For goodness sake girl...throw up on the linoleum....not two inches away from it and I would really appreciate it if you didn't back up too.

This anthology of Niteblade Fantasy and Horror Magazine features the editor's choice selections of fiction and poetry for the past year, as well as Christmas stories inspired by Marge Simon's cover artwork. The stories run a full gamut from horror-tinged fantasy about a particular mad hatter to teenage ghosts seeking a second chance at life. The book has a bit of everything across the realm of speculative fiction. Two of my own works are included, "Christmas Bloodbath" and "And Yet Stars Still Existed."

My favorites included "Christmas's End," a short-short that beautifully captured the emotions of Mrs. Claus as she awaits her husband's return, and the poem "Of Warmth, Of Dragons."

Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 448

B&N Synopsis

Pendergast-the world's most enigmatic FBI Special Agent-returns to New York City to investigate a murderous cult.

William Smithback, a New York Times reporter, and his wife Nora Kelly, a Museum of Natural History archaeologist, are brutally attacked in their apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Eyewitnesses claim, and the security camera confirms, that the assailant was their strange, sinister neighbor-a man who, by all reports, was already dead and buried weeks earlier. While Captain Laura Hayward leads the official investigation, Pendergast and Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta undertake their own private-and decidedly unorthodox-quest for the truth. Their serpentine journey takes them to an enclave of Manhattan they never imagined could exist: a secretive, reclusive cult of Obeah and vodou which no outsiders have ever survived.

Always good to see Pendergast back in action, and this one was quite a good read. However, I would like to see the authors return to more of the original style and not as far-fetched as this one tended to be. Also, can we please see Viola Maskelene again? I liked her. Constance, too!

Books completed: 40/50
Pages completed: 12,915/20,000


Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 607

B&N Synopsis

The war against Voldemort is not going well; even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of the Daily Prophet, looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet...

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate -- and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Here at Hogwarts, Harry will search for the full and complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort -- and thereby find what may be his only vulnerability.

I hadn't read this in ages, and this is only my 2nd reading of it (I believe). I liked this far better the second time around, and it made mourn how badly they butchered the movie. They left SO much out that was crucial to the storyline.

Books completed: 41/50
Pages completed: 13,522/20,000

Book #95 -- Becky Citra, Never to Be Told, 217 pages.

This is a story about life, and death, and what makes a family a family, whether they're related to you or not. It's about being young and growing old. Oh, and it's about ghosts. Did I mention the ghosts? Go read it now!

Progress toward goals: 356/365 = 97.5%

Books: 95/100 = 95.0%

Pages: 23681/25000 = 94.7%

2009 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

Book 30: A Caress of Twilight by Laurell K. Hamilton - 326 pages
 
My little synopsis: With her harem of lovers/guards, Merry is now set with the task of not only getting pregnant with an heir in order to beat her cousin Cel to the Unseelie throne, but of protecting herself and her own before Cel gets out of prison. Back at work for the Grey Detective Agency, she is called upon by Maeve Reed, former Goddess and member of the Seelie court, who has a strange request for Merry and her men. Moreover, someone has let loose the evil Nameless and large numbers of people are turning up dead under mysterious circumstances that Merry knows has more to do with the Sidhe than the police are willing to admit. Never a dull day for an Unseelie Princess!
 
I liked this book, if not as much, than 90% as much as the first book. It seemed a bit slower and less seemed to happen though I'm not sure this is actually true. Again, the sex scenes are over the top, and if I hear Merry describe any part of her body as moon-like again, I'll deck her. Nonetheless, I do find this series engaging. The first part can drag a bit as Hamilton seems to waste a bit of time re-introducing things (I personally think that if you start a series midway through than its your own fault if things don't make sense - going over what happened in previous books is a waste of time). However, once she finally gets into the story, it’s good. Her harem of men are all delightfully funny and intriguing in their own way - I can't quite pick a favourite just yet. And I liked Andais more in this one - sure, she's sadistic and insane, but I felt she was more vulnerable and showed more humility in this one. Overall, I think this series has promise, but given what I've read in the reviews of later books on facebook, I'm not holding my breath for it to get better and better!

