How was the reading?

It was fun. She's good with a crowd. I will admit, there were a couple ladies there who were shining examples of every bad media cliché of women who read vaguely smutty vampire fiction. (I kept wanting to go up to them and say "Look, it's possible to look vaguely gothy AND polished when you are a larger woman who is no longer in her teen years. Here, let me fix your eyeliner." I am a bad and somewhat petty person. But I controlled myself.)

The thing that impressed me most from the reading is that Kim Harrison doesn't really do any sort of occult/witchy research for her books; she makes most of it up. Considering how well it all holds together, I was amazed she didn't do tons of spoooooky research.

I am reading Swordspoint right now, and it is taking me a long time to read. It is good, but not my cup of tea. ( I have no idea what I mean by that)

The new Harrison book is out in hardcover. Both my sister and I were somewhat disappointed in the general direction they seem to be leaning. We both were unhappy with the direction that the relationship with the witch's partner has taken Too much "'eww... but I am intrigued" .

I'm going to have to track down and buy a copy of Swordspoint of my very own. And resist the urge to "liberate" the library's copy. I'd pay for it.

(I kept wanting to go up to them and say "Look, it's possible to look vaguely gothy AND polished when you are a larger woman who is no longer in her teen years. Here, let me fix your eyeliner." I am a bad and somewhat petty person. But I controlled myself.)

Sweetie, you're GMM (you always will be to me; damn the trademark!) I think you need a business card and a Goth ER kit and you can have your own "Gothy ReVamp" show! You could go to conventions and signings and do makeovers!

I would totally watch it.

Beverly, I think you'll really enjoy them. My sister gave me the ARC of the 1st, and I was instantly hooked.

I think many Buffistas could write a para novel w/o research based on their own genre and personal fun reading infoslutting.

t is heretical

I could go to the end of my life without knowing the end of HP book 7 and it would be okay.

I mean, I'll read the last book eventually, because they're fun, but I'm not particularly invested.

I was going to pick up one of the Harrisons one day, but I'm still slogging through Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series, and I'm stuck on Industrial Magic. I thought Dimestore Magic was a bit overwrought, even for a magical world, but her tone is so ... flat. I don't know. I loved the two books with Elena the werewolf, but the witches are so far leaving me cold.

AmyLiz, I didn't like Industrial Magic either. It seemed like it should be the sort of book I'd enjoy, but no. "Flat" is right.

(Insert standard Jilli rant about trying to find good paranormal fiction here)

I am strongly "meh" on the Armstrong books. I think Harrison is much better.

Oooooh, Jilli, you need to pitch a self-improvement/makeover show to Sci-Fi. I bet they're looking for something like that to air 8 times a day. They could pair you up with someone more classically geeky and make-over geeks who lack that certain put-together-ness, while still keeping their identity intact.

I was actually less affected by Dumbledore than I was by Sirius. Partly based on degree of expectation. Partly because I was hunting clues even as I was reading HBP.

good paranormal fiction

Okay, I have to ask. Somebody gave me the first two Rowan Gant novels by M.R. Sellars, Harm None and Never Burn a Witch. Has anybody read any of these? And (stands back, drops match) do you have an opinion on them?