(no subject) [nekare]

I treated myself to a fanfic reading extravaganza yesterday, after I came home from a shopping spree, and it was great. I hadn't had time to really kick back and relax and read like a possessed woman in weeks. I'll probably do a reccing post sometime soon, 'cause damn but I've been finding some real good reading.

I have a birthday party tonight, a cousin's, a 'quinces' as we call it - you know, when a girl becomes a woman and blah blah blah. They're BIG in here - and I remember that I never wanted one, and I still don't get why people still want to host them, I mean, going there as a guest is fun, but waltzing with a bunch of sweaty, nervous boys in your big, cake-like dress in front of possibly hundreds of guests? Yeah. I wouldn't do that for the world. *shiver* But I got to buy real pretty clothes for tonight and I also got THE LOVELIEST COAT EVER MADE, OMG. I just hope the wheather will remain cold and I'll have a chance to actually, you know, wear it. *g*

ANYWAY. I finished Fragile Things today, and ooooooh, it was lovely. Neil Gaiman has definitely become my favorite author. Let's see, my favorite stories? Bitter Grounds, Strange Little Girls, Harlequin Valentine (this is probably my favorite of the whole book), The Problem of Susan (Which totally spoiled the ending of Narnia for me - I still have a book to go - but the internetz had had a hand in that as well), Goliath (wee, Matrix crack!), and, of course, The Monarch of the Glen, the American Gods novella. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Shadow until I started reading this one. :))

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Aah, yes. That short story re-confirmed my love for Shadow. I like the dynamic he had going with Mr. Smith, too; they see the world in similar colours, I think. I also loved "Bitter Grounds", hugely -- there's just something about the feeling of that story. And the Matrix story, which was... better than the Matrix, I am thinking. Aah, Neil Gaiman. ♥

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I loved the way the atmoshere from AG was continued, although Shadow's monosyllabic responses sure helped XD Oooh, Bitter Grounds is just so well described! I could almost feel the humid warm air from New Orleans.

Aww, the Matrix is awesome! Or at least, the first one was magnificent. (to me, at least)

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First Matrix = several different types of awesome. Second + Third Matrix movies = much fun, but... not so awesome. A little superfluous, I think.

I got Anansi Boys not too long ago. :-D Not my favorite Neil Gaiman, but it's interesting so far!

Yeah, it's not as "serious" as the rest of his work, but I really, really like it anyways - and the ending has this odd weird thing in which you don't know if you wan't to cry in anguish with the characters or simply crack up XD You'll see. :)

Have fun; hope your cousin still's going to have fun.

Re:Monarch of Glen: WTF? I've read American Gods, and I do like Shadow (especially in the last chapter), but what's that novella? There's a sequel? Consider me stumped.
Oh, yes, Narnia. The movie? Was average. Maybe a little below. But I still haven't finished either the Wardrobe or the Nephew, and I honestly doubt I can force myself to ever doing so.

Have you read, by any chance, the Magician of Earthsea? It's what I'm reading right now. (Well, at least not biology- or net-theory related.)

I think she will - she likes the attention, after all *g*

Yep, it's a sequel! It must be less than 50 pages, but it manages to capture the same atmosphere that American Gods had - especially with Shadow's monsyllable responses XD It's set two years after the book ended, and it's set in Scotland, which was really cool. :) There must be a pfd. version floating around the net, but I really reccomend buying the entire book - every story is just magical.

I like Narnia, but I've always found them too childish, especially considering how many battles and blood and whatnot it has *g* I'm pretty sure that it's the fact that I didn't grow up with them, though, 'cause a cousin of mine (who's 13 as of now) LOVES them, and we've pretty similar tastes in books. The Magician's Nephew, especially, I found very blah. *shrug* If they'd been written for adults... woah, they would've been wonderful

Nope, I've never even heard of it! What's it about?

It's pretty much a road movie book, only with the main character being a mage, and the road being the sea.

Earthsea plays on a world consisting of hundreds of small islands. The main character is Ged, who has tremendous potential. This makes him arrogant and cold. He later summons something he shouldn't have, and this thing is his shadow in everything - i.e. it's as powerful as him, etc. However, this experience humbles him, and he learns patience, compassion, and so on. The last half of the book, he tries to find the shadow and banish it. It has beautiful character development and world-building, even if the storyline isn't that extraordinary.

Oooh, it does sound quite interesting, I'll try and look for it. :)