Maiden Knight

Every once in a while when I just really need to escape into a great series of books, I pull out my Tamora Pierce sets. This past weekend I've been really sick and bedridden so I needed something to do whenever I wasn't sleeping. Being too uncoordinated for knitting or video games I pulled out my old standby book Alanna The First Adventure.

Being a young adult series this is a fairly quick read and really great for immersing yourself. The series consists of three quartets, Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and The Protector of the Small. There are also a few books that follow or precede these quartets, but these three are the original ones I read. All the quartets follow strong (but not without weakness) female characters trying to be true to themselves in a fantastic world full of challenges.

I generally go back to Alanna and read all the way through the twelve main books. I always forget just how much I love them, and rereading them is like visiting old friends. They are filled with magic, adventure and romance, but also everyday struggles that women deal with when deciding the path their lives should take. These are fantasy books set in the medieval world of Tortall.

This series is young adult, however, and does deal with some subjects like fighting and killing, female menstruation and other women's issues, and a small amount of sex. This is not a graphic series though and all these subjects are mentioned very tastefully and in keeping with the storyline. I think it is a fantastic series for a preteen or teen to read because it is really relatable for someone who is dealing with growing up.

Tamora Pierce Books

This Book is Overdue

I checked out a book called This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson from my local library and I am in love. I've always been a bookworm and always frequented my local libraries so I certainly have a soft spot in my heart for libraries. My current job is doing graphic desing for the Special Collections department of my university library, which has really opened my eyes to the behind the scenes lives of librarians.

Anyway, this book is fantastic. From the awesome cover art to the author's witty praise of librarians everywhere, it gives wonderful insight into just how valuable librarians really are. Not only does she talk about librarians but she discusses new library technologies and how pivital our librarians are to helping intigrate and educate people about them.

Check it out. This book is really heartwarming and informative and really worth a read.
This Book is Overdue

Overdrive

My local library is promoting a fantastic new technology called Overdrive Media Console. It's basically a program that allows you to check out audio and ebooks onto either your computer or mobile device. You just download the software either from their website or mobile app store, enter your local library information and you can find and check out any book that is available in their system.

The only drawback to using Overdrive is that just like physical library books they only have a limited number of "copies" available, so you often have to put popular books on hold. They also are not permanantly available to you and expire after a certain amount of time (determined by you when you check out) and then you are prompted to delete them when they expire.

But besides those small setbacks this is a really great resource. All the books are free to use, just like physical library books and many libraries have a really great selection. I use this all the time for classic books for school since they are almost always available.

Overdrive

The Night Circus

I just finished the most amazing book called The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I don't normally read a book just because it's popular, but this book is worth all the hype. I love that novels in the Victorian era are becoming more prevalent, but this one is impressive because it is really different from anything I've read before. I really love that this book has an overall air of mystery, the story is not told linearly (the story skips forward and backwards in time until it converges at the end of the book), and she ties together all the ends very neatly after the climax.

If you love fantasy novels and want something that is suspenseful but still whimsical then this is a fantastic book. The Night Circus has been compared to Harry Potter, which while I think it does have a similar feel to it, this book is unique enough that it will hold you to the end, and familiar enough that is understandable and enjoyable. So if you want a good read, then I highly recommend this book.

Amazon: The Night Circus
The Night Circus Website
Erin Morgenstern's Website

Craft Lit Podcast

Do you love to craft? Do you love to read? Would you love to read while you craft? One of the best ways I do this is by listening to the podcast CraftLit. I was first turned on to this podcast when I was looking for crafting podcasts and then I was drawn in by the literature aspect. I love to read but I found after being forced to read classics in school I was completely turned off by most of them. But this podcast has helped me discover a great passion for classic books and I am devouring all that I can.


The best aspect of CraftLit is that you can listen to it while you are doing other things. I love to do crafty things while I listen, but it's also such a great way to pass the time when I'm doing housework or am at the gym. Heather Ordover, the host, always has such interesting things to talk about and I have learned more from her about many of the books than I did when I was in high-school.

It's really refreshing to be able to absorb literature when I am so busy. I love the fact that I can reference the books that I've read and understand the origins of much of our contemporary references and media. So if you are interested in books, or even if you just really need to read a particular book I would really encourage you to check this podcast out. You can either listen to the original podcasts with all the crafty info or you can listen to the sister podcast that is is just the books.

Currently, just in time for Halloween, the book being read is Dracula by Bram Stoker. Not a book I would normally read on my own, but I am excited to learn where a large part of our modern vampire lore comes from.

CraftLit