Ex Libris January 2016

Novels/Novellas:
The Paper Magician, The Glass Magician and The Master Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
Heaven by Mur Lafferty
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Short Fiction:
Soursops by Chikodili Emelumadu

Comics:
Bitch Planet No.1 by Deconnick and De Landro

Ex Libris August 2015

Not a lot of reading this month, because of my birthday. Also not a lot of tracking of reading this month... because of my birthday. Oops?

Novels/Novellas:
Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Short Fiction:
Apocalypse Scenario #683: The Box by Mira Grant
Please Do Not Taunt The Octopus by Mira Grant

Nonfiction:
That Seriously Obnoxious Time I Was Stuck At Witch Rimelda's One Hundredth Birthday Party - by Tina Connolly
Prizes for the most seriously obnoxiously longest name ever? Besides that this was incredibly good fun. This is the kind of short story that I would have wanted in novel form at 13/14.

Anthologies:
Rogues ed. George R.R. Martin
I have been meaning to read this for ages, mostly for the Patrick Rothfuss short in it. All the stories were fantastic, except, to me, for the George R.R. Martin one. I don't care for his world, or his method of story telling so it just didn't do it for me. I prefer to think it closed on Rothfuss but that's just me.

Ex Libris July 2015

Novels/Novellas:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Considering how bored I got with the Temeraire series, reading this was like reading a different author's work. Although slow in places, the characters were warmer and the plot more fluid than I was expecting.

Deadline by Mira Grant
A reread of my favourite zombies.

Short Fiction:
The Consciousness Problem by Mary Robinette Kowal
Violation of the TrueNet Security Act by Taiyo Fuji

Anthologies:
Supernatural Noir ed. Ellen Datlow

Ex Libris June 2015

Novels/Novellas:
The Name of The Wind, Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicles) by Patrick Rothfuss
Both rereads for fun. It was interesting to reread these in terms of the Unit on Emotional Writing in my course... If anyone can make you feel what a character feels it's Rothfuss. There are quirks of his writing style which I'm noticing more now on my... many-eth re-reading, which I hadn't spotted before. I'm rapidly being lured back into speculation for the next book... soon please, Mr Rothfuss?

Short Fiction:
none 

Nonfiction:
2k to 10k by Rachel Aaron
Based on this blog post, this book is a little personal anecdote about productivity but it offers some great tips on plot structure and pacing that reinforced some of my course notes about plot. I'm always slightly ashamed that more days than not go by without a single word from me, but the book definitely underlined some of the problems that I'm having and proposed some strategies to help. Recommended, particularly at 99p.

Anthologies:
None

Comics:
none

Ex Libris May 2015

Novels/Novellas:
Thorn by Intisar Khanani
The Seventh Wife by T. Kingfisher
This month I unintentionally found myself reading two books that really reminded me of my dear Robin McKinley, Thorn and The Seventh Wife. The comparisons are obvious - both books owe a lot to a fairy-tale background, both are fabulous young heroines embarking on their coming-of-age paths and both are written by wonderful female authors who know and lovingly subvert the background of folktale that informs their work. Both books are YA, but not less enjoyable for it. The real comparison to McKinley comes in the type of heroine, realistic women, who know the value of the mediocre in worlds beset by the supernatural, the wicked and the divine. I will definitely be seeking out more work by both authors.

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms, Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin
I will admit upfront to not being sold on The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I wanted to love it, particularly after a hundred thousand reviews telling me it was the best thing since laser-sliced bread. It was gripping certainly, but Yeine as a main character ultimately felt too distanced from me personally. Still, that was more than made up for by the worldbuilding, which included a theology most comparable to the Greek pantheon, Gods at the same time devastatingly human and unbridgeable, distant and unknowably divine. The remainder of the trilogy only got better in its exploration of mortals and gods. It's in the reread pile.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
I love the idea of three Londons, it appeals to the folklorist in me. The system of magic was interesting if under included in the book itself. Kell and Lila, the protagonists felt nuanced and likeable but the villain(s) just fell short for me. The motivations were underdevloped and so the threat never really felt real. I wanted to care for the side-characters in danger but never felt truly compelled.

