I'm looking for this book I saw once that's basically about the fifty or hundred best-by-some-definition places in the world, like the destinations on the planet you should visit before you die. We're doing a Secret Santa thing at work, and the co-worker I drew is really into traveling.

I believe it's in fact called 1000 Places to See Before You Die.

A thousand! Thank you!

Diane Duane is one of my favorite authors. I still wish her Wizard series had caught on instead of Harry Potter.

She did write at least 6 of them. It's not like they're commercial failures or anything.

I love them too, though I definitely don't think they have the same popular readability as the HP books. Less quirky humor, more magically technical. Which I think may be a phrase I made up just for this.

Yes, well, I like Duane's characters and the worlds she builds, and I dislike Rowling's. I keep reading the Harry Potter books as they come out to see if I can catch on to why everyone else seems to like them so much, and I keep ending up disappointed, sour, and grouchy. My usual cure is to go re-read Stalky & Co.

Ooh, new book in the Swordspoint-verse!

I'm finally reading books again, and it's wonderful. I've recently read We Need to Talk About Kevin, Life of Pi and the first Master and Commander book, and now I'm reading The Master by Colm Toibin. Oh reading not related to school, how I have missed you.

My supervisor gave me one of those 40% off the price of one book coupons for Borders. Since my Christmas lists are at home and this is good for today only, I am probably going to use this on myself.

So. Read any fabulous books lately?

I'm rereading the "Heaven" series by VC Andrews!

Oh, wait.

Nevermind.

I'm reading The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust, which so far is very cool. Not too many African diaspora books are laden with this kind of Star Wars/Star Trek/Alan Moore reference spice.

Plus, the chapter I just finished kicked off with a Tim Bayliss quote.

That's trippy, Raq.