samvara

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, Issue 11 and 12 by Joss Whedon. New bad guys, Buffy's love life in chaos, dating Xander style and vampires who melt into fog. Still happy.

Carpe Diem by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Space Opera. Light hearted and dramatic with action, adventure and angst all wrapped up in some of the most enjoyable characters I've hit for a long time. Miri and Val Con are in hiding, Shan and Priscilla are rightfully worried and trying to track them down - as are Val con's ex-employers, the intergalactic mafia and some giant turtles.

Courtney Crumrin & The Night Things, Courtney Crumrin & The Coven of Mystics and Courtney Crumrin In The Twilight Kingdom written and illustrated by Ted Naifeh. I read these when I shared a house with ascetic_hedony and recently got my own copies. Dark, beautiful stories about little Courtney who doesn't get on well with the rich kids from school but does scarily well with the things that go bump in the night. Rating them up with Neil Gaimen's Coraline and some of the creepier Roald Dahls. The illustrations are magical.

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman - Volume Two: 2 by Alan Moore. I read these way before the movie came out and have finally picked up V2 and ordered V1. Much more entertaining than the movie and a lot darker. 

Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon. Backstory. What's not to love.

Sabre-tooth by Peter O'Donnell. The second Modesty Blaise book and larger than life; arch villains, death defying feats, Willie Garvin’s sense of humour.

Pieces of Modesty by Peter O'Donnell. Short stories, completely over the top and delightfully so. 

The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer. Gervase Frant, 7th Earl of St Erth returns to his family from the army to find his younger half brother expecting to inherit the title when Gervase dies conveniently in the wars. Alas for Martin, Gervase is alive and well but his increasingly alarming ‘accidents’ may put an end to all that.

The Foundling by Georgette Heyer. The 7th Duke of Sale has never been unsupervised in his entire life so when he finally bolts, his entire staff panic. The Duke himself has a ball finding out just how capable he really is. This is a gem; it has escalating hilarity, misunderstandings, and fabulous characters.

Across the Wall by Garth Nix. A collection of short stories. Short and sweet for the most part, I found them uncomplex but enjoyable. Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case won two Aurealis Awards and has that lovely, creative touch that made the Old Kingdom such a great place to visit.

The Keys To The Kingdom (05) Lady Friday by Garth Nix. Young Arthur is still interesting as is his gradually increasing collection of chunks of the Will of the Architect. Now waiting patiently for books six and seven.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Peterson. A children’s classic I failed to read as a child that I hear traumatised generations of young people. Well written and engaging in a way that will break your heart. No desire to see the movie at all.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer S8 (02) & (03) by Joss Whedon. Loving it; the voices, the story, the artwork. As comics go this is working for me.

Waifs and Strays by Charles de Lint is a collection of short stories about teenagers. As usual they are complex, mysterious and heartfelt. I totally recommend them.

Fray by Joss Whedon is a graphic novel of a future slayer. She's tough, gorgeous, complex and far more interesting than Buffy ever was. A future world where there are enough mutants that no-one cares of you have fangs what with the scales and fins. Fray has the strength but not the dreams of a 'destiny' and is leery of 'lurks' after they killed her brother. Tres cool.

Spellbinders: Signs and Wonders by Mike Carey et al, a graphic novel about a girl who moves from Chicago to Salem and lands in the middle of a mage war. Fun!