In my archaeology classes, we talked a bit about lumpers and splitters, how people tend to split up species, tool styles, etc – lump them together, or split according some generally subtle difference. I myself tend to waver a bit, but lean towards lumping. This book, which probably has already been read and reviewed by many, premises that a community will split itself up based on differences in personality, detectable and defined by a mysterious drug induced scenario test. But what happens if people can’t […]
Mermaids Be Crazy
Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel has caught my eye for awhile. One, because it was recommended by the 2014 Best American Comics and two, because I thought it was about Mark Twain, one of my favorite writers. Alas, the second is not quite true. There’s only a vague reference to Twain and two creepy boys are allusions to Huck and Tom. So what’s it about? Well it’s centered on a steamship that plys the Hudson river, captained by a Twain and owned by a Frenchmen. […]
I’m just glad there weren’t any government mandated surgeries in this one.
A few years ago (CBR4?) I read Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies and really, really didn’t care for it. But I kind of liked Scott Westerfeld, so I kept up with what he was working on. When I read ModernLove’s review of Afterworlds, I decided that this would be the book where I gave Westerfeld his second chance. The idea sounded so clever and the book was so pretty. I couldn’t say no. I’m mostly glad about that decision. Afterworld’s is something different. It’s actually two stories in one. Not two […]
How Guy Gavriel Kay and Logan Echolls make me feel old
I have been watching Veronica Mars with my sweetie – my second time, his first. During the original airings, I thought Logan was totally swoon-worthy. So angsty and adorable! This time around, I think he fits Veronica’s ‘psychotic jackass’ description amazingly well. And the sweetie keeps asking “when am I supposed to start liking this guy?” A good friend of mine says this means I’ve matured. Hmm. I’m wondering if Guy Gavriel Kay books fit into this pattern. I read and fell in love with Tigana my […]


