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I was rather looking forward to finishing my revision of Wayfarer and having it sent off to my editor at HarperCollins (which I did yesterday evening), so that I could get back to blogging some of the thoughts and topics that have been on my mind these last couple of months but which I've really had no time or energy to talk about.

*looks up at that sentence* Wow, that was long. Anyway, back to the topic at hand: I was looking forward to it, as I said. However, for the last three days I have been battling some sort of coldy-fluey* thing and basically, my brain is fudge. So those thoughtful, intelligent blog posts that exist solely in my ambitions at the moment will have to wait.

In the meantime, I give you... book reviews!

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman by Adrienne Kress (fantasy/adventure, contemporary, MG): I loved this LIKE CHOCOLATE FUDGE PIE WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE DRIZZLED OVER THE TOP. Well, maybe not that much. But I did adore it. I love a good kitchen-sink book** and this one fit the bill nicely.

Graceling by Kristen Cashore (fantasy/romance, secondary world, YA): Once I got over some initial suspension of disbelief issues related to worldbuilding, and once I had assured myself that the MC was not in fact going to be a Mary Sue (it was touch and go there for a few chapters), I quite enjoyed it. Certainly the UST is the smoulderingest*** I've read in a long time, though I was surprised that it was resolved so early in the book.

The Name of the Wind (fantasy, secondary world, adult) by Patrick Rothfuss: Definitely worth the fuss people are making of it. Lovely writing, a compelling and sympathetic protagonist, a world that feels like it really has been around for thousands and thousands of years (a trick not nearly as easy to pull off as you might think), and a clever framing device that allows the author to make good use of both third and first person without confusing the reader. I liked the clarity of this: I had no difficulty keeping track of the characters or following the basic plot, which is more than I can say for some other recent fantasy doorstops I've read. Next book, please?

There you are, some actual content for a change. Nothing earthshattering, but it's a start.

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* It's like timey-wimey, only not nearly as much fun.

** Note to self: When brain is working again, do a post on what you mean by "kitchen-sink books", with examples and explanation of why you love them so very much. Surely you cannot be alone in this.

*** Yes, I know this is not a word, but it should be.

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I love love The Name of the Wind, and have since the day I picked it up. I've loved watching the hype form around it, because when I first bought it, it was a total unknown. I'm sad it's taken so long for the sequel, though.

Certainly the UST is the smoulderingest*** I've read in a long time

What is UST? Teach me, plz. ^.^

Unresolved Sexual Tension. :)

Thank you, wise guru. ♥

Have you read Brandon Sanderson? I think you'd get a kick out of his books if you haven't.

No, I haven't read him, just heard about him (and poked around his very impressive-looking website a bit). Now that you recommend him, though, I'll definitely keep my eyes open.

He is one of my very favorite newer authors. What he managed to pull off in his Mistborn trilogy is nothing short of remarkable, IMO--and I am someone who dislikes most epic fantasy (I loved The Name of the Wind, though).

I may be the only one who didn't like The Name of the Wind. I didn't find Kvothe very sympathetic; most of his troubles seem to come from his own character flaws, even if they're facilitated by other people. I ended up skipping to the end and then sort of skimming back through the book.

I admit suspecting at the time that I might have liked it if I was in a better mood, and I'll likely try again after the second one comes out.

Kvothe is certainly flawed, but in a way I found both believable and interesting. Sometimes you want to smack your forehead (or his) because he's being so naive/clueless and/or given to wildly impractical romantic gestures -- but since he is otherwise a smart character and both those flaws are believably explained by his roving theatrical upbringing, I was willing to give him a pass.

The one part of the book that made me go "huh?" was the very long section near the end about the creature he and D. end up trying to kill -- it seemed like a strange digression from the main plot. However, I realize that these details may well become important in Book Two so for now I'll give Rothfuss a temporary free pass on that one.

Rebecca, I'm so sorry to hear you've been under the weather! Congrats on sending off Wayfarer - so exciting! I must say, you have the most stupendous editor ever. ;) I can't wait to spread the news about Knife when the time comes. xo

Thank you, Holly! And yes, she IS splendid, isn't she? Such good taste in books. :)

Name of the Wind is indeed delish. The next comes out in the spring, I think.

Just a squeeish comment to say that I actually met Patrick Rothfuss, back in August at that workshop I went to - he won Writers of the Future a few years ago with an excerpt from the second book in the series. He's a kick in the pants and had a lot of interesting things to say. His professional advice with respect to interacting with people at cons: "Don't be a creepy geek. Be a pleasant, genteel geek."

LOL. Pleasant, genteel geek. Must remember that. :)

i started the name of the wind and
then stopped to read graceling.
neither has snared me right away, tho
i enjoyed both of what i read.

it's just i'm trying to read between
copy edits and writing the sequel. =)

thanks for your compliment on my debut cover.
i LOVE yours. i'd love to sell in the uk, but
i hear it's a hard market to break.

Yes, I was fortunate in that my book has a very English feel (and is actually set in England, though that's not made clear until the sequel) so it was kind of a natural fit. Still, I could only hope that the UK market would pick it up -- nothing's certain in this business!

Yes, I really adore your debut cover and will be keeping an eye out for it when it reaches stores! And thanks for the kind words about mine, too!

Agreed on the latter two counts: I shall have to give No. 1 another try. I got an arc of AATIG and was unimpresssed.

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