I'm enjoying the Hell out of World War Z, but I could really live without the homophone typos. I've encountered 2 in the past 10 minutes (sight for site and routed for rooted). It bothers me.

What would happen if Louisa May Alcott had read 50 Shades of Grey and wrote her own erotic diary? [link]

Gag.

what if Jane Austen became a Sopranos fan? (While we're asking nutsy questions...)

Tim is not a frequent book-reader. He faithfully reads his Make magazine when it arrives, and on occasion has read 1/3 of an ADD book.

A couple of years ago, on the drive home from the beach, we listened to the audiobook of the first Skulduggery Pleasant book, which he liked. But it didn't make him actually read the books that follow in the series.

This year, we listened to the second Skulduggery Pleasant book driving down to the beach, and listened to the third on the way home. Since the third ends on a bit of a cliffhanger ("What the fuck is the DEAL with portals???" Tim asked. "It's like Angel!"), when we got home, after less than a day had passed, he said, "I think I need to read the next book. Is that okay?"

He's halfway through it (Scapegrace just got zombiefied). WIN!

That's very cool!

Those books are so addictive and fast-paced.

I just want him to get to book 5 so I can flail at him about Remnant!Tanith, which I am still NOT OVER.

The 7th book is released in the UK August 30, BTW. Only 2 1/2 months!

Oh, very good! I had completely lost track of when the next one was coming out.

All of the Skullduggery books at my library are always checked out. I guess I should just put my name on the list like everyone else.

Also, I just ran into a book that I couldn't bear to continue, and it's very odd. It's by Mercedes Lackey, who I normally like, and an author by the name of Roberta Gellis, and it's set in Tudor England with the Fair Folk influencing who will rule after Henry. I figured I'd eat this up happily, but I'm finding it nigh on unreadable and I'm not sure why. I think there's too much explanation that feels like internal dialogue--or monologue, and the parts that have characters actually interacting with each other are too short and don't seem to say anything.

This doesn't feel like something written by writers--at least one of them--with a few decades experience at writing. It's called This Scepter'd Isle.

Then I picked up "The Sorceress and the Cygnet" by Patricia McKillip and remembered why she's such a stunning writer. In two pages there were evocative character moments and a description of a culture that made sense. She's so good.

Roberta Gellis is a romance novelist who has very good research into medieval life, but I wouldn't say her prose or pacing is very good.

Huh. So I guess Roberta is handling the historical elements and Mercedes is handling the elves. The only problem with the McKillip is that it's all beautiful but perhaps could be a little quicker in the plot.