You're a boomerang you'll see

So, I was discussing this list of the best books in America put out in the last twenty-five years. I can't remember who published it, possibly the New York Times or the New Yorker or something... But anyway, it made me long to make a book/author list of my own. These books are not all American, they were not all written in the past twenty-five years, and many of them are children's books. However, they are dear to my heart, and I wanted to acknowledge them somewhere.

Patricia C. Wrede's The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
These were the first chapter books I ever read, and I will always adore them. They are hilariously funny, feminist (as was most of the literature I read as a child, because I was surrounded by lots of very strong women) without being all about feminism, and just all-around wonderful. They have it all: runaway princesses, dragons, wizards, enchanted forests and kings.

All the Tamora Pierce Books
Tamora Pierce's Alanna series was the second chapter book series I ever read. They share many of the qualities that I loved about The Enchanted Forest, but they are very different in a lot of ways. They're more serious, but I love them all. Although I haven't read her newest book, and this is not actually the kind of book I would be interested in reading now, I often reread her older books when I have the time. They are so worth it, really.

Assassin's Apprentice and Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
Although these are the only two books by her that I have read, they are amazing. The writing is beautiful, and the plots are fantastic. The endings are the best though. These two books have probably the two best endings I have ever read. They will break you, but you won't mind because you will be too awed. And the Fool is just. Perfect. I really need to read the last in this trilogy, but I lost it and I don't want to buy a new one.

The Chrestomanci Quartet by Diana Wynne Jones
I guess my taste in books often does go towards YA Fantasy and Comedy. This series is definitely both. It is so wonderful, though. Every time I read these books, I laugh and grin and they make me happyhappyhappy. I have tried to pick a favorite; I have concluded it is impossible. All four are equally wonderful.

Hmm... I guess that's about it for now. More later, though.

So, yeah. There was school, there were sports, there were extracurriculars. It is amazing how little time there can be in twenty-four hours. Anyway, I'm probably not going to be writing much here, except when I occasionally post fics, but I'm keeping the journal up cause I like it for joining communities and stuff. Also, you know, posterity and stuff.

But, today I'm posting some recs, partly so I will remember them and partly for whoever out there who may be looking at this. They're multifandom, and at all sorts of different sites. They are all also wonderful, I promise.
So...
Great Fics I've Read This Year
( Mmmm...Good )

So that's it for now. More later, possibly, or maybe I'll do book recs next time I'm here (yeah, whenever that is...). Or movies. Or tv! Oh, decisions...

I never do memes - I don't really see the point of them usually - but I had to post something and real life is both boring and depressing. The only good thing was I got to watch Troy tonight.

I will sum it up quickly: Brad was pretty and often covered in oil and sweat and often naked. Orlando was pretty and often wearing skirts. The girls were pretty and often wearing nothing at all. Achilles and Patroclus are in love. That is all.

So now the book meme. Like I said, I don't usually do memes, but I like this one. As Lasair said, there is something satisfying about going down a long list of books.

( Book Meme )

Okay, here's my piece for the Harry Ficathon! Hope you enjoy!

Author: eleret
Title: A Loony Proposal of Marriage
Rating: PG
Who you wrote it for: elucreh
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, or this universe. They are owned by J.K. Rowling, and I’m just borrowing.
Author’s Notes: Well, at first this pairing stumped me a bit, but once I started writing I had quite a lot of fun! I really hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. It’s very silly, and not really at all serious, but it was fun!

( A Loony Proposal of Marriage )

Here's my first response to this week's Fifteen Minute Ficlet. I've wanted to do this for a while, but I kept forgetting. So, I figured, since I remembered this week, I'd give it a try.

( Submitting )

Hope it's enjoyed!

Here's my entry for the Harry Potter Flashficathon.
Written for lunacy, who wanted Harry/Draco or Sirius/Remus. The requirement was first time bad sex.
Notes: This is one of the hardest stories I've ever had to write, not because I don't like the pairings - they're my two favorites, actually - but because I am very horrible at writing any sort of first time sex. Therefor, sorry, it's not very graphic or very long. Still not completely satisfied, but deadlines had to be met. I can't remember how many different versions I did of this. I tried both pairings, all points of views, and several genre's. Unfortunately, I deleted most of them. This one happened to be the one I was able to complete and liked the best. Hope it is enjoyed!


( What He Hated by Eleret )

So, I haven't posted in, like, forever. Yeah. I can only plead it having been too cold here to move my fingers. Christmas passed as usual: mostly good, except for the relatives. I mainly took my cousins to lots of movies to keep them occupied. We watched the entire fifth season of Buffy, Alex and Emma, part of season one of Alias (which, by the way, I'm in love with - my sister gave me the first season to me for Christmas, and I'm renting the second season from the local movie store), RotK two times, Peter Pan, and Mona Lisa Smile.

