One Day at a Time

Reading Log: Dreamdark: Silksinger by Laini Taylor

2009-11-24T04:48:30Z

Dreamdark: Silksinger (Faeries of Dreamdark) by Laini Taylor

It's a pretty telling thing when a book sticks with you, even through a massage and another books. I've been waiting for Silksinger since reading Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer about a year ago. I love the Dreamdark world, the fairies and their legends and tales. I was a little afraid that we wouldn't see Magpie Windwitch and the crows in this sequel, but that fear was completely unfounded. As the Magruwen's champion, Magpie has to be a part of this story too, and the new characters, Whisper Silksinger and Hirik Mothmage are wonderful.

The Azazel is the Djinn of the hour in Silksinger. Magpie and her crow companions, and Talon from Blackbringer have found the Djinn Ithuriel, with the help of the imp Batch. Magpie bribed Batch into helping (Batch can find things that he wants to) by promising him a pair of wings. Upon returning through the Moonlit Gardens (the gateway between life and death), Magpie discovers that the last of the Silksinger clan is guarding the Azazel and bringing him to his ancient home of Nazneen. Magpie knows that Whisper is being hunted by all manner of demons ("snags" in the language of Dreamdark) on someone's orders.

Whisper, in the meantime, is trying desperately to get to Nazneen, but without coin or anything but the kettle holding the Azazel, can't get a ride in any of the caravans. After trying several tactics, she stows away in the same caravan that Hirik has become a mercenary for. Hirik also has a secret...he is of the Mothmage clan, the same clan that legend has it refused to help the dragon Fade, and has now become a clan in exile. Hirik also wants to reach Nazneen in order to become the champion of the Azazel and reclaim his clan's honor--the clan knows the truth, that they were incapacitated by magic in the rubies that the rest of the faeries believe the Mothmage clan was paid off to stay out of the war.

Ultimately, Magpie, Hirik, and Whisper all end up in Nazneen. While she is returning the Azazel to his throne, Whisper is captured by the devils who have been hunting her, and taken before Ethiag, the demon commander. She is not alone in her prison, as the Master has also kept the Firedrakes in prison since the defeat of Fade...the Master uses leeches to gather the Firedrake's blood, the only thing keeping him alive through the centuries. Ethiag demands that Whisper sing him a flying carpet (the specialty of the Silksingers), which does, but she weaves in an undertone of wrong-ness.

In the ultimate pages, Magpie learns about betrayal and lives through the death of a dear friend. Her quest ultimately succeeds, but I can't wait to read the next volume.

I loved Silksinger as much as I loved Blackbringer about a year ago. Taylor's writing is very enjoyable, keeping me engaged in the story. But her writing is so evocative, that I kept thinking of the book through the massage I had later in the afternoon. It stuck with me that much.

Reading Log: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

2009-11-23T18:24:50Z

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

I haven't read Westerfeld's the Uglies trilogy, so I can't compare Leviathan to his previous works. But I did thoroughly enjoy the book, despite the fact that it's the first of a series that has just come out and now I have to wait forever for the next volumes.

As a young adult, I don't know if I would have enjoyed the steampunk atmosphere, but I do now. As a kid, I tended to want my books to be pure fantasy or pure sci/fi, but Leviathan has an interesting blend of machinery and nature.

The alternate history is also interesting, especially since I know at least a little bit about WWI. Westerfeld notes that there wasn't really a son involved in the murder of Archduke Ferdinand and Princess Sophie, but Westerfeld nicely sticks Aleksander into the story

I did have some difficulty conceptualizing the Leviathan itself, though. It's hard for me to think of a living ship, a whale-creation that is both alive and mechanized, one that contains an apiary within its belly. I'm also not sure I liked the Darwinists use of animals...I think I preferred the Clankers with their non-sentient machines.

So that I remember when book 2 comes out:

Deryn Sharp, 15, posing as Dylan Sharp, new mid-shipman on the Leviathan; on her first day, even before her middy exams, she was blown away while flying a Huxley, a jelly-fish-like single flier

Jaspert Sharp, Deryn's older brother, and an airman in the corps, helps Deryn disguise herself and study for the exams

Aleksander Ferdinand, 14 to 16 or so, son of murdered Archduke Ferdinand and Princess Sophie; Sophie was not deemed royal enough blood, so the emperor disinherited Alek upon his birth--the archduke achieved a recognition from the pope, declaring Alek heir to the emperor's throne

Count Volger and Otto Klopp--Alek's retainers (fencing master and chief mechanic, respectively), who rescue and support him as he escapes from the Serbs and other enemies out to kill him

The Leviathan docks in Hyde Park, London, to pick up Dr. ? Darwin Barlow, ancestress of Charles Darwin, and one of the original designers of the Leviathan and many other fabricated beasties. Dr. Barlow is on a mission to deliver fabrication eggs to the Ottoman Empire. Even though England is not officially at war during the course of the novel, the Leviathan is shot down over Switzerland, and lands on a glacier which is devoid of any life. The Leviathan can repair herself, but she needs enough food sources to rebuild her energy stores.

At the same time, Alek has been wakened by Volger and Klopp and hustled into a mechanical walker, supposedly as part of his military training. Only later does he learn that his parents have been killed, and Volger and Klopp are following the archduke's final orders to protect Alek. The only way to get him to safety is to flee across Austria to neutral Switzerland, to a glacial castle the archduke and Volger have prepared for just such a contingency. The Austrians see the Leviathan crash, and Alek ventures out to help.

