Bill Willingham

He's written Elementals, Ironwood, Fables. Pantheon, Propsition Players, Shadowpact. And now, his first Fables' novel "Peter & Max."

Of all of his comics, the only ones I've read so far are Fables, Ironwood and Jack of Fables. Because of those three, I want to read everything Willingham I can get my hands on. Fables is by far my favorite series I've read. I'll admit: I have not read nearly as many comics as most I know who get into them. I have a hard time with the straight-up superhero stuff, but I like some of the Vertigo/fantasy stuff out there. And Fables is the best of what's out there.

Willingham's latest spin-off from the popular series is the novel "Peter & Max," which tells the tell of Peter Piper and his brother, Max. Darker than most of the graphic novels the book is based on, it was as engrossing and entertaining as any other piece in the series.

Highly recommend it.

Teen Fantasy ... my Ultimate Guilty Pleasure

I can't get enough of teen fantasy, no matter how bad the writing is, how cliched the vampire world is, or how predictable the characters are.

In the last week or so, I've read:

• Melissa Da La Cruz's latest in the Blue Bloods series, "The Van Allen Legacy"
• The entire Mortal Instruments series (thus far) from Cassandra Clare -- City of Bones, City of Ashes and City of Glass
  
• Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

And I still have to catch up on the latest House of Night novel from P.C. Cast.
 
I know I'm not the only one, but I still have to force myself to admit that I read them, sometimes... particularly when people at work ask me what I'm reading. People in the health care profession think I am odd just for reading as much as I do, let alone the fact that more than half of what I read is young adult, and the rest mostly sci fi or fantasy.

A lot of them, I only read for the cheesy predictable plots. I like vampire romances. =P But Melissa Marr's writing actually has some depth and is more enjoyable. Her world of Fairie has some serious mythological allusions in it -- from Bananach to the rules and traditions of the four courts.

 My copy of "Fragile Eternity" is a miscut first edition. The first 26 pages or so were all stuck together at the top of the pages. I had never seen it before. Kind of cool.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Not necessarily one of my favorite authors, although I actually liked having to read this short stories in various English classes throughout school.

In one of my first blog spots from years ago, I quoted "The House of Seven Gables:"

"The effervescence of youth and passion, and the fresh gloss of the intellect and imagination, endow them with a false brilliancy, which makes fools of themselves and other people. Like certain chintzes, calicoes, and ginghams, they show finely in their first newness, but cannot stand the sun and rain, and assume a very sober aspect after washing day."

I think it is worth repeating.

nicolebonomini.blogspot.com

Since this is basically a journal, I made a real blog that is just about what I've been reading and listening to lately.

It's at nicolebonomini.blogspot.com.

Check it out, if I haven't bored you enough on this swollen excuse for a blog.

When Winter Comes, We'll Leave Behind Us...

I'm wondering if wanting a thing too much ruins it. If somehow the yearning gives it away. Suddenly you're found out, so the situation, the thing, loses its luster. People can see you in your eyes, that you want it too badly, and it either scares them or disgusts them. Either way, it's gone.

I am torn constantly between a fear of settling for what I have ... of it not being good enough, and the worry that I am ruining a good thing because I don't know how good I have it.

I'm not much for logic. This is readily apparent to anyone who has known me for longer than five minutes. The things I value, my personal moral system, if you will, is what drives me. I know what is it important to me, even if I'm terrible at math, systematic reasoning, what have you.

I struggle to compromise on these things of importance to me. Perhaps I don't want to compromise. I don't think I am a terribly black and white person, but there are certain things you simply don't do if you really care about a person and there are certain ways to show that you really do care.

But I don't want this to be it. There should be more than this. I don't care if it's naive, or too idealistic.

I want it all, and I'll be damned if I don't at least try.

Your feelings can't be that dulled, you can't be numb to it all.

I know it won't always be the first, it can't always be the first, or all new for you. But it should be the best, the World Series kind of thing... whether you say it is or not.

I'll keep trying, I have to. Otherwise, it's really not enough.