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Post by Shan on Nov 27, 2003 18:49:10 GMT -5
I don't think so. The name doesn't ring a bell, anyway. What kind of thing does she do, Shanno? Well, it's kind of tricky to describe. I'm thinking of her because your writing reminds me of hers (character-driven, reaching into your guts and grabbing hold until you wait for the squeeze and oooh, relief! of the let-go or you get it wrenched out through one ear or another, dragging your heart out with the lot along the way) plus the earlier things-Scottish discussion with Julia. And it's, in places, incredibly, side-splittingly funny. That's the main thing about it. She is a fantastic writer: character, plot, technically...Um...To describe the premise of her books sounds...cheezy, I'm afraid. The first in the series is called "Outlander". Then comes "Dragonfly in Amber" and "Voyager" then "Drums of Autumn" and then "The Fiery Cross" and I think there are a couple more due out in the next few years. There is a slight sci-fi flavor that sets it all up, but...You're better off reading the first one without any preconceptions about what's going to happen or what genre it is. It's fiction, but I can't decide whether I'd file it under Historical, Science Fiction, Romance or...Bloody F*cking Brilliant if they'd make the category. She has more stuff out there and I've read most of it (except for her comic books and her science journals involving pelicans) because she's such a fabulous writer. Since reading her fiction, I hold everything up to the standard she's set in my pleasure-reading experience. IMO, you are good like she is but in a different way because you are you and she is herself. Um....ramble-obsess much, do I? Shanno
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Post by RAKSHA on Nov 27, 2003 18:52:32 GMT -5
If all you've had is Blue Nun and force-fed sherry, it's no wonder you can't remember the last time you've had a nice drink, since you've (IMO) never actually had a nice drink to remember LOL! Think about the kinds of foods you like; that will help you decide what kind of drink you like. Depends also on the season and how you combine them (food and drink, that is). Mmmm.... Shanno I've had a pretty decent education as to fine wines; I just don't like most of them and have a very low tolerance for alcohol. My dad loved good red wines, Bordeau and Burgundy in particular, I prefer the lighter stuff. Beer bad, at least as far as I'm concerned; and I have tasted what was supposedly good stuff, in Europe. I don't like whiskey or vodka (the smell alone makes me want to run away, as it reminds me of vaccinations in a doctor's office). I'm not wild about champagne either.
I just have mostly fallen out of what little drinking habit I had. [glow=red,2,300]GAIL [/glow]
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Post by RAKSHA on Nov 27, 2003 19:00:14 GMT -5
I'm glad Mikimoto didn't win, although now I'm spoiled . The Buffy stuff: not only do Willow and Xander not support Buffy, she has to caretake them almost as much as she does Dawn. Although she makes disparaging remarks about saving Spike's life (in the teaser of Tabula Rasa) the truth is, not only is he relatively nonjudgemental about Buffy, he's the only one of the group who is not physically dependant on her slayerness, and tries to take care of her when she needs it. The first few scenes of "Afterlife" are pretty much definitive of where the heart of Spuffy lies. Spike has been grieving Buffy but does not try to bring her back. He is visibly joyful at her appearance at the top of the stairs (and the shot of him from Buffy's perspective is meant, I think, to make it clear that Buffy knows it) and his first impulse is to quietly and efficiently take care of her. Contrast this with Willow and Xander, especially, when they come into the house; they are totally disconnected from the effect their noise and bustle have on her, and pay no attention to her wounds. In fact, both of them spend most of Season 6, even after OMWF, pretending that ther's nothing wrong with Buffy, and putting the same burdens on her that they did prior to Joyce's death. No wonder she's unbaked; she's never been given a chance to come to terms with the grief for her mother's death, and, as much as Dawn feels that "people keep leaving" Buffy shows the results more. But the saddest thing is, she's complicit in all of this. Instead of letting people know how bad a state she's in, she hides it. Spike is right when he tells her that she needs to let go of the Martyr Complex, as he's often right about these things. Julia, stopped by an avalance of conflicting thoughts about how real people behave: depression makes you boring to yourself and others. One of Buffy's biggest problems is her terrible communication skills. When gripped by strong negative emotion, Buffy either buries it, shuts down, or runs away from it.
