huge fan of Celtic music.
2. I am doing readathon stuff today rather than study for midterms. It is well worth it!
3. I am a twitter addict.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

I’ve got three or four. I’m not sure I’m going to manage all of them, but I have a couple of short story collections and some short novels. Specifically, I’ve got Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan, Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link, Echo by Francesca Lia Block, Wasteland also by Francesca Lia Block, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

No, not really. I’d like to get a couple of books read, and I plan to do a lot of cheering of people on twitter, but that’s as far as it’s gotten.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Sadly, this is my first time. I was an observer last time, but I figure that I’m not one to ask for advice until after I’ve completed today!

Yay for blog memes. I love them to distraction, and I always end up doing them, even if some seem too boring to post.

This one I got from Jen B.

1. What thing is nearest to you? An empty glass which used to contain Kool-aid.
2. What is your ringtone? It’s actually one of the presets on my phone. It sounds vaguely musical, but it’s not any particular tune.
3. What was the last message in your inbox? I think at the moment it’s an RP tag. (Yes, yes, I am a nerd. This should not surprise you.)
4. Who is your best friend? I think I’m going to copy Jen and confess I don’t really have one. I have several close friends, but I don’t want to rank them. That might make them sad.
5. What is the brand of your TV? I’m one of those people normal folks hate. I don’t own a TV. I don’t really miss its lack, except for when I want to glom a TV show, and that’s why God invented DVD’s, which I can play on my computer.
6. What schools did you attend? This question sort of skeeves me out. Why don’t I just say I’ve attended the school of hard knocks and be done with it?

7. Do you own a MP4? Um… Given that I don’t know what that is, I’m assuming that’s a no.

8. What song are you listening to now? I am so lame. I had a random Internet radio stream on in the background, but loaded my music just to see what would show up on shuffle. It turns out to be “I want a Man” by Nancy Moran, a folk singer/songwriter I adore.

9. Did you kiss anybody in the past 2 days? No. *sadface*

10. Have you ever kissed someone you met in the blogosphere? Actually… Yes. Though we didn’t really meet in what I think of as the blogosphere, since LJ is kind of its own microcosm. It’s a long story, though, and, while the person in question is still someone I very much like, I prefer not to dwell on the year that brought me in contact with him.
11. What would you want to call yourself if you didn’t have your current name? When I was growing up, I was disappointed that I wasn’t given a name that ended with an a. Now… Shannon is actually a fairly unique name.
12. Would you be happy if you had everything? Nope. I’d probably want more of everything.
13. Are you always thinking of someone special? Well, you know, I am pretty damn special, and I think about myself a lot during the course of a day.

14. Tell us of your most desperate dream? Desperate, huh? Well, apparently it involves sexy people with Scottish accents doing unspeakable things to my person.

15. When did you last laugh till you cried? I never laugh that hard, because it takes a lot to make me cry. But… probably last Saturday.

16. If you had a crush, would you tell them you love him/her now? Sadly, no crushes. Lately, all the ones I develop end in tragedy. (Either they’re married, they’re a creeper, or they’re a married creeper.) On the other hand, I have friends I adore to distraction who I would go live in sin with if only the idea of actually moving anywhere farther away than about three blocks away didn’t give me the heebie jeebies.

17. If you could be anywhere in the world now, where would you want to be? A beach somewhere. There would be cabana boys involved, and they would be serving me drinks and rubbing my back.

18. When was your heart last broken? If it counts… It was the end of a book I read recently, which should have featured one of the characters getting together with the man she fell in love with. But noooo. That’s not what happened. I sniffled.

19. Whose birthday(s) is/are coming up? My brother’s is in August. I’m thinking that’s the next birthday I have to remember.

20. How many email accounts do you have? Um… four. Five if you count the school email account, which gets forwarded to my main email address.

I’ve been wanting to do the Weekly Geeks meme for a while, but was never actually inspired to answer the question. Then I got myself a blogging partner, so this week, both Lora and I are going to tackle this week’s question:

What’s your non-reading guilty pleasure?
Trashy TV?
Trashier movies?
Junk food?

Lora says:

Guilty pleasures? Do I really have to choose just one?

For the past few months, it has been American Idol. I tried to justify it by explaining that everyone else at work was watching it, and I needed to be able to converse with my peers about such things. That all seems flimsy now. I got wrapped up in the angst and drama, and was glad to watch it every Tuesday and Wednesday, even if it did occasionally tread on my Fringe obsession, too. Now that was a great combo of TV shows. I knew I was in trouble when I even found myself voting. And not just once.

American idol is a short-lived love story, however. It sweeps in every January, monopolizes my week nights for a while, and then disappears with a snicker, leaving me to reschedule my Tuesdays and Wednesdays once again, hopefully with something meaningful and self-enriching this time.

Unfortunately, there is another obsession that plagues me all year round. Junk food, junk food everywhere, and nary a vitamin C. It can be chocolate kisses, teriyaki beef jerky, or orange sherbet. Or, very occasionally, cake batter ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. It used to include barbecued potato chips, but I have banished that demon from my life. Next on the list of demons to quell is chocolate, but until I firmly decide that they are my foes, I suspect they’ll continue to share my home and my heart, sweet-talking me with their delicious whispers and tempting taste sensations. Ah, villainy, thy name is chocolate.

Shannon says:

I have to agree with Lora on the junk food. That’s definitely one of my guilty pleasures. And sadly, I have no willpower. Back when our local frozen custard place delivered, I’m sure I was the only reason they stayed delivering so long. Not that the frozen custard actually lasted very long when I had it, but still…

Another guilty pleasure I’ve discovered is shopping. I hate shopping in brick and mortar stores, but I love online shopping, because I can do it more or less independently, and it’s easy for me to go, “Oh, shiny!” and stick something in my cart. More and more, I’ve been doing this with music especially. I tend to listen to a lot of indie and folk music, and I justify spending money downloading CDs from Amazon and Emusic by telling myself that the artists need my business. And if there is a sale, I am on it like white on rice. I do have to rein myself in, though. It’s not like I’m exactly rolling in the cash.