 

30 / 50 books. 60% done!

11121 / 15000 pages. 74% done!

Book 31: The True Story of Butterfish by Nick Earls – 280 pages
 
My little synopsis: Curtis Holland was one half of Brisbane’s success story Butterfish, until the band’s third album tanked and the group disbanded. Moving back to suburban Brisbane to produce, Curtis’ attempt to move on with his life is complicated by his new neighbours, single mum Kate and her two children, Annaliese and Mark. But just as he’s coming to grips with the tough guy routine from Mark, and Annaliese’s crush on him, his former band mate Derek flies back into town.
 
Um, this book was different. It seemed to meander through a lot of people and topics but never quite reached a climax. Earls writes people really well. Curtis, the unwilling rock star; Kate, the struggling single mum; Annaliese, part woman, part girl, enamoured with Curtis; Mark, hating on his father while writing porn and raising fish to make money for his mum; Derek, hiding from reality under the lights of L.A. They are all very real and very believable.  Yet, instead of exploring these people fully, Earls seemed to spend more time talking about Brisbane. I know that you take the Gateway Arterial to the airport, I know city cats, I know the highway to Caloundra. I’ve lived in Brisbane my whole life, I know these places. And I can’t imagine why a non-local would even care about how to get to Brisbane Airport, or the timetable of the public transport, or a highway to a small beach town. Earls seemed to spend more time babbling on and on about these details than he did about the characters. No one cares! Honestly, I truly feel that the reason that Brisbane, and Australian in general, writers don’t do well overseas is because they get too caught up in talking about Australia, and forget to tell a story. I was tired of reading about Kenmore and Gap Creek Road by page three (having said that, maybe I’m just annoyed because all books set in Brisbane seem to be set either in the CBD or on the North side (Kenmore being a North side suburb) and I am from the humble South side and would like for once a book to be set in my area!). Oh well, moving along, I think this book had some very bittersweet, very poignant moments and after I got through the first 120 or so pages I really got into it. Overall, an interesting look at fame and relationships and regret that could have been a whole lot more if it had talked about something other than Kenmore!

31 / 50 books. 62% done!

11401 / 15000 pages. 76% done!

 
Currently reading:

-           From Modernism to Postmodernism: An Anthology by Lawrence Cahoone – 600 pages

-           The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 2: The One Tree by Stephen Donaldson – 472 pages

-           Seduced by Moonlight by Laurell K. Hamilton – 367 pages

-           Next by Michael Crichton – 540 pages

 
And coming up:

-           The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory – 486 pages

-           Angels and Demons by Dan Brown – 620 pages

-           Nightlight: A Parody by The Harvard Lampoon – 154 pages

Title: Hunter x Hunter volume 5
Mangaka: Yoshihiro Togashi
Genre: Shounen, action, adventure, supernatural
Book details: Manga, 192 pages
Rating: 5/5

Baka-Updates Manga Summary: Hunters are a special breed, dedicated to tracking down treasures, magical beasts, and even other men. But such pursuits require a license, and less than one in a hundred thousand can pass the grueling qualification exam. Those who do pass gain access to restricted areas, amazing stores of information, and the right to call themselves Hunters.

My Review:

I really like the inside illustration - Killua as "dark" and Gon as "light"! And yet they both have a bit of the other in them.

We see another side of Killua here, one you'd not think possible for him. Rereading this just makes me realize how great the story is. I love watching the characters change and grow like this, knowing what the futuer holds! Gon is awesome in this volume, particularly chapter 37! It's so awesome to see him defend Killua, getting angry like that for his friend. ^_^

ROFL, and the 'dress up Gon' game! I love the editor's note: 'Is it just me or does a lot of these dress-up clothes seem ecchi?'. ...It's not just you, editor-san.

More Hisoka creepy face too! Perhaps the creepiest because of the ah, innuendo. XD

Gon's temper really shines through in this volume...

( Spoilers )

Book #93 -- Joseph Bruchac, Night Wings, 192 pages.

