Hour 6

Hours Read: 6
Books Read: 2.5
Pages Read: 687

And now, I think I'm going to read a few more pages and then head off to bed and read some more in the morning, finish packing, and then head off to the airport. Where I'll read some more. Until I get to Wisconsin. Then I'm going to hang out with my parents.

Avalon High Meg Cabot

In addition to SASS, I wanted to start this weekend off with some Meg Cabot, as I read all the The Princess Diaries series last year (well, everything that had been published and didn't require ILLing)

Ellie is starting her junior year at a new high school, Avalon High. She quickly makes some new friends--Will, Lance, and Jen. And Will's creepy step-brother Marco. It isn't long before things start acting out a la King Arthur. Mr. Morton certainly thinks Will is Arthur and the forces of darkness are after him. There's just one thing-- Ellie may be named after the Lady of Shalott but there's no way she's going to be filling that role-- not when she thinks Will is the cute one and Lance is a total dunderhead.

A very fun look at King Arthur in modern high school. Cabot's stories have a way of sucking me in. Also, Avalon High is set in Annapolis, so I liked the local setting, even though I'm not sure that anyone would refer to BWI as the "local train station." I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if the Amtrack Station there were the closest to town, but, um, BWI is the Baltimore airport. And the station's not even really at the airport, even though there's a shuttle from the airport to the station so you can get the train down to DC.

And, for a totally different take on things, another pre-written review for a book I read awhile ago but ties in well:

Damosel: In Which the Lady of the Lake Renders a Frank and Often Startling Account of her Wondrous Life and Times Stephanie Spinner

Damosel is a Lady of Lake, commissioned to fashion a sword that is invincible and will staunch blood flow if the owner is wounded. What she makes is Excalibur.

This is King Arthur, as told through the eyes of the Lady of the Lake (but not the same one that imprisoned Merlin. There are several.) Through her eyes, we see the kingdom and court from the fringes and we learn the rules governing ladies.

We see more, as well, through the eyes of Twixt, a dwarf who has had a hard life and ends up at court, so we can see much more of the intrigue and well... plot, than we would if limited to Damosel's take on things.

I haven't read much on King Arthur lately, although I read a lot as a kid. I'm not sure I would call this a 'frank and often startling account' as the pacing is steady and sometimes slow but it was a very interesting take on events because of Damosel's position-- she rarely goes to court and hears things from other people. The chapters told by Twixt annoyed me a little, even though they were much more briskly paced (because Twixt witnessed and was involved in the events) it was a little jarring, because he only gets a a third of the book, even though it's mixed in with Damosel's chapters. It would have been better if the narration had been better balanced, or only focused on one character.

Hour 1.5

Hours Read: 1.5
Books Read: .5
Pages Read: 153

I know MotherReader's only tracking time and not books and pages, but I'm still kicking it OLD SKOOL.

Anyway...

Nobody's Princess Esther Friesner

This is what we know about Helen of Troy-- she was the most beautiful woman in all of Ancient Greece and was stolen from her husband. The Trojan War happened to get her back and then she was returned to her husband.

Friesner wanted to know what happened before. So, this is Helen's story, growing up, longing to be more than a pretty face, longing for more from life than having a husband picked for her and being queen. So, Helen trains with her brothers, talks her way into the boar hunt of Calydon and befriends Atalanta AND the Oracle at Delphi.

A thoroughly enjoyable adventure tale, even though those versed in Greek Mythology will scoff at the premis. Friesner has an excellent authors note at the end, explaining where she got her details, as well as the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Helen could hande a sword. I very much want to read Nobody's Prize.

Here's another book that I read awhile ago and have the review written for that ties in well:

Quiver Stephanie Spinner

This is a novelization of the story of Atalanta. There are a few versions of the Atalanta myth, but Spinner pretty much follows the one that is outlined here. Told in first person from Atalanta's point of view, there are a occasional breaks that show conversations between various gods and goddesses to show how and why they are interfering in her story, and changing the course of events.

This is an excellent retelling of myth and a good author's note at the end. Y'all know how much I adore a good author's note.

The main difference (besides style) in these works is that Spinner has the hunt for the fleece happening before the hunt, so Atalanta and Jason are already friends (and, of course, Helen isn't there!) Friesner puts the fleece after the hunt.