[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[  Currently: Watching Days of Our Lives ]
Magic Steps is the first book in the Circle Opens series by Tamora Pierce. This series is the follow-up to the Circle of Magic series. The student mages are four years older. Three have gone on to travel the world with their teachers. The fourth, and main character of the book, Sandry has stayed behind to nurse her Uncle, the Duke, back to health.

While there, she uncovers a young man who can dance magic. She takes him on as a student and he helps her solve a series of murders.

Good book. Fun read.

[  Mood: In Love ]
[  Currently: Reading Coronation Street ]
Isabelle Allende is better known for her adult books, the House of Spirits and Daughter of Fortune. City of Beast is her first entry into the Youth market. She should do more.

This think, meaty tome tells the story Alex. His mother is sick with cancer. So sick, that his father has to break-up the family. Alex’s sisters get to go visit his maternal grandmother. Alex is not so lucky, he ends up with his paternal grandmother, Kate, who is a bit like Katherine Hepburn in the Lion in Winter. Not exactly the maternal type.

Kate is a writer and she takes Alex along with her to the Amazon as she tries to find the mysterious Beast. There Alex meets Nadia, a girl who can speak to the native tribes. Alex and Nadia embark on an adventure that involves plots to exterminate the native tribes, meeting prehistoric creatures, finding the city of El Dorado and the fountain of youth.

Pick this one up. It is very well written. I think I may pick-up her other books.

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[ Currently: Getting ready for bed. I am way past my bedtime. ]
Well Heroes is back. And it is a good thing.

So where does this find our faithful heroes you ask?

Well HRG has moved the family to California and changed their name to Butler. Clever. I would never have guessed. We see Claire go to her new high school. HRG tells her to remain under the radar. She manages to do so, without dealing a death knell to the evil cheerleaders. HRG had a new job that involves the dickiest boss ever, but ge uses his smooth moves to deal with the pumped up little man. Good news! Mrs. Bennett, um Butler, is also back. So is Mr. Muggles. Bad News! Mr. Muggles is depressed about having to give up a promissing dog show career. And I’m not sure if that is the real Mrs. Ben. . .Butler. Oh, and some creapy guy who can fly is playing peeping Tom on Claire. Now we know that powers can duplicate. Oh yeah, and brother Lyle had a good day in school.

Matt has divorced his wife, and now lives with Mohinder. Matt has finally made detective. The two men are raising Molly. Uhm, Matt, what about your soon to be biological child? Problem? Molly is having nightmares and drawing pictures about them at school. The teacher is getting concerned. So is Matt.

Mohinder is still expositioning. Only now he’s doing it to almost empy lecture halls in Cairo. He’s also working with HRG to get into the Company to bring it down from the inside. To that end he allows himself to be recruited by a company who apparently uses his power to change objects into gold to be the company banker. Oh, and apparently, Mohinder can cook. Well. Ladies, the line forms here.

Things are not so good for the Petrellis. Nathan’s a drunk. Peter’s dead. Mama Petrelli’s still a bitch. Oh and someone wants to kill her. Nathan’s wife has left him (maybe she’s with Matt’s wife in this year’s hit sit-com spin off The No Longer Narratively Necessary Ex-Wives’ Club). Nathan’s living in Peter’s apartment, while dodging calls from Claire. He also has a killer beard and sees himself as something from a Romero movie when he looks in the mirror. What’s with that? By the end of the episode we learn that Peter is not dead, but is shackled in a shipping container in Cork, Island. Minus some hair, his shirt and his memory. He is also wearing a necklace with the same symbol that is tattooed on Niki’s back and has now adorns Mama Petrelli’s picture.

Sulu and Ando are in New York waiting for Hiro to magically reappear. It’s been (as the episode title tells us) four months with no sign of him. Ando is begging Sulu to give up. Sulu ain’t having any of that. Later on Sulu meets up with Mama Bitch on the roof terrace of Claude’s old apartment. He shows her his, she shows him hers (matching death threat pictures that is). As she leaves, some hooded figure appears. Sulu seems surprised to see him. Especially when the guy knocks him off the roof. And we may never now know Sulu’s power. Although we know he can’t fly! Or bounce! Or survive a sudden, swift impact with cement!

