Thoughts on Graduation and Books

[ceitfianna]

This weekend is graduation at the University of Michigan and its nice to see the grads about. If I wanted to I could have walked in the SI ceremony on Friday but I didn't feel a great desire to. So far the only graduations I've walked for have been my high school one and Randolph-Macon, I keep wondering if I should feel bad that I don't care as much, but the diploma and degree matters for me. The ceremony doesn't have as much meaning for me as the others did. Also since I have the summer class, it feels like I'd almost be jinxing myself, which is a silly thing but still there. I know I'll have the option to walk at the December graduation and if I'm still in Ann Arbor when it comes around, I might do that. I honestly hope that I'm not and I have a job somewhere else.

I like Ann Arbor, its a lovely place but the whole mess with my landlord has made me go, yeah, new starts are wonderful things. Also I've never expected to stay here unless I found a job that just worked, I plan on spreading my net wide in hope of catching a fantastic job. I ended up having to sign a renewal on my lease for another year, which has left me sort of grumpy. Not hugely since its what I figured I'd end up doing once I was told the options, I just don't like it. Its this feeling that my landlords are trapping me since they know I can't do that much else.

I've lately been wondering if it would be possible to get in touch with Victoria and get a diploma from them for my Bachelor of Honours as I realized, I don't have one. Those years there were important and I think I should, at this point, its a question of knowing how to start. Its on my list of summer things to do along with find a local dance or yoga class in the area to take.

In terms of books, I just finished War for the Oaks by Emma Bull, which I've been meaning to read since I first read Charles de Lint. I know this is one of the first books to really propel the urban fantasy, Fae in the modern world genre forward. I've read one other Emma Bull book, Finder, which I believe is set in Bordertown. That book I found rather disappointing because I had a very hard time figuring out the gender of the narrator. It was a man and that was important but I kept thinking they were a woman, so that left me confused and pulled me out of the story. War for the Oaks, I loved, the plot is fairly simple with Eddi, a rock guitarist being pulled into the war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. What makes it wonderful is the depth of the characters, the mixture of the Fae understanding humans more and vice versa. I honestly wish there had been more, compared to some of Charles de Lint's work, it felt short. The story was told, I guess I simply wanted to spend more time in that world with the characters.

Today was wonderfully lazy, I slept late, walked into town and read Deathless for a few hours. I just got back from going grocery shopping and I ended up buying fewer prepared things as I'm going to cook more. In the summer, my schedule is really nice and I plan on doing lots more cooking. The weather is still being on the brink of Spring with moments of cold but things keep blooming and the sun tries to come out.

At the moment I don't have any major things to do until my shift on Tuesday. Its so strange after being so busy this entire semester to have time to stop. A weight is off me and now its gone, I realize just how heavy it was.

Comments

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

Speaking imperiously and haughtily with a tilt to my chin as the only person I've ever met to RP a War for the Oaks character, I can tell you that book (if you want more) is worth a reread. A lot goes on, and subsequent readings do tend to reveal a little bit more, in bits and pieces. Also, I will be glad to talk to you about it in huge amounts any time you're in the mood.

[ceitfianna]

Who did you RP from it?

And yes, I will definitely be rereading it. I enjoyed it immensely.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

This guy (http://oakandash.livejournal.com/profile).

[ceitfianna]

Ooh, I loved him. I just adored the depth in all the characters, they felt real and learning.

And the music just lept off the page, I kept wanting a soundtrack I could play along with it.

[in-the-blue.livejournal.com]

He's fun. I still have him a little bit active at ididwhatwithwho if you're ever interested.

Last time I read the book I started making a playlist, but I got so wrapped up in reading (like I hadn't already read it 20 times or however many it is) that I forgot to catalog the songs. I'm sure it's already been done by someone somewhere.

[ceitfianna]

I'd definitely be interested. I have an OC that's a pooka from the White Wolf Changeling games and they could be fascinating.

Yeah, its a book that really just sucks you in. I'm a fast reader and I zipped through it as I didn't want to put it down.

[spooky-lemur.livejournal.com]

Emma Bull has been on my to read list ever since I read the old shared world fantasy she did with (among others) Steven Brust yet I keep forgetting about her. I'll have to give War of the Oaks a read once I'm through my current stack.

[ceitfianna]

I've read some of the shared world stuff too since some of my other favorite writers contributed. She's a good author and one of the influences on people like Seanan MacGuire.

