Send tea, cupcakes, and distractions

Whoo, guess who came home from L.A. with the plague? I wonder if it's a different strain than the plague going around Seattle?

The Stroppy One let me sleep until past noon today, and I still feel exhausted. Like, wobbly on my feet and shaking exhausted. Plus muscle aches and a throat that feels like it's been scoured with sharpened steel wool. So my plans for today involve not moving much from the couch and probably napping. A LOT. Plus lots and lots of tea, and comfort movies.

Dammit, I had stuff I wanted (and needed) to get done today. But the Stroppy One has told me in VERY CLEAR TERMS that I am unwell, and I need to accept that instead of fretting and being cranky. I know he's right, it's just ... things! Things that Must Get Done! ::sulks::

Well that book is going in the "to be sold" pile.

While we were at Dark Delicacies (and OH! do I wish there was a store like that here in Seattle!), one of the books I picked up was Ancestral Hungers by Scott Baker. (clicky-link to Amazon.) I rather wish I hadn't.

Here, let me show you what Library Journal had to say about it:

"When his career as a drug smuggler comes to an abrupt halt, David Bathory reluctantly returns to the claustrophobic family he has spent most of his life trying to escape. There he discovers the infernal heritage of his ancestors and realizes that, despite his best efforts, he must enter into a dark world of vampiric intrigue if he hopes to survive. The author's revision of his earlier novel Dhampire (1982) employs an amorphous mixture of Eastern and Western vampire legendry liberally dosed with scenes of graphic violence and explicit sex. Weak plotting and unlikable characters limit this novel's appeal to hard-core fans of blood and gore."

Y'know what? It's kind of boring to fans of blood and gore, too. I'm a fan of well-done splatterpunk horror, and this book is not that. The plot is weak; I can't tell if it's too convoluted to make sense or if it's just presented so poorly that any narrative logic is hidden. The characters are unlikable, not to mention barely realized; paper-thin and interchangeable are almost kind descriptions of them.

Silly me, it was the book I put in my carry-on to read on the flight home. I've got about ... 50 pages left to go, and I'm just not going to bother finishing it.

Oooh, maybe I should re-read that historical mystery with Edgar Allan Poe as the narrator, I liked that a lot ...

Last minute auction bump!

At midnight PST, I will declare this auction CLOSED! So there's just under 90 minutes left!

Bid on a signed copy of the Gothic Charm School book here:

http://community.livejournal.com/savesnowssanity/6091.html