What about the rest of you? What are your guilty pleasures?

I just finished writing a major paper. I’m at the stage of post-paper production where I’m glad it’s over but feel like the professor would probably much rather read a bunch of monkeys typing random crap than the paper I wrote. This will pass once the paper is graded.

Anyway, I totally wrote this post up this morning and then got distracted with homework, and since I don’t have anything else to say at the moment what with brain fryage, have it now anyway.

First of all, the obligatory Amazon Rank. Because protecting teh childrens from teh gays is seriously not cool, Amazon.

Secondly, I thought I would steal this meme from Ciaralira. She stole it from the whole rest of the world, so I’m sure she won’t care that I snitched it, too.

Hello, my name is Shannon and I’m a bookaholic.

1. What author do you own the most books by?
At this point, I have no idea. I do seem to have copies of everything by Jean Johnson and Nalini Singh.
2. What book do you own the most copies of?

I’m not that much of a book nerd. I don’t think I have multiple copies of anything.
3. What fictional character are you secretly in love with?

Just one? OK fine. I’ll have to go with my longest-lasting fictional character crush to date, Miles Vorkosigan.

4. What book have you read more than any other?

A Wrinkle in Time, which I’ve read at least five times.

5. What was your favorite book when you were ten years old?
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. It truly is a lovely book, which I recently reread, but at ten I was totally awed by it. (I think, incidentally, that I first read A Wrinkle in Time a year later.)

6. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year?

Retreat by Mari Carr. So much ugh and WTF should not be allowed in one book.

7. What is the best book you’ve read in the past year?
I think I’m going to have to go with Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry. I want the next book. Like now!

8. If you could tell everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
Geek Love by Katharine Dunn. It and A Wrinkle in Time are my favorite books of all time.
9. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read?
We had to read Nietzche for one of my classes. Ugh.
10. Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Neither. Except I do like some of Chekhov’s stories.
11. Shakespeare, Milton or Chaucer?
Shakespeare.
12. Austen or Eliot?
Er… Can I have neither, please?
13. What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I haven’t read Jane Austen.
14. What is your favorite novel?

Another plug for Geek Love here.
15. Play?
I really liked “Raisin in the Sun”.
16. Poem?
“I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickenson.
17. Essay?
You know, this survey is either hopelessly pretentious or I’m hopelessly unread. Does the collected works that I’ve read of David Sedaris count for this question?

18. Short Story?
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by charlotte Perkins Gilman.

19. Non Fiction

Can I go ahead and list Beyond Heaving Bosoms by the Smart Bitches? I realize it doesn’t actually count since I haven’t read it yet, but this survey is totally making me feel dumb, so I’m just going to embrace that.

20. Graphic Novel?
*Sigh* If I weren’t blind, I would totally read the Fables graphic novels. But since I am…

21. Science Fiction?
Hmm. Of all time? I have no idea. Mowst recently I’ve loved Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold and Old Man’s War by John Scalzi.
22. Who is your favorite writer?
This changes on a daily basis. But I’ll still go with Lois McMaster Bujold.
23. Who is the most over rated writer alive today?
Stephenie Meyer.
24. What are you reading right now?
Going to finish Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner, and then I have to decide what book I’m reading for the TBR challenge. I’m waffling between three that will fit the theme– Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn, and The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe,.
25. Best Memoir?
I don’t think I’ve ever read a memoir in my life. This is not likely to change.
26. Best History?
Again with the not well read.
27. Best mystery or Noir?
Oh, easily, the Burke series by Andrew Vachss.

I stole this meme from the girls over at The Book Binge. I should really be doing other things besides this meme, but oh well.

1. One romance book you’ve read more than once. Man, I so rarely reread anything ever. There are just too many books. But if I were to reread a romance novel, I think it would be Patricia Gaffney’s Wild at Heart.

2. One romance book you want on a desert island. That would be hard. Only one? I’ll go with It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

3. One romance book that made you laugh. Most recently it was Biting Nixie by Mary Hughes. It’s an ebook, but dammit, it still counts.

4. One romance book that made you cry. Perfect by Judith McNaught.

5. One romance book you wish you had written. Gonna have to go with another ebook. Crossing Swords by Kirsten Saell. (She’s coming over on Friday for Ebook Week, and since it’s my favorite of her books, you should totally remember to come by and give her some love.)

6. One romance book you wish you could alter the ending of. Dark Hunger by Sara Reinke.

7. One romance book you are currently reading. Gobsmacked by LB Gregg. Who is coming over tomorrow.

8. One romance book you have meant to read. Just one? The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt has been on my TBR forever.

9. One romance book that changed you or your views in some way. Sarah McCarty’s “Promises Linger” was probably what made me realize what potential there was in westerns and erotic romance.

10. One romance book made into a movie that you liked both the book & the movie. Erm… I don’t think I can answer this one because I can’t think of any romance books I’ve even read that have been made into movies.

I’m afraid there isn’t going to be much content today, and probably won’t be for most of tomorrow, because life has become… interestingly busy. So here, have a meme.

Grasping for the Wind has an interesting meme going on.

From his blog:

Here is how it works: Find a favorite book, movie, or videogame review (Science fiction and fantasy related) that you have written, no matter where it was posted, and add it to the following list. Make sure to repost the whole list, because in doing so, we accumulate what the reviewers themselves think is their best work, and give each other some linkages, increasing everyone’s rankings.

I wasn’t actually sure what to post as my best review, and I think I’ve grown quite a bit as a reviewer. Actually, as of this writing, I think my best review is one that’s pending approval at TGTBTU, but since I have no idea yet what that link will be, I think I’ll pick my recent review of American Gods.

