[Books] Rouse, Turner

[thefourthvine]

Book I Have an Issue With: At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream, by Wade RouseI love essays, particularly funny ones. Find me a book of them and I will happily hand over $12 for the privilege of reading it. And this one starts off really well, because there's a raccoon attack. Raccoons to the head are funny. It's a basic rule of

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[thefourthvine]

Essays are a difficult style to pull off. I've never found a book of essays that was consistent enough to make me happy to buy all of it.

See, I only ask for a few hits in a book of essays, because, yeah, it's hard to hit a high note consistently. So I'm happy to have paid for Me Talk Pretty One Day, because of the essay of the title, which is hurt-yourself-laughing funny. I'm happy to have bought David Rakoff's books, even though they aren't super funny, because they are consistently amusing. I'm happy to have bought A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again for just two of the essays, which are truly funny and also validate all my fears about cruise ships and chickens (living). And so on. And, of course, I am happy to have purchased everything by James Thurber, because he really IS just that funny, at least in the things he wrote in the first part of his life. (I'm also happy to have Thurber's friend and co-worker E. B. White's essays, although they are, in the main, not funny and not intended to be.)

One I've found is Keladry of Mindelin, in Tamora Pierce's Protector of the Small quartet.

I will have to read this. *makes notes*

Um, on a last note - did chicken happen?

I am still preparing for chicken to happen; I am planning on embarking on Actual Chicken next weekend. You have to be braced for the sudden introduction of deceased poultry!

[stasia]

Here's Tamora Pierce's website; I do recommend you read all the books in the Tortall series, starting with the Alanna ones. I prefer Kel, but there are story and world building stuff that happen in the earlier books (the Alanna ones, and the Daine ones; which means the first quartet and the second.) ... OH. And you're okay with spoilers! Good, that helps.

Oh, I'm all jumbled up, here, and not making sense. There are four quartets in the Tortall universe. They begin with the Alanna books (she pretends to be a boy in order to be a knight), the second one is about Daine (who can talk to and become animals), and the third one is about Keladry (who is just a person, but who wants to be a lady knight and is willing to do whatever work is required). There are many other books and stories set in Tortall. I think she's working on another full quartet with the Terrier books; they're set ... erm, 500 years before Alanna.

ANY. WAY. This is turning into an essay.

About the chicken - I just wanted to say that, everyone's warnings aside, it's not toxic. Really. I've been eating chicken all my life and cooking it for just slightly less. I cut it last, then put the cutting board into the sink for washing. You'll be fine. Earthling will be fed and happy.

I can't wait to hear more about his, and your, adventures!

Stasia