Personal Librarian

I just found this awesome story at Bookriot.com (excellent source of all things bookish) and I think that's the job I need to have. It's like having a personal shopper, but better because a personal librarian can bring you actual happiness. I would even hand deliver the books if this was a profitable enough business.

So who wants to pay me to pick out books for them now and forevermore? It's my dream job.

Also, I wanted to share this little mentalfloss tidbit! I love going to mentalfloss.com because it always makes me smile and this article is no different.

There are so many words we don't have in English that we should have! I love the French phrase "l'esprit de l'escalier" which mentalfloss translates as "a too-late retort thought of only after departure".   I also loved "Koi No Yokan" the Japanese phrase for "the sense upon first meeting a person that the two of you are going to fall in love." Who knew the Japanese were so romantic?

The Brides of Rollrock Island

I ADORED this YA book by Margo Lanagan. She has written other books, too (Tender Morsels, Black Juice, Red Spikes) but this is the only one that I've read. It was incredible, especially if you're a slave to magical realism.

The story is told from several different points of view. From young children, to the ugly Misskaella, to adult men. Misskaella is a girl that grows up on Rollrock Island (an imaginary place set off the coast of what I presume to be Ireland) with magical abilities. She's had a difficult life, growing up ugly and unwanted by nearly everyone in her life, but she can magically pull unearthly beautiful women out of the seals that flock around Rollrock. The men of the island are bewitched by these stunning women and begin to pay Misskaella gobs of money for their very own seal wife. Trouble ensues, of course.

I could not put this book down. It captivated me more with every word that I read. Like any very well written book, it left you wanting more and more. Enjoy - I'm giving it five stars.

A Song of Fire and Ice and Wow I Cannot Stop Reading This Series

So here's a note on George R.R. Martin's series that has become so famously popular (and rightly so!) by the new(ish) HBO series, Game of Thrones: READ THE BOOKS.
If you like fantasy, swordplay, zombies, dragons, quests, knights, princesses, sex, wine, and rock and roll, this is a series for you.

I started reading the first one last summer and I'm now currently reading the fourth book, A Feast for Crows. Just keep in mind that each book is between 800 and 1000 pages, which can be daunting at first. But a week or two later when you're deep in the throes of madness in King's Landing, you'll be glad you gave it a try. I won't even give away any spoilers.

At this point, there will be seven books, at least that's what George R.R. Martin has said. These are the five that are out currently.