Need someone to listen? Call Anna Smudge!

Eleven-year-old Anna Smudge may have wealthy parents, but that doesn't mean her life is easy. For starters, she rarely sees her parents. They are intensely involved with their business, and they seem to have very little to do with their daughter, who is an only child. Anna is bullied at school by Jacob, a fellow classmate, who despises her for no apparent reason and does all he can to get her in trouble. She gets into trouble, though, even without his help - she is very slow at doing things, often running late, and that causes problems for her.

Things begin to change, though, when Jacob falsely accuses her of biting him, and the teacher (without even asking to see the bite mark) sends Anna to the principal, who scolds her without bothering to listen to her side of the story, leaves a message about her "misbehavior" on her father's answering machine, and then sends her to the counselor's office. Instead of the person Anna expects to see, there is a new counselor, a young, pretty woman who listens calmly to Anna, not only making her feel better about herself and her inability to rush and multi-task, but also giving Anna the inspiration to become a psychiatrist herself - after all, Anna is a great listener.

One of Anna's friends prints up business cards, and Anna is set to go. She listens calmly to people who seem to need help, and she finds that she does have a knack for making them feel better. When the bully Jacob grabs Anna's new business cards and throws them to the winds, however, Anna finds all kinds of people from all over the city calling her for help. One of them just happens to be Donny "the Meatball" Fratelli, an escaped convict who is a hit man. His employer is the mysterious Mr. Who - a supposedly fictional crime lord who, it turns out, is all too real. And when Anna secretly erases the principal's incriminating message from her father's answering machine, she inadvertently sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Donny being hired out to kill her own father! Anna needs to act quickly to save his life.

This novel has many aspects that I would typically associate with superhero comic books: the villains are larger than life and often amusing; the characters fall into clear, stereotypical categories, there is a great deal of exaggeration that strains the believability of the story, and the ending has no real narrative conclusion, leaving plenty of room for the next book to pick up where this story left off. Unfortunately, those qualities work fine for comic books, but not, in my opinion, very well for a novel. I do believe my qualms may well be those of an adult, however; most kids will probably enjoy the ride without thinking too much about it. I like my characters to have solid motives so their actions are believable, and I like the narrative to flow from those actions in a way that makes sense.

For example, when Anna's business cards go flying all over the city, it prompts the appearance of a news van at her school the following morning, complete with reporter and cameras to find out who Anna, the professional shrink, actually is. This was a bit baffling. As was the fact that Anna is repeatedly called a professional shrink, but no one every actually pays her. Anna's therapy consists of a few kindhearted words that turn people's lives around instantly, and suddenly everything is all better. And when it is finally revealed who the dreaded Mr. Who actually is, the story goes beyond far-fetched.

I love the idea, though, of these young kids finding a passion for a profession and supporting each other as they follow their dreams. Anna's other friends include a young boy with a love of food who aspires to be a chef, and a girl with a nose for news who dreams of being a reporter. The illustrations are bold and expressive and give the book great appeal. Here is a picture of Donny "the Meatball," one of my favorite characters, because he has hidden depths. I wish there were more of these illustrations to accompany the text.


I enjoyed watching Anna's relationship with her friends develop, as well as the way the effects of her newfound confidence in herself as a shrink influenced the rest of her life. This series will focus on Anna and her other "professional" friends as they band together in an effort to capture the evil Mr. Who. The next installment, due to be published in May 2009, will be Quenton Cohen: Professional Chef.

Anna Smudge, Professional Shrink (Book one in The Professionals series) by MAC; illustrated by Glenn Fabry (Toasted Coconut Media, 2008)

Wiley & Grampa's Creature Features

In a fairly recent post at Nymeth's blog in which she reviewed The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby, she included the following passage from the book:

“And please, please stop patronizing those who are reading a book – The Da Vinci Code maybe – because they are enjoying it. For a start, none of us know what kind of an effort this represents for the individual reader. It could be his or her first full-length adult novel; it might be the book that finally reveals the purpose and joy of reading to someone who has hitherto been mystified by the attraction books exert on others. And anyway, reading for enjoyment is what we should all be doing."

