#124 - What? A post with actual content?
Feb. 25th, 2008 01:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reileenFinished reading Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. Technically it's a re-read, which is an oddity for me because I'm a book glutton who rarely re-reads books under the pretense that there's just so much new stuff waiting to be discovered by moi that I can't spare a lot of time to re-read something. But the last time I read this was back in high school, so there's been a fair amount of time for it to seem mostly new and novel to me. I actually owned a copy as well, but I think Mommykins confiscated it along with all of my pagan/Neo-Wiccan books (and she also took my Daughters of the Moon series by Lynn Ewings). The last time I asked her what happened to those books, a few years ago, she said she'd lost them. I suspect that means that she trashed them. But I digress.
I usually don't go for vampire stories. The vampire mythos doesn't do anything for me except make me go, "Hey, I wonder how I can fuck that up in a story?" (For the record, I do indeed have a bit of a mocktastic vampire tale planned, involving a girl who rudely told a snarky vampire-in-disguise to bite her - which the vampire promptly did - but it's only in the prehistoric stages of planning.) But I like this book - even after all the time since I last read it as a stupid little teenager, it holds up as a competent example of storytelling. Turquoise Draka, the main character, is a very likable and sympathetic protagonist. She's badass without being superpowered, and she has weaknesses that she works through without being emo about it and without pages upon pages of navel-gazing - which she really can't afford to do, considering that she's a vampire hunter on a mission. The story starts out as just another mission for Turquoise, and ultimately becomes a cathartic journey for her. The open ending both fascinates and frustrates me, which I suppose is the mark of a well-told story.
If you haven't read anything by Atwater-Rhodes before, I'd recommend checking out her Kiesha'ra series, which revolves around different societies of shapeshifters. In order, the books are Hawksong, Snakecharm, Falcondance, Wolfcry, and Wyvernhail. I'm really fascinated by the worldbuilding. Oh, and the writing is good too, of course. I haven't yet read Wyvernhail, though, which is making me antsy 'cause it's from the POV of one of my favorite characters. But in due time.
***
YouTube, what?
Enough to Go By - Cover of Vienna Teng's "Enough to Go By," transcribed when![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vyctori was kind enough a few weeks ago to send me the chords she had worked out from the song for a school project.
Serenade - That famous one by Schubert.
Old English Court Dance - From Gavotte in B-flat by Handel.
Triskaidekaphobia - An original, which I've blathered about on here a couple of times in the past. Simple chords; repetitive melody; nonsensical, gimmicky lyrics; lazy half-assed soloing in the middle; and passable singing. But it's fun to play. If I were to do a theoretical studio arrangement, I'd probably bring in some strings for the main riff - violin and/or guitar.
-Reileen
and there's a glance in time suspended
I usually don't go for vampire stories. The vampire mythos doesn't do anything for me except make me go, "Hey, I wonder how I can fuck that up in a story?" (For the record, I do indeed have a bit of a mocktastic vampire tale planned, involving a girl who rudely told a snarky vampire-in-disguise to bite her - which the vampire promptly did - but it's only in the prehistoric stages of planning.) But I like this book - even after all the time since I last read it as a stupid little teenager, it holds up as a competent example of storytelling. Turquoise Draka, the main character, is a very likable and sympathetic protagonist. She's badass without being superpowered, and she has weaknesses that she works through without being emo about it and without pages upon pages of navel-gazing - which she really can't afford to do, considering that she's a vampire hunter on a mission. The story starts out as just another mission for Turquoise, and ultimately becomes a cathartic journey for her. The open ending both fascinates and frustrates me, which I suppose is the mark of a well-told story.
If you haven't read anything by Atwater-Rhodes before, I'd recommend checking out her Kiesha'ra series, which revolves around different societies of shapeshifters. In order, the books are Hawksong, Snakecharm, Falcondance, Wolfcry, and Wyvernhail. I'm really fascinated by the worldbuilding. Oh, and the writing is good too, of course. I haven't yet read Wyvernhail, though, which is making me antsy 'cause it's from the POV of one of my favorite characters. But in due time.
***
YouTube, what?
Enough to Go By - Cover of Vienna Teng's "Enough to Go By," transcribed when
vyctori was kind enough a few weeks ago to send me the chords she had worked out from the song for a school project.Serenade - That famous one by Schubert.
Old English Court Dance - From Gavotte in B-flat by Handel.
Triskaidekaphobia - An original, which I've blathered about on here a couple of times in the past. Simple chords; repetitive melody; nonsensical, gimmicky lyrics; lazy half-assed soloing in the middle; and passable singing. But it's fun to play. If I were to do a theoretical studio arrangement, I'd probably bring in some strings for the main riff - violin and/or guitar.
-Reileen
and there's a glance in time suspended
