Tomorrow is my appointment for the next attempt at a lactose intolerance test (finally) and I am woefully unprepared. For instance, I completely forgot to buy any travel-friendly foods that I could take with me, which I am going to need. I don't have anything to drink in appropriately sized bottles, either. All I can hope for now is that I'll manage to do some emergency shopping really early in the morning, but that's not a very good solution because the more time I spend awake and running around, the sooner I'll get hunger pangs. That awful test takes three hours. D:

Another problem is that I can't find the list of instructions that they gave me. I remember most of them, but I'm not clear on when exactly I'm supposed to stop drinking and whether I'm allowed to at least have a small glass of water in the morning. Where did that piece of paper go?!

And unlike last time, today I don't just happen to have several books lying around that I wanted to reread anyway. The only book I own that I am currently willing to reread is unfortunately very heavy. I'm still considering it, but ... ugh. That thing is enormous. Not exactly made for being carried around.

However! The above dilemma did inspire me to get a little creative, so I remembered that I'd never even checked whether my printer was out of black ink after getting it back from Daniel's brother - I knew that it was definitely out of coloured ink and had no use for only black until now. Turns out there was quite a bit left! I didn't actually have more than five sheets of white paper, but added a few coloured ones that I figured I could expend because they were relatively ugly. Since I miraculously managed to not mess up printing two pages on each side of a sheet, I ended up with about 80 pages of Chainbreaker total. Sadly I have no idea how fast I am going to read that.

It's an interesting book, by the way. I'd saved the link to my Read It Later account a long time ago and then mindlessly downloaded it soon after getting this computer, without looking at the description again. So I was quite surprised to find Loki in it when I finally started reading, haha! How fitting. You can tell that it hasn't been professionally edited, I guess, but that only makes it feel a little more like fanfiction than a book, not ... bad. I don't mind the occasional mistake or awkward phrasing as long as the story is good.

I guess if I make it through those ~80 pages really fast, I can always attempt to use my crappy phone for entertainment? If phones are allowed there, that is. Which I don't know. >.<

Am now sneezing because there was cat hair in the printer. Urgh.

One of the things that I never really notice while I'm reading a book, but never fail to notice once I start talking about said book, is whether there are any good female characters in it. Or how female characters are treated in general, or how many there actually are.

This is why I almost think of Havemercy as a guilty pleasure of sorts. I mean, I don't really have guilty pleasures; I enjoy things for the aspects that I like and am perfectly capable of doing so without feeling bad about the aspects that I don't like. However, some mild embarrassment does creep up on me occasionally, usually coupled with instant defensiveness. ("What?!," I demand of my imaginary critics. "I only like this for the ...")

Havemercy (this is not a post about Havemercy, much as I may be giving off that impression) is a very entertaining book and I am looking forward to reading the sequel whenever I can get my hands on it, but evidently it has some issues. How can a book written by not one, but two women be so completely devoid of interesting female characters?! I have read it twice by now and I'm almost certain that during the first two thirds or so, only a single one is even mentioned - and she's an exaggeratedly awful person. Later several more appear, but it's not like we find out much about those.

That said, may I please marry Royston?? I'm in love with his words, of which he has so many (can definitely relate there, ha). I am also fascinated by all the things that he notices, mostly because I wouldn't. I think the ability to Notice Things is something that attracts me in people in general - perhaps a survival trait, as at least one person in a couple should probably have it. :P

Another book I have recently read for a second time is The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. When I started to read it for the first time, I think I mentioned on here that I had some trouble getting into it, but it turned out to be pretty awesome in the end. In order for me to enjoy a book, it needs to have at least one out of the following: fascinating characters, a fascinating plot or a narrator with a fascinating "voice". The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms doesn't really have the latter, hence my original lack of enthusiasm. However, I came to love it soon enough as the fascinating characters started to appear and the plot became apparent ... and from time to time the narrator did have something witty to say, too.

Obligatory fansquee: NAHADOTH. (That is really all I need to say.)

Also, I rather love the whole mythology of the book's world and what the gods are like in it and the scenes that mess with reality a bit and and and- NAHADOTH.

