Until Midnight (& Sometimes Later)

If you could travel in time, you might have time for the things you wanted to do, or at the least the things you cared enough about to do right. That’s one of the core themes of About Time, the latest directorial effort from the man who brought you Love Actually. My full review is at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
What would you do if you had all the time in the world?

About Time answers that question. It’s the most adorable time-travel romantic comedy you are ever likely to see. It’s positively precious.

Back in May at Balticon, I did a panel with Joshua Bilmes, of the JABberwocky Literary Agency. He was nice enough to help me acquire an advanced copy of Libriomancer, Jim Hines latest, which I enjoyed every moment of. Read my full review over at buzzymag.

An excerpt:
The characters are interesting, well-developed, internally consistent, and most important, fun to read about. Silly at times, dryads interact with historical figures, a redneck vampire pets a beagle, or a librarian is . . . a librarian.

Arcane Society: The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz (1/2/11)
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak (1/5/11)
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George (1/7/11)
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George (1/7/11)
Demontech: Get Her Back by David Sherman (1/12/11)
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett (1/8/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (1/8/11)
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson (1/10/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/11/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/12/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/13/11)
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch (1/17/11)
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (1/17/11)
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong (1/18/11)
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod (1/18/11)
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy (/1/2111)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue (1/23/11)
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris (1/24/11)
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy (1/25/11)
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight (1/27/11)
Virginia Edition: Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell (1/31/11)
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (2/3/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue (2/5/11)
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter (2/5/11)
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James (2/12/11)
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren (2/14/11)
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren (2/16/11)
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York (2/18/11)
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky (2/19/11)
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky (2/23/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue (2/24/11)
The Theory of Cat Gravity by Robin Wood (2/28/11)
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell (3/1/11)
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus (3/1/11)
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe (3/2/11)
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry (3/5/11)
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett (3/5/11)
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner (3/8/11)
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (3/11/11)
Letters II by Robert Heinlein (3/13/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/May 2011 issue (3/18/11)
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout (3/25/11)
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (3/28/11)
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman (3/30/11)
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio (4/4/11)
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson (4/8/11)
The God Engines by John Scalzi (4/10/11)
Tales of the Amazing Conroy: The Amazing Conroy: Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence M Schoen (4/12/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue (4/14/11)
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken (4/16/11)
Goblin Tales by Jim C. Hines (4/16/11)
Green Rider: Blackveil by Kristen Britain (4/19/11)
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi (4/21/11)
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi (4/23/11)
Old Man’s War: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (4/25/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue (4/27/11)
Old Man’s War: The Last Colony by John Scalzi (4/27/11)
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi (5/1/11)
Old Man’s War: Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi (5/7/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (5/13/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (5/24/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 4~June/July 2011 issue (5/30/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (6/2/11)
Dragon Precinct: Unicorn Precinct by Keith DeCandido (6/3/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin (6/10/11)
Truthseeker: Wayfinder by C.E. Murphy (6/12/11)
The Hollows: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (6/14/11)
Mercy Thompson: River Marked by Patricia Briggs (6/17/11)
Parasol Protectorate: Heartless by Gail Carriger (6/21/11)
Midnight Louie: Cat in an Ultramarine Scheme by Carole Nelson Douglas (6/21/11)
Kate Daniels: Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews (6/24/11)
Southern Vampires: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (6/25/11)
Liaden Universe: Ghost Ship by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (6/26/11)
Spellcast by Barbara Ashford (6/27/11)
The Morganville Vampires: Bite Club by Rachel Caine (6/28/11)
Cat in the Stacks: Classified as Murder by Miranda James (6/29/11)
The Lincoln Lawyer: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (7/1/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 3~July/August/September 2011 issue (7/4/11)
The Walker Papers: Spirit Dances by C.E. Murphy (7/5/11)
Booktown Mysteries: Sentenced to Death by Lorna Barrett (7/6/11)
Death’s Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner (7/9/11)
Pillow Talk by Freya North (7/16/11)
Pure Hate by Wrath James White (7/16/11)
Double Vision by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (7/17/11)
Arcane Society: The Looking Glass Trilogy: Quicksilver by Amanda Quick (7/20/11)
Knosses West: Beyond the Vision of Dreams by Stella and Audra Price (ebook) (7/20/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 3~July/August/September 2011 issue (7/21/11)
Kitty Norville: Kitty’s Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn (8/2/11)
Dresden Files: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (8/11/11)
Myth & Magic: Mercy Burns by Keri Arthur (8/14/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 5~August/September 2011 issue (8/18/11)
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (8/25/11)
Chastain & Morris Investigation: Sympathy for the Devil by Justin Gustainis (8/28/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong (8/30/11)
Occult Crimes Investigation: Hard Spell by Justin Gustainis (9/5/11)
Women of the Otherworld: Becoming by Kelley Armstrong & Angilram (9/25/11)
Agent Pendergast: Cold Vengence by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (9/28/11)
The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging (10/3/11)
TICA Trend vol 32 no 6~October/November 2011 issue (10/17/11)
Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in American by Nathan J. Winograd (10/30/11)
Cucurbital 2 edited by Lawrence M. Schoen (11/2/11)
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 4~October/November/December 2011 issue (11/7/11)
Blood Work [graphic novel] by Kim Harrison (11/9/11)
Bengals Illustrated vol 1 no 4~October/November/December 2011 issue (11/13/11)
Sentinel Wars: Blood Hunt by Shannon K. Butcher (11/28/11)
The Edge: Razor’s Edge by Shannon K. Butcher (11/29/11)
Collegium Chronicles: Changes by Mercedes Lackey (12/8/11)
Dragonrider’s of Pern: Dragon’s Time by Todd McCaffrey and Anne McCaffrey (12/12/11)
The Edge: Fate’s Edge by Ilona Andrews (12/15/11)
Marla Mason: Grim Tides by Tim Pratt (12/19/11)
PSI: Tricks of the Trade by Laura Ann Gilman (12/24/11)
Harry Bosch: The Drop by Michael Connelly (12/28/11)

