Abe, Shana - The Smoke Thief

This is the first book of what I suspect is a trilogy. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I liked the second one.

It's been generations since the drakon -- shapeshifters who morph into smoke or dragon form -- have had a woman who could make the Turn. Their society grows increasingly closed off, and when word comes of a jewel thief who can vanish like smoke, Kit Langford, the Alpha, goes off to London to capture whoever is possibly exposing the drakon. Little did he know that the Smoke Thief would turn out to be a woman, Rue Hawthorne.

You can very much tell this is the first book of a trilogy, as there is a very long and rather boring prologue about drakon history, etc. etc., and then another bit with Rue and Kit as kids, and then an epilogue promising more to come. Quite frankly, I would have much rather had incluing.

Unlike the second book, Kit is an Alpha drakon. As such, finding Rue, the only woman who can make the Turn, convinces him that she is destined to be his bride and that he'll make her agree to it however he wants. Needless to say, I spent most of the book wanting to brain him, particularly when he was going on about how wonderfully strong and fierce she was. Dude. If you like her being fierce and strong, the best way to demonstrate it really isn't multiple attempts to blackmail her into marriage or to constantly make statements to yourself that you will win her over no matter what she thinks.

Way to respect a girl.

On the other hand, Rue is awesome -- she has lived nine years by herself as a thief, consistently masqueraded as a Comte, among other things, and largely had her own life. Abe makes her struggle to keep her freedom very real, which is another reason why I kept wanting to bash Kit over the head.

He does have a small revelation at the very end along the lines of "If you love her, let her go," but even then, it looks like he totally expects her to come back anyway. So when they reach a compromise, it feels more like Rue is giving up things that are very precious to her, while Kit only makes a few concessions.

Sigh. On the other hand, Abe continues to hit some of my romance buttons like mad (unrequited childhood crushes, female thieves, icy heroines). I only wish her heroes would stop being so stupidly alpha male.

Links:
- keilexandra's review

Pearl-McPhee, Stephanie - Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter

I'm sure that all the knitters reading this have heard of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot in the blogosphere. So I write this for any non-knitters who are curious as to why yarn seems to have taken up a substantial chunk of my brain and my free time.

This is a collection of little essays on the life of a knitter, and not just any knitter, but a knitter who obsessively stashes, who starts new projects without finishing old ones, who is incapable of walking past a yarn store with a sale, and whom many may think of as certifiably insane.

Aka, substitute "books" for "yarn," and I think you know what kind of a hobby compulsion lifestyle this is.

I don't know if I'd love this if I weren't already a knitter, but I enjoy reading about people being obsessively interested in the assorted things that interest them, be it books, pop science, math or yarn. And Pearl-McPhee helps by carefully explaining the secrets of knitting to those who Do Not Knit, including the perils of squirrels, moths, and other threats to woolly goodness; the all-consuming nature of a yarn stash and how to hide it in the freezer, in kitchen cupboards, and, when desperate, in the piano; the questionable joy of deciding to knit fifteen different people Christmas presents in a few months and going insane every year; the heartbreak of losing one double-pointed needle and thereby rendering the entire set unusable; and, most of all, the siren call of string on pointy sticks. Or one long cord with two pointy ends, depending on what kind of a knitter you are.

If you read them too quickly (note: in a few hours straight like me), you may start growing a little frustrated with Pearl-McPhee's tone in a few of the essays, and sometimes her attempts at being heartwarming don't quite work with me. But she's still hilarious, and even though we may forever disagree on the merits of circulars vs. dpns, she gets it.

And best of all, she tells it back to you, so that you, too, understand just how making loops with yarn on pointy things can be so satisfying that it can reduce you to near homicide (ratticide?) when your stash is threatened.

So I'd rec this even if you don't knit, just because Pearl-McPhee understands obsession and a lifelong love, even if hers is yarn and yours is anime or manga or books or fandom.