I can't remember - did anyone notice Buffy's damaged hands in AFTERLIFE? I seem to remember Spike and/or Dawn doing something about it, but then I might be confusing the episode with fanfic.
Spike can be very still and patient at times; funny, 'cause he's usually so very much the opposite.[shadow=red,left,300]GAIL [/shadow]
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Post by Shan on Nov 27, 2003 19:01:15 GMT -5
I've had a pretty decent education as to fine wines; I just don't like most of them and have a very low tolerance for alcohol. My dad loved good red wines, Bordeau and Burgundy in particular, I prefer the lighter stuff. Beer bad, at least as far as I'm concerned; and I have tasted what was supposedly good stuff, in Europe. I don't like whiskey or vodka (the smell alone makes me want to run away, as it reminds me of vaccinations in a doctor's office). I'm not wild about champagne either.
I just have mostly fallen out of what little drinking habit I had. [glow=red,2,300]GAIL [/glow] Ah, well. We like what we like, don't we? Personally, I prefer the deeper red wines (Merlot, CabSauv, some Shiraz) with big, darkberry flavors, ones like curlique velvet that makes you close your eyes and wait for it..."hmm....What is that?" I like white wines in the summertime, dry and crispy clean, fruity, either pear-like or apple-y. Same for champagne. Can't abide sweet ones unless it's for dessert. For beer, I like Red Hook as an everyday, stouts as a special. For whisky, I like the smoky ones. I guess, for my drinks, I like "a big pair of lips" to kiss me with and "a big pair of boots" to kick me with LOL! Eh, who needs chocolate? Shanno off to check on the Greek lasagne we're having in lieu of turkey
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Post by makd on Nov 27, 2003 20:33:16 GMT -5
Enh. Reminds me of the delightful title of a cookbook I once read: "You've Had Worse Things Than This in Your Mouth!" Are you sure it was a cookbook?
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Post by Wendy on Nov 27, 2003 20:57:41 GMT -5
Buffy's inability to sustain a relationship with a "normal" guy, her mother's illness, and feeling like the only way to save the world is to sacrifice an innocent child all lead up to Buffy being willing to die herself. Her death was as much a running away as it was a sacrifice. "The hardest thing about this world is living in it." Buffy is ready to stop living in it--to lay down her burden any way she can. She says she knows when she's in heaven that everyone she loves is safe, but nothing could be further from the truth. Her friends and sister were in constant danger from assorted demons. The entire world was threatened, since the only living Slayer was in prison. Buffy was the only one who was truly safe. She was safe from all the difficult decisions she had to make when on earth. No wonder she longed for the mind-numbing sanctuary of an assylum. I agree. Even though I understood why she would want to run away, I still thought that she was somewhat giving up when she jumped from the tower. The look on her face was, to me, a look that said, I can end all my pain right here. I felt really sad for her, that the only way to avoid the miseries in her life was to end it. The hardest thing to do in this world is to live in it. Great advice she gives to Dawn, yet she seems not up to the challenge.
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Post by Sandy - lparish on Nov 27, 2003 22:04:06 GMT -5
Hope everyone has had a great day.
My husband and I went to the movies tonight and saw "Secondhand Lions". Really good movie. But, interestingly, Christian Kane played Robert Duvall as a young man. It was quite the swashbuckling part.
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Post by karalee on Nov 27, 2003 22:11:24 GMT -5
Uh, oops. I logged in earlier and then forgot Hope everyone has had a nice day.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Nov 27, 2003 22:20:47 GMT -5
Maybe the trick to becoming un-depressed is to become boring enough to one's self to need another, more interesting distraction (lol @ my boring self). Shanno Also LOL @ partner's "can't you just snap out of it?"That's maybe what gets called "hitting bottom"? What I know absolutely is that going on as if nothing is wrong isn't the way to get undepressed. Julia, sometimes a good old fashioned crying flip-out is useful... but it does tend to take its toll on relationships and I would not recommend it
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Post by Sue on Nov 27, 2003 22:21:30 GMT -5
Nan,
I'll second Shanno's recommendation of Diana Galbadon. I think I've got the first four books in a closet somewhere and would be happy to send one or more to you. There's a element of time travel to them caused, I think, by witchcraft. Other than that the rest is "straight" historical drama. As Shanno says, quite well-written, detailed, character driven. Certainly worth a try. Very, very long books and very dense.
