Author: Graham Joyce
ISBN: 1857983424 DDC: 823.914
Read for the Once Upon A Time Challenge
See also: LibraryThing ; Author’s Site ; Scooter Chronicles ; SF site ; Tier 3000

Clive was on the far side of the green pond, torturing a king-crested newt.

I’ve read a few Graham Joyce books at this stage; this one by him won the British fantasy award so I was hoping for good things. It tells the story of Sam, a young boy growing up in 1960s England, who one night is visited by the tooth fairy, an entity that is not the insect sized woman with wings that you might expect. Instead he or she changes depending on circumstances. Sometimes male, sometimes female, sometimes an androgynous figure, but always unsettling and unwelcome in Sam’s life.

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Author: Connie Willis
ISBN: 0450579875 DDC: 813.54
See also: LibraryThing ; SF Reviews ;
Read with Eclectic Circus

Mr. Dunworthy opened the door to the laboratory and his spectacles promptly steamed up.
“Am I too late?” he said, yanking them off and squinting at Mary.

In the year 2525, there are women… sorry, about that interruption from Cleopatra 2525, it was really out of place, considering that this book isn’t even set in 2525, but in the year 2054, when historians could travel back in time to really study their subjects. Kivrin is one such historian. But she doesn’t want to travel to the C20th, where most historians are sent, she wants to be the first to travel back to the Medieval period. And she succeeds in her aim, but something isn’t quite right. No one can ever be entirely certain as to where or when a historian will end up. A certain amount of slippage always occurs. But in Kivrin’s case her tech falls ill and so her fate is even more uncertain.

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After we left the RWC and headed home I has to switch and support some other countries. As mentioned, I did the almost unthinkable and cheered on England against Australia. And what a match! And that was followed by France V new Zealand. And for all the moaning about the ref I couldn’t see much wrong with his decisions. Yes, it was a forward pass that led to the French try, but refs miss forward passes all the time. It hurts when it your team that suffers, but swings and roundabouts folks. For the rest of it I thought he was quite fair, although France do seem to be able to play different refs a lot better than other countries.

Sun didn’t go so well. Fiji lost, although South Africa almost threw it away before realising what was happening and putting the squeeze on. And in the final quarter-final, I know, I said before hand that I’d support Argentina, but once it started I just couldn’t. Too many years of cheering Scotland on.

I don’t think Argentina played their best, but their game plan is very effective, and those moments of brilliance mean you just can’t begrudge them a win. Apart from when they beat us, obviously, and I suppose if you were Scottish.

So we’ll have one Six Nations team in the final and probably one Tri Nations. There is the possibility that Argentina will beat the South Africans, and wouldn’t that be something, but I just think that SA have too much skill and power all over the pitch. I’m hoping that Argentina do it, but my head says they won’t.

If they make it I’ll be cheering them on in the final, otherwise I’ll be shouting for France. I can’t see England doing the impossible two weeks in a row. Although anything is possible I suppose.

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Author: Christopher Priest
ISBN: 0575075783 DDC: 823.914
See also: LibraryThing ; Christopher Priest.co.uk ; The Universal Library ;

Her name is Teresa Ann Gravatt and she is seven years old: She has a mirror through which she can see into another world.

There were two reasons I picked this up at the shop. First of all I recognised the name Christopher Priest from the film The Prestige and second of all I quite liked the cover. Why a slightly blurry photo of a man pointing a gun at me appealed I’m not sure, but it did. Reading the blurb I wasn’t too sure. Virtual reality and police procedures didn’t grab my interest, so I opened the first few pages and took a quick skim. That made up my mind.

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Yes, putting those two words in the title does feel like sacrilege, but I just don’t care. I’m a heathen, right?

But the reporting that the match is getting in the English papers is ridiculous. Fair play^[1] to the team in white, but they played like the slow lumbering pack that they are. Catt had how many crappy passes and made how many errors in judgement. Yes, he did then scythe straight through the French, but I put it to you that this was ineptitude from Les Bleus rather than genius from the English. Although, credit to the younger players on the English team; the likes of Rees, Flood and Geraghty. But you’d have to blame the French team for the defeat.

Just like you’d have to blame the Irish team for that display against the Scots.

Although, maybe, just maybe, the crap teams aren’t as crap as have been made out? I mean the results have been all over the shop this Six Nations competitions, haven’t they? Ireland are beaten by France but hammer England. England then win against France. And Italy have won two games. Wales look like they’ll be the ones getting the Wooden Spoon. Who’d've thought it’d be all up in the air going in to the final weekend.

And in case you were wondering, Araki Fabulous Willy won Crufts.

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But first:
Jonny Wilkinson may be out injured again. Seeing as how he is an English rugby player, I shouldn’t be fan^[1] but I just find this really sad. He is such a fantastic player. I wouldn’t say he is better than Ronan, cause that’d be a traitorous action, and I really dislike the way England played to win the World Cup. You know, all forward play^[2] and penalty and drop goal kicking. You can’t blame Wilkinson for that though.

But to have his career blighted by so much injury? You’d really have to wonder has some gypsy out a curse on him, or does he simply not have the fitness/medical team around him. Is he needed so much as a player that his various coaches don’t let him recover enough from an injury before rushing back into play? Or is it simply his style of play. After all out-halves aren’t usually known for their defensive work, but Wilkinson is not lacking in that department^[3] Whatever the reason, it is a pity.

Luna Nina says:

1. Nude ::
2. Support ::
3. Rachel::
4. Crane ::
5. Candy bar ::
6. Material ::
7. Mind games ::
8. Eviction ::
9. Produce ::
10. Joke ::

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