Run! It's a moose!

 ....Terry Pratchett's Nation. The lovely karenmtx brought me back an advance copy from BookExpo, and with one thing and another, I finally got around to reading it.

No, it's not Discworld. It's about a disasters and making a nation. Also swearing parrots, vomiting pantaloon birds, ancestors, and growing up. And gods. C'mon, it's Pratchett.

It's like drinking a lovely fizzy drink that doesn't go flat or start to taste funny at the end. I'm going to buy the hardcover as soon as it hits the ground, and I think you should too. Give one to your kid!

Random Things

Are you watching The Middleman? You should be. Hey, Criminal Minds fans, if you want to hear something really freaky, listen to the lead with your eyes closed--I found Hotchner's long-lost brother!

The lovely dremiel gave me Season 4 of Stargate Atlantis for my birthday. *beams*

Found these DVD sets "coming soon" on Amazon:

Cannon! OMG my mother loved this show. I may have to Netflix it when it comes out, since it's only the first half of the first season.

Jake and the Fatman! More William Conrad! Also destined for the Netflix queue for the same reason.

The entire Man From U.N.C.L.E. series. Wow.

WitchBlade--started out strong, ended with a bit of a whimper, but man, Yancy Butler is amazing. And hot.

And for you Joe Flanagan and Shemar Moore fans: the complete series of Birds of Prey.

Will have pictures of the last glass projects Sunday or Monday, since I have to pick the last one up.

 I am searching for a set of books that don't seem to be very available in the US.

Hmmm. Let me sum up:

World's Best Nephew, who is not fond of reading (which makes me wonder if he is related to me), did actually love one book series I picked up for him over the years at various library book sales: the "Adventure" books by Willard Price. The ones I bought him have disintegrated/disappeared over time. I'd like to get him another set.

He's graduating high school, you see. I want to get him something he'll appreciate and will make him smile. (He is used to odd presents from me, and has told me he'd rather have them than "something boring".)

They seem to be pretty widely available in the UK/Canada. If anyone has seen a large clump of them for a reasonable price (or heck, all of them), I'd be happy to PayPal you and pay for shipping, or send you the Trade Goods of your choice from Austin, Texas. Yes, they're mostly available on amazon.co.uk or amazon.ca, but the shipping! Plus, I'd rather support someone's local bookshop if I can.

He graduates May 31.

Why the hell do certain people feel a need to comment on the size of my books? Or my reading habits in general?

I had two large paperbacks with me (almost done with one, have the back-up in case I finish it), and one was out on the desk. Two people in the space of ten minutes felt the need to walk into my cube, pick it up, riffle the pages (which drives me insane. seriously.), and make comments like "That's the thickest paperback I've ever seen!" and "Oh, a fantasy." pause "Like Harry Potter, huh?" (Um, no. Read the blurb for once, dumbass.)

This is an old, old peeve--it goes back to growing up in small town Texas in the 70's, and being mocked mercilessly because I liked loved to read. It was always, "Whatcha readin'?" (Standard answer, even now, "A book."), usually followed by "Why you readin' thay-at?" I put up with this for 18 years, before I blew out of there. Even now, it puts me in a slow burn for hours.

And both of these women read, too. It's just that what I read isn't nearly as highbrow (or mainstream) as what they read. The younger does sometimes read Neil Gaiman and such, but only at the urging of her boyfriend.

Sorry. This just--hit a lot of buttons, and it happened yesterday, and it still pisses me off.

sigh.

Books read:
A Deeper Sleep, by Dana Stabenow  The new Kate Shugak mystery, this is a weird blend of humor (Kate's stalking of Trooper Jim Chopin) and frankly creepy mystery, with an ending I still haven't decided on.

Gardens of the Moon, Steven Erikson   This is a BFF (Big Fat Fantasy), but has no resemblace to Jordan, Rowling, Friedman, Goodkind, or any of the other ones crowding the shelves. Erikson is an anthropologist, and it shows. This is the first book (he's up to 7 in the UK, 6 here), and events in it will be referenced 2,000 pages on, and he doesn't go back and do an info dump for the slow kids. He expects you to keep up, which is refreshing. It's a series nominally about war and empires, but it goes much farther and deeper than that. He has made me laugh out loud and cry like a little kid. Read them!  I buy his books as they come out in the UK, and the only other author I do that for is Terry Pratchett.

On the plus side: I have a show tomorrow--the Violet Crown Festival. And I'm meeting  researchgrrrlSunday for brunch!

Finished:

Altered Carbon, Richard K. Morgan If you are a fan of noir mysteries or hard SF, go and buy this book. It's amazingly good, especially since it's a first novel. The sequel will be bought tomorrow.  (After I vacuum the house and make at least 6 pairs of earrings.)

And the Guilty Pleasure of the Week: Innocent in Death, Nora Roberts. These "In Death" futuristic cop books are like really good popcorn. Well-written, with a decent backstory and world. I didn't want to like these, but Locus started reviewing them. They are a lot of fun, and aren't fluffy at all.

DVD SQUEE

Night of the Comet, probably the BEST Eighties Sci-Fi/Zombie/Post-Apocalyptic Movie EVER MADE, is out on DVD. I got it at Fry's for $10. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

TiVO SQUEE

For some unknown reason, the SciFi Channel showed four episodes of Special Unit 2, one of my favorite and short-lived UPN shows.  Now if they would only show all the others, I could burn them to DVD and inflict it on everyone!

RANDOM WEBSITES
And you thought your day was bad... 

OMG, KAVAN SMITH IS TEH HOT  (and apparently the tattoo is real)

As gakked from riani1, I'll start a list of what I'm reading in RL (i.e., not fanfic).

Finished A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906 by Simon Winchester. I'm not as fond of this as I am of Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883, for some reason. Still a mighty good read.

Also finished The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan. A perfectly decent YA about being the son of a Greek god...

Have started on: 
Fragile Things, short stories by Neil Gaiman
Firestorm by Rachel Caine (very fun series about Weather Watchers. Plus, she's a friend.)
Let Them Eat Flax: 70 All-New Commentaries on the Science of Everyday Food & Life by Dr. Joe Schwarcz

I tend to have books-in-progress with me or on the nightstand. With me, I read them in the gym and at lunch.I'm working my way through Geodes: Natures Treasures and Agates: Treasures of the Earth mainly at shows, in order to look smart. :-)