Happy birthday

Happy birthday to serendipoz!

HPV Virus vaccine again

You need to read this entry at respect_otters about the politics behind the battle over the HPV vaccine. Yes, you do. Read it and tell your friends to read it, too.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by scott_lynch

I've been a bit erratic about keeping up my reading log lately, but I want to take this opportunity to make note of the most enjoyable read I've had since . . . damn, since when? I don't know, but I'm letting you know about it so that you can read it, too, when it hits the stores later this month.

The Lies of Locke Lamora, the first book by scott_lynch, is an outstanding fantasy novel and a breathtakingly impressive debut. The action never flags, and the sensory and scenic detail is extraordinary. I kept putting the book down and thinking, well, what's going to happen next? and never having a clue, but I had to keep reading because Scott kept raising the stakes and raising the stakes and RAISING THE STAKES until the tension was just about unbearable. And he pulled it all off with a confident panache that had me open-mouthed in admiration. Reminds me of Tim Powers, I think, who like Scott does not flinch away from violence, but hones it to a razor's edge, and knows and shows in merciless detail the devastating human cost of lost innocence with every drop of human blood shed.

Well done, Scott. You've started your career off with a helluva bang.

Don't miss this one, folks. I can't wait for the next.

(And if you haven't friended scott_lynch yet, you're missing one of the most interesting and funny LJs out there.)