Anybody else using LiveMocha? Especially to learn French? I just joined (as TechnoMom, of course) and would like to have “friends” there. I started with the beginner level, lesson one, and actually learned a few new vocabulary words. (My wee bit of foreign language instruction in high school sucked, to put it mildly.) You’re supposed […]
Review: Maria V. Snyder’s Study Series
Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder My review rating: 4 of 5 starsI strongly recommend reading Poison Study, Assassin Study, Magic Study, and Power Study all at a go. The two novellas are optional, but canonical and fun. Snyder’s world seems to be made up of just two countries: Ixia and Sitia. Ixia has been ruled […]
Review: The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross My review rating: 5 of 5 starsI don’t give many 5‑star ratings, but The Atrocity Archives deserves one. You may need to read it with a web browser open to look up references using Wikipedia or Google, but if you enjoy Torchwood, Men in Black, or Snow Crash, I […]
American Accent Quizzie
What American accent do you have? Created by Xavier on Memegen.net Northern. Whether you have the world famous Inland North accent of the Great Lakes area, or the radio-friendly sound of upstate NY and western New England, your accent is what used to set the standard for American English pronunciation (not much anymore now that […]
Review: Selene by Lilith Saintcrow
Selene by Lilith SaintcrowMy review I was just as annoyed with this little 5‑chapter novella as I was by the bit that was in an anthology—Hotter Than Hell, maybe? We get a good idea of who Selene is, a glimpse of Nikolai, and lot of Selene being an utterly ungrateful bitch to him, hot sex, […]
Protect Your Dogs and Boycott Four Paws Products Ltd.
First, if you dog has a Pimple Ball With Bell (what an icky name!), take it back wherever you bought it and ask them to refund your money for the dangerous thing, and take the rest off the shelves. After reading about the injuries at least four dogs have experienced due to the absolute refusal […]
Review: The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu
The Iron Hunt by Marjorie M. Liu My review rating: 5 of 5 starsThe Iron Hunt is a beautifully written book with some interesting twists on established fantasy memes. To some extent, I felt that I’d come in to the world on book 2 or 3, but as far as I know (and from what Amazon […]
Review: The Watcher Series by Lilith Saintcrow
Mindhealer by Lilith Saintcrow My review rating: 3 of 5 starsI’m actually reviewing all five of the Watcher books. They’re quite short—novella length, really—and very much interrelated (especially the first four). I read all of them in about a day and a half, despite doing other things. I do advise taking them all in row, […]
Review: Night Child by Jes Battis
Night Child by Jes Battis My review rating: 4 of 5 starsI really enjoyed this book, and hope Battis returns to this world. His prose is lyrical, engaging—a major departure from most of the urban fantasy genre. There were a few little consistency blips that made me think that the book had been edited with […]
Review: In Legend Born by Laura Resnick
In Legend Born by Laura Resnick My review rating: 3 of 5 starsWell-written high fantasy, but honestly, it just went on too long. So far, everybody has lost someone important. Anybody who loves anyone seems to be doomed. Betrayals are everywhere, and that’s something I find profoundly disturbing. The book did end on a note […]