laliandra | The Day Today

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The Day Today

I am going to try and be organised today!

First OoB: IT'S JUNE. Which means it's Book Day, aka the release day of The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan (

sarahtales ).

Do not walk, run and go and purchase this book! DO IT! Ahem. Seriously though, it's the best book I've read all year, and I have read many books, many of them excellent. I can't think of a single reason why not. Also, the fandom is kickass, and you get to be a

marmalade_fish .

I fail at summerising, so here is the book in 20 words, according to Miss Rees Brennan " Fencing. Fighting wolves with bike chains. Torture. Demons. Magicians. Ravens. Books. Families. Rooftop chases. Lies. More lies. Love." If you need more convincing I will explain why any one of these things is impossibly awesome.

Second OoB: My brain twin

mcollinknight has returned to us from Kenya! So I am Order of Businessing in her honour. She built a school, people, I have no words for how sparkling she is.

Third OoB: SUMMER. HOTHOT SUMMER. I am so happy that it is hot and sunny. I love Leeds in the summer, because of the park.

Everyone goes and plays and sunbathes and meets up and barbeques. It's brilliant. What did I do in the park? Well firstly i wore a very large straw hat. But I also had a range of fun activities

Eating ice lollies, reading the paper/doing the crossword, reading The Demon's Lexicon, again, and writing Jenn's birthday story.

Which brings me to my Forth OoB: Namely, it may seem like I haven't been writing a lot but, um, I've been hiding it away! I've been doing bits and dabs of writing for a cute AU, which kind of borders on RPS, and I didn't know if all y'all would be okay with that. But, well, I'm enjoying it, and I like what I've written more than anything I've done in a long time, and so if you would like to read it, I am going to unlock it/link. There is kissing in the rain, the throwing of inanimate objects and boys being hopeless! But also, it uses real life politicians and pundits, so if you feel uncomfortable with that, cool, I'll warn, and I really, really don't mind if you don't read it.

OoB Five: Mission 101! Holy crapola, this is late...

I have

made Thai Green curry from scratch.
made Eccles cakes, which are a northern tradition, and very yummy, pastry and dried fruit affairs. I love making pastry!
Completed The Guardian crossword, in ten mintues flat! 4/10
Begun an address book.
Ginone for drinks with people from French and a photo exhibition with Melinda.

I didn't drink champagne on Mum's birthday. I was busy and poor and in the middle of exams. I might make that a different goal, IDK.

So I'm feeling very summery in a dress I got for free, with the summer stretching out before me, full of potential. I'm pretty damn happy right about now.

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Please excuse my squeeing fit at the sight of an English park. My England nostalgia, it is back! I got re-infested after reading Easy there, and am yearning even more since. Hmph. My best friend, on the verge of becoming a mum, proposed we make our version of a grand tour again, this time with a baby. It would be called Around the World in 80 nappies, and we must visit Britain. :)
Ahem. Too much irrelevant information.
I'd LOVE to read your almost-RPS. I have no shame when it comes to RPS. Pretty please?
Also, nice shoes. ;)
(The Demons' Lexicon will be bought, read and discussed when/if I have money again. I am no fun. But being unemployed isn't that fun either. I'll resume my enthusiastic book buying as soon as I am affluent again. ;-))

That sounds like an excellent plan! I love my park very much. There is no such thing as too much information!

First go here http://community.livejournal.com/fakenews_fanfic/655967.html

And then here - http://laliandra.livejournal.com/11063.html

I, I guess I have less shame than I thought... I hope you like them.

Your icon is very cute, btw.

I am very much into doing a world-park tour. As in Agatha Christie novels, where people actually go for a garden-sighting trips. Is it even real? We shall see.

Yay! Thanks a lot! I'll read them both as soon as I'm done with my work (sometimes I think I got the wrong memo about unemployment;-p).

Thank you. This is my shop-girl avatar. ^^ My shop is still off-line as I'm waiting for authorization, but an avatar means serious business. :D

I read your fics! And I liked them:) Although I don't really know that world (they're connected with other stories?), and sometimes have problems with who is who... But The Tessellating Misfits! And dancing in the rain! And the poker scene with hair ruffling! Awww. You made me want to fall in love:) Thanks. :)

Aw thank you! They are connected to other stories in that AU, yes.

The hair rufffling is something I actually did to a friend of mine and then stole for my story. That, happens kind of a lot...

I think old ladies do go on those kind of tours yes, on couches. They come round where I used to live sometimes. I think that is one of the creepiest Agatha Christies...