The Book Review Meme @ Grasping for the Wind
1. Grasping for the Wind – INFOQUAKE by David Louis Edelman
2. Age 30+ … A Lifetime of Books – A COMPANION TO WOLVES by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
3. Dragons, Heroes and Wizards – ASSASSIN’S APPRENTICE by Robin Hobb
4. Walker of Worlds – THE TEMPORAL VOID by Peter F Hamilton
5. Neth Space – TOLL THE HOUNDS by Steven Erikson
6. Dark in the Dark – GHOST STORIES OF AN ANTIQUARY by M.R. James
7. A Dribble of Ink – THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
8. Fantasy Book News & Reviews – EMPRESS by Karen Miller
9. Fantasy Debut – ACACIA by David Anthony Durham Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Overall Review Afterthought
10. All Booked Up – THE BLUE SWORD by Robin McKinley
11. Fantasy Cafe – THE BOOK OF JOBY by Mark J. Ferrari
12. AzureScape – ANATHEM by Neal Stephenson
13. The Book Smugglers – THE INFERIOR by Peadar O’Guilin
14. Besotted Bookworm – PARANORMAL FICTION FEAST by Christine Feehan, Julie Kramer, and Jayne Castle
15. Renee’s Book Addiction – WANDERLUST by Ann Aguirre
16. SciFiGuy.ca – THE BLACK SHIP by Diana Pharaoh Francis
17. Literary Escapism – FOR A FEW DEMONS MORE by Kim Harrison (with spoilers)
18. Speculative Horizons – THE TERROR by Dan Simmons
19. Stella Matutina – NEW AMSTERDAM by Elizabeth Bear
20. Variety SF – MISSION OF GRAVITY by Hal Clement
21. WISB/F&SF Lovin’ Blog – SEABORN by Chris Howard
22. Highlander’s Book reviews – A MADNESS OF ANGELS by Kate Griffin
23. The Old Bat’s Belfry – THE CROWN CONSPIRACY by Michael J. Sullivan
24. Dark Wolf’s Fantasy Reviews – THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
25. Flight into Fantasy – American Gods by Neil Gaiman

It looks as if the Desert Isle Keeper madness that Lisabea has started will be continuing. And since I guess this is the last day for stowaways, I’ve finally gotten a chance to participate.

Now, I know that all three of you who read this blog are dying to know what books I’d take with me on a desert island. Well, wonder no further, for here they be.

• A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin – it’s a four-book series, but we’ll pretend that someone will have compiled them into a ginormous omnibus edition that I can use to either way things down on the island or drop on the heads of my enemies.

• The Little Country – Charles de Lint
• A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle
• Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
• The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
• Demon Night by Meljean Brook

There you have it. Yeah, I cheated, like, a lot, by counting ASOIAF as one book, but if I were really marooned on a desert island, I couldn’t just pick my favorite out of those four, not without refreshing my memory about stuff that came before. Plus, there are some great potential island inhabitants in those books… or at least there are a bunch of cynics in that book who hide their soft hearts beneath hard, callous exteriors, which, uh, I find hella sexy.

Holly over at Book Binge, who I like to think of as my good blogger twin, posted a meme. Given how opposed we are to original content over here I thought I’d do it.

Contemporary, Historical, or Paranormal?
Paranormal, followed by historical and contemp. It really depends on my mood.
Hardback or Trade Paperback or Mass Market Paperback?
Erm… ebook.
Heyer or Austen?
Heyer. She’s witty and funny and I loved both of the books I’ve read by her, whereas–and here I will no doubt get smote–I’ve never really had any desire to read Austen.
Amazon or Brick and Mortar?
Amazon. Or, actually, Fictionwise.
Barnes & Noble or Borders?
Borders. There isn’t a B&N anywhere near where I live, but there is a Borders, and the Borders people are very nice.
Woodiwiss or Lindsay?
Lindsey is the one I’ve read. I haven’t felt any need to try Woodiwiss, either.
First romance novel you ever remember reading?
Hmmm, aside from Thunder Heights by Phylllis Whitney? Probably A Knight in Shining Armor by Deveraux. Unlike Holly, I really kind of liked the ending, but I don’t know if I could read it again and feel similarly years later.
Alphabetize by author Alphabetize by title or random?
By author. Like Holly, I also alphabetize by title and put series together. My ebook collection is the most organized thing in my life.
Keep, Throw Away or Sell?
Since I mostly read ebooks, I make sure I can get them again if I want to and then throw away, unless they’re books I absolutely must reread.
Read with dustjacket or remove it?
N/A.
Sookie Stackhouse or Anita Blake?
Sookie. Not that I intend to read any other books in that series, but yeah, she was less annoying than the one Anita Blake I tried to read.
Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks, unless I’m using my Book Port, which is my glorified ebook reader for the blind, in which case I stop reading when I’m tired and it will pick up right where I left off.
“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
“Once upon a time.”
Crusie or SEP?
SEP I love. I haven’t read Crusie. (I know, le shock! Quel horror!)
Buy or Borrow?
Borrow, mostly. Except I do spend way more than I should on ebooks.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
Recommendations from people I trust. Occasionally if a blurb catches me I’ll try something.
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Tidy endings. Even in series. I don’t need every subplot resolved, but I don’t like when a book just… stops.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Nighttime reading?
Whenever. I’ll read anytime, anyplace. Books help me wake up, and I have been reading more nonfiction to relax.
Series or standalone?
I am a huge series whore. I keep telling myself I won’t get caught up in any more, then I make a liar of myself and end up reading a series book anyway.
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
I think my Kate Elliott discovery qualifies. I loved King’s Dragon but even when I first picked it up nobody else had ever heard of it.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

My Godiva chocolate order got here yesterday so I have been nibbling on various truffles all day. I lurve me some truffles and I don’t get to eat them nearly as often as I’d like to.