An adventure novel about a young Abenaki boy and his grandfather forced by an unscrupulous monster hunter to guide him in his quest for a mythical treasure guarded by a beast sacred to the Abenaki people. It's very well done, with the right blend of traditional and modern; material and spiritual.

Book #94 -- R. L. LaFevers, Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I), 134 pages.

The first adventure of Nathaniel Fludd, born into the intrepid Fludd family, famous explorers and Beastologists. Nate doesn't think he has what it takes to be a Fludd, but he'll find he's full of surprises. Quite a fun YA book.

Progress toward goals: 356/365 = 97.5%

Books: 94/100 = 94.0%

Pages: 23464/25000 = 93.9%

2009 Book List

cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven

Dear Cringer;

Please stop pulling the thumb tacks out of daddy's posters. I know they're the only ones you can reach, but he finds it really irritating. I don't know what bothers you so much about having tacks in the wall, but I promise, they're not hurting anything or anybody and daddy really loves his Chobits posters. Please leave them where they are.

Oh, and stop tearing the lining out of the bathtub. That's going to come out of our damage deposit when we eventually move.

On a brighter note - it's almost Christmas and I have a sweet present for you and your sister. I hope you enjoy it. This is my second Christmas with you (third with your sister) and I'm so happy to have you ♥. We're a special family.

Love,
Mommy

Luna, Echo, and Kaze,

By the time our adventure ends, my sweets, you will have traveled 2072 miles and counting.

Richmond, VA isn't working out, but let me tell you I don't regret a single mile I traveled with you. Without you, this would have been for nothing. This long road has been liberating and eye-opening in ways I think you knew somehow I would come to understand.

Today, my friends and guild-mates in Dallas, TX answered all my prayers. A roof over our heads rent-free for two months, a temporary job in another friend's restaurant, and a recruiter given a head's up. All that wouldn't have fallen into place if I hadn't made this journey so I could keep you.

And through it all, you've been my good travelers. Litter box pit-stops along the turnpikes, endless stream of hotel rooms, you've been there. Home is where I am, you've said clearly each stop. Each day, you've woken me up in the morning to a firm meow commanding a tummy rub. Each day, you've patiently curled up on the bed or in the hotel window waiting for me to finish cold calling and pounding the pavement.

This morning, I feel alive again. You've brought me back to life, little ones. You've been an inspiration to me and others.

God bless you! We humans could learn so much from the kind of love you give freely and unconditionally.

Thank you for sharing it with me and guiding me on this trip. Hang on just another couple days, little ones. Christmas has brought a miracle.

Your loving owner,
- Sally

Title: Dreamside
Author: Graham Joyce
Year: 1991
# of pages: 254
Date read: 11/6/2009
Rating: 3*/5 = good


Description:

"It began as an experiment in college -- a seemingly harmless investigation in to 'lucid dreaming,' the ability to control one's dreams. Ella and Lee, Honora and Brad: four students linked by youthful longings, all four of them game for something new.

But the dreams turned more and more real -- and when the four of them learned how to meet one another on Dreamside, the experiment began to engulf their waking lives. Then, in a spasm of violence, they flew apart, fleeing from Dreamside and from each other.

Now, ten years later, the dreams have returned to upend their adult lives -- and, most frightening, to drag the four of them back into one another's company. Worse, they each need the others' help.

The dreams of youth fade, if you're lucky. If not, they can consume you -- and they will." -- from the inside flap

My thoughts:

This book was an interesting look at lucid dreams and what happens when dreams invade reality. I like the interactions between the characters as they struggle to understand what happened years ago.

Progress:

55 / 100 books. 55% done!

18244 / 30000 pages. 61% done!

