When my husband and I were first not-dating, he mentioned that The Black Arrow was his favorite childhood book. I was smitten. (Of course, he then listed about 17 other books that were also his favorite, which helped too).

But yeah, on re-read you do have to squint at The Black Arrow a bit.

In other news, I finally made it all the way through Rebecca. Every other run I've taken at it, I've wanted to choke the POV character to death early on...this time I just let the author write her characters and enjoyed it more. Not a lot, but more.

Love Discworld. I think my favorites are Vimes, Vetinari, Nanny Ogg (who is scarily like my Nana), Granny Weatherwax, and Susan. That said, I love almost all of the characters, with the possible exception of Rincewind. He annoys me, but since he's generally accompanied by The Luggage, I'm willing to tolerate him.

I adore Discworld. Vetinari is one of my book-guy crushes, (along with Lord Peter Wimsey and Vlad Taltos). I especially like thge Vetinari-Vimes interaction.

Oh, god, Vlad. One of my biggest literary crushes too.

Vimes. Vimes is Da Man. And the Vimes-Vetinari Show is almost enough to make me write fic, except Sir Samuel would Not Be Pleased. They understand each other so well, except when Vimes is feeling left behind by some sudden left turn of Vetinari's mind.

After Vimes and Vetinari, it's Death, Susan, Agnes, Lady Sybil, Nobby, the Dean of the University--he wanted to ride the motorcycle in "Soul Music" and it was wonderful--Ridcully, Greebo ... Granny Weatherwax I respect, but I suspect she doesn't care if I like her. Nanny makes me want to kick her, the way she manipulates her family.

Monstrous Regiment flew by, for example.

I didn't much like "Monstrous Regiment". I got tired of "Oh, you're a girl, too?" If Vimes hadn't been in the book--though I'm not sure we got an adequate explanation for him being there, other than Vetinari knows if he wants something to work out right, then Vimes better be involved--I wouldn't have finished it. Plus Vimes as diplomat seems un-Vimesian, unless he can twist it to a form of policing, like in "Fifth Elephant," wherein I also learned to love Lady Sybil.

My favorite Pratchett is "Jingo." Vetinari getting to play, a quirky plot, Vimes being, well, Vimes.

Carrot bothers me. We never see inside his head, he's always portrayed as he appears to others. He does know more than one would think, but he's got weird prejudices and you don't know what he's thinking.

For something completely different, has anyone else read "Focault's Pendulum"? I'm just starting it and thinking I need to buy everything Umberto Eco's ever written. Fortunately I already have "Name of the Rose."

For something completely different, has anyone else read "Focault's Pendulum"? I'm just starting it and thinking I need to buy everything Umberto Eco's ever written. Fortunately I already have "Name of the Rose."

I have read it, and adored it. The middle was at times a tough slog, but IMO it was worth it.

has anyone else read "Focault's Pendulum"

Yeap--wow, it's been more than 10 years. Maybe it's time for a re-read. Brilliant book, dizzying stuff. I agree a bulk of the middle is rather difficult to go through, and sometimes I just wanted to shake the book and yell, "y'all are batshit crazy!!", but at the end, it made me happy and sort of exhauted, like I got off a fun, weird-ass rollercoaster ride.

It's reminding--so far--a great deal of the Illuminatus! trilogy, with its hints of deeper secrets and Things Man Was Not Meant To Know.

"Now be careful out there."

My inner pedant won't let me not say, it's "Let's be careful out there."