Anyway, I hope your Valentine’s Day plans are more exotic than mine–here’s a hint, my plans involve doing homework and maybe getting a spot of writing done.

In the meantime, here’s this week’s Booking through Thursday.

Here’s something for Valentine’s Day.

Have you ever fallen out of love with a favorite author? Was the last book you read by the author so bad, you broke up with them and haven’t read their work since? Could they ever lure you back?

I have this relationship with Mercedes Lackey. As a teenager, I loved her books, and they are fun to revisit now and then, but I find some of her stuff pretty unreadable. (To wit, my most recent attempt to read her latest book in the Half-Blood Chronicles series.) Still, she does have some interesting ideas, and I do keep reading her, even though sometimes I get the impression she’s just churning the books out at this point.

Sorry… I’m not spreading the man love today.

I saw that Marg nominated me for a You Make My Day award. If I were smart, I would paste a graphic illustrating this in my blog, but I’m not, so no graphics.

Anyway, I’m supposed to nominate ten people, too, right? So here goes.

• Lisabea is number one, because she made me feel welcome when I switched from LJ and started blogging over here, and I love that when she’s enthusiastic, she *really* gets into what she’s talking about.

• Teddy Pig introduces me to books I’d never read ordinarily, and though we don’t always agree, it’s nice to have a champion for the rights of blind ebook readers out there in romancelandia.
• Melissa, who is one of my best friends and a girl who’s always got my back. Er, not that she’ll ever see this, but she rocks hardcore.
• Holly, who is getting married which is way cool. I’d love to get to know her better, because she seems like an awesome chick.
• A. and K. because I love their animal stories, and I’m probably totally butchering that URL, but they’re still awesome, and plus they know my parents.
• Rosario, my reading twin, because we agree so much.
• Sybil, even though I owe her a review
• Tumperkin, who writes some lovely thoughtful posts in a style that I very much enjoy reading.
• Bev QB, because I like her blog, and even though we disagree in principle about what we like, her reviews are just a lot of fun to read.
• Dakota, who I thought would want to tar and feather me for her B- review, but she didn’t.
• Meredith, because I like her book reviews and she needs to post more regularly.

Wow, spreading the love has made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Too bad my next post is one where I get my hate on for a book.

Too tired to do much blogging, so here’s this week’s Booking through Thursday.

Sometimes I find eccentric characters quirky and fun, other times I find them too unbelievable and annoying. What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them?

I love quirky characters, honestly, as long as their eccentricities aren’t their entire personality. One of the things I’ve liked about both the Susan Elizabeth Phillips books I’ve read recently was that the heroines really did seem like quirky people. with odd little ticks. Most authors would have made them come off as completely wacky, but SEP humanized them.

I also have to bring up Charles de Lint, which just goes to show it’s really time for me to read one of the de Lint books I’ve not gotten to. I love how he does quirky. The Crow Girls in Someplace to be Flying are arguably some of his more interestingly eccentric characters, and they’re a large part of the reason why I love that book so.

Authors that didn’t handle quirky well? A lot of them, actually. Particularly ones who write characters who are supposedly Pagan, because no self-respecting Pagan would get within 50 feet of some of these characters.

What about you? Care to share any of your more quirky characters?

Also, speaking of quirkiness, instead of blogging, I have been spending an inordinate amount of time listening to the archives of this obscure NPR show. It is a psychology geek’s wet dream, and I highly encourage y’all to download and listen to some of their episodes the next time you need something entertaining yet thought-provoking to listen to for an hour.

Got this meme from Kaillana

Which book do you irrationally cringe away from reading, despite seeing only positive reviews?

I am so getting crucified for this one, but… Despite the fact that I know lots of bloggers who adore the books, I can’t really picture myself reading anything with a description consisting of “Gay Regencies in Space”. I’m sorry, J. L. Langley. I’m sure your books are awesome, and eventually I might even get over myself, but not today.

If you could bring three characters to life for a social event (afternoon tea, a night of clubbing, perhaps a world cruise), who would they be and what would the event be?

Hmmm, a world cruise with Miles Vorkosigan, Eve Dallas and Melanie Prescott (the latter from Julie Kenner’s The Givenchy Code ) would be highly entertaining to me. Mostly because I’m not sure they wouldn’t try to kill each other.

(Borrowing shamelessly from the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde): you are told you can’t die until you read the most boring novel on the planet. While this immortality is great for awhile, eventually you realise it’s past time to die. Which book would you expect to get you a nice grave?

The most boring novel that I haven’t already read? Well, it’s hard to know if I’d consider it boring in that case. Although that being said, I couldn’t get through Ian McEwan’s to save my life, because I found it boring and the characters unlikeable, so maybe that one.

Come on, we’ve all been there. Which book have you pretended, or at least hinted, that you’ve read, when in fact you’ve been nowhere near it?

Lord of the Rings. I have tried, several times, to read those books, and each time the books have beaten me up and made me their bitch. But given that a lot of fantasy readers are Tolkien snobs, I have, um, pretended to more knowledge of the books than I have. (I suppose that a brief stint of reading Sam/Frodo fanfiction shortly after the movies came out hardly makes me an expert, but I at least know what happens in the books and so don’t feel any particular urge to read them.)
As an addition to the last question, has there been a book that you really thought you had read, only to realise when you read a review about it/go to ‘reread’ it that you haven’t? Which book?
Hmmm. I’ve usually got a good memory for stuff like that, so that’s never happened to me that I’m aware of.
You’ve been appointed Book Advisor to a VIP (who’s not a big reader). What’s the first book you’d recommend and why? (if you feel like you’d have to know the person, go ahead of personalise the VIP)

Madeleine L’Engle’s House Like a Lotus and Charles de Lint’s Someplace to be Flying. Just because both are good stories and I adore them.