That passage came to mind as I thought about what to say about this book, which is written in the vein of Captain Underpants and other fairly silly books for kids. Often when I'm at the library, I see children run to their parents excitedly with an armful of books to check out, but one look at the books, and the parents are nixing a whole bunch of them. The kids seem so disappointed, and I want to say, "Isn't reading supposed to be fun? Aren't we supposed to be instilling a love of reading in these kids?"

This is one of those books that some parents will eye with distaste, and it certainly isn't for every reader - but it's fast-paced, full of adventure, and funny. And if it brings kids pleasure and makes them want to read another one, isn't that the point? Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now.

The book opens with a warning to readers, saying that the story is so frightening that certain people (including the faint of heart, pregnant women, children under 46" tall - as well as those who are scared of bats, rats, or old hippies) should put the book down immediately. As the story begins, Grampa and Wiley are carving pumpkins in preparation for Halloween. When they see a commercial for Colonel Dracula's Monster Truck Spectacular, they both know they just have to go - even though a tornado is headed their way and Gramma has expressly forbidden it.

When they make it to the colusseum (barely) in one piece, they find themselves chosen from the crowd to drive a British Mini Pip-Squeak car in a game of chicken against Dracula's terrifying mudsucker monster truck - while being pursued by gigantic robotic lobster claws. As hair-raising as that particular experience is, their troubles are only just beginning. As if it weren't bad enough that Gramma's going to be furious when she discovers that they've gone out during the tornado, wait till she find out that Dracula seems to be very interested in her - for she's the spitting image of the portrait of his dearly departed wife! Grampa and Wiley had better act fast if they want to keep their family together.

The large, bold illustrations and sizable comic-book-style font makes this an appealing book to even the most reluctant readers. It seems angled to attract boys, but both my daughters devoured it in a single sitting and giggled the whole way through. The humor tickled my funny bone as well: one of the monster cars had a large sharpened stake on its roof and was called "Vlad the Impala" - and in a later scene, when Grampa and Wiley go into Dracula's lair, they find a shelf full of various skulls, one of which is labeled "Abby Normal" (Young Frankenstein is one of my favorite films, so I particularly appreciated that one!).

Books in the Wiley and Grampa's Creature Feature series:

1. Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular
2. Grampa's Zombie BBQ
3. Monster Fish Frenzy
4. Super Soccer Freak Show
5. Bigfoot Backpacking Bonanza
6. Hairball from Outer Space
7. Night of the Living Eggnog
8. Phantom of the Waterpark
9. Curse of the Kitty Litter

Dracula vs. Grampa at the Monster Truck Spectacular (#1 in the Wiley & Grampa's Creature Features series) by Kirk Scroggs (Little, Brown and Company, 2006)

High school detective has a serious problem!

Jimmy Kudo is a brilliant student and amateur detective whose idol is - you guessed it - Sherlock Holmes (his father is a mystery writer, and he's grown up immersed in detective stories). Jimmy is a local hero, respected by his peers as well as the police, who value his insight and assistance with difficult cases. However, he is also arrogant and a bit full of himself - but luckily, he has his friend Rachel (who calls him "detective geek" and pokes fun at him for taking himself so seriously) to keep him from becoming too self involved. Despite her jokes at Jimmy's expense, it is clear that Rachel adores him - but as brilliant as he is, Jimmy hasn't a clue about that.

When he takes Rachael to an amusement park, there is a grisly murder on the roller-coaster involving a decapitation (it becomes immediately evident why this manga series is kept in the YA section of my library) , and Jimmy is quickly able to determine the true culprit, despite an array of baffling evidence. On the way home, though, Jimmy follows some suspicious characters he'd seen earlier that night, and he runs into what appears to be a clandestine, illegal money exchange. He is caught spying on the men, who capture him and give him what is supposed to be an untraceable poison, a substance that hasn't yet been tested on humans. Jimmy is surprised when he wakes up later - he'd thought he was dead for sure - and he's even more surprised to find himself in the body of a seven-year-old!

Suddenly no one's taking Jimmy seriously anymore. He finds himself living with Rachel, who thinks he's just a cute little boy named Conan, and helping her loser detective father with his cases - without getting any credit for it. He hopes to use her father's resources to track down the men who gave him the substance in order to figure out how to change back into his real self - but he doesn't know where to start.

