Enemy of Entropy

So, um, I tried to read this. I really did. I don’t know if it’s “paranormal romance overload” or the fact that I’d just finished reading material from two incredibly good writers (Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear), but I had no patience for the fluff. Overall, I gave the book a 2/10.

i did get through “The Exterminator’s Daughter” Meg Cabot. I don’t intend to read anything else by her. Yes, it was better than oral surgery, but I wish I’d spent the time cleaning the sink or something. To her credit, I did have a “laugh out loud” moment early on, when she used the phrase “tramp stamp.” I hadn’t heard that before, and I love it (although “arse antlers” is probably still my favorite).

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Well, that’s what it felt like. Poor Sam had to take time off from work, because it was Pain Doc Day. The pain doctor is off in the wilds of Cobb County, because that’s where we lived when I started seeing a pain doctor, and it’s darn near impossible to get a reference to a new one (much less trust that a new one will, in fact, keep writing prescriptions for the meds that actually work). Then we headed to Big Warehouse Store to get the RXs filled, and also hit the bank and the post office because they’re just so much fun! And then it was time to go see the friendly therapist lady.

Happily, we were able to game off and on during the day, which made the whole business far more pleasant than it would have been otherwise. And we picked up a great big bag of fat-lady clothes from a nice freecycler! Some of them are so cool the girl is eying them covetously, so I need to be sure they go to my room and don’t wander off to hers.

While we were gone, though, a sweet fairy girl washed our quilt and comforter! Sam put fresh sheets on the bed, so I’ll be crawling into a nice, clean bed next to a freshly-showered, cuddly man soon. That part of the day, I’m looking forward to!

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Sam and I had a very nice date night while Katie was out with her beau. He had started making chili last night, finished it tonight, and added corn muffins. I’m not a big fan of chili (I won’t eat it if Sam didn’t make it), but it was a very satisfying meal.

The girl is doing very well in the online course she’s taking, and I’m happy to say that my semester is going well, too. It’s hard to believe that my baby will likely start college courses this summer or fall!

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I really needed another fiction author to follow, right? But I’ve seen this series of books about a werewolf named Kitty, and I finally got a chance to read them. I finished the first, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, today and jumped right into Kitty Goes to Washington. I have Kitty Takes a Holiday all lined up and ready to go, but I’m already wishing that I had the next volume, Kitty and the Silver Bullet. And that, my dears, is a sign of a fine author spinning a very good yarn, considering all the other books waiting and ready on my shelf.

The library has the books labeled as horror, but I’d put them in the paranormal romance/dark fantasy category. Happily, the “romance” part isn’t the most significant one, and doesn’t get in the way of good plot. There was a moment today when I wondered if Vaughn and Kim Harrison had shared a brain to a small extent, but they’ve dealt with a superficially similar issue in very different ways.

If it weren’t for the fact that I just finally got done with my school assignments for the week, and must get up when Sam does in the morning, I’d probably be sitting up reading!

Now I really need to find a source for these short stories, though. Any of you have the relevant magazine issues?

• “Kitty Loses Her Faith” Weird Tales, #333, Fall 2003
• “Kitty and the Mosh Pit of the Damned” Weird Tales #338, Jan-Feb 2006
• “Looking After Family” Realms of Fantasy, February 2007
• “Kitty’s Zombie New Year” Weird Tales #345

Please note: Yes, I am referring to today, the 12th, which is my birthday. Those close to me know that I generally hate my birthday, as it’s a reminder of multiple miscarriages and other nasty things happening around this time several years in a row.

Sam and Katie managed to make #41 very nice, though.

Sam and I went out Saturday evening to Barnes & Noble, but I just couldn’t make a decision. So many choices! We went over to OutWrite, too, which is always fun. I saw lots of adorable trinkets there, and plenty of interesting reading and listening material, but still couldn’t make a choice. I really liked this mug, and it felt great in my hand, but I couldn’t find out if it’s microwave safe. (My favorite coffee cup was broken recently, victim of my unreliable grip. Thank you, fibro/arthritis/CMP!) Have any of you tried a Quotable mug? How did it hold up?

Oh! On the way home, we started to drive past Krispy Kreme and Sam had a sudden need for donuts, so we popped in there to satisfy that. I’ve never done the drivethrough there before, but things were really crowded in the store. The car line was long, too, but we had the advantage of privacy and good company while waiting in it.

We enjoyed being out, but I came home without having chosen anything but donut fillings. Sam threatened to pick for me if I didn’t make a choice on Sunday. I have a lot of trouble spending any money on myself, or asking for presents, and he thought that’s why I hadn’t chosen anything.

So we went out again on Sunday—leaving the house two days in a row is very unusual for me any more! I had finally decided on exactly what I wanted, and we tried to go get it, but found the place closed for Veteran’s Day. My man insisted on taking me to Borders and buying Kim Harrison’s A Few Demons More, promising that we’d also go to The Place again on Monday. Then he took me to Steak & Shake for dinner, because when I saw the sign I had a serious craving for their mushroom-swiss burger. (Don’t bother with the new Portobello mushroom burger, as you get far fewer mushrooms that way!)

Katie and I (she’s home from school, sick) had a very nice, low-key day Monday, and Sam and I set out again after he got home. This time, success!

I asked for something that probably seems odd to most people—a non-resident library card so I can access the best library system in Georgia, Gwinnett County Public Libraries. But I’d checked, and they have 95% of the books I’m really wanting to read, and past experience says they’ll continue to carry the fantasy and science fiction I love. They have a far better selection of everything than Dekalb, where we live. (Okay, Gwinnett has stopped carrying music CDs, because so many went missing. Big deal.)

I wanted the card instead of a few books, because this way I can read all of them! And, in fact, we came home with nine books that have all been on my wish list for some time, and two or three graphic novels for Sam.

Now I have a whole pile of new-to-me books, and A Few Demons More! They’re all way too tempting to a girl who still has homework to do, including a SWOT analysis that’s due for my management class this week.

Thanks to all of you for the birthday wishes via Facebook, email, Twitter, LJ, etc.