Dear stray black kitten,

A few things. 1) I was finally able to convince my mother to leave food out for you. It would be nice if her bowls stopped disappearing. I DOUBT that it's the coyotes since that's why they have the fence. But I also realize that it might be that big scary dog my brother keeps there, 1A) if it is the dog please don't let her scare you away, she's just a big love-soaking playful dope who would rather play with you than eat you (unless you run). 2) The boyfriend and I talked about it, and he doesn't care for Daliah as a name. :( This saddens me, but I understand why, it's too close to the name of one of his nieces. However, he is a fan of Schroedinger and if it turns out that you're a girl he likes the second name I picked out. Please excuse me, as the second name is a theme name that matches your older brother (who I still have to pick up from the ex before his wife explodes with a baby... er, sorry, I mean bears their demon child). So, if you are a girl, it is decided that your name shall be Abettor. But it's okay, your nickname will be Aby/Abby. You and the aforementioned brother I am about to get custody of will be Accomplice and Abettor, or for short Ace and Abby. I hope you like the name. (At this point, I'm so sold on the set of names Accomplice & Abettor/Ace & Abby that if you turn out to be a boy I might have to go to the shelter and adopt a little girl kitty.) 3) I hope you're a social cat, because not only will you have the aforementioned older brother, but the boyfriend made a HUGE mistake when he said "Of course honey, you can adopt as many cats as you like. I don't care if we have 5!" So, ummm, yeah, there will plenty of rescues underfoot and underpaw.

Love,
The one who really wants you to come home/inside with her (and out of that blizzard darling, that can't be pleasant)


Dear Ace,

Well, I'm sorry that like everything else in his life, my ex is now abandoning you. And blaming his pregnant wife and her allergies, hmph. What a lame excuse. (Okay, MAYBE it has merit, but I won't do him the courtesy of admitting that, heh. After all, you are the second cat in that house and he is not getting rid of the first one - I guess she's not allergic to that cat.) He hasn't yet abandoned you, and he should be holding on to you until the boyfriend and I can pick you up, which is good - very out of character of him to follow through on promises. (I wish I were just being bitter here, but I'm not. I'm surprised and happy that he has not given you up to a shelter or kicked you out into the snow. Maybe it's a sign that he's finally maturing; I sure hope it is for his wife and unborn child's sake.) I promise, it may be hard to move again, but I promise that it will be a good home. Not only will you not be contending with a newborn baby for attention, but you'll have your own family that loves you and doesn't say horrible things about you all day long. It'll be me, the boyfriend, and his two children who would LOVE a kitty to play with and to sleep next to them in the middle of the night and will pet you but are also old enough not to pull on your tail and all those horrible things that chitlin do to kittehs. So you can love on them and headbutt them galore. Unfortunately, unlike the ex-boyfriend, I will not be giving you kibble to your hearts content. I know you don't know when to stop eating. And I don't think it's so amusing to be able to call you Fat Kitty. So we're going to work on portion control, and get you some kitteh diet food. But we'll start you with exercise first and see how that goes, I promise. Even if you are a large boned, gigantic pawed, part Maine Coon cat I still don't think you should be as chubby as you are. That can not be healthy. If it makes you feel any better, Ace darling, the boyfriend and I are also dieting. So we can all be miserable and hungry together. Doesn't that sound wonderful!?
Oh, but you WILL have at least one other little kitten to play with at our place. I know you HATE not having a playmate, even when there are humans around, and I know it's hard for you to be left alone all day -especially if you can't go outside to socialize. Which brings me to my next point, you can't go outside to socialize. We live by TWO major roads, and you don't look before you cross the street you dope. I know it'll be hard, but that's part of the reason I found a little playmate-sibling for you. You'll get used to it, I know you will. Just try not to be neurotic and dig your claws into the nearest anchor holding on for dear life when we come to get you, and try not to hide in the apartment for a week after you move, and please baby boy please don't cry for days on end and break Mommy's heart. I KNOW you hate moving, but it is going to happen. At least this will be the last set of human family you EVER have to switch again. I know you went through like 3 or 4 families before the ex and I got you, and in under 6 months too. I know that was hard. But we will keep you, and love you, and cuddle you, and feed you FOREVER. Even if we move, or take you on the occasional ride to Long John Silvers.... but only because you "order" at the speaker when we do. :)

Love,
Your Forever Mommy, I promises

A Taste For Death

P.D. James

When two bodies are found in the little vestry of St. Matthews by an unlikely pair of friends, a spinster and a young boy, it's up to Adam Dalgliesh to make sense of the sparse evidence, to find out if there was a connection between the two dead men, one a homeless vagrant and the other a wealthy well-known politician, and to prove that it was a case of double murder rather than murder/suicide.