This is a promising beginning of a series, full of humor and suspense, and very clever mysteries. Aoyama gives plenty of clues, and it is fun to try to solve the puzzles before "Conan" does. Jimmy is much more likeable in his little boy form, and it is fun to watch him squirm when Rachel reveals her true feelings for Jimmy to the little boy, telling him to make sure to keep them a secret! I will be looking forward to more excitement, romance and mystery-solving in volume 2 of this series.

Case Closed, Volume 1 by Gosho Aoyama (VIZ Media, 2004)

Presenting...the Irresistible Review Challenge!

When I started writing this book blog a little over a year ago, I never dreamed that it would it be so fun, nor that I'd meet so very many wonderful people who enjoy reading as much as I do. Not only that, but through the many passionate, well-written reviews of my fellow bloggers, I've been exposed to an amazing number of wonderful books and authors I might otherwise never have heard about, let alone considered reading. More and more books have gone onto my TBR list (and my bookshelves...and my library card) - and I've begun to notice that the ratio of books loved to books read has skyrocketed.

So, in tribute to the many book bloggers who've added shocking numbers of books to my reading list, I present the Irresistible Review Challenge, which begins now and runs through Labor Day. Here are the rules:

1. Read 8 books between now and Labor Day (September 1) that you were inspired to read after reading a fellow book-blogger's review. Ideally the books will be ones you'd never heard of or would probably not have considered reading had it not been for the review. If you expanded your horizons or went beyond your usual reading comfort zone because of the review, all the better!
2. Write a review of the book on your blog.
3. (The most important step) Make sure you link to the review that inspired you to read the book in the first place!
4. Books read for other challenges count.
5. There is no need to make a list ahead of time - for this type of challenge, it's probably best to remain open to serendipity in the bookblogosphere!

Interested? Just let me know in the comments, and I'll add you to the list of participants I'll be putting in my sidebar. I'm planning on having some book giveaways to add to the fun, and anyone who participates in the challenge will be eligible. Hope you'll join the fun!

A windowless tower prison

This book had me from the first line: "My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years." How can a reader resist a beginning like that?

Written in the form of a diary kept by Dashti, lady's maid to a young noblewoman, the book is set in a fictionalized ancient Mongolia. Dashti is a peasant girl, a "mucker," from the steppes, and upon the death of her mother she travels to the city, looking for work. She knows songs of power, and can sing them to heal, soothe, and for other useful purposes. This gift allows her to obtain the necessary education and training to serve as a lady's maid, and she gladly swears fealty to Lady Saren - even offering to accompany her to the tower when Lady Saren refuses to marry the man of her father's choosing.

At first Dashti is astounded by the sight of seven years' worth of food, unable to believe her good luck at knowing she won't be going hungry. But after a few months of the dark, windowless tower, never being able to catch the slightest glimpse of the sky, and Lady Saren acting depressed, hardly even talking to her, Dashti yearns to be outside in the fresh air. Still, she does not sit around complaining, but does her best to comfort her lady and keep as active and engaged as she can. She learns that Lady Saren lives in absolute terror of Lord Khasar, the man her father has ordered her to marry, although Dashti is unable to find out exactly why. When the young man Saren wishes she could marry instead shows up at the tower one night under cover of darkness, Lady Saren orders Dashti to speak with him - to pretend she is Lady Saren. Dashti is reluctant, but eventually finds herself talking and laughing with him through the tiny hatch at the bottom of the wall, as if she's known him all her life.

But then he leaves. Winters come - they are dark and cold; summers come - they are stuffy and unbearably hot. Worst of all, Lady Saren's dreaded Lord Khasar comes, and Dashti quickly discovers he is indeed a man to fear.

Dashti's intelligence and compassion color all that she writes in her book of a thousand days. I enjoyed the unusual setting, including the evocative names of the kingdoms ("Goda's Second Gift," "Thoughts of Under" and "Song for Evela," among others) and the way Dashti's mucker heritage informed how she perceived the world around her - but did not prevent her from forming her own opinions based on new experiences. I truly enjoyed this book, as I have all the books I've read by Shannon Hale, and this retelling of the Grimm brother's story "Maid Maleen" is inspired and memorable.