I liked the fifth season of Buffy. It wasn't the best, but it was okay. I love Tara dearly, and am also very fond of Giles, Willow, and Dawn. Spike alternated between funny and pathetic. Buffy was great, but is not my favorite character for some reason. And everyone else knows this already and has for several years because they are normal people with television who don't have to wait 'till the season comes out on DVD.

Alias, as I've already said, was great. I am possibly in love with Vaughn and definitely in love with Jack Bristow. I also love the way Jack and Sidney interact. Their relationship is definitely my favorite of the show, although Sark/Anybody is also good, as Sark is very sexy.

Alex and Emma just amused me. It was surprisingly sweet and humorous.

Return of the King was just brilliant. I loved everyone, especially Eowyn and Faramir, who are also my favorite characters in the books. Gimli was also great, the hobbits were wonderful, as usual, Gandalf was superb, and Legolas was pretty. It was a wonderful movie, and I could probably write a more comprehensible review given time...but oh well.

Peter Pan was great. I fear I am the only one who saw the obvious slashiness of Peter/Hook. I have been searching for some fics, but apparently none exist. I also just loved Peter in general. He was great, and very cute. Also, the "I do believe in fairies" thing was amazingly well done.

Mona Lisa Smile was good. Not my favorite movie ever, on the whole, but pretty okay. Also, it had three of my favorite actresses in it, which was enough to endear it to me.

Besides watching movies, I have signed up for Lasair's Harry Potter Flashficathon. I will probably never finish it, but I intend to try my best. I also finally finished my entry for the first wave of the Percy/Oliver Fic Carnival.

Last of all, I have a rec. It's an absolutely amazing original fic called Butterfly Wings and Useless Things which I have just finished reading. It made me cry for a good ten minutes, mostly because it was so sweet and painfully true to real life. But oh, so good!

Waaaaaaah!

Am in tears over the results section of a science lab. It DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! The graphs are so confusing and I can't figure out how or what I'm supposed to be explaining! I can't stand science! My poor little brain just cannot handle that amount of dull, unemotional, impersonal writing. I get headaches and cannot function! And also I've known about it for weeks but am only just starting it now, the night before it is due! Woe, woe is me, for I am a horrible procrastinator!

Also, the book Johnny Tremain, which we are reading in history, reads exactly like a bad slash story.

I quote: He is leaving me-and he doesn't care-thought Johnny.
"Perhaps I'll go too," he offered, hoping Rab would say, "I'd give everything I've got-even my musket-if you could come," or merely, "Fine, come along,".
"No, you can't," said Rab....
"And there's not one reason why I can't leave for Lexington too, except you don't want me."
He knew this was not true, but he could not help badgering Rab, trying to make him say, "I"ll miss you as much as you'll miss me."

It amuses me immensely. Scenes like these, especially between Rab and Johnny, are dispersed throughout the book. I am half tempted to write bad fanfics, but I won't. I will not fail science!

A scene I was just recalling from a few weeks ago: MARTY, a boy in my class, and NOAH, another boy in my class, are playing teatherball as LINDSEY, one of my friends, NINA, another of my friends, and I watch them.

LINDSEY: You know, teatherball is sort of a territorial sport, isn't it?
NINA and I: Huh?
LINDSEY: Well, I mean, it's really competative it's like...like a competition to see who's the top male. Marty's definitely the top.
ME: Hahahaha...you really don't get what you just said, do you...?
LINDSEY *realizes*: OH GOD! I get it... *cackles*.
ME: And they say that you have the dirty mind!
NINA: Um, right, I really have no idea what you're talking about, but I'll pretend I do.
*facepalms*

God, I love my friends.

Yeah, I actually have nothing to do. My mom's watching friends down stairs, but I'm really bored of the season she's watching and there is nothing to do.

I really loath President G.W. Bush. Has the man even read the constitution? Does he understand the concept of separation between Church and State? I find that very impossible to believe. You can't call it "the year of the Lord," in America and have a week devoted to claiming that mariages are a union between a man and a woman - only. It's America here, and by trying to abbolish the right of GLBTs to marry whomever they want, he is infringing on the constitution. I am very tempted to join every ACLU-type organization that I can.

