Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

Beginning this book, I was a little skeptical. I had a little bit of reverse psychology working on me - I'd heard some great things about this book, but I didn't really think it could be good as all that. And besides that, it just didn't grab me. It has a lot of the things I usually enjoy in a book, like kick-butt princesses, action, adventure, and clever solutions to confusing problems. But having read the Young Warriors anthology including the short story by Friesner that preceded/inspired Nobody's Princess, I really wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the direction she'd take Helen of Sparta. I liked the short story, but for me it left a lot to be desired. I didn't want to be disappointed if Friesner didn't answer my expectations.

But lucky for me, she did. Helen is smart, driven, realistic, and so completely herself that you can't help believing in her. The story is fast-paced and intriguing - it took some turns I completely was not expecting - and Friesner's writing was fresh and to the point. What was abrupt in short story form is expanded, but still lean and without excess - perfect for a princess of Sparta.

I definitely recommend Nobody's Princess, and I'm looking forward to more of Friesner's writing.

I may or may not be a liar

But I probably am. I hate making excuses for so many posts in a row, but I really haven't had the time or the energy to tackle a full-scale book review. And in the interest of actually doing what I set out to do - blather on about the books I'm reading - I'm just going to talk about what I thought about the books, and the things that particularly struck me about it. This way I'll actually probably get some posts up.

Not so much flaming out on re-entry...

... as being punched in the face upon landing. I had meant to get a review up right after the holidays, but obviously that didn't happen. My apologies. I still won't be able to get a proper post up for a little bit, but here's a little teaser for what I have in store:

1. Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

2. Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce

3. The Naming by Alison Croggon

4. Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey

5. Shelfari.com - how I found it and why there are now over 400 books on my bookshelf.

6. Policies and future practices of Kira's Bookshelf

7. The book fairy, and how I came to be in the possession of over twenty new books. Or, sometimes it does pay to spend book money on friends and family.

Have a good weekend.

Reasons I Should Have Spent My Christmas Gift Money on Books

1. I Should really be trying for personal growth and enrichment. You know, enlightenment. Being able to sound intelligent in front of my peers. I hear books can help with that.

2. Really, my friends/family have enough "stuff", anyway. They really don't need any of the things I got them. And buying myself books wouldn't count as "stuff", anyway, because I am obviously doing it to attain a higher understanding of the world.

3. Really, I'd be giving back to the family. They trust me for the recommendations I give them, not to mention the witty insights into daily life provided by my constant reading. ("Your nose is stuffy like the padding in Alanna's armor! [re: Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce]" "...What?" "I thought so.")

4. Re: Giving back - they always end up borrowing my books anyway, since I'm the one in the family who reliably has new good reading material. I could almost count the books as my gift to them. Except, like, mine. Because I would never let them permanently keep my precious books.

5.Terry Pratchett, Laurell K. Hamilton, Tamora Pierce, Meg Cabot, Robin McKinley, Dorothy Parker, etc. I do not own, nor have I read, all of their books. This is a travesty that must be fixed.

I'm sure I could find more reasons that my attempts to buy my family's love are remiss, but I'd rather not acknowledge some of the ways I've tried convincing myself that I don't really need to prove my affection over and over again each year, and it's really a disgusting holiday anyway, considering all the waste and ill-will that goes into it generally... I do love my family. Really, I do. But...Amazon.com has free shipping for orders over $25. Does anyone but me realize how many books it is possible to get for $25?

...I should really stop now, before I dig out my receipts and this gets even uglier. Besides, now that I've gotten all my presents, I can spend my money on books. Hey, yeah!


PS- Book review forthcoming.