I really liked A Taste For Death. James writes extremely well, moves the plot along, and delves deeply into the psychology and motives of the characters.

My interest was captured from the beginning, with the surprising friendship between the spinster, Emily Wharton, and the street kid, Darren Wilkes. Even though it wasn't central to the plot, I found it quite intrigueing.

I definitely plan to read more of this author's work! I can see why she is so highly regarded.

I made it. I know the year's still not quite over and I'm deep into The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver so there may be a few additional titles, but I made it to 50 books and that makes me happy.

There are at least four books that I own and feel guilty about not reading this year. Maybe I'll get to them early enough in 2010 to get them done. So here is my list:

1. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, by Niall Ferguson. 1/1/09
2. Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food, by Jan Chozen Bays, MD, 1/3/09
3. Just After Sunset: Stories, by Stephen King, 1/3/09
4. Bread Body Spirit: Finding the Sacred in Food, Edited by Alice Peck, 1/11/09
5. Foods Jesus Ate and How to Grow Them, by Allan A. Swenson, 1/23/09
6. Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed & Forgery in the Holy Land, by Nina Burleigh, 1/25/09
7. Company of Liars, by Karen Maitland, 1/31/09
8. House of Happy Endings: A Memoir, by Leslie Garis, 2/5/09
9. I Never Thought Addiction Could Happen to Me, by Loree Taylor Jordan, 2/6/09
10. Patty's Got a Gun: Patricia Hearst in 1970s America, by William Graebner, 2/6/09
11. The Kiss: A Memoir, by Kathryn Harrison, 2/7/09
12. Dread: How Fear and Fantasy have Fueled Epidemics from the Black Death to the Avian Flu, by Philip Alcabes, 2/21/09
13. No one belongs here more than you: Stories, by Miranda July, 2/22/09
14. A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana, by Haven Kimmel, 3/1/09
15. An American Trilogy: Death, Slavery, and Dominion on the Banks of the Cape Fear River, by Steven M. Wisw, 3/9/09
16. Love Junkie: A Memoir of Love and Sex Addiction, by Rachel Resnick, 3/12/09
17. Dooms Day Book, by Connie Willis, 3/20/09
18. Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher, 3/21/09
19. This Boy's Life, by Tobais Wolff, 3/28/09
20. Normal Eating for Normal Weight: The Path to Freedom from Weight Obsession and Food Cravings, by Sheryl Canter, M.A., 3/29/09
21. Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History, by Helene Stapinski, 4/11/09
22. John Henry Days, by Colson Whitehead, 4/30/09
23. Brother I'm Dying, by Edwidge Danticat, 5/3/09
24. Middlemarch, by George Eliot, 5/14/09
25. Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found, by Marie Brenner, 6/7/09
26. Fierce Attachments: A Memoir, by Vivian Gornick, 6/12/09
27. The Solitude of Self: Thinking About Elizabeth Cady Stanton, by Vivian Gornick, 6/15/09
28. Women In Utopia: The Ideology of Gender in the American Owenite Communities, by Carol A. Kolmerten, 6/21/09
29. The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton, 6/26/09
30. The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative, by Vivian Gornick, 6/30/09
31. Born in the Wrong Country, by Milton Lee Norris, 7/3/09
32. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin, 7/12/09
33. Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, by Richard Wrangham, 7/26/09
34. The Fallen Man, by Tony Hillerman, 8/9/09
35. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands, by Chelsea Handler, 8/12/09
36. Man Versus Nature: The Field & Stream Guide to How to Stay Alive in the Outdoors, by Howard Earl & Frederic T. Jung, 8/14/09
37. The Locked Room, by by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, 8/20/09
38. Underworld, by Don Dillio, 9/6/09
39. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler, 9/11/09
40. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, 9/27/09
41. Loose Girl: A Memoir of Promiscuity, by Kerry Cohen, 10/1/09
42. Killing Castro, by Lawrence Block, 10/26/09
43. The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, 11/8/09
44. Unafraid of the Dark: A Memoir, by Rosemary L. Bray, 11/17/09
45. Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia, by Ahmed Rashid, 11/21/09
46. Silas Marner, by George Eliot, 11/29/09
47. It's All About You: A Daily Comic Strip, by Tony Murphy, 12/2/09
48. Cousin Henry, by Anthony Trollope, 12/3/09
49. Madam Bovery, by Gustave Flaubert, 12/13/09
50. Landscape for a Good Woman: A Story of Two Lives, by Carolyn Kay Steedman, 12/16/09


