Libromancer's Apprentice

I took part in a pretty awesome book bingo during September and October, and while not every book I read fit the board, with some creativity I knocked out every square. Read by Candlelight or flashlight: Insatiable / Meg Cabot Phone is close enough, right?  Also eff this book. Magical Realism: Summerlong / Peter S. Beagle Beautifully written, but didn't sweep me along like most of his fiction does. Witches: Witches Abroad / Terry Pratchett Pratchett had a gift for turning his anger into hilarious satire. Genre: Horror:  The Atrocity Archive / Charles Stross Been a while since I've read this, and the earlier books definitely hold a higher level of horror than the more recent ones, even if they're not necessarily traditional horror reads.  Probably for me the most horrific of the series is  The Apocalypse Codex .  I'll be getting to the rest of the series over the next few months in a re-read. Black Cat: Gone with the Witch / Annet...

The Dresden Files  is probably one of my favorite series out there, and was quite conceivably my proper introduction to Urban Fantasy.  Thinking back, I know I read fantasy within contemporary and urban settings, but this grumpy, sarcastic, and too stubborn for his own good wizard caught my attention. And then this collection comes across my radar.  With not just a new Dresden Files story, but stories by some of my favorite authors. Shadowed Souls  is an excellent collection of dark and urban fantasy, and a decent introduction to the genre for the curious.  If you're already a fan of urban fantasy but don't recognize the authors... pick up this collection, you've been missing out. And editor Kerrie L. Hughes gave us some of her time to answer questions about working on anthologies!  Read on! Hello!  Thank you for your time, both in answering these questions and the time invested in such a great anthology. How do you get started with an ...

Slave Hunt (The Subs Club #5) / J. A. Rock Previously reviewed: The Subs Club Pain Slut Manties in a Twist   24/7 I removed the disclaimer for the review on this book that I've included on the first four.  It's not as necessary beyond informing the reader that this is a kinky erotic novella.  It's light, fun, and hot, but is a group story and lacks the almost painful depth of intimacy that the first four books bring out.  The relationships are established, now it's time to play.  However, I do recommend not starting with this book, as it is built on the story grown over the previous four books. In  Slave Hunt , the Subs Club (and their partners) gear up for a game day put on by Riddle.  Tops hunting bottoms with paintball guns, with prizes for most caught, staying free, and of course the enticement of play time with caught bottoms.  The story gives us the tops' voices for the first time, and even lets Maya have some time as a narrat...

I don't have much to say about this chapter, and in many ways it stands as a last calm before the storm.  There's conflict, but as far as conflict goes, a rather minor one, and one that results in Frodo gaining free passage through Gondor. Beyond the location within a secret cave, I don't get the inviolate nature of the pool that Gollum fishes in.  But that's the way it is, and Gollum becomes the elephant in the room.  While Frodo saved his life, this whole encounter probably marks the sharpest change in Gollum's overall attitude towards the hobbits.  When Frodo comes upon him, Gollum is muttering about how he was left behind as the Master went off with new friends, then only to be tricked by the Master and taken captive by men. Things are a bit more serious and weighty in the film, with Frodo caught flat out in a lie, rather than just omission.  This forbidden pool is right out in the open, so I'm pretty sure all sorts of beings end up in it.  The bet...

There's a lot that goes on in this chapter, with the interview of Frodo, the accidental test of Faramir's character, the history lesson, and the revelations. I have to be honest, I'm pretty team Samwise at this point.  To me he's the real hero of the story and the reason the Ring isn't lost a dozen times over.  Frodo has more polish... and that often referred to "light" or "Elvish air," but he's of limited effectiveness.  Frodo changes  over the course of the story, is forced to change, but never really grows .  Sam, on the other hand becomes far more than just a gardner. This chapter really brings to light how things might have gone differently had Faramir gone to Rivendell, not Boromir.  Faramir has far more respect for the history of Middle Earth, the rise and decline of the Numenorans, the lessons to be drawn from it, and even holds the grace of Lothlorien sacred.  He knows of Isildur's Bane and desires it not, both as an abstra...

Wrong Place, Right Time (The Bourbon Street Boys, Book 2) / Elle Casey ( Powell's Books ) Previously reviewed: Wrong Number, Right Guy Life as a single parent is a challenge, and with her children's well-being a priority Jenn isn't looking for adventure or any more uncertainty.  Her sister working for a private security firm is more danger than she wants in her life.  Then she's offered a generous payment for a one-time consulting gig for the Bourbon Street Boys, with auntie babysitting thrown in to sweeten the deal.  Things go well... until someone crashes into the building and she's pulled into a security lock down room with the veritable giant Dev. Stability and security rules in her life, and it feels like that's all slipping away.  Her job may not appreciate her, but it's steady unlike going freelance.  Nothing about the Bourbon Street Boys seems safe, especially falling for one of them. When I read Wrong Number, Right Guy I said I'd def...

It's National Coming Out Day. It's been an interesting year.  In 2015 we celebrated the legalization of same-sex marriage ; this year we've seen floods of anti-queer legislation , shootings at gay clubs , and continued violence in rhetoric. So fuck it.  I'll talk about my orientation, my gender, and my "coming out." I literally cannot remember a time when I was not attracted to both men and women.  The first crushes I can remember having were on Princess Leia, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Dr. Beverly Crusher.  I was maybe five years old.  Did I understand it as a nascent sexual attraction?  No, I didn't have the concepts for that to even occur to me then.  I knew I wanted to be Han or Luke because they got Princess Leia (in my defense, the whole sibling thing didn't register for some time, even if Return of the Jedi  was my favorite of the three).  Of course, Leia had her pick of those two as well as both rocking that bikini ...