I loved the first two,or three, or maybe four. There's something about long continuing series, tho. Seems like eventually you either wear the characters out or you move one or two generations down the line and somehow those aren't the same people you first got involved with. For whatever reason, read the first book, couldn't wait to get the 2nd and 3rd. Waited eagerly for the 4th to come out but have now lost interest--maybe it's just the time delay.
Let me know if you want me to mail it (them).
Sue
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Nov 27, 2003 22:25:09 GMT -5
<snip> Do we know for a fact that Spike's hands had completely healed from being caught in the sun that Tara had let into the trailer? And was he completely recovered from having been tortured by Glory? Prior injuries could have lessened Spike's effectiveness...
I imagine that Dawn probably did blame herself for shouting out Spike's name. We don't know if they talked about it after Buffy died.
[glow=red,2,300]GAIL [/glow]Just wanted to add the cuts from the sword that Spike held after it was stuck through the roof of the Winnebago... Julia, back from a remarkably pleasant Thanksgiving dinner.
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Post by Julia, wrought iron-y on Nov 27, 2003 22:30:55 GMT -5
Ah, well. We like what we like, don't we? Personally, I prefer the deeper red wines (Merlot, CabSauv, some Shiraz) with big, darkberry flavors, ones like curlique velvet that makes you close your eyes and wait for it..."hmm....What is that?" I like white wines in the summertime, dry and crispy clean, fruity, either pear-like or apple-y. Same for champagne. Can't abide sweet ones unless it's for dessert. For beer, I like Red Hook as an everyday, stouts as a special. For whisky, I like the smoky ones. I guess, for my drinks, I like "a big pair of lips" to kiss me with and "a big pair of boots" to kick me with LOL! Eh, who needs chocolate? Shanno off to check on the Greek lasagne we're having in lieu of turkeyMe, I'm fond of good Oregon Pinot Noir, although a Yakima Merlot is not to be sneezed at and I've had a few way good Aussie Shiraz. But a friend of ours has a vineyard in Newberg (Tualitin) and after being repayed for suckering vines by a '97 Pinot that goes for $60 a bottle, in case lots, I'm pretty spoiled for most wines. Shanno, since our tastes in wine are similar, help me test a theory: what kind of chocolate do you prefer? Meat rare or well? Or if you don't eat meat, oranges or grapefruit? Julia, always looking for patterns
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Post by Shan on Nov 27, 2003 22:34:35 GMT -5
Are you sure it was a cookbook? Positive. No doubt, whatsoever. Mainly because it took me a while to figure out why it was so funny. S
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Post by Nan-S'cubie Mascot on Nov 27, 2003 22:40:54 GMT -5
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Post by Shan on Nov 27, 2003 22:43:16 GMT -5
Nan, I'll second Shanno's recommendation of Diana Galbadon. I think I've got the first four books in a closet somewhere and would be happy to send one or more to you. There's a element of time travel to them caused, I think, by witchcraft. Other than that the rest is "straight" historical drama. As Shanno says, quite well-written, detailed, character driven. Certainly worth a try. Very, very long books and very dense. I loved the first two,or three, or maybe four. There's something about long continuing series, tho. Seems like eventually you either wear the characters out or you move one or two generations down the line and somehow those aren't the same people you first got involved with. For whatever reason, read the first book, couldn't wait to get the 2nd and 3rd. Waited eagerly for the 4th to come out but have now lost interest--maybe it's just the time delay. Let me know if you want me to mail it (them). Sue Not witchcraft, just a natural affinity with the standing stones and their mysterious purpose As for the generational thing with the books, I found it interesting that the characters were different by the fourth book from how they were in the first book. Of course they'd be different; the story spans 20 years or more. Me, I'm looking as much forward to the next book as I did the last. In the meantime, I just read her new "short story" (which is actually normal novel length, not a massive billion-pager like her other ones) called "Lord Grey and the Private Matter" which is also historical and quite interesting. Oh, and there's slashfic in there as well, since Lord Grey is completely gay. Shanno
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