Just finished three by Linnea Sinclair. OMG! The first one I had trouble slowing down until I knew I could jump right into the second one. The second one I had trouble starting a bit because I was sick, but once I felt better, it was over just like that. So I started in on the third one. It was read in 2 days. And these aren't small books. They have WORDS.

Book Links
Gabriel's Ghost - read this one first
Shades of Dark - sequel to Gabriel's Ghost
Hope's Folly - the whole saga continues, but focuses on a major Minor Character from the first two.

I entered a proposed presentation for Nova Code Camp. I’ve been attending for years, and I’ve been looking for something I thought I could either know enough about to give an interesting talk, or to find something that I could talk about that wouldn’t be more of the same.

And I’m nervous. If I get picked, I’ll have less than two months to perfect the talk, then speak in front of a bunch of guys (and a few girls – typical code camp ratio is 5–10% female), some of whom may know much more on the topic than I do, without looking like a complete idiot. (And if I don’t get picked, I’ll forever wonder why.)

Early on, I started in this crazy profession as a trainer, so you’d think I’d be okay. But it’s been over a decade since I’ve done any regular stand up and talk in front of people.

But it’s time. Time for me to start publicly declaring my technical knowledge I’ve accumulated. And continue to.

BTW, the book purchase dry spell is pretty much done. On Sunday, I picked up two Linnea Sinclair paperbacks from Barnes and Noble – in the store – and Tuesday I ordered WPF in Action (w/vs 2008). Book links below. However, I’ll still be keeping the actual purchases of new books to a minimum, since we’ve got disney world at the end of June.

Book Links

Linnea Sinclair – Gabriel's Ghost

Linnea Sinclair – Hope's Folly

Arlen Feldman and Maxx Daymon – WPF in Action with Visual Studio 2008

Hi, my name is Leah and I’m a bookaholic. It’s been 65 days since I ordered a book off Amazon dot com.

I’m still reading, though, just plowing through the ones I’d stocked up on, and enjoying the couple of pre-orders that came in. (All links go to amazon page for purchase)

Finished

Patricia Briggs – Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, Book 4). (Read in 4 hours in one sitting.) Excellent. Mercedes Thompson is a great heroine, and her adventures and her world are just down the street from my reality. Besides, my father is a mechanic, and grew up in Olympia Washington. Near enough to the Tri Cities area that I pass along the books and he devours them as well.

JD Robb – Promises in Death. Read over the course of two or three days. Mainly because exhaustion crept up on me. I want an Autochef. And Roarke, too, but don’t tell my husband.

Gail Carson Levine – Fairest. Bathroom book to start with, then I had to finish it the other night – stayed up til 1:45 am doing so. Sister book to Ella Enchanted (have, but haven’t cracked yet).

Currently Reading

Ted Bell – Assassin: A Novel. The second Alexander Hawke book. Alex is a spy with a great cast of friends that help him through his adventures. Like the first, the book started slow, and finally the action builds in the latter half of the book.

Elizabeth Moon – The Legacy of Gird (Trade Paperback) (surrender none and liar’s oath trade paperback reprint). Re read. Ms. Moon is finally returning to this world, and while I pretty much read the The Deed of Paksenarrion: A Novel at least every two years, I haven’t read this since I read the original books, so much of this I don’t remember, so it’s like new stuff.

Brian Herbert – Dreamer of Dune: The Biography of Frank Herbert the bio of Frank Herbert. It’s amazing how his ideas and thoughts were shaped by his life in the pacific northwest. Tacoma is another place my father grew up near, and I’ve visited. And the Dune saga is pretty much my favorite body of work.

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson – House Atreides (Dune: House Trilogy, Book 1) House Atreides. After reading the sequels, I’m going back and reading the prequels. Not quite the same as Dad’s work, but close enough so that the difference is not annoying.

Steven James – The Pawn (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 1) Interesting. I picked this up a coupla weeks ago off the sale shelf in a Christian Bookstore. Much of the locale is western North Carolina, which I grew up taking trips to, and tried to go to school at Appalachian State before the great Cancer Experience decided to change my life’s course.

(There’s a book for different parts of the house, and always one in the car. Always reading more than one at a time. Computer reference books don’t count, but it’s still been a dry spell for amazon purchases.)

 

The Not A Tulip Layette is nearly complete. The blanket – with personalization – is done and finished. Everything is packed in a box, with a note. And I finally found an easy bootie pattern I liked. However, the first bootie took me an hour from start to finish. So, the second one will be completed in the morning. And the Secret Pal box is nearly ready – just have to acquire one more item. Tuesday will be fun at the Fed Ex store.

We went to a cookout and my sister gave me a book – Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook – and requested the kittyville hat, and a matching one for the new one (once gender is determined on the 20th) due in February. I flipped through it, and it’s interesting, so she didn’t waste her money. And the knitting book I ordered – Knitting Around – will be the last actual knitting book purchase, at least until the Harlot visits the area on the 20th.

Well, I promised Hubby I’d be up at midnite. So I better go on upstairs.

Happy September!

While many people love spring, I'm fairly ambivalent. I suffer from seasonal allergies that have only recently been controllable (thank you OTC Claritin-generic) and usually start suffering in February.

However, with young kids, I'm making the effort to get them out of the house more, which means I have to get out of the house more, as well. So, since I'm not into running around with them (yet), I've been either reading or knitting.

Yes, knitting. I've gotten back into that. I was knitting before the 5 yr old was born, but had such terrible carpal tunnel with that pregnancy that I couldn't continue. Then, 20 months later, the 3 year old came along. Finally, though, they're old enough so that I can sit for 10-20 minutes at a time, and not have to wait on them, so I need something to do with my hands that isn't in front of a computer.

It's amazing how popular knitting is online. Who needs knitting books anymore? Just google free knitting patters, or knitting blogs, or yarn and see what is out there. I confess, I did purchase one book. Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears, and I wish I'd read this years ago, when she was alive. Anyhoo, I've done two doll blankets at the request of the kids, and I've now got a sweater for the 3 year old in progress, and one semi started for the five year old. I'll see if I can get the digital camera fired up and post pics, like other knitting bloggers.

This will be a constantly updated list of books that I recommend. Generally, sci-fi/fantasy, but other genres will be added as I find ones I think are worth buying new. All links point to amazon, with me as associate. Whether you purchase from amazon or not, I hope you will enjoy these books as I have. Happy Reading!

Dune

• Dune (Book 1)
• Dune Messiah (Book 2)
• Children of Dune (Book 3)

Valdemar

• Arrows of the Queen (Book 1)
• Arrow's Flight (Book 2)
• Arrow's Fall (Book 3)