I got fun news this morning. I won the easter egg contest Justin Gustainis was running on his website, and the prize was tuckerization in his next Morris & Chastain novel–look for me there, doing cthulhu only knows what . . . .

Wayfinder
by C.E. Murphy

published by Del Rey ISBN: 978-0-345-51607-7 Rating: 5 bookmarks (out of 5)

Wayfinder is the conclusion to the story begun in Truthseeker, and picks up right where that book ends. For those who haven’t read the first half of the tale, or don’t remember it well, there is a brief recap included to get you up to speed. However, Truthseeker is well worth the time, and also highly endorsed.

Wayfinder is set almost entirely in the Barrow-lands (faerie), as Lara Jansen struggles to master the innate power of the truthseeker. Originally just able to determine whether someone was lying to her or not, the scope of Lara’s power continues to expand, even as she endeavors to ferret out several different truths.

There is the original quest that drove elven prince Daffydd out of the Barrow-lands and into our world seeking a truthseeker. There is the question of what happened so very long ago that created The Drowned Lands, a section of the Barrow-lands that has been underwater for as long as anyone can remember. And Lara has acquired an ancient artifact along the way that she needs to master, before someone misuses it and destroys one world or the other.

The seelie and unseelie are at the precipice of full-out war and only mortal Lara has any hope of stopping it before the barrow-lands are totally annihilated. Will she survive the attempt? And what about the developing romance between her and Daffydd–is there any hope for love between mortal and immortal?

This is a beautifully crafted tale, and a wonderfully complex world of magic and music. I was cheering for Lara through every bump and bruise, watching her learn and grow into her power. Despite the numerous plot threads and tangles, everything is tidily resolved by the ending, yet I was still left wanting more.

Highly recommended, as are all of C.E. Murphy’s books.

I was lucky enough to win an arc of Wayfinder and I got to read it early (thank you Catie!)–most folks will need to wait until September. I don’t envy you.

