I am the Kat that Walks By Itself

Author influence meme from various people:

Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen authors (poets [and comic book authors] included)* who've influenced you and that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.
( author, author! )
Of course, if I'd taken more than fifteen minutes, or actually perused my bookshelves, I would probably have given different answers.

Hello, My Name Is Kathryn, and I am a bookaholic.

I have just been updating my "to read" list (with my new system, using taskwarrior). There are 229 unread books on the list, though some of them are re-reads, and there are probably a number of non-fiction books that haven't been added. But that's not the half of it, not even a quarter of it. My net-fic wiki informs me that there are 428 fanfic stories I haven't read yet, and that there are 429 e-books I haven't read yet.

I could get really depressed about that. I shall just have to be even more ruthless in dropping books/stories when they don't hold my interest. But it does make it hard to decide what to read next.

However, speaking of books, I really must rec Many-Coloured Realm which I just finished reading. Or, technically, re-reading, since I had read (a version of it) many years ago. Still just as good. Many hidden gems inside it.

I got a letter this week, which had me bursting with squee.

A fantasy novel I had read an early draft of many years ago, a novel I utterly adored, a novel I dared not hope would ever be published... has been published.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Ahem)

http://www.manycoloured.com/

The author is Annie Hamilton, long-time friend of mine, who taught me huge amounts about writing and editing, back in the day.

The story itself, which I read when it was titled "Tumbl'tower", might, at first glance, seem to be just another of the ten million children's fantasy novels around - it's got goblins and elves and magic, and human protagonists on a quest through a fantastical land - but there are places where it subverts the tropes, and others where it introduces things that are completely new. There are characters I loved, and a sort of mythic depth to it - you feel as if the Realm is old, with layers of history in it, not just a clone of modern Europe with magic-technology slapped on the top of it.

And, as the author points out on the site, there isn't a map. (grin)

My copy of altariel's "Never Ending Sacrifice" arrived today. Squee!

I have just finished reading Knife by rj_anderson! It got to the point where it was un-put-downable; I've been reading non-stop since lunchtime, because I didn't want to stop. And me having read an earlier draft, too! But a number of things about the plot worked much better this time around. And of course RJA knows how to write.

I have to rave on about the trilogy I just finished reading, the "Novels of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman" by Pamela Aidan. The three books re-tell the events of "Pride and Prejudice" from Darcy's point of view. And it works, it really works. I especially loved the third book, where the events come to a head.

1) An Assembly Such As This
2) Duty and Desire
3) These Three Remain

Those who are interested, might like to note that my Reading List has been updated.

I started off looking to see if "Flatland" was at Project Gutenberg (because someone on my flist mentioned it) and ended up burning for myself the Project Gutenberg Science Fiction Bookshelf CD! Nifty!

I also downloaded and burned the Project Gutenberg July 2006 DVD, but it isn't as convenient, since all the files are zipped, whereas the SF CD is all ready for browsing.

And, yes, "Flatland" is on the CD.

In other news, my sister-in-law helped me go furniture shopping. IKEA. I think I'm supposed to hang my head in shame for being so plebeian, but considering that a number of my bookshelves were bought from the Reject Shop, I don't really care. The actual item is still in S-I-L's car, since they were going to get a trolly to help carry it in, and since they haven't arrived, I'm hoping they'll do it tomorrow. So I'll hopefully be angsting over allan keys (how do you spell that thing?) tomorrow.

I would like to get my father a book or two for his birthday, but I don't really know what he would like. I know that he enjoys the following:
- P.G. Wodehouse
- J.R.R. Tolkien
- Sherlock Holmes stories

I don't think he would like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett, though, because they are too cynical. With Wodehouse, he enjoys not just the humour but the wordsmithing.

Oh flist, do you have wisdom to share?

More thoughts on Deathly Hallows and Potter in general.
( here be spoilers )