This is my final book read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge II - which makes my challenge complete! Don't forget to stop by the review site for this challenge - there are over 300 reviews posted there so far, so it's definitely worth a look.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury, 2007)

Also reviewed at:
Everyday Reading
Read, Read, Read
Sassymonkey Reads
Valentina's Room

Spy School

On the surface, 15-year-old Cammie Morgan is a student at an exclusive boarding school for privileged, wealthy girls. But that is just her cover. In reality, the Gallagher Academy is a school for spies in training. Many of the girls are the children of spies, wishing to follow in their parents' footsteps; some are simply extremely bright children who have scored well on the aptitude tests and entry exams and who have spy-ish ambitions. Cammie's mother is a spy - and also the director of the academy. Cammie's father, who was also a spy, went on a mission several years earlier and was never seen again.

Cammie is starting her sophomore year, which means she is finally old enough to take Covert Ops, a class she's been looking forward to taking for years. The new teacher is a very hot James Bond-type guy, and Cammie's not sure how she feels about him, especially after seeing him wink at her beautiful mother. On their first assigned "mission" for class - to go into town and shadow a faculty member (who happens to be the most paranoid faculty member on staff) at the local carnival, Cammie learns there's more to covert ops than she previously thought. Although she is nicknamed "Chameleon" for her uncanny ability to blend into her surroundings and escape notice, she realizes that someone has noticed her, and it's a very good-looking, friendly boy her own age. She chats with him for a while, makes up some lies about herself so as not to give away her true identity, and hurries off to catch up with her classmates and finish the mission.

But she can't stop thinking about Josh. He thinks she's a normal girl, and for the first time Cammie sees the allure in that. She runs into him again, and they start seeing each other, Cammie sneaking off through the underground passageways of the school. Her friends are suspicious - is Josh really what he seems, or is there more to him than meets the eye? With her super-genius spy-trained friends to help her investigate, Cammie discovers creative ways to put into practice everything they've been learning in school. But she soon realizes that even genius girls don't always have the best judgment, and she has a whole lot to learn about romance, boys, friendship - and covert ops.

This was funny, exiting novel with an interesting premise that never took itself too seriously. Cammie is a genius, sure, but she's also fifteen and makes the same kinds of mistakes that every teenager makes - although possibly without the spy gadgets and genius pals for backup. I enjoyed listening to the audio version for the most part, although I did feel the reader's voice was a bit too breathy and sweet for a tough-as-girls spy in training. And when she did Josh's voice, it unfortunately came out sounding exactly like the voice of Bart's friend Milhouse on The Simpsons, so initially I had a hard time seeing him for the hottie Cammie and all her friends made him out to be. Still, I plan to listen to the next book in the series, because it sure was a lot of fun.

Book in the Gallagher Girls series:
1. I'd Tell You I Love You, But then I'd Have to Kill You
2. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You (#1 in the Gallagher Girls series) by Ally Carter; narrated by Renee Raudman (Brilliance Audio, 2006)

Also reviewed at:
Sapphireone
Sassymonkey Reads
WORD for Teens

Anita Blake, vampire hunter: the prequel

This graphic novel tells a story only alluded to in the first book of the Anita Blake novel series. We know from Guilty Pleasures that Anita had a run-in with a vampire, leaving her with horrific scars that she usually keeps covered with long sleeves - as well as a cross-shaped scar on her arm that mirrors the one Jean-Claude bears on his chest.

A vampire is killing children, and the police have asked Anita to help track him down. Edward is also looking for the vampire - but for his own reasons, and he wants Anita to help him. Manny and Anita follow the trail of the killer to a house that appears to be empty of all but coffins, but a nasty little surprise awaits them.

I enjoyed reading this story - it filled out a small gap in the Anita Blake series, although there were no huge surprises or revelations. From the size of the hardbound book I was expecting something a bit longer, but the story ended about halfway through. It turns out the story was published in two comic-book-size volumes, which are collected here, and those make up just the first half of the book. The second half is a sort of fan guide to Anita's world, with illustrations of characters and descriptions about them and how they fit into the series. I suppose it would appeal to die-hard fans of the series - and I did enjoy looking at the illustrations - but personally I wasn't terribly interested in it. I feel I know enough from having read the series already. Luckily, I got my copy from my library or I might have been just a tad disappointed.