Ahem.

Anything else that I reread while I didn't have internet, I already commented on when it was new. And then I had the pleasure of being able to read something that was new: Patrick Rothfuss's The Wise Man's Fear, the long-awaited sequel of The Name of the Wind.

When I sat down on my bed with that very large book in my hands, I hesitated to open it for a moment, afraid that I would be disappointed. Ten minutes later I was as absorbed in the story as always, so I guess I needn't have worried, but I must confess that it really wasn't as good as its predecessor. This came as no surprise to me, since in my opinion The Name of the Wind is practically perfect. In The Wise Man's Fear, I noticed several too drawn-out descriptions, one minor continuity error and a handful of things that seemed repetitive, which wouldn't even have bothered me in any other book and only stuck out in this instance because it came after something that had none of those things.

... that I noticed. Which, you know. But never mind.

Elodin was quite unexpectedly promoted to the position of Favourite Character - I never realised how his previous portrayal had been bothering me until it stopped. Basically, if I were to start listing my favourite scenes, it would go something like "That time when Elodin was on that roof, that time when Elodin was on that other roof, that time when ... OH SHIT DID THE THING ON THAT ROOF REALLY HAPPEN." I don't know what he's doing on roofs all the time, but it leads to awesome so that's okay.

And! Another favourite scene was when Mola totally saved the day. Here we go again with the female characters - I think PR's doing a fine job of it.

I could say more, in fact I suspect I could write several essays, but I'd better stop here. :)

I thought I'd mention that I did start reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms at some point, it just unfortunately didn't manage to pull me in immediately and then my concentration issues prevented me from picking it up again. Now I'm kind of saving up my unread books for whenever I move out because I assume I'll be internetless for a week or three then.

However, today I was forced to do some waiting and didn't know how else to occupy myself, so I had a look inside Havemercy. And wow, in that case the being pulled in certainly happened. It was the following little sentence that did it:

Of course, you were hanged either way if another man stood up to accuse you of doing all manner of things you were relatively sure you hadn't.

Relatively sure. :D It's always those little bits that get me. Plot? What's a plot? Give me a protagonist who sounds either witty or adorably naive and I'm hooked. I'm very sorry to say this (and might change my mind later), but the main character of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms seemed a little bland at first glance. :(

I'll try not to devour Havemercy immediately though. I'm looking forward to it now, but I can wait. Then there will be Nameless (once it finally GETS HERE, ARGH), which I am looking forward to on principle, and after that it'll only be a matter of time until I get around to The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms anyway. I've also been having urges to reread Good Omens lately ... and I might reread The Name of the Wind once more before the sequel comes out, too. FIRST OF MARCH!!

That should keep me occupied. Uh. Though come to think of it ... if I don't have internet, for how long? Five or six days?? XD Especially if I manage to find a comfortable chair ...

I finished reading The Name of the Wind and it was just as much fun as the other two times. Oddly enough, I checked my old journals and discovered that both times it was also either September or early October. Now I almost want to turn that into a habit and reread the book around the same time each year. :D

You know what happens when I read books, right? (Hint: It involves quotes.)

Bits that stuck out to me this time:

It felt exactly like someone had hit me in the head with a church.

"You know how hard it is to find a pretty girl with the right sort of ears," Bast said matter-of-factly.

If not for him, I would never have become the man I am today. I ask that you not hold it against him. He meant well.

The sky was a featureless grey sheet of cloud that looked as if it wanted to rain but couldn't quite work up the energy.

( I sorted these by length, haha. Just so the longer ones would be at the end and I could easily stick them all under a cut. )

And then, of course, there was the part that reminded me of why I ended up choosing the name faevii instead of various other options ending in -vii (other than the fact that tavii was already taken): "You see, there's a fundamental connection between seeming and being. Every Fae child knows this, but you mortals never seem to see." Aaah, stop me from quoting the entire page again! I love that conversation.

I slightly regret that I decided to reread it so early, though. Now I still have to wait ages until the sequel comes out!!