A good fairy comes and grants you one wish: you will have perfect reading comprehension in the foreign language of your choice. Which language do you go with?
French. Maybe I would appreciate the nuances of French writers more if I could read them in the original language.

A mischievious fairy comes and says that you must choose one book that you will reread once a year for the rest of your life (you can read other books as well). Which book would you pick?

Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint. Actually, most of de Lint is good for a reread now and again.

I know that the book blogging community, and its various challenges, have pushed my reading borders. What’s one bookish thing you ‘discovered’ from book blogging (maybe a new genre, or author, or new appreciation for cover art-anything)?

I’m not sure what I’d say here. I probably wouldn’t have read Samantha Kane if not for bloggers. I also like the various book meme type things that get posted now and again, like Booking throutgh Thursday. Of course, those things are definitely not what I’d participate in if it weren’t for blogs.

That good fairy is back for one final visit. Now, she’s granting you your dream library! Describe it. Is everything leatherbound? Is it full of first edition hardcovers? Pristine trade paperbacks? Perhaps a few favourite authors have inscribed their works? Go ahead-let your imagination run free.

Oh man. I wouldn’t be picky. I’d just want everything to be in Braille, because it’s been a long time since I actually held a physical book in my hands and I’ve always thought that sighted people are entirely unaware of how lucky they are that they can just go wandering through the isles of a bookstore and grab whatever looks cool. That’s not how it works in my world, and I have to admit I’m envious.

W00t, time for this week’s Booking through Thursday!

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

I bet mine aren’t really all that obscure. And it’s not usually the books that gbifve people pause. I always feel like Charles de Lint is kind of an obscure author, even though he’s pretty popular among the sort of people that like his brand of urban fantasy. As for romance, I’m still such a newbie to the genre that I read books others rec me, which sort of negates the whole obscurity thing.

Here we go. Another Thursday, another Booking through Thursday entry.

How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you’re sure you won’t like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

This really depends on who’s doing the reviewing and whether their tastes mesh with mine. For example, if Rosario or Lisabea give me a book rec, I am more likely to pick it up because they generally seem to look for the same sorts of things in their book reading that I do. Neither of them have let me down yet, and so I tend to give more credence to what they say than, say, some random reviewer on amazon.com. That being said, I have a book on my TBR pile which I added to the list of books I should read at some point soon because Holly over at Book Binge hated it. I don’t think Holly has bad taste in reading material, just to make that clear because I know she’s been reading. It’s just that she thought the hero of that particular book was too foppish, as I recall, and the book was set in Georgian England and she just didn’t find powdered wigs all that sexy, whereas I was intrigued, because I was tired of reading run of the mill Regencies at the time, and I got the impression the hero might be a bit less of a beefcake type than I’d been reading lately, which is all to the good. I still haven’t read the book, incidentally, which I think was called Prince of Swords by Anne Stuart, so it really could be epically bad. But I probably wouldn’t even have considered it were it not for Holly’s thoughts on it.

I also have to admit to a secret desire to try and read books that other people pretty much universally claim are bad. Cassie Edwards? I want to read her at least once, just to say I have read her. Ditto for John Norman, whose Gor books sound astoundingly awful and misogynistic, but also kind of cracky. Also ditto for Jean Aule, and I even have Clan of the Cave Bear on my ebook reader.

It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Booking Through Thursday.

1. How did you come across your favorite author(s)? Recommended by a friend? Stumbled
across at a bookstore? A book given to you as a gift?

Mostly, I stumble upon my favorite authors by accident or through recommendations of some type or other. I discovered Lois McMaster Bujold after everybody and their sister exclaimed over the fact that, as someone who loves science fiction, I had not read any of her work. And I believe that I checked out George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” books from the library on a whim. But these days, my favorite new discoveries have come from review sites. I would like to think I’d have picked up a Meljean Brook or a Nalini Singh book without review blogs, but it would have taken me a while.

2. Was it love at first sight? Or did the love affair evolve over a long acquaintance?

That depends on the author. Honestly, both Lois McMaster Bujold and George R. R. Martin started out slow for me, so I gradually had to work up to loving their books. Charles de Lint wrote some books I absolutely adored, but some of his later work leaves me a bit cold–it’s all the switching back and forth between first and third person POV that gets me. And I haven’t read enough from the handful of romance authors I adore to list them as favorites yet.

I know it was Thursday yesterday, but I put the pro in procrastination, so I’m doing it today.

Here’s this week’s booking through Thursday question:

Last week we talked about the books you liked best from 2007. So this week, what with it being a new year, and all, we’re looking forward….

What new books are you looking forward to most in 2008? Something new being published this year? Something you got as a gift for the holidays? Anything in particular that you’re planning to read in 2008 that you’re looking forward to? A classic, or maybe a best-seller from 2007 that you’re waiting to appear in paperback?

Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves!

Sadly, the books I would put here aren’t ones I’m ready for. I think there’s a new Marjorie Liu book out, but I just started the series. And I think the sixth Black Dagger Brotherhood book comes out in June, although I’m not really certain if that’s true. It could be that I am making that up.

But Nora Roberts’ Sign of Seven trilogy will all be published in the later part of this year, and since I really want to know how Nora Roberts does horror, I am hoping I will get to read them. I have the first book, but have dutifully not read it yet in anticipation of having the rest of the trilogy.

The girls over at Book Binge have a meme going on. It’s a contest to win an ebookwise, but what with the whole blindness thang, that won’t do me any good. That being said, I do lurve me some sreevays, so here we go.

1. What is your favorite Christmas romance to re-read each year?
Since I haven’t been reading romance that long, I don’t have a favorite Christmas romance. I do have several anthologies of Christmas-related romances which I will get to one of these days. That said, I do listen to David Sedaris read The Santaland Diaries every year. In fact, there’s a whole episode of David Sedaris Christmas stories that This American Life on public radio has produced. I think I like Sedaris’s Christmas stuff because I’m left with the feeling that no matter what else happens, I’m not nearly as messed up as his characters are.