The illustrations are lush and detailed, and convey the dark horror from the novels very effectively. I am very much looking forward to the publication of the hardcover Guilty Pleasures, Volume 2, which is due to be released in August. A glance back into the past is fun, but I find it more interesting to move forward with the characters into the future.

Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter: The First Death by Laurell K. Hamilton, Jonathon Green and Wellington Alves (Marvel Publishing, 2008)

Also reviewed at:
Books 4Ever
Reading (B)log

Bringing the magic back to England

In an alternate 19th-century England, magic is a thing of the past. Yes, there were once powerful magicians who performed marvelous, unbelievable feats of magic, but now magic is like Latin or ancient Greek: scholars dedicate their lives to studying it, but no one can actually perform spells anymore. It's the profession of nobleman who can afford to sit around studying old textbooks, and there are societies of learned gentlemen who meet to discuss magic and its history. It is considered eccentric, if not utterly ridiculous, to actually attempt to do magic.

But there is a prophecy of two men who will restore magic to England after an absence of hundreds of years. The men are completely different in personality and temperament: Jonathan Strange is creative, impulsive, passionate and curious. Mr. Norrell is self-centered, egotistical and timid. He hoards all the books of magic in England so that he can be the one to "control" the magic. But times are changing in England, and despite the two men's differences, they find their destinies entwined as a heartless foe preys on their country and loved ones.

It is hard to decide where to begin in describing my feelings about this novel - first and foremost, I'd have to say ambivalence. It wasn't until over halfway through the book (and it is a long book - 800 pages) that I began to like it, in fact. We are not introduced to the two main characters for a very long time - and the first one we meet is the highly annoying Mr. Norrell. Call me superficial, but I find it hard to enjoy a book if I haven't got a single character I can identify with. There aren't too many likable characters in this one, but after a while I did begin rooting for Strange (although he was fairly annoying at times as well).

The writing is exquisite - Moore's use of language is exceptional, and in the narration as well as the dialog she captured the feeling of 18th-century Britain very well. But at times I felt like screaming at her to get on with it, already, to stop meandering all over the place and tell the story. At other times the footnotes and off-topic ramblings captivated my attention. The third-person narrator got on my nerves - at times it was omniscient, going into people's thoughts and hearts and relating private things to the reader. But at other times it got all coy and would only give out bits of rumor or things written in letters, as though the book were a completely factual historical narrative. One kind of narration or the other is fine with me, but it must be consistent. The narrator shouldn't be omniscient at times and limited at others, just to suit the aims of the storyteller - otherwise, to this reader at least, it feels too contrived and throws me out of the story.

I do not know how I would feel about this book had I read it instead of listened to it on CD. The reader, Simon Prebble, did an excellent job, although I did find it disconcerting when he mispronounced the word "sidhe," a particularly important and often-used word in the book, because it took away a bit of his authority as the storyteller. Aside from that minor quibble, though, his narration was very compelling. Listening to the book rather than reading the text makes me slow down and really take in the language, rather than rushing through to see what happens next - that is not an option with an audiobook.

In the end, I was glad I had read this book, and I have the feeling that the characters and events will stay will me for a long time to come. But I don't have the feeling that it will be a book I'll be rereading in the future. This was one of my picks for the Mythopoeic Award Challenge, and I can certainly see why it won the award!

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke; narrated by Simon Prebble (MacMillan Audio, 2004)

Also reviewed at:
Books for Ears
This Delicious Solitude
Girl Detective

The plot thickens at Cross Academy

This manga series follows the life of Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy. The Academy has two classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. Yuki is one of the few who know the secret of the alluring Night Class students: they are all vampires. Headmaster Cross has a vision of peaceful coexistence between vampires and humans, and he's hoping to promote that with the night school. However, vampires can be dangerous, and Yuki, together with her friend Zero, are charged to be Guardians of the school, protecting the day students from the Night Class - and its secret.

This volume takes us back to Yuki's past. We learned in the first volume that Yuki was rescued from a terrifying vampire attack when she was very small, and her rescuer was pureblood vampire Kaname Kuran, who is also the Night Class president. In this installment, we travel back into the past for a closer look at this incident, as well as the friendship that grows between Yuki and Kaname throughout her childhood.