Rapture by Kameron Hurley
Nyxnissa... Really I'd left too long between reading the second book and this one. I'd lost a little grip on Nyx and the political situation in Nasheen but I quickly gained it back. There were some great callbacks to the other novels, with other characters and references, and the reappearance and swift disappearance of one character was devastating but perfect. It was interesting to see Nyx, this John Wayne-esque desperado, dealing with the aches and pains, dealing with getting fat, getting old and getting very tired. The old gun on a last mission is a Western trope that was the perfect end to this series.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
I fell a little bit in love with this book. I loved the willing/unwilling king-figure, and the depth of worldbuilding was astounding. The common complaint, and one I agree with is a lack of action - the plot is slow, in depth and political/personal rather than momentous and physical. It reminded me a little of the Belgariad in its range of political movements. The main character fell a touch flat at times, perhaps because of the subdued obstacles in his way. Often it felt rather as if things were falling into his lap than him actually seeking them out, but his relationships with the other characters were touching - particularly with his heir Idri. I'd like to see something else from this universe, perhaps different people experiencing the aftermath of the political decisions made in this book.

Short Fiction:
The Body Project by Kameron Hurley

Nonfiction:
Story by Robert McKee
The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri

These might have been my least favourite books for the course... long, difficult to stick with but incredibly educational. Copious notes!

Anthologies:
None

Comics:
None

Ex Libris April 2015

Novels/Novellas:
Tomorrowland by Mari Mancusi
I picked this up for free as an Amazon promo, so I wasn't expecting overmuch. The young, attractive popular girl turns zombie-killing shut in, with a lot of self conscious nods to "strong" female characters. There are better YA novels, particularly in the zombie-drenched post-apocalypse genre, but it was a cute little sugar hit. Parasite by Mira Grant generally does it all better.

The Black Prism and The Blinding Knife (The Lightbringer) by Brent Weeks
I powered through these in Edinburgh (five hour train journey either side) and I am itchy to get my hands on the third novel. Weeks is often compared to Brandon Sanderson, and I can see the similarities. They both love to toy with the morally ambiguous, but overall the Lightbringer series seems fresher. It has a simple, but new magic system, that physically corrupts its users, adding a level of danger to what could otherwise be a godmode society. Also props for a) remembering that women menstruate b) it often happens highly inconveniently, and in complete disregard to general heroic happenings and c) is physically uncomfortable and sometimes incapacitating. The younger protagonist is fat, which is frequently mentioned - not disparagingly, but as a physical descriptor and there's no sign of that fact changing, or a physical transformation being any part of the character development arc. Genuinely cannot remember the last time that happened in general media, let alone genre fiction.

Magician, Silverthorn and Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist
This series is classic, and ticks all the same boxes as Wizard's First Rule or Sword of Shannara. Each sequence is a coming of age for white, Euro-analogue teenage boys, as wizards, warriors, rulers and princes. The women, although they err on the side of feisty are not usually plot active. The Queen is thrown away in one rather damning sentence as a little bit boring, but happily very pregnant, in high contrast to the go-getum gals our heroes choose. In fact they all choose... and rather quickly. Feist's intentions seem to be to marry everyone off as quickly as possible so they can get back to heroing, slaying and questing. The depth of the wider world is fantastic however, with a rift-spanning universe, ancient Lords of Chaos and battles from beyond time, it excels mostly as an exercise in classic fantasy worldbuilding.

John Dies At The End by David Wong
I don't know entirely what happened here... but I know I like it. I'm going to be interested to see how the frankly bizarre timeline gets turned into a film, as it's been option for.

Short Fiction:
Ballroom Blitz by Veronica Schanoes
I love the 12 Dancing Princesses, and this is a great take on obligation, on growing old and separately growing up.
La Héron (Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine, March 2015) by Charlotte Ashley
A dreamy, Gothic fairy tale that I'm going to read over and over. Gorgeous atmospheric prose with a Shakespearean depth of action and the fantastic.

Nonfiction:
Screenplay: The Foundation of Screenwriting by Syd Field

Comics/Graphic Novels:
Umbrella Academy 1&2

Edinburgh 2015

Auld Reekie

Two holidays in six months might be a record for me. My best friend and I don't get to see each other very often as we live about 4 hours apart by train, and both work retail's bizarre and soul destroying hours (no weekends off, no Fridays off, no convenient work pattern ever). We had decided to get together and head up to Edinburgh for a long weekend, for some TLC and to get the feel of the place for when she moves later this year.

A kilt in its natural habitat

We stayed really central, just off St. Andrews Square, right near the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and walked pretty much everywhere for the whole trip. Our first night (after a quick Primarni & Boots stop) we headed up the Playfair steps to Crafter's Bar in Lady Stair's Close. It's a lovely quirky hipster hangout, serving artisanal beers and spirits and the best veggie pizzas ever.