Finally, comes Hiro. He is trapped in the past, where he finds out that his hero, Kensai, is English. Hiro actually calls hims gaijin. I thought that was a bad name. Bad Hiro! Oh, and there is a hot chick. Who thinks Kensai and Hiro are a bunch of dweebs. And the symbol on Kensai’s flag? Matches the new fashion accessory that Peter is sporting. This season is all about co-ordination.

Is that all you ask?

No, I say! There is also a set of siblings. Kaos Device, our live Heroes Blogger, has dubbed these two the wonder twins, and who I am to deny greatness? They are apparently hired smugglers to help them on their journey to New York to meet Mohinder. (Maybe they need their backstory expositioned?) And while they are both mui caliente, the smugglers want only Jayna to ride up front. Initially they accept her no, but then realize her body must have been saying yes! So they dump Zan in the jungle and head for the border. Zan, who may or may not posses super endurance, catches up to the truck after Jayna uses her ebola power. Ewwwwwwww!

But enough Mohindering (my word, copyright 2007), is it good you ask?

Oh sweet jiminy yes. Is is like cracking open a fresh bag of Nibs after a four month diet. Sweet, sweet goodness. The writing is on, the pacing is on, the acting is on, and I have so many new questions that I am waiting to be answered. Bring it on Heroes!

[  Mood: Angry ]
[  Currently: Watching Survivor ]
So remember how I waxed Poetic about the PVR in an earlier post?

Yeah well poetry ain’t coming out of my mouth now.

I set the PVR to tape Bionic Woman and Reaper, among other things, last night. As I went upstairs, I knew Bionic Woman was taping.

When I got downstairs last night, not only was Bionic Woman not there, neither was Reaper. Nor was Journeyman which I had taped earlier in the week. Now the Husband Unit most definitely did not delete them, and the cat doesn’t have opposable thumbs. So all I can assume is a hardware failure.

And it’s not the first time this has happened. Our first PVR had the same problem of shows not recording after about six months of usage. The cable company replaced it after testing our line, the connection to the house and the connection to the main line.

This one started to have problems close to the sixth month anniversary.

The Husband Unit has been on the phone with the cable company. Their response? We’ll send it to engineering.

I’m thinking it’s time to switch to satellite.

[  Mood: Silly ]
[  Currently: Watching Kitchen Nightmares – This Time with Roaches! ]
Very short book – 100 pages but with lovely illustrations. Tells the tail of three siblings who have to move to a relative’s house. They upset a brownie, who starts pulling tricks like tying the sister’s hair to the bed posts and trashing the kitchen. The siblings find a book that help them understand how to save the day.

Soon to be a movie.

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[  Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
This books is the fourth and final installment in Tamora Pierce’s Circle of Magic Series. As the name implies it focuses on Briar, the former pickpocket turned plant mage. He, along with his mentor and teacher, Rosethorn, must help to battle a magically created plague.

This book is full of rich story telling and world building on Pierce’s part. It easily accessible, and a very good read.

[  Mood: Distorted ]
[  Currently: Eating Breakfast ]
Tanya Huff is a Canadian SF/Fantasy author who has produced some pretty good books. Her latest addition to her Confederation series, Heart of Valor adds to that list.

Heart of Valor tells the next installment in the story of Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr, a senior non-com in the confederation Marines. Kerr is typical of Huff’s heroines: smart, tough and not waiting for anyone to rescue her.

But don’t think this is an Piers Anthony "By-The-Numbers" kind of book. Kerr is a tough, believable professional soldier. She is a natural leader who has no desire to become an officer. Having known many non-coms, that is so true!

The action of this book revolves around Kerr having to babysit a major who has just emerged from the tank, after having regrown pretty much his entire body. They accompany a recruit division on their final maneuvers on a training planet to help him test out the new body.

On the training planet, there are robots and drones to shoot at you, to give you the feel of real battle. Their not supposed to shoot to kill. But then someone reprograms the drones and all hell breaks loose.

Kerr is left trying to keep everyone alive, especially after the Chief Recruit Instructor is suddenly acting looney.

Huff has a real ear for military dialogue. Trust me, I have lots of military friends. In addition, her experience in the military has helped with the believability of this novel.

If you like military SF, this is definitely a book for you.

[  Mood: Sleepy ]
[  Currently: Watching Old Episode of Canadian Idol ]
I admit it. I am a TV Junkie.