The book ends with the crew of the Leviathan cobbling parts of the Austrian walker to the Darwinist ship, and defeating German forces which have discovered them. They have struck a bargain with the Austrians, not yet their enemies at war, to take them to the Ottoman empire, where Alek and his retainers will disappear.

Want...

2009-09-30T12:08:25Z

Arctic Circle 9/29/09

Civil discourse

2009-09-29T12:29:23Z

According to The Onion last week, Friday, 9/25, was supposed to mark the nadir of western civilization. A few sources identified in the article agreed with me that there's probably lower yet to go.... I don't say this because I'm hopeful for humanity, but rather because I believe we have farther to fall into complete and utter disgrace. I think today's "Cornered" nails this sentiment:

I could have used this...

2009-09-29T12:26:07Z

I remember being so terrified in the beginning of junior high because we only had FIFTEEN! minutes to get between classes. How was I ever going to find all my rooms and get to class on time with just FIFTEEN! minutes? I needed a bloodhound....

More fox

2009-09-25T16:39:15Z

This picture comes from today's The Rainey Sisters blog:

Right here in the Twin Cities!

Love

2009-09-22T13:51:15Z

Love this pic:

Attention seeking

2009-09-21T12:45:58Z

Baby elephant!

2009-09-14T15:13:45Z

Remy's alter-ego

2009-09-14T11:54:48Z

This is Remy. Whenever food is at stake, she transforms into her alter-ego "Flash Golden."

The end of summer

2009-09-13T17:24:57Z

Today's Deflocked pretty much says it all:

Political Rant

2009-09-04T18:20:09Z

It's probably because most of the media I pay attention to has some kind of left-lean to it, but I'm going absolutely crazy reading or hearing about all of the nut-jobs in this country. Oh. My. Dog!!!

Of course almost everyone has heard about Obama's plan to address the nation's school kids. And the right wing has once again lost their minds! "Oh, no!" they cry. "He's going to turn them into little socialists."

Can we please just sit down, shut up, and realize the world hasn't ended since Obama took office in January or was elected last November? Can we? Please? For my sanity?

I was listening to an older "Wait, Wait" episode over lunch. Peter described some of the antics at town halls regarding health care. While these crazies are entertaining, I couldn't laugh because they scare me so much. WHO really believes that Obama will turn the U.S. into just-post-WWII Russia? (It's in the "Who's Carl this time" section at the very beginning of the August 15 episode.)

I'm just so sickened, disgusted, and downright scared of these people that it can get hard to even leave the house. I liked Motherreader's response today, but again, preaching to the choir. I'll show you "Death Panels," dear crazies of America, oh, just wait until I get those death panels in place. Trust me...you'll be the first to know.

UPDATE: Just read David Sirota's "editor's pick" Open Salon blog post from yesterday. I think he puts my concern into even better words. These are scary times, and while the crazies are amusing for their very craziness, those of us who still have some sanity left may become an ever-dwindling minority....

Test

2009-09-04T12:41:41Z

We recently (as in many months ago...okay, so I've been neglecting the poor blog this summer) upgraded the blog platform that the UM blogs pages use. I'm still trying to get used to it, so I'm just testing uploading images here. I have no idea what the cartoon I'm uploading will be...all I know is that it is one I saved for some reason...

Itchy-face syndrome

2009-09-04T12:21:41Z

Red and Rover by Brian Basset, 9/4/09

I love Rover's face in the last panel. Anyone who has dogs has seen the funny-cute faces they make when they have itchies....

Grapes

2009-09-02T15:11:55Z

As Dog is my witness, I will never work with Concord Grapes again! (ok, a slight revision of Scarlett O'Hara's famous "never be hungry" line...how many of you caught that reference?)

We picked our grapes this weekend. That means wrestling with leaves the size of platters to get to the clusters, then keep all of the grapes together while tearing them from the vines. Without smooshing them. Or losing them. Or losing it at the sight of few-days-old out-of-skin grapes that the birds kindly left you to think of some kind of slime monster.

Then comes the question of what to do with grapes, especially when you're not really set up for canning. What to do with four LARGE bowls of grapes. That you have to seed. Google "seeding grapes" and come up with this pie recipe. Think to yourself, "ok, we can do this in time to take it to friends for a BSG evening" (we're trying to finish the second half of the last season....that's all we have left, and we just can't seem to get together to make it happen).

Um, yeah. Skinning the grapes is actually fun. You pull the grape of the stem, point the hole where the stem was into a bowl, and lightly squeeze, pushing the grape out. I can definitely see where the "peeled grapes for eyeballs" works for haunted houses and the like.

Seeding the grapes is not so much fun. No problems with boiling them to loosen the seeds. But pressing them through either a colandar or a sieve just wasn't working. Maybe I didn't boil them enough. Maybe I wasn't pressing them correctly. But the amount of time and niggling details for getting grapes without seeds....I could have watched quite a few episodes of Weeds or Pushing Daisies or even BSG for that amount of time. My right shoulder is killing me.

And my 4 1/2 cups of grapes? Actually enough for 3 pies, when I was really expecting one. And I didn't even get through peeling and seeding all of the grapes we picked. And we had to finish cooking the pie at the friends' because we were already way late as it was.

So, we had two pies, with the fixings for a third. And another two pies (maybe 3) waiting for their turn to be skinned, seeded, pureed, and baked. I finished the third pie last night, only turned it into a crumble instead. I may have over-cooked this one, and I may have forgotten to put extra sugar into the grape pulp itself, so it may be inedible. But no worries! I have the fixings for more!

So. Very. Tired. Of. Dealing. With. Grapes! The Husband says there are more ripe grapes on the vine. I told him he was on his own.