We shared the Garden pizza and both had this amazing Lindeman's Raspberry Beer, which is essentially raspberry lemonade for all the alcohol content, but is utterly amazing. The staff were polite but not overly attentive, it's sometimes nice not to be hung all over during your meal. I only wish we'd had room for dessert because it looked amazing!

Fucking drink this beer, trust me.

Afterwards we headed up the Royal Mile to join our guide for a special, spooky tour of Edinburgh's Most Haunted.... Including tales of blood executions, plague ghouls and a visit to the Blair Street Vaults, where we met this charming fellow...

Lazy bones

... And I experienced a weird and persistent bout of spectral flea bites! Joking aside, this was a fabulously ghastly tour, the guide was a master of the theatrical and an absolute scream. Thoroughly recommended, Mercat Tours.

18th century Sedan chair

Always cut through Princes Street Gardens

Both of us are kind of history buffs - we actually became friends in history lessons in college, so we couldn't leave without doing a little history tourism at the Castle, to see the Crown Jewels. The displays here are truly fantastic, but sadly photography free so I can't show them off, which just means I have to go back to see them again.

We saw Mons Meg, which was given to James II as a wedding gift, setting a rather high standard for gifts. Personally a small infantry unit or some smart cavaliers would suffice... I had always thought this was gun that shot the 1 o'clock shot but that is a smaller gun nearby. Probably a good thing, as the last time Ms Meg was truly fired, the shot was apparently found over two miles away. We did join the crowd for the 1 o'clock shot, which is awe inspiring as it is.

Mons Meg, The Grand Old Lady as the plaque delightfully refers to her.

As well as jewels, ghosts and large kegs of whiskey the Castle houses a fantastic armoury, where I became rather taken with this sword, amongst the HBO production worthy collection of halberds, pikes, crossbows and assorted short swords.

I've got raider potential.

This guy hangs outside the castle with a variety of weaponry raising money for a children's leukemia trust. He's incredibly knowledgeable and an absolute riot, and more than happy to let you play with his swords...

We went on to visit the Real Mary King's Close off the Royal Mile, another fantastic guided tour of a street almost emptied by the bubonic plague. This one had more of a Tussaud's kind of theme, relying on mixed media (films, photos and a guide) to tell a story, but was definitely fascinating. After a little meander down to Greyfriar's to visit Bobby (but steering clear of the poltergeist) we finished the day with dinner and drinks at Frankenstein 1818, the most amazing theme bar I've ever been to. They do silent screenings of cult horror movies (we caught the end of Bride of Frankenstein) which you can listen into with headsets, some amazing themed drinks (try the Rotten Apple!) and popcorn. Hang around until 9pm though, when lightning strikes the building, the ceilings shake... and someone... or something... wakes up

Pretty much every bar we went to served gourmet popcorn though, so apparently this is a thing.

The note reads, For Queen Mary Stuart, from Hans and Judith, tucked on a little shelf in the abandoned Holyrood Abbey.

After a quick tour of Holyrood Palace we decided to pit ourselves against the elements, against our own fragile bodies and attempt to climb the Salisbury Crags. Spoiler alert: we made it, despite wholly inappropriate attire.

View from Salisbury Crags, exultant look all mine

Tollbooth Tavern, a writerly abode if I ever saw one.

One folly completed, we followed it up with a bold stroll up Calton Hill to visit the Shame of Scotland, and also to hunch breathless and unfit at the top.

View from Calton Hill

Also well worth a visit is The Writer's Museum, with displays dedicated to Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Walter Scott. This was a truly charming little place, tucked into a courtyard paved with the words of the writers of Scotland. The displays are surprisingly in depth and engaging for such a small museum and the grand 400 year old building is the perfect setting for it.

We had to try dinner at The Hanging Bat (seriously how Goth is Edinburgh?), home of 52 different kinds of gin (Devil's Door was nice) and one exceptionally sweet bourbon (The Bookmaker) and some seriously good pulled pork and mac n' cheese. Next time perhaps The Witchery...

We managed to squeeze in a visit to the National Museum before we went home, which could teach the British Museum a few things about fun and engaging displays to be honest. Maybe I haven't been round the BM recently, but I swear the last time I did it was wall unit after wall unit of single display items with little inter-textual narrative. Also, I like typewriters floating in space.

I dunno, I just love the idea of exhibits hanging like this, It was really effective with sea sponges...

I can't resist the opportunity for ye olde dress up, because in my head I am five.

We gotta dress up

Let it never be said that Scotland gets no sunshine

Of course I couldn't come away without some books... I'm a little in love with Mr Oliver and his charming accent, but sadly both of these will have to wait until I've made some headway with my course books for my Screenplay module next week...