Novel Tourism
Thanks for all the well wishes for safe journeys! We did have a wonderful time abroad, and of the novels I brought with me, I finished almost all of them. If you knew the reading load for the course itself, you would realize that this is either an astonishing feat of speed reading or a realization that I wasn't, in fact, getting graded. (I did read quite a bit of the course material--but when on an airplane, boat, the beach, it's hard to read about sacred geography and Greek religion while also enjoying the journey or the sunshine. Balance is key.)
And so, without further ado, I present world traveling novels.
Welcome first to Istanbul, a city that certainly has magic lurking under its surface. Given that, Shanna Swendson's Don't Hex with Texas was right at home.
It's pictured here in front of the Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia), one of the most confused buildings in the world: it was a church, then a mosque, and now it's a museum that leaves parts from each era adorning its walls. I can only imagine what sort of magical caretakers a place with so much spiritual energy would have if Katie Chandler ever saw through their veils!
From Istanbul to Truva, home of the famous city of Troy. Here, Simon Canderous from Anton Strout's Dead to Me poses at some of the most important locations--possibly taking time to interview the ghosts that must still linger at that site. (I'm curious just how long the pyschometric readings might last given that the war over Helen lasted ten years...)
Here, Simon ponders Schliemann's Trench. Archaeology? Or wanton destruction? You decide. And because Simon is doing his duty as a tourist, he also poses next to the Trojan horse (which is in great condition, considering its age!):
From Troy we make our way to one of the former seven wonders of the world: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. In Ephesus, Artemis was a warrior goddess, so it's fitting that warrior Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrew's Magic Burns is on the scene to take in the fallen temple.
As long as the goddess stays sleeping, we should all be fine (unlike that other war goddess, Morrigan). But we're not done with war. We're traveling to Mycenae, where Perseus, chosen of Athena, built one of the world's most defensible cities of its time: a fortress backed by two mountains and a gorge. Such strategy would suit the Marlovens of Sherwood Smith's Inda.
If Inda had been from Greece, he obviously would have been a chosen of Athena himself.
From Mycenae, we make our way to Olympia, home of another wonder of the world (Zeus at Olympia) and the Olympic Games. And entering the arena are the cheerleaders/spies of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's new series, "The Squad."
Because wouldn't you want to train on the most famous athletic site in the world?
On to Delphi, land of oracles and home to Apollo. Though Percy Jackson didn't make it on the trip (which worked out well enough, since the new book would have been most appropriate for Crete, a place sadly left off of our tour lists this year), in honor of Rick Riordan's depiction of Apollo, the book representing this site is a collection of haiku.
From Delphi to the idyllic isle of Naxos, a place of romance. This, of course, necessitated a visit from Jeaniene Frost's vampire hunter (and half-vamp herself) Cat Crawfield and her dreamy romantic interest, Bones (sadly, a vampire--it's complicated).
But while their relationship may have trials, it doesn't lack steamy scenes (have you read chapter 32?), and I can wish for Cat and Bones to have a vacation to a spot like Naxos in their adventures after One Foot in the Grave. It was a romantic enough spot for Dionysis and Ariadne, after all.
From Naxos to home of democracy Athens. Representing his government in the battle against hive minds is Johnnie Rico and his chapter-worthy battle suit from Starship Troopers. This one was suggested by militiajim, who rightly scolded me for not having read it before. Not only is it a great science fiction novel, but it's a brilliant discussion of civic responsibility and democracy, which makes Athens the ideal location for reading.
And with that, our tour is complete. Some pictures remain, of course--there are bookstores in Greece, and in the airport in London, and I followed blue_succubus's example and took some photos. But given the number of photos already here, that will have to wait for another day.
And so, without further ado, I present world traveling novels.
Welcome first to Istanbul, a city that certainly has magic lurking under its surface. Given that, Shanna Swendson's Don't Hex with Texas was right at home.
It's pictured here in front of the Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia), one of the most confused buildings in the world: it was a church, then a mosque, and now it's a museum that leaves parts from each era adorning its walls. I can only imagine what sort of magical caretakers a place with so much spiritual energy would have if Katie Chandler ever saw through their veils!
From Istanbul to Truva, home of the famous city of Troy. Here, Simon Canderous from Anton Strout's Dead to Me poses at some of the most important locations--possibly taking time to interview the ghosts that must still linger at that site. (I'm curious just how long the pyschometric readings might last given that the war over Helen lasted ten years...)
Here, Simon ponders Schliemann's Trench. Archaeology? Or wanton destruction? You decide. And because Simon is doing his duty as a tourist, he also poses next to the Trojan horse (which is in great condition, considering its age!):
From Troy we make our way to one of the former seven wonders of the world: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. In Ephesus, Artemis was a warrior goddess, so it's fitting that warrior Kate Daniels from Ilona Andrew's Magic Burns is on the scene to take in the fallen temple.
As long as the goddess stays sleeping, we should all be fine (unlike that other war goddess, Morrigan). But we're not done with war. We're traveling to Mycenae, where Perseus, chosen of Athena, built one of the world's most defensible cities of its time: a fortress backed by two mountains and a gorge. Such strategy would suit the Marlovens of Sherwood Smith's Inda.
If Inda had been from Greece, he obviously would have been a chosen of Athena himself.
From Mycenae, we make our way to Olympia, home of another wonder of the world (Zeus at Olympia) and the Olympic Games. And entering the arena are the cheerleaders/spies of Jennifer Lynn Barnes's new series, "The Squad."
Because wouldn't you want to train on the most famous athletic site in the world?
On to Delphi, land of oracles and home to Apollo. Though Percy Jackson didn't make it on the trip (which worked out well enough, since the new book would have been most appropriate for Crete, a place sadly left off of our tour lists this year), in honor of Rick Riordan's depiction of Apollo, the book representing this site is a collection of haiku.
From Delphi to the idyllic isle of Naxos, a place of romance. This, of course, necessitated a visit from Jeaniene Frost's vampire hunter (and half-vamp herself) Cat Crawfield and her dreamy romantic interest, Bones (sadly, a vampire--it's complicated).
But while their relationship may have trials, it doesn't lack steamy scenes (have you read chapter 32?), and I can wish for Cat and Bones to have a vacation to a spot like Naxos in their adventures after One Foot in the Grave. It was a romantic enough spot for Dionysis and Ariadne, after all.
From Naxos to home of democracy Athens. Representing his government in the battle against hive minds is Johnnie Rico and his chapter-worthy battle suit from Starship Troopers. This one was suggested by militiajim, who rightly scolded me for not having read it before. Not only is it a great science fiction novel, but it's a brilliant discussion of civic responsibility and democracy, which makes Athens the ideal location for reading.
And with that, our tour is complete. Some pictures remain, of course--there are bookstores in Greece, and in the airport in London, and I followed blue_succubus's example and took some photos. But given the number of photos already here, that will have to wait for another day.