Monday, May 31, 2010
Doing, not writing
Image by Stewf via FlickrMy passions pull me all other directions. Special education blogging takes up a lot of time, as does my life. It seems like I'm being all things to everyone. My struggle is how to balance all the things I need to do with the one that I only want to do. If anyone out there has suggestions, the suggestion box is open. Look at this blog post! It's pathetic!
Is it legal to clone myself?
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Saturday, April 10, 2010
Silver Borne is a Gem.
Patricia Briggs final book in the Mercy Thompson series has dropped and was as expected. She tied up all those loose ends and gave Mercy a place to belong in the bizarre other world she inhabits. Silver Borne turned out to be a great read, along with all the rest of her series. That series list begins with Moon Called, where we meet Mercy and the wolves, and continues through, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed, and now Silver Borne.
I'll try to avoid spoilers. Mercy lives in a world that has changed rapidly for the populous which inhabits it, except for her. She's always walked that fine line between Human and Something Else. She turns into a coyote, and because she's one of a kind, was raised in Montana by werewolves. There is some drama involved with being a coyote among wolves. Drama that only ended when the local Alpha, without telling Mercy, claimed her for a mate.
This is the culmination of that story. Silver begins with Mercy's new beginning with Adam Hauptman, the pack alpha, and the returning of a borrowed book. One of my favorite features of Brigg's storytelling is how Mercy always starts out with something that should not cause a problem, a mundane action that shouldn't result in crazy, yet it always does for Mercy. It's endearing, and by book 5, you truly want Mercy to win in spite of her rotten luck and penchant for trouble.
Samuel Cornick lives with Mercy and can be easily qualified as her best friend. He's a very old wolf with a lot of life behind him and serious present-day depression. Their relationship has evolved to something resembling sibling closeness over the progression of the story, and Briggs skillfully uses Samuel to show us the very best of Mercy in this novel.
She also closes that gaping story hole of the pack and its reaction to Adam bringing Mercy into their group. The author consistently proves to be a master of writing relationships, but here she really writes the pack as wolves. That makes for some interesting reading to say the least. Fitting in with people would be difficult, but fitting into a literal pack of wolves would be insanity for almost anyone in Mercy's alternate universe. One wrong move, and anyone is prey. It's a dog eat dog world, no question.
My recommendation is to read the whole series. It's a rich and compelling story from the first book to the last. Does it require suspended disbelief? Big time. Is that easy? It is the way Briggs does it. This is a fairy tale for adults, and you never forget that. There are lots of adult themes including rape and the aftermath of rape. This isn't a book for children or almost adults.
Rating: R for Adult themes
Recommendation: It's a keeper.
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I'll try to avoid spoilers. Mercy lives in a world that has changed rapidly for the populous which inhabits it, except for her. She's always walked that fine line between Human and Something Else. She turns into a coyote, and because she's one of a kind, was raised in Montana by werewolves. There is some drama involved with being a coyote among wolves. Drama that only ended when the local Alpha, without telling Mercy, claimed her for a mate.
This is the culmination of that story. Silver begins with Mercy's new beginning with Adam Hauptman, the pack alpha, and the returning of a borrowed book. One of my favorite features of Brigg's storytelling is how Mercy always starts out with something that should not cause a problem, a mundane action that shouldn't result in crazy, yet it always does for Mercy. It's endearing, and by book 5, you truly want Mercy to win in spite of her rotten luck and penchant for trouble.
Samuel Cornick lives with Mercy and can be easily qualified as her best friend. He's a very old wolf with a lot of life behind him and serious present-day depression. Their relationship has evolved to something resembling sibling closeness over the progression of the story, and Briggs skillfully uses Samuel to show us the very best of Mercy in this novel.
She also closes that gaping story hole of the pack and its reaction to Adam bringing Mercy into their group. The author consistently proves to be a master of writing relationships, but here she really writes the pack as wolves. That makes for some interesting reading to say the least. Fitting in with people would be difficult, but fitting into a literal pack of wolves would be insanity for almost anyone in Mercy's alternate universe. One wrong move, and anyone is prey. It's a dog eat dog world, no question.
My recommendation is to read the whole series. It's a rich and compelling story from the first book to the last. Does it require suspended disbelief? Big time. Is that easy? It is the way Briggs does it. This is a fairy tale for adults, and you never forget that. There are lots of adult themes including rape and the aftermath of rape. This isn't a book for children or almost adults.
Recommendation: It's a keeper.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Author as Seducer: How Novelists Turn Readers On
The Author as Seducer: How Novelists Turn Readers On
Warning: This isn't an article for babies. However, I found it metaphorically instructive and entertaining.
Warning: This isn't an article for babies. However, I found it metaphorically instructive and entertaining.
Patricia Briggs' Silver Borne
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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
My Target Experience
Image via WikipediaTwo days ago, my son got his reward for getting 3 A's. We took him to get a Halo Warthog block toy. When we got that toy home, it had half the pieces missing and all the bags opened. The figurines were not there. Having just come from the store, we turned back around and came back, receipt in hand. The woman who handled our actual transaction was not the first we approached. A teenybopper behind the counter was the first we saw. Her manner was beyond rude, veering into accusatory disbelief. Though she knew better than to say it, she made it clear that she believed we had left the store and stolen the pieces, only to bring it back and get another. Beyond that, she explained our options-rudely-, then left the register. I teach Special Education students. One of my students approached me excitedly and wanted to talk. Meantime, she had returned to her register. My son tells me she rolled her eyes at my student. Really? This is the image you want to project? Cruelty and arrogance? That afternoon we left with a sealed Megablock Warthog and a new disgust of Target stores. One, check returns before placing them on the floor, please. How easily all of this could have been avoided! Two, the caliber of your employees, in this case, fell below Wal-mart. While the woman who ultimately did the return was very polite, guess which I remember better. This target is far out of my way and only expediency brought us there that day, but I will think twice before going to any target from now on. My options are many and varied.I can guarantee the Southport location will never see us again. Thank you
Location of store where you shop: Southport Target in Indianapolis
To clarify, I use the verb teach, but do not claim to be a teacher. I didn't want to take the time to explain my confusing job. Other than that, everything in this infuriating experience happened just as explained. RAWR!
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Saturday, March 27, 2010
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