megan, I'm reading The Charterhouse of Parma now. I'm about four chapters in (Fabrizio is blundering around cluelessly post-Waterloo), and it's really quite wonderful and hilarious. Thanks for letting me know it existed!

Speaking of Waterloo, I'm also reading Wellington at Waterloo, which is the third part of Jac Weller's military biography of the duke, and something about it clicked for me--I not only knew what happened (which has been the case for ages), I could visualize it and see why. It's like my brain grew a whole new wing, one that's actually spatially aware and capable of visual thinking. (Either that or I actually am starting to channel the historical figures in my WIP, which would be kinda disturbing...)

Anyway, you know how in the Aubrey/Maturin books, Jack and his friends are always talking over battles at the dinner table using various bits of cutlery and stray food to represent ships? Well, I had lunch with DH today, and I was all: "See my plate? That's the main Anglo-Dutch line." I placed my soda on my right and a bowl of salsa on my left. "The chateau at Hougoumont and the farmhouse at La Haye Sainte. See how they'd slow any attacks on the main front?" Etc. I felt so geeky, both literarily and historically, not to mention smarter than I was this morning, which is a rare and lovely feeling.

Cool.

(One of my former co-workers is retiring on Monday and moving to a part of Missouri that's quite near the setting for On the Banks of Plum Creek .)

I read Knut the Difficult's new novel, Superpowers. And I review it (briefly) here. Summary: I liked it, and I think y'all would too.

I liked it, too, although I haven't reviewed it yet.

I have Knut's book here at the beach, but I haven't gotten to it, since I'm in the middle of Skullduggery, which ROCKS.

Also (paging Fay and Polter-Cow) I need to note that nerdy!nephew who loaned me Skullduggery has also read Death Note and thinks it kicks ass right up until the end, which he hated.

I don't know why I was even a little surprised that he had read Death Note. The common geek ground between me and The Boy's nephew is just cracking The Boy up to no end.

thinks it kicks ass right up until the end, which he hated.

Someone put together a fake ending that's pretty damn cool. He might like that one more.

Someone put together a fake ending that's pretty damn cool.

Ooh? I haven't reached the end yet (although I'm somewhat spoiled), but I'd love a link to that for future reference.

The pages are here.

Tor Books has this new thing where you sign up to get a newsletter and a free book download.

The United States of Arugula has moved on to Alice Waters. It's not pretty.