Okay, I lied. I'm finishing the book tonight, maybe, possibly, or I'm finishing it tomorrow morning... and the post and the other Doug story will come tomorrow. As well as a new Warren story. I'm just too tired to think right now.

Sinfest is awesome.

Back to sleep.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke, is a hell of a commitment, but one that's well worth making. At just over 1000 pages, it's too big to fit in most purses (but I carry a big one), and it's dense and wordy but not heavy-- there's a lot of dry wit, and a fascinating and fully-created mythology running under the surface the whole way through. If I'm a sucker for anything, it's a universe with a distinct and original mythology. It took me ten days to read, because there was so much to take in that I could only get through 100 pages a day (usually I whip through books like butter)-- and every chapter of it was good.

The book is divided into three parts; the first is the volume of Mr. Norrell, a reclusive and studious magician-- and the only practical magician in England, though there are many strictly theoretical magicians. Norrell has most of the books of and regarding magic, and jealously guards his position of superiority-- up to and including forcing other magicians to give up their studies. When he moves to London, he's taken on to help in the war against Napoleon by sending magic to confuse and frighten and generally make things unpleasant for the French.

Running alongside the story of the magicians (and twining with it, of course) is the story of the thistledown-haired gentleman and the humans he keeps in his thrall-- Lady Pole, the wife of Sir Walter Pole, who works with Norrell, and Stephen Black, Sir Pole's butler. Every night the THG (come on, it's easier to shorten) steals these two away to Faerie to his dances, Lady Pole on virtue of having been involved in Norrell's bringing her back to life, and Stephen because he's taken a liking to him. ( this is going to get long )

I liked this book very much-- it's not going on my list of favorites, but I highly recommend it to fans of period fiction, fantasy more subtle than Harry Potter or dragons and swords, and anyone who doesn't mind devoting a good chunk of time into a very rewarding read.

For a first novel, this blows Christopher Paolini out of the water. xD

Quote:
"Can a magician kill a man by magic?" Lord Wellington asked Strange. Strange frowned. He seemed to dislike the question.

"I suppose a magician might," he admitted, "but a gentleman never could."

The movie musical is enjoying a revival right now. However, my fourth movie of the year is decidedly too early for that revival, a no-budget flick with dubious lyrics and unbelievable hilarity.

Open House (2004) is completely fucking nuts from the get-go. Starring Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen from RENT), James Duval (Frank the Bunny from Donnie Darko!), Kellie Martin (from some stuff I never watched), Jerry Doyle (Garibaldi from Babylon-5) and a bunch other people, this musical is about the antics of an open house Sunday.

Joel and Debbie are a couple looking for a house... who like to test-drive the beds, steal little things from one house to leave in the next, and aren't good at singing. xD Barry is the realtor trying to sell the adorable house where a whole bunch of shit goes down. Dave is the hapless jewel thief who stashes his ill-gotten gems in a vase that Joel and Debbie yoink... and things go kind of crazy from there.

Most of the time, Kristin and I kept looking at each other and going "SERIOUSLY?" or just cracking up. xD

The highlight of this movie-- to me, at least-- was Anthony Rapp's song toward the end. He's so tiny and earnest and adorable. Awwww. And the final sequence almost had me on the floor laughing so hard.

Not recommended for someone looking for a good example of a musical, but a cheerful goofy way to spend an hour and a half, if you can stomach the, at times, incredibly bad songwriting.

I made that one post and now I am emotionally drained. So I'm going to go lay down with a comfort book.