2. What is your favorite Christmas movie/show?
Actually, it’s “A Christmas Story”. I think I’ve seen it every year, and it still never stops being funny.
3. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?
Hmmm I don’t know that I have one. Although I do love gingerbread.
4. When do you start Christmas shopping?
Um, I haven’t. Probably I will after finals.
5. Do you re-gift?
Yes, my family has a White Elephant party every year, so absolutely.
6. What is your favorite Christmas song?
I like the obscure carols like “The Coventry Carol”. I also really love Peter, Paul and mary’s version of A-Soalin’, and want to learn to sing “Ave Maria” in my best operatic soprano. (That’s a joke, y’all. I can carry a tune, but nobody needs to hear me go all opera on people. It’ll hurt. Trust me.)
7. When do you get your Christmas tree?
My roommate already got ours and it’s decorated. I think she got it right after Thanksgiving.
8. Wrapping presents: Love it or hate it?
Hate it. I make someone else edo it.
9. Who is the hardest person to buy for?
Heh, it’s probably me. At least, so says my mom. But actually, my dad and brother are really hard to shop for. I get my dad cologne every year, and I always feel like that’s the lamest gift ever, even though it’s what he claims he wants.
10. Christmas tree: Real or artificial?
Ours is artificial, but I prefer real ones. Of course I also prefer not being the one to water them and drag them into the house, so really I shouldn’t talk.__________________________

These are the top one-hundred-six books most often marked as “unread” by LibraryThing’s
users. Bold those you’ve read. Italicize those you started but couldn’t, didn’t or
haven’t finished. Strike through those you despise. Put an asterisk next to those
you’ve read more than once. Underline those in the TBR pile.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Anna Karenina
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Wuthering Heights
The Silmarillion
Life of Pi
The Name of the Rose
Don Quixote (We read the little kids’ version in high school Spanish, and I always wanted to find a translation I liked, but I failed.)
Moby Dick (We had an abridged version in our American literature book in high school. But I know I'll never read it.)
Ulysses
Madame Bovary
The Odyssey
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
A Tale of Two Cities
The Brothers Karamazov
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
War and Peace
Vanity Fair
The Time Traveler’s Wife
The Iliad
Emma
The Blind Assassin
The Kite Runner
Mrs. Dalloway
Great Expectations
American Gods
Memoirs of a Geisha
Middlesex
Quicksilver
Wicked : the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
The Canterbury Tales
The Historian : A Novel
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Brave New World
Foucault’s Pendulum
Middlemarch
Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus
The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula
A Clockwork Orange
Anansi Boys
The Once and Future King
The Grapes of Wrath
The Poisonwood Bible : A Novel
1984
Angels & Demons
The Inferno
The Satanic Verses
Sense and Sensibility
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Mansfield Park
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
To the Lighthouse
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
Oliver Twist
Gulliver’s Travels
Les Misérables
The Corrections
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
Dune
The Prince
The Sound and the Fury
Angela’s Ashes : a Memoir
The God of Small Things
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
Cryptonomicon
Neverwhere
A Confederacy of Dunces
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Dubliners
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
Beloved
Slaughterhouse Five
The Scarlet Letter
Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Mists of Avalon *
Oryx and Crake : A Novel
Collapse : How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
Cloud Atlas
The Confusion
Lolita
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
The Catcher in the Rye
On the Road
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Freakonomics : A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : An Inquiry into Values
The Aeneid
Watership Down
Gravity’s Rainbow
The Hobbit
In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences
White Teeth
Treasure Island
David Copperfield
The Three Musketeers

So what we learn from this? Man, is Shannon going to have fun when she takes manditory lit classes later on in her college career.

1. Do you like your given name?
Eh, it’s all right. It’s unique, which I appreciate.
2. If you could change your name, would you? To what?
No, not really. I haven’t found anything that is actually, well, more me than my given name.
3. If you had children, what would you name them? If you already have children, how
did you choose their names?
No kids, but if I did… well, I like the name Melissa for a girl, and I like the name Jonah for a boy. But this will probably never happen sooo…
4. While we're on the subject of names, what's the story behind your LJ user ID?
I’m not sure what the process was behind me picking bardsong, although I do like folk music, and I think of myself as a storyteller. I think that’s about it.
5. Will you be reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
Heh. Yes. But not for a while, probably, because as I said in my last post, the audio version is too pricey even for me, but someone I know is going to send me the copy that makes it onto Bookshare, so I’ll probably get it soon.
6. Do you think Harry will survive?
I would be surprised if he didn’t.
7. What about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? Will you watch it?
Maybe. I haven’t been keeping up with the movies.
8. What was the last book you read?
The last book I finished, although I haven’t reviewed it, was Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway. At the moment I am trying to conquer the pile of books I’ve left half-finished, and may yet succeed as I’m nearly done with another.
9. What is your favorite book?
That changes on a daily, sometimes minutely, basis.
10. What is your favorite movie?
I don’t watch enough of them to ever be able to answer this well.
11. Do you have an all-time favorite character from either a book or a movie?
This changes with my whims, too. Brienne of Tarth and Miles Vorkosigan are fighting for that honor now.
12. What draws you to a particular book or movie character?
When I can identify with how they’re feeling. I mean, I know I am not the world’s ugliest woman trying to compete in a man’s world, but I identify with Brienne’s struggle for acceptance. And Miles has to overcome disabilities as well, and does so admirably.
13. All right, let’s switch to music. What is your favorite style?
I like folky stuff. The lines blur as to what I like within that broad category.
14. What is your favorite band/group/ensemble?
Lately it’s been Allison Krauss and Union Station.
15. What is your favorite CD?
No. Don’t think I have an all-time favorite CD. I have tons that I love and that get heavy rotation when I’m in the mood.
16. Do you have an all-time favorite song?
No.
17. Do you eat your fruits and vegetables?
Yes.
18. What is your favorite food?
Anything that is bad for me.
19. What is your native language?
English.
20. What other languages have you studied or do you speak?
Spanish and French. Though not for a long time. In fact, the Spanish phrase I tend to use more often than not, and then only for the laughs, is “Donde estan las revistas pornografias?”