Thank you again!

MMMMMMmmm, thai green curry. That sounds most delicious (especially since my stomach thinks it is many hours ahead and thus is very hungry).

YAY for you finishing school!
YAY for free dresses! (pics or it didn't happen)
YAY for Demon's Lexicon! (going to pick it up now)
*mad hearts*
-c

It was good!

YAY indeed! I'll see what I can do about the dresses.

How are you liking TDL so far?

That's about the fourth recommendation of that book I've seen on my flist. Which, I guess, means I'll end up buying it in my next book batch (even if I already have two piles of books to read).

Also, though I'm pretty sure I reviewed them elsewhere, I should point out that I love your NBNW stuff. It's properly amazing. ♥

(I shall hopefully be taking advantage of the weather, should it hold, when I go to Kielder Forest this Saturday. It's beautiful there. I am loving that we're actually, you know, getting summer this year.)

Sorry! But it is really that good, I promise. What else is in your piles, if you don't mind me asking? Me and books, it's a sickness!

Thank you! <3

Me too, it's like we live in a country with proper seasons or something. Crazy.

Hey, don't apologise, a bunch of the books I've read recently have come from LJ recommendations!

As for my piles: there's a bunch random fantasy stuff because I used to read a lot of it when I was a kid but I've shifted quite heavily into children's fantasy recently and I'm trying to get back to my roots (so Scott Lynch and Joe Abercromie and the likes). Two Flora Segunda books, the last two Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, a Peter S Beagle short collection and one of his earliest novels, a bunch of fairy tales books (Grimm and English Fairy Tales), Journey to the West, Breaking Dawn (which, I mean, I don't even know if I'll ever read it - I read a recap and I feel I don't need to now) and assorted others.

So, yeah, it's a whole bunch of stuff. And I know Dad's got a couple of trilogies he thinks I'll like, too. (He was the one that got me into fantasy via Eddings when I was a kid)

Dude, I don't even know what to do with seasons. I haven't had seasons since, IDEK, '96? Whenever I moved to Canberra (only has two seasons - winter and summer).

Of course - now my little seaside town is being punished for having so much sunshine and we've got fret and clouds. Stupid North Sea. :(

Oh the Scott Lynch books are excellent. I've been on a fantasy kick recently too, I'm slowing working my way through all the books my friend and his family have lend me, collectively they have thousands of fantasy books, it's awesome.

That sounds like a good pile, I've heard goof things about the Flora Segunda books.

I used to live on the Isle of Man, I am well aware of stupid summer fog and the stupid wind...

I did start reading the first Scott Lynch book when I got it - but I was clearly distracted by something I considered shiny (which happens all the time and may happen soon with this on the basis of the SFX review) and I never got back to it.

I read what could probably be seen as a stupid amount of 9-12 fantasy - I like to call it research because it's the area I want to write in one day. (Currently on House of Many Ways by undisputed Queen of the genre Diana Wynne Jones) Admittedly - I did have a small break to read Wigfield and Naked Pictures of Famous People, which arenodd things to mix in with 9-12 stuff, I guess.

Oh, yeah, we get the wind too. *sighs* Still, I have to admit it's been better than usual so far. Last year we had really thick sea fog for a week of May, that sucked hard.

Okay, so, once again I spent ages reading through your writing, having no idea what was going on, and loving every minute of it. (PLEASE WRITE SOMETHING IN ONE OF MY FANDOMS SOON. It would probably double the awesomeness of your writing for me, or better.) Particularly the first one you linked to, because... well, I am me, and that was awesome. (Though I can't say I understand the concept of RPS in general. I just pretended they were random characters which happened to have the names of famous people, it helped.)

Anyway, v. lovely, good show, however - I agree a little bit (though not completely) with the person who commented on your punctuation and whatnot. Mostly I just think you might benefit from someone doing a read-through beforehand for errors, or just doing a more thorough one yourself. (I am available for beta-ing, if you were interested in the first option, just a heads up.) It's just that the occasional error in punctuation or a word that forgot to be deleted, while possible to understand and thereby ignore by the reader, is an unnecessary distraction.

Those are my main comments, but I would just say that I loved and enjoyed it all as always, and of course that is the most important thing. (Commas, while important, are still second in rank. Sorry, Remus Lupin.) Thank you for sharing!

Also, I am hitting Demon's Lexicon as soon as I get home. As well as every other book you have recommended (once I go back through all your posts and make a proper list of them).

Glad to hear summer has arrived!

Well thank you so, so mcuh for taking the time to read them anyway, that is so nice of you. I'm glad you liked them.