--

101. The Ghost Road- Pat Barker, 276 pages, 5/5
Final part of the Regeneration trilogy. Although this isn't my favourite book of the series it's probably the one I've gotten the most out of, just because I know so much more about WW1 than I did when I read the first one. Definitely recommended.

102. A Prayer For Owen Meany, 637 pages, 5/5
This really was an outstanding novel. Owen Meany grows up believing he is God's instrument. His best friend thinks nothing of it until his death when it becomes clear that everything in his life had a purpose. This book was funny and tragic and a real page turner.

103. Dissolution- CJ Sampson, 439 pages, 2.5/5
I'd heard great stuff about the Shardlake books but this was really not for me. All but one part of the whodunnit ending was obvious way before the end of the book and one particular thread of the plot was extremely annoying. I don't think I'll bother with the others.

104. Movies In Fifteen Minutes- Cleolinda Jones, 401 pages.
I bought this in a hurry for my mother for Christmas but when I got home and saw what it actually was and that it was written by an LJ'er I decided to keep it for myself. It's hard to explain what the book is exactly so I'll just direct you to Troy in Fifteen Minutes which is an example of the style and humor of the book.

Books: 104 Pages: 29141

The Case Of The Late Pig by Margery Allingham

I came to Margery Allingham's detective novels featuring Albert Campion via the BBC's adaptations with Peter Davison in the title role, and the books which were used for the series were the easiest to get hold of, so this is one of the few series with which  I've broken my usual  rule of reading in order.

This was one of the adapted books and one of the first I read at the time. Re-reading it to my husband I can see some justice in his accusation that it was rather slow to start and plods along rather. And the resolution is perhaps a little too rapid. But I enjoyed the writing and the characters nonetheless.

The plot centres on a man named Peters (known as "Pig") who bullied Campion when they were at school together. Campion attends Pig's funeral in the village of Tethering. A few months later he is summoned to the neighbouring village of Kepesake to investigate a murder, in which the victim bears an uncanny resemblance to the late Pig...

55. Northern Lights - Phillip Pullman
56. Nobody Likes You – Green Day - Mark Spitz
57. The Subtle Knife - Phillip Pullman
58. The Amber Spyglass - Phillip Pullman
59. The Book Of General Ignorance - QI
60. The Constant Princess - Phillipa Gregory
61. Peter Pan - JM Barrie
62. Assassin’s Apprentice - Robin Hobb
63. Royal Assassin - Robin Hobb
64. Assassin’s Quest - Robin Hobb
65. Fool’s Errand - Robin Hobb
66. The Golden Fool - Robin Hobb
67. Fool’s Fate - Robin Hobb

( This years books )

Total Books: 67
Total Pages: 29792

To my sweetheart Spock,

I've finally managed to stay up later than you are. I know it's 3:43 in the morning, but I head home in the morning. I'm so sorry that we can't spend our very first Christmas together, but Twerp is so very allergic. The nice man coming in to play with you promises lots of love, attention and treats!

I'll miss you sweetheart... just don't eat the fish ok? Pretty please? With Catnip on top?

All the best

~ Owl (already missing her Pussycat)

Panda I love you, but if you don't quit attacking my legs you psycho kitten I'm going to Velcro you to the ceiling until my legs heal up.


~the human

Attn: Sneaky and Elvira


Please do not eat the Christmas tree or break any ornaments tonight while the humans sleep. That is all.

First line:

"When conversation at school turned to the Russo-Japanese War, Kiyoaki Matsugae asked his closest friend, Shigekuni Honda, how much he could remember about it."