21. Do you like to travel?
Yes, absolutely!
22. Have you traveled outside the country of your birth?
No, sadly.
23. Have you ever traveled somewhere you thought you'd love and hated it?
Yes.
24. Please share your worst travel story.
A Greyhound trip from Kansas to New York state. I think we were between Columbus and Cleveland, and the bus was full, and I was sitting next to a young mother and baby and her obnoxious husband, who made his wife sit next to me because he didn't want to.
25. Are you having a good day?
Yes.

There were two surveys on this particular entry, but I have a short attention span, and I didn’t like the way the first one was worded, so I’m skipping.

1. One book that changed your life?
Alice in Wonderland because that’s the book, along with The Wizard of Oz that started me on my path to reading fantasy.

2. One book you have read more than once?
A Wrinkle in Time by L’Engle.
3. One book you would want on a desert island?
Probably A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.
4. One book that made you laugh?
Big Trouble by Dave Barry.
5. One book that made you cry?
Books rarely make me cry. But there might have been tears at the end of Perfect by Judith McNaut, which really means I’m an incurable saphead.
6. One book you wish had been written?
Something like Anne McCaffrey’s Freedom books, about modern humans being enslaved by aliens, only, well, not written by McCaffrey. I’m sure sudch a book exists, and you can feel free to recommend me titles in the comments.
7. One book you wish had never been written?
I forget the author, thank Jeebus, but there was a book called The Boss’s Christmas Seduction that I yoinked an etext of off of Usenet. It was bad. Very, very bad.
8. One book you are currently reading?
Besides The Stand I’m reading Cordelia’s Honor by Bujold.
9. One book you have been meaning to read?
Actually, the Vorkosigan books have been on my “I should really read this” list for quite a while. I intend to dive in after I finish The Stand and see if all the people on my flist who’ve ever clamored for me to read those books are in fact, correct. I suspect, of course, that y’all are.

1. Hi my name is..
Shannon
2. Never in my life have I…
Smoked pot.
3. The one person who can drive me nuts…
My father.
4. High School…
Wasn’t really as bad as I made it out to be at the time. Still, I wouldn’t go back and don’t know that I’ll attend any class reunions.
5. When I’m nervous…
I talk. Incessantly. About nothing in particular. I just find that I need to fill the silence.
6. The last time I cried was…
It was very nearly Friday. I don’t cry easily, though.
7. If I were to get married right now my maid of honor/best man…
Jessi.
8. My best man would be… My best man would probably be my little brother. Of course, this assumes I have a person with whom to get married, which is not a good assumption at this point.
9. My hair is…
Almost shoulder-length, and sort of listlessly hanging there.
10. When I was 5…
I don’t remember a whole lot. Kindergarten was an occasional fun activity, owing to the fact that I didn’t have a consistent ride to school in the afternoon.
11. Last Christmas…
Spent it at home with my family.
12. I should be…
Writing.
13. When I look down I see…
Nothing. This would be because I’m blind.
13. The craziest recent event was…
See my last entry.
14. If I were a character on 'Fosters home for Imaginary friends'…
I probably wouldn't be a real person?
15. By this time next year…
I hope to be back in school.
16. My current gripe…
I want my packages to come in the mail. *whines*
17. I have a hard time understanding…
People who are against same-sex marriage.
18. There are these girls I know..
Who are amusing when they're drunk.
19. You know I like you when…
I'm actually at ease talking to you.
20. If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be…
My mother.
21. Take my advice…
Don't settle for someone you aren't going to be happy with in the long run.
22. My ideal breakfast…
Is definitely one I wouldn't cook myself, and contains high-fat foods.
23. If you visited the place I was born..
You'd probably be bored out of your skull as Ottawa, KS is a small town.
24. I plan to visit someone…
In February. The Lesbian quakers are going to a retreat over a weekend that involves a lot of singing. It sounds wonderful.
25. If you spend the night at my house….
We'd be sharing a bed, because there's really not any other place for you to sleep.
26. I'd stop my wedding if…
I found out my partner had been dishonest with me.
27. The world could do without…
Hatred. Also so damned many MacDonalds's.
28. I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than…
Um, contemplate actual incest? That is a weird question.
29. Most recent thing that I have bought
Groceries.
30. Most recent thing someone else bought for me…
My brother bought me a soda last night.
31. My favorite blonde is…
I'll just play it safe and say everyone who is blond on my flist.
32. My favorite brunette is…
Why do people ask about hair color on these damn surveys?
33. My favorite bald guy is…
*shrugs*
34. My middle name is…
Gayle.
35. This morning I..
Slept in.
36. My favorite children names are…
I like Biblical names for boys–Noah, Jonah, Matthew. I think if I had a daughter, though, I'd name her Melissa.
37. Once, at a bar..
I got hit on by a middle-aged lesbian who was having GF problems.
38. Last night I was…
At my parents' until pretty late.
39. There's this guy I know who….
Wants to send me some money for my birthday. I should refuse him, but I can't quite bring myself to do it.
40. I don't know…
What's going to happen after the play is over.
41. A better name for me would be…
*shrugs*
42. If I ever go back to school I'll say…
YAY!
43. My birthday is….
In less than two weeks.
44. What I really want for Valentine's Day is…
Chocolate.
45. I'm wearing…
Jeans and a T-shirt.
46. Tomorrow I am…
Making phone calls.
47. Last thing you ate…
My mom's turkey pot pie casserole. I plan on getting food once I post this.

