wisewoman read that one and reviewed it on LibraryThing, Booky. Apparently it's as good, but not as good as the trilogy. Granted, I haven't read any of the books.

I read Winter Rose a little while back and I wasn't confused.

I wasn't either -- at least, not too much more than usual, when it comes to McKillip -- but I got the feeling that I would have been if I read it as one of my first McKillips, and would have disliked it the way I dislike, say, The Tower at Stony Wood. Additionally, I know this is what happened for Valia and malkah, which is why I usually suggest people start with Sealey Head, Riddle-Master, and the like, and save Winter Rose for later.

Discussing Cooper on here with all of you made me yearn to reread a series from my childhood/adolescent -- and going through my bookshelves, I latched on Alexander's Westmark trilogy. I've simply been eating the books up, and am now beginning The Beggar Queen. I think I must have read them a bit too fast (almost) skimming the first time through, because they're quite a bit different than I remembered, particularly The Kestrel. I still love them, though.

Oh I loved that trilogy! Though The Beggar Queen made me cry.
I didn't know you'd read The Hunger Games trilogy, Brisa. Would you recommend it?

Are people talking about McKillip? Ooh . .
I actually think I've only read two of hers - and they were both confusing and kind of annoying. But I want to read more. I've read In the Forrest of Serre, and the Tower in Stony Wood. I'm not sure which was (worse?) better. They kind of mix in my mind - not because of the plots, but the style, and - etc.
So - what a lot I have to say!

The Tower at Stony Wood is sort of confusing. Most of hers are, but that one's a bit more so. I also dislike how

Over the last two weeks or so, I've finished a few more books.

The Midnight Charter:
This is set in a vast walled city named Agora, which is divided into districts, one for each of the zodiac signs. Though the society eliminated money in an attempt to create a utopia, it failed miserably. In the middle of all of this are two children, Mark and Lily. Mark becomes an apprentice to a famous astrologer and becomes famous and rich. Lily creates the city's first almshouse. Add in secret societies and a mysterious prophecy (are prophecies ever non-mysterious? ) and it's a fairly decent start to a series. The cliffhanger is a tad bit annoying though and the book could have used some tightening up.

The Healing Wars Book II: Blue Fire:
I read the first book in this series about a year ago, so I was a bit sketchy on some of the details. Still, I enjoyed this. It's not fantastic fiction, but it has an interesting twist on magical healing and I love the main character. I think this is one series that really would do well as a movie, since there's a lot of fun action.

True Grit:
I cannot understand why this book was ever out of print, much less why it isn't better known. I loved the new movie, but even if it was terrible, I'd be glad it existed since it convinced me to give the novel a shot. Mattie Ross is one of the most unusual and awesome female protagonists I've come across in a long time and the book is full of humor and great dialogue. Which is impressive, considering the subject matter is a bit grim.

Cloaked in Red:
Vivian Vande Velde's return to retelling fairy tales was a bit of a mixed bag. Some felt just a tad bit contrived and others just weren't that enjoyable. The last story, "Red Riding Hood's Red Riding Hood" was great though. Had me laughing out loud and did a nice job of deconstructing a rather absurd story.

That's disappointing about Cloaked in Red. I was hoping for another Rumpelstiltskin Problem!

*ponders Winter Rose some more* It's also possible that since you recommended it to me as a Tam Lin retelling I picked up on the different plot threads quicker than I would have otherwise.

But difficulty wise, I think I'd rank it with Ombria in Shadow, and I believe I read that directly after Riddlemaster et al without difficulty.

*looks fondly at her stack of books from the library* It's full of books we talked about recently: The Search for WondLa, The Edge on the Sword and Far Traveler, Behemoth, and the last(?) of The Squire's Tales.

EDIT: Silly me, I almost forgot about the book I was intending to mention. On Betsie's recommendation of Harold MacGrath, I read a book by him called The Goose Girl which is maybe, possibly, if you squint , sort of like the fairy tale of the same name. It's a lot of fun, and in the same general vein as The Prisoner of Zenda. Naturally, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Lady Haleth, the Seamus Heaney translation of Beowulf is the one I have as well. I quite enjoyed it, and having the original text on one side of the page was nice.

lys, you only read Winter Rose this year? That means I read a McKillip before you did!

Yes, you did. That and Winter Rose.

