Books! Excitement! Shazam!

YOU GUYS YOU GUYS YOU GUYS my parents are bringing me the latest Obernewtyn book from New Zealand! (They're on sabbatical. They have the best sabbaticals when I'm not around. They went to France for a year once. This was before I was born.)

It's apparently not actually the last Obernewtyn book, because the series is NEVER GOING TO END OH MY GOD. But NONETHELESS. After all these years of waiting, I finally get the next installment! Maybe some things will actually wrap up. Maybe they'll find Matthew! Maybe Mirrim will reappear! Maybe Elspeth and Rushton will finally be together for more than three pages!

No, that's probably too much to hope for.

I will be seeing my parents on Saturday. I can probably hold off diving into the book long enough to say "Welcome home."

***

Finally: I've finished rereading! The Realms of the Gods! It only took me...a month and a half. *facepalm* I finally added it to my to-do list because clearly it wasn't happening any other way.

Most frustrating thing about this book: Daine and Numair realize their Epic Love for each other halfway through. Then they discuss reasons why their Epic Love might be troublesome. He is twice her age! And he is her teacher! Also, Daine just fell off a cliff and nearly got eaten by spidrens and maybe has a head wound, and therefore is in no shape to be starting a new relationship! Okay, they don't discuss that last one, but it's worth keeping in mind.

And then! And then! They drop the subject and NEVER DISCUSS IT AGAIN.

I am not sufficiently invested in Daine/Numair to want fic addressing this, but...I mean, if you're going to bring it up, you really ought to deal with it, right?

Most awesome thing about the book: darkings. They are shamelessly adorable. I should be irritated at being so manipulated, but I am way too busy going "ADORABLE INKBLOT CREATURES. Awwwwwwwwww."

Amnesia and poetry

I've been scratching my brain, trying to think of something to write an amnesia fic about. I've read good amnesia fic - old roads i go down is a great one for The Social Network, which uses amnesia as a reset button on Mark and Eduardo's catastrophically destroyed friendship - but it's not a trope that particularly speaks to me.

But then, it occurred to me: "I just wrote a post complaining about how Haven afflicted Audrey Two with amnesia and booted her off the show."

And then I thought: "The two Audreys were friends. I bet Audrey One goes to visit Two sometimes, even though the show doesn't show it."

And then I thought: "I could write Bechdel-test-passing Haven fic."

Wheeeeee!

***

Also, a poem! I've been reading lots of poetry lately. It's very relaxing.

My old friend prepared a chicken with millet
inviting me to visit his country home,
where the green of the trees
girdles the village
and beyond the walls the blue hills begin.

We opened your windows to inspect the kitchen-garden
took some wine, and spoke of mulberries and flax.
Wait until the Autumn Festival:
I shall come again, to enjoy your chrysanthemums.

-Meng Hao-Jan (trans. Innes Herdan)