The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Get Her Back by David Sherman
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight
Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue
The Theory of Cat Gravity by Robin Wood
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Letters II by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/May 2011 issue
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson
The God Engines by John Scalzi
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue
The Amazing Conroy: Buffalito Contingency by Lawrence M Schoen
The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken
Goblin Tales by Jim C. Hines
Green Rider: Blackveil by Kristen Britain
Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Bengals Illustrated vol 5 no 2~April/May/June 2011 issue
Old Man’s War: The Last Colony by John Scalzi
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi
Old Man’s War: Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
TICA Trend vol 32 no 4~June/July 2011 issue
Unicorn Precinct by Keith DeCandido
A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
Wayfinder by C.E. Murphy
The Hollows: Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Mercy Thompson: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

There are also a bunch of books in my partially read pile. This is a relatively new trend–I’m halfway through about fifteen books . . . oh, shiny . . . not sure why.

The Looking Glass Trilogy: In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz
Midnight Cravings: A collection of Six Sexy Bites by Michele Hauf, Karen Whiddon, Lori Devoti, Anna Leonard, Vivi Anna and Bonnie Vanak
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George
Get Her Back by David Sherman
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett
Women of the Otherworld: Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong
Her Little Majesty: The Life of Queen Victoria by Carolly Erickson
Angel: After the Fall, volume 1 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 2: First Night by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 3 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
Angel: After the Fall, volume 4 by Joss Whedon and Brian Lynch
The Edge: Living on the Edge by Shannon K. Butcher
Angel: Aftermath, volume 5 by Kelley Armstrong
Dark and Stormy Knights edited by P.N. Elrod
The Walker Papers: Demon Hunts by C.E. Murphy
Savannahs Illustrated vol 1 no 1~January/February/March 2011 issue
Needlecraft Mystery: Buttons and Bones by Monica Ferris
Truthseeker by C.E. Murphy
Mageverse: Master of Smoke by Angela Knight
Letters I by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
The Literary Handyman by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Bengals Illustrated~January/February/March 2011 issue
Jane Yellowrock: Mercy Blade by Faith Hunter
Cat in the Stacks: Murder Past Due by Miranda James
The Others: Born to be Wild by Christine Warren
The Others: Prince Charming Doesn’t Live Here by Christine Warren
Day of the Dragon by Rebecca York
V.I. Warshawski: Hardball by Sara Paretsky
V.I. Warshawski: Body Work by Sara Paretsky
TICA Trend vol 32 no 2~February/March 2011 issue
Modesty Blaise: Cry Wolf by Peter O’Donnell
Son of Dracula by Victor Ambrus
A Diversity of Dragons by Anne McCaffrey, Richard Woods and John Howe
Thomas and Charlotte Pitt: Rutland Place by Anne Perry
Victoria Square: A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett
Fangs for the Mammaries edited by Esther Friesner
Gideon Crew: Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Letters II by Robert Heinlein & John W. Campbell
TICA Trend vol 32 no 3~April/Mary 2011 issue
Simon Canderous: Dead Waters by Anton Strout
The Naming of Kinzel (ebook) by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
PSI: Pack of Lies by Laura Ann Gilman
Girl Genius: Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil and Kaja Foglio
Betsy Taylor: Undead and Unfinished by MaryJanice Davidson
The God Engines by John Scalzi

There is a great giveaway of  on the Bookhounds blog of <strong>Those Who Fight Monsters</strong> edited by Justin Gustainis.

I’ll been looking forward to his anthology ever since I first heard it was coming out–it has new stories featuring some of my favorite characters from some of the authors I absolutely adore. There’s a new Marla Mason story (T.A. Pratt), a story featuring Danny the faun P.I. (Laura Anne Gilman), a new Quincey Morris story (from the editor Justin Gustainis), a Black London story (from Caitlin Kittredge), a Sazi story (from C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp) and more.

Find the giveaway at http://maryinhb.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-review-those-who-fight.html