caffeine and books

[escritoireazul]

Usually I don't start on the caffeine until 10:30 or so, when I have a mid-morning snack and a diet Dr. Pepper. Up until that point I drink ice water (and I drink it after, too, but exclusively up until then). Today, not so much. By 8:30 I had tea brewing, and an ice cold can of diet Dr. Pepper on my desk. I've since finished my cup of tea (cranberry blood orange, which is my new favorite, I think), another glass of ice water, and part of the diet Dr. Pepper. I also had a chocolate chip cookie, because this place is horrible about food. All we do is eat or talk about what we're going to eat. Last week it was the guys making waffles and sausage biscuits and what-not in the morning; today they brought homemade chocolate chip cookies, donuts, and homemade seven layer dip.

It's snowing today, so I'm layered, but I also realize I have lost enough weight I can no longer wear my favorite hooded long-sleeve t-shirts to work without another shirt. They have v-shaped necks and they just dip too low now. (Well, okay, I can no longer wear them to work without another shirt. I can probably still wear them out.) The last time it snowed, months ago, I layered more than this (three shirts); today I am only wearing two long-sleeve t-shirts, but I am back to the two coats (light jean jacket and leather motorcycle jacket), and I wear the jean jacket throughout the day because I get cold easy here.

(I've just started my second cup of tea--blueberry this time.)

I hate snow. Have I mentioned that lately? Hate it, hate it, hate it. I will move somewhere with no snow someday. Just Monday I was so excited because when I left work I could still see the sun. Now there is no sun at all. I need the sun.

I forgot my gym bag at home. I'm so exhausted if I go home to get it I'll want to sleep. Maybe I'll lift at home and go to the gym Thursday instead. I couldn't sleep for ages last night, and did not want to get up this morning when my alarm went off. I wasn't doing anything productive, either, just reading my new books. One of them was Empress of the World and I think I will talk about it later today. I expect another shipment of books from Amazon within the next few days.

In addition to my question last night, who is going to Wiscon? (Yes, kphoebe and cabell, I'm pretty sure you two are going, yeah? Well, I know you are, Karen, and I assume you are, Cabell.)

I should maybe go do work. Except all I want to do is put down my head and sleep. I have another of my new books with me (Stealing Princes, the sequel to Pulling Princes), so maybe I'll read that.

Comments

[cabell.livejournal.com]

Of course I'm going. :-) And if you're coming, you should register soon--they're going to run out of dessert salon tickets!

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

Have registered for dessert salon tickets. It will be fun!

Is J. going to WisCon, or will he just be in town that weekend? I think the latter, but now I'm not sure.

[aphrodite-mine.livejournal.com]

I hate snow. Have I mentioned that lately? Hate it, hate it, hate it.

GAH!! Me too! I woke up this morning, and was VERY VERY upset. VERY.

I've never liked snow, never liked cold...

One of them was Empress of the World and I think I will talk about it later today.

OMG. I flove that book. So. Amazing. I am so addicted to lesbian teen fiction novels, it is not even funny. Have you read "Gravel Queen"? And "Keeping You a Secret"? *SQUEE*

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. I was so upset and frustrated (and, um, cold) when I woke up this morning and saw the snow on the ground. Ours mostly stopped by mid-morning, and it didn't stick much (and not at all on the roads) but that's not the point! It is FEBRUARY! It is almost SPRING! We had a warm holiday season. There should be no snow now (or, um, ever).

I am also addicted to lesbian teen fiction novels! I have been buying and devouring as many as I can, because this is (part) of what I am writing in my original work.

I haven't read "Gravel Queen", is it good? I loved "Keeping You a Secret," I think it's been my favorite of everything so far. "Truth Dare or Promise" was also good, but Secret was better.

I liked Empress of the World a lot, and I'm glad there will be a sequel out this fall.

Do you have any other recommendations?

Do you read Tamora Pierce? Her latest, The Will of the Empress, has a lesbian character in it, and it was fantastic. I love her stories anyway, and have been reading them since I was a kid, and she's always had subtextual homosexual characters, but when it was fully text in Empress, I was thrilled.

[aphrodite-mine.livejournal.com]

Gravel Queen by Tea Behndum (totally spelled wrong) was an awesome book. And I love EVERY teen novel that Julie-Anne Peters (Keeping You A Secret, Luna, Define Normal, Far From Xanadau) has every written. In fact, I generally love teen novels in general!!

I've never read Tamora Pierce, but I think I will pick up that book. I definately dig lesbian characters anywhere I can find them.

So... ahm... are you a lesbian yourself? (is clueless about these things)

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

I do like teen novels, and have been reading them even more than normal because I've decided I want to write them, too, in addition to my preferred genre (supernatural adventure stories), so now it's all about research as well as enjoyment.

You know, I didn't realize Peters had written Luna, too. I'm definitely going to have to pick up more of her books, because Secret was so good.

Are you a fan of sci fi/fantasy? Pierce writes a lot of that (all right, she writes it exclusively), and she makes the characters really compelling.

The lesbian character is in The Will of the Empress, as I said, which follows two sets of quartets: Circle of Magic and The Circle Opens. She'll be in the teen fiction of Barnes & Noble, right outside the children's section unless they've changed it since I left the store. (They may have, it's been a year now.) Circle of Magic could actually be in juvenile fiction, it seemed to be aimed at younger readers more, but The Circle Opens was older, and Empress is definitely for teen readers.

She has another series, too, set in Tortall, and there are a number of books in it, three quartets and a duet: The Song of the Lioness, The Immortals, and The Protector of the Small quartet, and then Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen.

Both series have a lot of magic in them, and they are in semi-medieval settings. They are a lot of fun, and have really interesting and strong characters. The main characters are almost always women, which I love.

If you like boarding school books, I'd recommend Tyne O'Connell's Pulling Princes, Stealing Princes, and some third one I haven't read yet and don't know the title. They're funny, and light hearted, all about this American girl going to boarding school in England. My best friend lives in England and I love all her stories about school there, so reading books about boarding schools is just the next step.

I'm bisexual, though I lean a little more toward the female side of the spectrum. I'm also a very liberal feminist. (I used to do poetry readings with a local writing group [I don't even know if it still exists] called Prescription Strength Poetry, and talked often about tits and hips and ass. The last year I was in it, there were only three active women, and we used to play off each other with our wording and the way we were raunchier than the men.) That aside doesn't really have anything to do with being a bisexual liberal feminist, but it's where my thoughts went.

[aphrodite-mine.livejournal.com]

I don't read much sci-fi fantasy, (well, I don't read too much any more actually... damn school. But, I love it, so meh.) though I do LOVE LOVE LOVE the Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey. Oh do tell me that you've read them!! *wishes*

I have actually heard about Prescription Strength Poetry, but have been intimidated by it because it is so male dominated. And my writing is so short story and fan oriented lately that I don't know that I could even feel comfortable approaching a poetry group. *makes a face*

Yeah, I'm definately a lesbian, though I haven't had any experience other than a few (very tame) kisses. But I don't think its experience that makes you who you are, its something deeper. :) (Yeah, coming straight off of GSA discussion night... wooo)

[nikitangel.livejournal.com]

I might be going to WisCon - depends on whether I get into Consol-eing Passions, which is the same weekend.

[escritoireazul.livejournal.com]

What's Consol-eing Passions?

I hope, either way, it ends up being a fun weekend for you!

[nikitangel.livejournal.com]

It's an academic conference, mostly feminism and media.

http://www.cp.commarts.wisc.edu/

I submitted a abstract, but I've never done that before, so I'm not holding out a great deal of hope *g*