Summary: It is the early 20th century and Japanese society struggles with the inexorable westernization of the country. Kiyoaki, feckless son of a samurai-turned-nouveau-riche lord, falls in love with Satoko, daughter of a waning aristocratic family. Kiyoaki's ambivalence toward his lover sends their lives in a downward spiral after Satoko is engaged to a prince of the Imperial Family. Kiyoaki's boarding school friend Honda observes Kiyoaki's fall and features prominently in the remainder of Mishima's Sea of Fertility tetralogy.

Reaction: I've been putting off this review for a long time now. Proper appreciation probably requires a greater grasp of Japanese history and culture than I possess. Still, Spring Snow is a haunting novel even without the full social context. Mishima (and translator Michael Gallagher) perfectly captures the youthful personalities of Kiyoaki and Honda. On the edge of adulthood, they remind me of friends from my college days - Honda, the driven and career-oriented go-getter and Kiyoaki, the slacker paralyzed by any responsibility. Being more critical and introspective than most, the two friends stand outside the circles of their more popular peers. Their (often sophomoric) discussions provide insight into the Japanese mainstream of the period and illustrate the social turbulence of Meiji era westernization.

The characterization alone made this an enjoyable read. Then there's the tragic love story. I prefer tragedies to comedies, but romances usually feel way too sappy for me to enjoy. Mishima avoids sentimentality and his narration reveals the relationship perhaps as dispassionate-but-astute Honda sees it: a delicate, passionate, but ultimately doomed affair. Kiyoaki and Satoko are drawn to each other's beauty, but Kiyoaki's psychic paralysis and ingrained misogyny prevent him from pursuing the culturally sanctioned path of courtship and marriage. Instead, the couple arranges secret, forbidden meetings. Their encounters become increasingly self-destructive, especially after Satoko's parents arrange her marriage to a member of the Imperial Family. The couple's fragile passion is touching, especially in the face of their unthinkable defiance of Imperial decree. The unsustainable and ultimately destructive path is hard to read (even for Kiyoaki's flaws, both lovers are sympathetic), but it makes the ending more poignant.

Bottom line: Worth the read. There is much more to be found in this book than I can discuss here. Mishima created realistic psychological descriptions of Kiyoaki and Honda, but also of supporting characters (who reappear in later books of the tetralogy). I will leave these characters (and other themes) to later reviews. The next novel, Runaway Horses, is in my to-read stack.

Thumbs: Up

No comments on the books, just a listing of the title and author.

30. Wonderous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould by Kevin Bazzana

31. Buster Keaton: Cut to the Chase by Marion Meade

32. Chaplin by Stephen Weissman, M.D.

33. The Circus Parade by Jim Tully

34. 33 1/3: The Velvet Underground and Nico by Joe Harvard

35. John McGraw by Charles Alexander

36. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)

37. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (re-read)

38. After Many a Summer: The Passing of the Giants and the Dodgers and a Golden Age in New York Baseball by Robert E. Murphy

39. Sperm Wars by Robin Baker

40. xxxHolic Volume One by Clamp

41. xxxHolic Volume Two by Clamp

42. xxxHolic Volume Three by Clamp

43. Cobb by Al Stump

Kiku (alias kitty crackhead),

I'm glad that, when Edward came over for the day, you did not claw her to pieces like you did the last time she tried to pick you up. I am also amazed that you allowed Alyssa to cuddle you for several minutes on Saturday. Congrats to you, little one.

I'm also glad you have put on a few ounces since your last weigh-in. I don't mind a skinny cat, but eight pounds is too tiny! However, this does not excuse your behavior to Rorschach. Just because she was named after a sociopathic, gun-slinging comic book character who apparently starred in a sitcom with Deadpool means nothing. She was here before you, little missy. She's 12, and you'd best remember that.

Rorschach,

Thank you for not attacking my face when I gave you your flea treatment this morning. It was an unpleasant experience for me, too. Now, stop venting your annoyance on the dog. He has no right to attempt to dance the interspecies mambo with you, but I don't like having to take him to the vet for stitches. I know losing Binx has been difficult for you, but honestly, there is a fine line between grieving and being murderous, and you are seriously crossing that line.

All my love,
The one who feeds you