Where have I been lately, you might be wondering. There have been classes, sewing attempts, strange colds, and new recipes, but most importantly- I've been finishing the fourth book of Gail Carriger's five book series, The Parasol Protectorate.

I won't go into details because I would hate to spoil anything, but if you happen to be reading this and you haven't tried this series I really do suggest it. The books are consistently adventurous, humorous, and all around fabulous. Carriger has created an wonderfully entertaining series. Dirigibles, Stuffy Vampires, Werewolves, Mummies, and Tea. If any of that sounds interesting to you, give this series a try. The final book, Timeless, is supposed to be coming out in March 2011. As you can see above, they already have a cover.

 

Also, I suspect that the woman on the last two covers is the author herself. I only have her half photo in the book to go off of since I haven't actually looked into this theory, but I thought I'd note it anyway. Plus it looks like she's wearing the same outfit and hat in both covers, the colors have just been changed. Not that I'm complaining, just observing. The first cover is still my favorite.

So it's been nearly forever since I last posted! I've was preoccupied by classes but am more than happy to report that I've passed those classes and am now being set free to enjoy summer! In the time since we last spoke I've read a few books.

The first of which was 'Blameless' by Gail Carriger. It's the third in a five book series. Like the previous two it was a joyful read filled with strange action, steampunk adventure, and the kind of absurd mental images that will force you to laugh aloud no matter where you happen to be or who might be around. Of course, I would suggest starting with the first book, 'Soulless'.


The second book I read was required for my swedish language course, entitled 'I taket lyser stjärnorna'. I gather that it's a roughly autobiographical retelling of the author, Johanna Thydell's, tragic youth, but honestly it was one of the worst books I've ever read. So bad, that I won't even be putting up cover art for it. I'm leaving open the possibility that I just don't appreciate teen angst in autobiographical form. The main character was incredibly unsympathetic and for the most part I just didn't understand what the author was trying to express with this book. I wanted her to make the right choices, wanted to know more about her mother, to understand better who this person was, but every page was riddled with disappointments and things left unsaid. In the end I wasn't impressed and won't be seeking out any more teen angst any time soon.


The third book was also for my swedish class but for this one I was given a list and allowed to choose. I picked Mio, min Mio by Astrid Lindgren- a dearly beloved swedish author that also wrote the Pipi Longstocking books.

It was quite the classic children’s fairytale- before anyone cared about ratings anyway. It's dark and at times quite creepy. I'd also like to note that Ms. Astrid Lindgren was using invisible cloaks long before Harry Potter came about. When I first started reading this book it had a hint of a Harry Potter vibe to it, what with the little boy being an orphan who just knew deep down that his parents couldn't have been bad people and that someone somewhere wanted him, housed by peopled that didn't like him, in a life that didn't suit him, only to find out one day that he was meant for a world of magic and wonder.

It was sweet and hopefully not the last Astrid Lindgren book I try- in Swedish of course.