Do you mean Solstice Wood, lys? And, yes, I also have read The House on Parchment Street. But since you've read The Bell at Sealey Head, The Riddle-Master of Hed, Fool's Run, In the Forests of Serre, and The Alphabet of Thorn, those would be the only ones. And, wow, wait. You liked Winter Rose more that In the Forests of Serre? You didn't ever want to, em...slap a few characters when you were reading it?
Well, I'm not sure what that tag means, but thanks for confirming my memories of I Capture the Castle conversations.
Oh, do let me know what you find about Beauty!

That's disappointing about Cloaked in Red. I was hoping for another Rumpelstiltskin Problem!

Same here.

See, Mel, I actually liked Fool's Run more than I liked Winter Rose. I found it a lot less confusing, even if it didn't completely tie up in the end.
Oh, yes, the Mandie books. They were fun books to read, though, when I first read them and I have fond memories of them (I haven't really done any rereads since they probably wouldn't stand up to my memories). And, as far as books go, they were better than a lot of books I could've found on the library shelves and been reading at that age.
Ooh, the Squire's Tales! I still need to request that the library buy the last two ones...

Sometimes spoilers can be incorrect, too, Brisa. I hope you enjoy it, though!

Elanor, I'd suggest trying The Bell at Sealey Head as well. It was the fourth McKillip I read, but the first one I really enjoyed.

Booky, was the last story in Cloaked in Red the only good one, or merely your favourite? I'm still hoping to read it, if the library ever gets it in.

I finished Manalive the other day. I'm afraid I didn't really like it. I got all the points he was making, but I didn't like how they were made. It was just way too absurd. And I kind of object to
I am currently reading Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse and Miracle at Carville by Betty Martin. The Wodehouse is, well, typical Wodehouse and quite fun. The other book was something I'd found on the shelves in the uni library basement and thought it looked kind of interesting; it's about a woman who, at 19, was diagnosed with Hansen's disease (leprosy), and sent off to Carville, an US Marine Hospital for lepers. It's a non-fiction account written by the lady herself, and though it started in the late 1920s, it's now up to the mid-1940s and still not over yet. There was a huge amount of stigmatism associated with the disease; almost everyone who was in Carville went under an assumed name so that no one on the 'outside' would find out that they had the disease, as it would make life horribly difficult not only for them, but for their families. It's really been a fascinating read.

Meltintalle, I'm glad you enjoyed Leviathan! That's one of my very favorites. I'm sure you'll like Behemoth just as much, if not more. Now I really want to reread those books! Meeep!

I'm still working on The Search for WondLa, but I had to take a break to read Bryan Davis's new book Warrior, which just came out (and I couldn't wait any longer to read it ). Warrior is book two in his Dragons of Starlight series. If anyone's interested, the first book, Starlighter, is currently available for free on Kindle and Nook.

All right - with this encouragement, I'll have to read The Bell at Sealey Head. *orders it from library*
I'm reading lots of Dickens - including Bleak House, which I desperately want to watch again, for Mr. Woodcourts sake.

Valia, did I say I didn't like Fool's Run? If I did that's not quite what I meant. It was a lovely read and fascinating to see how McKillip's style worked in a more sci-fi setting. In comparing it to Winter Rose there was less explained in it about the different characters and plot threads.

*marks down Miracle at Carville as a prospective future read*

Silver, any clue as to what the sequel to Behemoth is going to be? I keep going through the list of great animals in the book of Job (which is what comes to mind for both names) and I can't come up with anything in the more-spectacular yet vein...

Valia, I still haven't read In the Forests of Serre. Tragic, I know. It'll be my next of hers, after this new one that just came out. Although I also bought The Sorceress and the Cygnet recently, and I love the opening sentence ("I was a child of the horned moon"). Eh, too many books. Not enough time.

No, I actually didn't want to slap any of the characters in Winter Rose. Are you thinking particularly of the sister? Normally I would have found a chracter like that annoying too, but somehow McKillip made me feel sympathy for her. Ditto with Damiet Pellior in Song for the Basilisk.

This is an total shameless plug, but for those who have not seen the Writer's World thread, I have written a spiritual warfare novel by the title of "Battle Cry: Adventures in the Kingdom of Heaven". Lighthouse Christian Publishing has picked it up and just this morning it has been released on Amazon.com. Check out the link here.

http://www.amazon.com/Battle-Cry-Adventures-Kingdom-Heaven/dp/1935079468/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295117077&sr=1-17

It is not available in bookstores at this time, but I will be pursuing them. Retail price is $14.95. I hope you readers enjoy it.

Interesting cover! I love the illustration. I just wish the background color was a strong blue color or something like that. I'll see if I can buy it, a'ight?

Also, shouldn't there be a period after the A?