March Magics - day 7

Today's prompt -

Favorite Bad Covers
Fantasy book covers can sometimes be, well, interesting. Share your favorite bad DWJ or Pratchett covers!

So I'm gonna be honest - I got started looking for bad covers, and found some that I really liked instead. So I'm changing this to be my actual, favorite covers - ones that I would LOVE to find on my own shelves.

These HarperCollins covers from 2008 are gorgeous -

And these covers from Gollancz publishing - wow. Simply beautiful. Sadly, they were apparently not ever available in North America, so getting my hands on one of these would probably break the book buying budget!

So, my apologies for changing the question, but I couldn't help but showcase these beauties. I can't wait to see what bad covers the rest of you have found!!

March Magics - day 6

Today's prompt -

Favorite Quotes
This one might be tough to narrow down but also a lot of fun!

So, I'm just going to be honest and say I visited the GoodReads Quotes page - but I found some great ones!

“Being a hero means ignoring how silly you feel.”
~ Fire and Hemlock

“Only thin, weak thinkers despise fairy stories. Each one has a true, strange fact hidden in it, you know, which you can find if you look.”
~ Fire and Hemlock

“But I do think that when people say 'a learning curve,' they make a mistake. Learning to me always seems to go in a straight, ignorant line and then, every so often, takes a jump straight upward.”
~Enchanted Glass

“She's not stupid. She just never lets her mind out.”

~House of Many Ways

I could have gone on for pages, but really this just makes me get excited to read more of these great books! Do you have a favorite quote from one of these authors? Share it in the comments!

Book Thoughts - on genres that I can never finish, and giving up

Have you ever found a genre that you really, really THINK you should read, but every time you try it winds up stalling your reading in its tracks? For me, it appears that genre is the political memoir.

These are the actual words of people who have shaped our world, for good or ill, during some of the most important events we have seen. These are people whose lives are, in reality, fascinating. They have made some genuinely good, and genuinely horrible, choices - everything about these books should be completely engrossing to me.

And yet EVERY.SINGLE.TIME without fail, these books bring me to a grinding halt. I find myself actually choosing to clean my house! (GASP!) rather than sit down and read. The most recent book that has had this effect, that got me thinking about this genre as a whole -

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

She's a goo writer - I mean, she's a journalist, so she should be - she has lived this completely unique life, and had a front-row seat to some defining moments of the 20th century, and yet I just could barely force myself to sit down and read.



Some other political memoirs that have had the same effect on me include....

All of these books, written by intelligent, interesting, influential people, were nearly impossible for me to finish. In fact, I'm not sure I finished any of them. What it is about these memoirs that are so challenging for me? I generally enjoy a good memoir, and I've read political biographies that have been fascinating. So why is the political memoir SO much of a challenge? I think because, in general, these authors seem to have little to no ability to laugh at themselves. They take everything that has happened SO seriously - is this because they are trying to protect their legacy? Keep their public persona intact? Or have they honestly just lost the ability to laugh at themselves? To see some of the crazy things that happened as truly funny, and not just an anecdote to their bigger "story".

I'm not sure. I'm not even quite sure, yet, that this is the thing that inhibits me from reading these books. But there is definitely something.

Reading friends, am I wrong here? Do you have a title that will change my mind? In the meantime, I think this is a genre I am happy to leave on the "Not For This Girl" shelf....

March Magics! Day 2

Today's blog prompt -

Favorite Character
There are A LOT of characters to choose from but is there one that stands out as a favorite?

Well. I have a feeling these questions are going to be easier for me than anyone, since I'm so new to these authors. My answer is clearly Cat Chant, from Charmed Life. I'm very much looking forward to reading more books in the series, though, and finding out if my opinion changes.

Diana Wynne Jones fans, help me out! Who are some of the best characters - which books should I read next? Any suggestions from the Terry Pratchett crowd? 

March Magics!

One of the things that drew me back into the world of blogging was the fun events that I love to participate in. Kristen's events are always some of my favorites (Poe Fridays, anyone??), and two years ago I participated in her Diana Wynne Jones March event and fell in love with an author I'd never tried before. Last year I wasn't blogging, but this year I'm back and ready for her NEW event - March Magics, celebrating the work of Diana Wynne Jones AND Terry Pratchett.

Kristen has lots of fun planned for the month, including two read-a-longs that I hope to participate in. She has also given us lots of blog prompts, and today's is -

 Share your books!
Show us your own DWJ/Pratchett books and/or the books that you are planning on reading this month.

Since I tend to fail at planning ahead, I do not technically HAVE any of the books I plan to read in my hands as I write this post. However, I DO have big plans, and I'm excited to share them with you. 

Kristen has read-a-longs planned for Dark Lord of Derkholm, and Equal Rites. I am hoping to be able to participate in both.

Since I've never read ANY Pratchett before, I plan to start the month reading the first two books in the Discworld series, to be ready for the Equal Rites read-a-long.

When I participated in DWJ March two years ago, Kristen told me to start with Charmed Life, which is part of the Chrestomanci series. I loved it, and would love to continue/finish that series, so I'm hoping to read some of these -

Loft goals for sure, but these books are quick reads, so I anticipate I'll make it through quite a few! I'm excited to get started!!