48. I really want to learn…
To play a musical instrument. Also to learn how to make soap.
49. I really need…
Money.
50. I think this survey is…
Finally over. Whew!

I haven’t done one of these in forever, and the questions aren’t stupid, so let’s get crackin’. Sreevay brought to you by the lovely Anna.

1. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow
up?
My apartment maintenance man. Teach him to treat me like I’m four years old after that. Bwahahahahaha!
2. You can flip a switch that will wipe any band or musical artist out of existence.
Which one will it be?
Michael Jackson. Because, really, we totally didn’t need that whole circus.
3. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?
This is a really violent survey. Possibly the old lady who can’t seem to let me walk to Runza by myself.
4. What is the best kind of cheese?
I don’t eat cheese.
5. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind
is at your immediate disposal. What does your dream-sandwich consist of?
Probably a BLT. On multigrain bread.
6. You have the opportunity to sleep with the movie celebrity of your choice. We
are talking no-strings-attached sex and it can only happen once (they will never
call you back).
Oh hell, I don’t know.
7. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music celebrity of your choice. Same
rules as above. Who is it?
Well, see, my taste in music tends to run toward music celebrities I don’t think of as sexy. But maybe Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea.
8. Now that you’ve slept with two different people in a row, you seem to be having
an excellent day because you just came across a hundred-dollar bill on the sidewalk.
Holy shit, a hundred bucks! How are you gonna spend it?
CDs, dude!
9. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where
do you go?
Scotland.
10. Upon arrival to the aforementioned location, you get off the plane and discover
another hundred-dollar bill. Now that you are in the new location, where are you
gonna go to spend that?
I'd find a pub somewhere and hope for some good local music.
11. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic
beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says.
I'm not sure what brand it is, but there's a butterscotch liqueur I'm fond of.
12. Rufus appears out of nowhere with a time-traveling phone booth. You can go anytime
in the PAST. What time are you traveling to and what are you going to do when you
get there?
The early part of the last century. I want to be a Suffragist and/or a flapper.
13. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You
make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?
Mandatory drunken orgies.
14. You have been given the opportunity to create the half-hour TV show of your own
design. What is it called and what's the premise?
It would be a sitcom based roughly around my life as it currently stands. Wacky characters would include my little sister, a debauched drunk, the evil old lady who would interfere in my life more than she does now, and because this is fiction, I would have multiple love interests but would end up with the quiet best friend male character who was always there to bail me out of trouble. The show would be called, “Out of Sight” or something cheesy like that.
15. What is your favorite expletive?
Fuck!
16. One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find
that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren't really doing anything, they're
just standing around your bed. What do you do?
Scream and twitch violently for a while.
17. Your house is on fire! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE
inanimate object. Don't worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out
safely. So what's the one thing you're going to save from that blazing inferno?
My sister's laptop. Duh.
18. The Angel Of Death has descended upon you. Fortunately, the Angel Of Death is
pretty cool and in a good mood, and it offers you a half-hour to do whatever you
want before you bite it. Whatcha gonna do in that half-hour?
- Have toe-curling sex, and then run naked through the streets screaming “I win!!!
I win!!!” (I like Annamatic's answer so I'm keeping it.)
19. You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what's
even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What's it
gonna be?
Telekenesis.
20. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour,
though. What half-hour of your past would you like to relive again?
The first time I made out with my high school boyfriend.
21. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? (the answer
“nothing” doesn't count)
The Evil Ex of D00m period.
22. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps
with celebrities and has super-powers. But check this out… you can move to anywhere
else in the world! What country are you going to live in now?
Scotland. Or maybe Australia.
23. This question still counts, even for those of you who are under 21. Check it
out. You have been eternally banned from every single bar in the world except for
ONE. Which one is it gonna be?
I don't like bars, but maybe the bar above Henry's?
24. Hopefully you didn't mention this in the super-powers question…. If you did,
then we'll just expand on that. Check it out… Suddenly, you have gained the ability
to FLOAT!!! Whose house are you going to float to first?
Belinda's. Because then I could squee about how I could float now.
25. The constant absorption of magical moonbeams mixed with the radioactive vegetables
you consumed earlier have given you the ability to resurrect the dead famous-person
of your choice. So which late celebrity will you bring back to life?
Well, let's just go all the way. I'd resurrect Jesus. Then I'd sit back and watch what happens, cackling maniacally.

26. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you
didn't think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually
a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return
the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will
you bring back?
My aunt Kathi, who died a couple of years ago from liver cancer. Because she was an awesome lady.
27. What's your theme song?
Dar Williams singing “My Friends” which is my favorite song of hers.

Meme stolen from Kathy.
Name 5 fictional characters you most want to punch in the face.

1. Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter. Because he’s a childish, arrogant, evil, manipulative brat.

2. Vanyel Ashkevron, from Mercedes Lackey’s Last Herald-Mage: I love angsty Vanyel when he’;s a kid. When he’s in his late thirties, not so much. I think we’ll be taking a small break from Lackey after I finish reading Magic’s Price . I’m finding it a bit harder to ignore the fact that her characters never seem to make mistakes and they’re always perfect.

3. Jophrey, from A Song of Ice and Fire. Because not only is he a jerk, he’s a *royal* jerk.

4. Y’know, I kind of want to punch Roland in Stephen King’s Dark Tower books. Or at least the Roland that appears in the short story “The Sisters of Iluria” or whatever it’s called. I’m not sure what annoys me about him… But something does.

5. Georgia Nicolson, from Louise Rennison’s YA series. She was funny in the first book. By the fifth, she was simply tedious, shallow, mean, and kind of a slut.

Bonus: Any male and female character in most romance novels probably needs a good smack at some point.