When the VCR came into my life, it was like manna from heaven. Then came the PVR (Canadian TiVo)and it was like I had arrived at the promised land and St. Peter handed me the remote control.

So when a new season comes, I have to plan my TV watching and taping like a general plans an invasion. Which shows will we watch? Which new shows do we give a chance? Which shows from last year do we dump? Will I tape the west coast feed? Will I tape it off the Canadian channel?

Remembering that we can only tape two things at once or tape one thing and watch a previously recorded show, I make up a spreadsheet with times and channels. I also have to remember that my husband and I don’t enjoy all the same shows. So if it’s Survivor or America’s Next Top Model, I tape it upstairs on the old VCR and then watch it later.

Then I have to schedule in our watching, cause otherwise the PVR gets full and then we get nothing.

So what I am going to be watching?

Race to Mars – Discovery – Sunday at 8:00 pm
Desperate Housewives – ABC – Sunday at 9:00 pm
Cold Case – CBS – Sunday at 9:00 pm
Chuck – NBC – Monday at 8:00 pm
Heroes – NBC – Monday at 9:00 pm
Journeyman – NBC – Monday at 10:00 pm
Project Runway:Canada – Slice – Monday at 10:00:00
Bones – Fox – Tuesday at 8:00 pm
House – Fox – Tuesday at 9:00 pm
Tudors – CBC – Tuesday 9:00 pm
Reaper – CW – Tuesday at 9:00 pm
Top Chef – Food – Tuesday at 9:00 pm
Kitchen Nightmares – Fox – Wednesday at 8:00 pm
Bionic Woman – NBC – Wednesday at 9:00 pm
CSI:NY – CBS – Wednesday at 10:00 pm
Survivor – CBS – Thursday at 8:00 pm
Ugly Betty – ABC – Thursday at 8:00 pm
CSI – CBS – Thursday 9:00 pm
Moonlight – CBS – Friday – 9:00 pm
Blood Ties – Space – Friday – 9:00 pm
Torchwood – CBC – Friday – 9:00 pm
Numb3rs – CBS – Friday – 10:00 pm

Plus Days of Our Lives and Coronation Street.

I am also thinking of picking up Scrubs.

So go ahead – tell me I’m an idiot or a genius.

[  Mood: Fed Up WIth Life ]
[  Currently: Listening to Guy Love from Scrubs ]
So I was doing some more research for the next installment of "What’s to Read After Harry?", and I was looking at other After Harry Booklists. Something I noticed was that two major booklists suggested Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. And I thought to myself, WTF?

First off, Xanth, while full of bad puns that appeal to the teenage geek, is also full of sexist representations of men and women. At times, it borders on misogynistic. It is just not appropriate fiction for kids, a significant portion of the Harry Potter audience.

Second, while Anthony may have produced some good fiction (First three books of the Apprentice Adept as well as the book On a Pale Horse.), he suffers from what happens to some authors. Publishers realize that his name sells, so anything they write will get sold. If not to their main publisher, to a smaller one who knows that the Anthony name is going to generate sales. So books that should not have made it out the door, including back catalog ones.

Third, Anthony has not learned when a story is over. He has taken a fan’s suggestion to lengthen at least one of his series, that was over. I would humbly submit Mr. Anthony, that while fans are lovely people who shell out a great deal of money for your work, they aren’t normally the best sources of ideas for further adventures of characters. Fanfiction.net is but one site on the Internet that proves my point. And given that I made the mistake of reading one of those series inspired by a fan . . .

A quick look around the boards here at Revolution SF reveals that there are many of us who share my views, so I ask, why is he still popular?

[  Mood: In Love ]
[  Currently: Eating Supper – A nice bowl of potato soup ]
So I was reading Star Trek: Remastered on the site, when I noticed the Star Trek 40th Anniversary: Treks of Choice link. So I followed along and noticed that my favourite episode was not there.

So which one do I like? You won’t believe it.

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky

Why? Because it is the only one in which McCoy gets the girl. All of my life, I have watched as every alien, ambassador and slave girl threw themselves at Kirk’s feet. And he preceded to walk all over them. When ever another character, like Spock, got a chick, I rejoiced, even if plant spores were involved.

Given that McCoy was my favourite character, his romance is what puts this over the top of all of them.

Just my opinion.