They are probably the worst day of the week. Even Mondays are better, because they don't have the sort of dread that Sundays do. On Sunday you have a lot of homework to finish, but you don't want to do it. You have to go to the barn to ride your horse, and you have to take a shower an hour before you do so it has time to dry, but you're still not dressed and you don't want to get going. You haven't had breakfast yet, and it doesn't sound very appetizing, but you have to eat something or you'll start snapping at your mom.

Yeah, so, I don't like Sundays. Or maybe it's just that this past week has been so freaking hectick. On Thursday, our class set out for a hiking trip on Mount Washington. We drove part way up and then climbed up the rest and back down. It was exhausting and I got a cold. We went back to the camp site and ate dinner and went to bed and it was cold! We woke up and went for another hike, this time up to the beginning of Tuckerman's Ravine, or something like that. It was okay, except I think I got the stomach bug that one of the boys in our class had because I almost threw up when I tried to drink some water and when we got back down I couldn't eat any lunch. Yeah, this might not sound very bad, but I never throw up - I have, like, maybe once in my life. So then we got home and I felt kind of sick, but I was reading a good book (Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones). I watched The Two Towers on DVD, which was very fun, and drank Ginger Ale, which helped with my stomach. I didn't eat much dinner, either, and then stayed up late on the computer, catching up. I went to bed, but was woken up at one thirty by my growling stomach. I went down stairs and ate some left-overs and then went back to bed. On Saturday, I had to go do a wine tasting with my mom. My dad's supposed to do these because it's his winery, but he had to do one somewhere else. So I got there and found out that there was absolutely nothing I could get myself to eat. I spent the majority of the afternoon snapping at my mom, but then she bought me the new Tamora Pierce book (Trixter's Choice - it's great already!) and I was nicer to her. The day was better after that.

Wow, I'm tired today. Like I said, I hate Sundays. I don't want to get up. Wah.

So, after my last post (which was forever ago *cringe*) I came back from Cape Breton, then went off to camp. I rode fun, easy horses there and went on galloping trail rides. Also got to ride my pony Spring, who now belongs to my cousins. She is the best pony in the world! *nods*.

So then I came back and found out that my riding instructor hadn't been working with my horse Danny for the past week because the barn manager forgot to tell her to. Oh well, I thought, he'll just be more of an idiot than usual. The first day he was okay, not great but improvable. The next day, he was a lot better at first. Then I started lunging him. He took off, ripped the lunge line out of my hands, jumped a few paddocks, and went galloping down the road. They caught him a couple miles down the road with four wheelers. My friend and I had to run the couple miles, of course.

So, it suffices to say that Danny is being sent off the a trainer and then is going to be sold. I don't really miss him. I feel more relieved. And then I went back to school. There was lots of homework.

Also, I'm now riding my mom's horse Oscar because she isn't riding anymore since she fell off of Danny the previous fall and broke her arm. Oscar's really good except that he's a Thoroughbred who raced for a while and won races and thus likes to take off when you try to get on, and at other times. So he was pretty good for a while, but yesterday when I tried to get on he took off with me half on him, ran into a little girl on a small pony, and I went flying off. I fell flat on my back and now my back and neck are killing me. Wibble. Also, I have to get a new helmet because my mom says that once you've fallen in a helmet it doesn't work well anymore. Wah. I cherrish that helmet. It is my pride and joy. They don't make helmets like it anymore.

Oh, and tomorow I have a math test which I didn't study for. I hate school.

Have been traveling for the past two days to Canada with my family. It was a really fun trip even though my parents criticized each others' driving the whole way and then yelled at each other for criticizing. We stayed in a hotel last night! We took the dog, too, and he woke us all up at five to bark. I got to watch about five minutes of Queer as Folk before my parents returned to the room. Spent the rest of the night watching crappy cartoons and shows about young teens.

The problem is that the internet connection from here is really slow and long distance, so not a lot of internet for me. Wibble. I may begin to suffer from withdrawal, my mom says.

...is underway! Check it out here .

I got KISSING BOOTH SCENARIO #2: "When the parents are away,
the kids will play..." for Day One. I'm signed up with the Username CarthakGoddess. I also have no idea what to do. I can't write PWP stuff. I'm no good at fluff at all. I can't write a happy ending unless there's about twenty pages of angst first. Am thinking perhaps I should have signed up for The Punch and Judy.

So, here's my new Live Journal. I've wanted one of these for a while, and today, in exchange for some artwork for her glitterific site, the lovely thieving_gypsy gave me one. So, there's not much for me to say yet. I'll probably be posting sporadically as the urge takes me. I usually only posted on my old Dear Diary journal when I had a rant or needed to wonder about things, but I'm hoping to post more on this one. And that's about it for now!