Sunsets, Stars, West, Wind
Scalzi on Phelps
via Whatever
The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Of the six novels by Guy Gavriel Kay that’s I’ve read, this and Tigana vie for my favorite of his work. How does he manage to make me care so much about his characters? And he creates a reflection of our world on the cusp of a rigid religious fervor scything inexorable destruction before it. A glimpse of the beauty crushed and the horrors perpetrated in the grip of zealous belief and political expediency. A lament for the loss of the previous generation’s glories and grandeur. A glimpse of the perseverance and grace of the survivors who rebuild from the ruins of wrath. An affirmation and triumph of love flourishing regardless of race or creed, persecution or circumstances.
Last Sunday I started my first crochet project of 2011 and this morning I finished the Brimmed Cap. Not without some stress and do-overs, especially on the brim. In fact, I may re-do this entire project again later in the month. The first time I do a pattern, I learn it and by the second or third time) I work all the kinks out of it.
Grand Conspiracy by Janny Wurts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Each novel peels back layer upon layer, revealing more of the motivations between several key players and philosophies, making it nigh impossible to summarize any plot points, including the myriad conspiracies plaguing Paravia, without spoiling what was, what is and what is yet to come. The last three chapters’ pace proved unrelenting, even unto the final triplet.
I’ll be picking up the next novel (Peril’s Gate) within the week to continue this outstanding series.
Under Heaven
by Guy Gavriel Kay
5 out of 5 stars
Read in December 2010
Shen Tai mourns his father for over two years by burying the bones of the dead in a vast battlefield on the western edge of the Kitan empire. A backbreaking labor of grace daily and the company of the restless shades of soldiers nightly. He gains the respect of friend and foe and the attention of women in high places with influence, intrigue and power. The unfathomable gift of two hundred and fifty horses from a rival empire courtesy of a Kitan princes sent as tribute sets Shen’s life adrift on the high tide of potentially lethal imperial politics. He receives unlooked for and unlikely assistance from several women as he travels from the far western reaches to the very center of the Kitan empire in Xinan: a well trained assassin, Wei Song, sent by a former courtesan of the northwestern district previously known as Spring Rain and a former dancer now the favored courtesan of the emperor himself.
Even though we only ever see one of the famous Sardian horses for much of the novel, Shen repeatedly attempts to exchange them for knowledge of his sister and her rescue from the Bogu barbarians of the north, since his own older brother, now adviser to the prime minister, allowed her to be elevated to an imperial princes and sent as a tribute bride to the Bogu leader. But not even the most powerful players on this corrupted game board can assist Shen with his quest.
Kay delivers sweeping epic vistas of the open grass steppe and the heart-stopping gut-wrenching frenzy of court intrigue and rebellion. No other prose flows so seamlessly as Kays, completely engulfing me in the world he unfolds before me.
My only quibble with this novel, and which almost made me drop my rather to four or four and a half stars, was with the ending. Shifting to third person and a more remote historical sagacious point of view distanced me from the characters just as the story culminated and resolved. I still enjoyed the novel immensely, though, and highly recommend it.
Not only is my daughter, Rachelle, an aspiring and talented mezzo soprano studying at UNT, she can:
It only took two years and my daughter’s elbow grease to get the grout between these tiles. Thank you Rachelle!
Friends, Romans, Librarians: Lend Me Your E-book (Part 1).
Friends, Romans, Librarians: Lend Me Your E-books (Part 2).
I especially like the idea behind the Open Book Alliance. And I completely agree that OverDrive has the right model, but the process for most library patrons is way too complex (I never did get it working and most days I consider myself quite tech savvy).
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Happy Epiphany Everyone! Did you enjoy your Twelfth Night celebrations?
For some ideas on celebrating the Season of Epiphany, visit Wikipedia‘s ‘Local Customs‘ section in the Epiphany article.
This evening, we’ll de-trim the Christmas tree and pack it and the decorations away for another year. And perhaps today I’ll come home to a grouted tile entryway. Terry and Rachelle (well, mostly Rachelle) prepped and cleaned the tile surface, but could not locate the squeagy we bought over two years ago. So, this morning, they will venture out to Home Depot for another one.
The crochet project for Rachelle’s Brimmed Cap proceeds slowly. I’m at the halfway point so it should pick up steam on the downhill run and be finished by the weekend.
Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas. If I really aspired to ambitious social impact, I’d host a Twelfth Night party, but I’ll settle for coming home to grouted tile.
Why? Because nearly two years ago, we laid down tile in our front entryway. The grout remains in the box.
I love the feel of the tile and the non-squeaky, non-creakiness of it (compared to the rest of the floor in the house which is nailed to the joists, not screwed).
With Rachelle’s help, or Terry supervising Rachelle, the spaces between the tiles should be filled sometime today. Keeping the Rottweilers occupied while it sets will also prove challenging.