[spooky-lemur.livejournal.com]

The series I was thinking of was Liavek (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liavek) which was lots of fun. I need to get my hands on some of the Borderland books now that I think about it. I know I've read some of De Lint's short stories set there but I don't know if I've read much else.

De Lint's actually a weird author for me. Sometimes I can read him with no troubles other times...for instance that short story collection I mentioned (wish I could remember which one it was) I ate up with no trouble. Trader I had to read a couple of times before I finally got into it and Onion Girl I just could not get into.

I don't mean to diss on De Lint. I like his worlds and how he weaves different myths together.

[ceitfianna]

I haven't read Trader and Onion Girl actually works better if you've read more of the Newford stories and Forests of the Heart. I'd recommend The Little Country as it stands alone better, same with Someplace to be Flying or Medicine Road or another newer one that has Maria or Grace in the title.

It doesn't sound like you're dissing him at all, I don't like all of his stuff. I recently read one of his earlier books and was slightly disappointed. If you're willing, I'd explore more of his books because he has written a lot and most of it is wonderful and he does a number of different things.

[spooky-lemur.livejournal.com]

I'll check them out. I was actually going to ask for a recommendation as the elements he typically (faerie and the spirit world) uses are ones I love.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

I know someone who was at the graduation ceremony this weekend. She said it was long and boring and you could hear the protesters quite loudly from outside.

My mom is currently reading something by Charles de Lint This is so weird, because I have never heard of him until this week and I never know what she is reading, except she brought it in when she stopped by this week.

I could do with warmer weather but at least it has been sunny.

[ceitfianna]

Charles de Lint is amazing, I recommend his work so much. He helped to create the genre of urban fantasy.

Yeah, graduation always seems to be one of those things that Michigan just does big.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

My mother was actual going on about the artist who did the cover of the Charles de Lint book she was reading. I tried to explain to her that she could look up the artist on the internet and see what other books they did art for - instead she just kept carrying her book around asking everyone if they knew that artist. /shakes head/ It's like how I keep telling her to use IMDB to look up who "that guy" is, instead of callng me and trying to describe what he looks like or telling me to turn on channel 7 and "see that guy, no not that one, the one who was just on the screen, that one standing in the back of the room..." lol ;)

[ceitfianna]

De Lint works with some amazing artists. Which book was it?

I know that idea, my father's that way, he uses the internet but he's not that comfortable with it.

As a reference librarian, I spend a lot of time going look just do this and all these options are available.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

I can't remember which book - it had a fox on the cover and he was wearing human clothes and standing in a wood. When she originally called me about it and was trying to describe it over the phone, I guessed it was The Fantastic Mr Fox but when I saw it, it had a much darker look to it.

My dad is totally comfortable with the internet - it's weird, since he is such an old hermit living in the country, but my dad is a huge internet shopper and he plays online games with people and is all over facebook. My Mom just can't grasp how she can be socialable on a computer. Honestly, I think half the time she calls me about "who is that guy or that book" it is just because she is lonely. If she looks it up on the internet then she has no reason to call me.

[ceitfianna]

My father got onto the internet later than my mother who's always been interested and comfortable with computers and the net.

He mainly expects it to be smarter than it is. I can see that, I call my parents a good amount just because I miss them. Its weird not living close to them.

[dodger-sister.livejournal.com]

My dad can't work his DVD player. We got him an external one for his computer - that he can work fine. lol

My mom has one of those phones that is voice activated. She is standing in my living room one day going, "Call Jessie," and the phone is saying, "Calling Debbie," and my mom is yelling, "No, Jessie! Jessie!" It was like something off a bad sitcom.

See, I have the opposite problem from being far away and missing them - 85% of my family lives within an hour of us. I don't just mean siblings/parents, but like cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, second cousins, the whole deal.

My mom is just lonely, I keep trying to get her to join a book club or something.

Which reminds me, I need to call my dad. I heard a joke yesterday and one thing you can always count on with dad is that he likes a good joke. ;)

[ceitfianna]

My parents have been lucky that they've been able to find a real community where they retired. It still took doing though and I can see how if you're the close one, you get a lot of them.

Book clubs are really wonderful things for getting connected. Jokes are great to share. My parents have been traveling so I've actually been talking to them less. It'll be nice to have a good long phone call when they return.