In the present day, Yuki's relationship with Zero is finding new feet as well, after a particularly startling revelation that occurred in the previous volume. There are many unanswered questions that may be answered in future installments. Who is the old friend the headmaster refers to when he speaks with Kaname? The one who appears to be the inspiration for the Night Class initiative? Why does Zero continue to be sent on vampire hunt missions? And is the petite, innocent-looking new Night Class student really the same vampire who slaughtered Zero's family when he was a boy? And how is the Night Class/Day Class plan supposed to result in humans and vampires peacefully coexisting when the two groups are rarely allowed to meet, and the Day Class is completely unaware of the existence of vampires?

The plot is definitely thickening, and the characters are moving into place. Tension is building between Zero and Yuki - he hates all vampires; he hates himself. She has admired and idolized Kaname since she was a child, and she clearly has feelings for Zero. It appears her loyalties are soon to be tested...

I'm enjoying this series so far. Yuki is a brave and likable heroine, and the set-up for things to come is certainly intriguing. It will be interesting to see the direction the next installment takes.

Vampire Knight, Volume 3 by Matsuri Hino (VIZ Media, 2007)

A ballad brought to modern life

Janet Carter has grown up in in the shadow of Blackstock College in Minnesota, where her father is an English literature professor. She has been surrounded by the classics of literature her entire life, loves to read, writes poetry, and fully intends to become a lit teacher herself. So it is only natural that, upon finishing high school (it is in the early 1970s), she enrolls at Blackstock College herself.

She finds herself living in a triple room with Molly, a girl she immediately bonds with, and Tina, a girl who is very unlike her in many ways, that she has a more difficult time understanding and getting along with. They find boyfriends among a group of outlandish theater majors, guys who speak in Shakespearean quotes, live and breathe old plays and poems, wander about at night playing the bagpipes, wear unusual clothing, and are exceptionally skilled at evading questions about certain topics.

The novel covers all four years of Janet's time at Blackstock, her friendships and relationships, her quest to discover more about a ghost that supposedly haunts the college (throwing books from the window of the dormitory), and her studies and feelings about the courses she takes, particularly literature. Janet is passionate about what she reads, whether she likes it or not, and she applies what she learns to her own life, trying to see herself and world around her with as much clarity as possible. So when she comes face to face with a truth that seems too far-fetched to be believed, she is a bit more open to the possibilities than another college student might be. But if she's learned anything from the great writers and philosphers, it's that decisions have consequences. Soon she finds herself faced with responsibility for a decision that has tremendous ramifications, not just to her own life, but to the lives and futures of her dearest friends.

This novel is part of Terri Windling's fabulous Fairy Tale series, all of which are well worth reading. I read this when it was first published, back when I was only a few years out of college, and as an English major I'd been so steeped in the classics that are such an integral part of this book that it felt a bit like a comfortable visit back to my university days. I have to say that, rereading it, those days seemed sadly far more distant, and my memories of much of that literature have certainly faded. It made me want to reread things like "The Eve of Saint Agnes" and Shakespeare's sonnets and buy season tickets for the theater.

While Tam Lin is most definitely a fantasy novel, it is firmly set in the present (well, 1970s present), and the magical elements are wispy and atmospheric for most of the book. The characters and their relationships take the forefront, and they are engaging and believable, driving the narrative toward its compelling and magical conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the world and characters of Tam Lin, and I know I'll be back for another visit before too many years have passed. This is a wonderful comfort book, and I'm glad I have my own copy on my bookshelf.

If you are interested in the ballad of Tam Lin, you can check out this site entirely devoted to the ballad (who knew?), which offers a page with lyrics from one of the many versions, and you can also listen to this version of the song performed by Thumpermonkey and Vanessa Hawes.

This is one of the books I chose to read for The Mythopoeic Award Challenge, and - since I own my own copy (and it's one of the beloved books I refuse to lend anyone in case I don't get it back), it counts for Molly's Personal Reading Challenge, too.

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (Tor, 1991)

Other blog reviews:
Jenny's Books
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Someone's Read it Already
Things Mean a Lot