Me, I do not get RPS either. These are just characters to me really, because it's not like they all went to uni together at all. The AU has got it's own canon and I don't really think of them as anything but Jon who takes Political sciences and is good at football but bad at being a jock, or Stephen who is a crazy drama student and loves fantasy. It's very strange.

Oh commas, my nemesis!The first one was put up without much checking, it's a bit shameful. I wrote it in like 3 hours... Thank you for the offer, and the lovely feedback! I have been meaning to write more Havemercy stuff for ages, and failing. Maybe after the next book comes out?

Wait, this is... like... a thing? A fandom? Surrounding a weird AU of a bunch of famous people at uni together? I'm sorry, but... WHAT. I thought I knew the internet and all the weird crap it could give me. Apparently I was wrong.

PLEASE DO. I personally will be trying to make a celebratory quote icon post before the new book comes out. I think we all should do our part, in fact, in trying to make this the best book premiere EVER, and the addition of some fanfic from you would undoubtedly make it AMAZING.

Well there's this whole kind of political fandom (IDK, okay, please, no judgement) and a massive pundit fandom, which I have somehow ended up in, and the smooshing together of the two into this weird AU just ended up being an amzing series of fics. The internet has broken me. And I kinda like it...

Cool! That sounds like a very good idea. I am just feeling kind of museless for HM atm, I don't suppose you have any ideas?

...alright. Whatevs. Just so long as it's not Thomas the Tank Engine slash fiction, I'm cool with it.

Oh yes. SHOVE THE PRESSURE ONTO ME. I dunno, I hardly ever write stuff outside of my own story stuff, honestly. Ummmmmmm...

- a NON-slashy first meeting between Royston and Adamo (just, like, the two of them being awesome or something)
- Thom working for his acceptance into the Versity? or actually his acceptance? and leaving? it would be a life-changing moment, you could do something with that, I feel.
- Rook (well, John) as a kid, after believing Thom (well, Hilary) to have died in the fire
- something with LUVANDER (my fave, obviously)
- Rook/Thom would be cool too, if you are into that - reading in between the chapters? future forecasts? whatever you feel like. - i would personally do something relating Rook's loss of Have into seeking solace in Thom... but that is me, with my rather annoying air for melodrama, so maybe not.

So those are a couple of ideas. Hopefully some of them might inspire some better ones in your brain. What can I say, I tried.

I love how when the slightest hint of summer comes, everyone runs to the park to soak it up. The weather's been SO GORGEOUS recently.

Also, I have heard of the Demon's Lexicon, but never heard what it's about - could you enlighten me as to the plotline?

I know, it's been like wall to wall people every day. We are a bunch of cynics who don't think it will last!

Summaries are hard, but I will try. Our protagonist is Nick, who is 16. He likes swords and his big brother Alan, and that's about it. He's spent his whole life on the run from deadly magicians and the demons they control by feeding them human bodies. This is because his mum was a member of a powerful Magician's Circle until she was driven mad and ran away with a powerful charm. And the magicians want it back.

Things get really bad when Alan tries to help Jamie, who has been marked for death by a demon and his sister Mae, and ends up getting marked himself.

The plot is very fast paced and full of twists and layers. I love all the characters, though I am hopelessly, madly in love with Alan, who is smart and funny and caring and also extremely manipulative.

The dialogue is funny too, and the whole thing is just excellent.

Wow, it does sounds cool, thanks. :)

I WILL FOREVER BE A WEE BIT ASHAMED THAT AS A THAI, I ACTUALLY CANNOT HANDLE (ASIAN LEVEL) SPICY FOOD AT ALL. DD: my parents clearly forgot to indoctrinate me in the mysterious arts and now every time I try I give up after the first few spoonfuls that MAKE MY MOUTH SHRIVEL UP AND DIE. Which is a shame, because my Step-mom's mother cooks some fucking fantastic Thai food (I look forward to this each time I go home) and her spicy dishes are good enough to make my Dad (Mr. Professional Chef) rave and sigh happily every meal. Southern Thai food puts the HOTDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN this is hot back in spiciness ;Db

AND I ENVY YOU FOR THE WEATHER, man Vienna better get warmer again, this is fricken JUNE already, what the fffffffffucksticks :/

I cannot really cope with too much spice, the first time we made it, we nearly blasted all our taste buds off.

Your Dad is a professional chef? That is so cool, I am very envious. Mine is a very, very good cook, but still. Unfortunately, this is not something I have inherited *sigh*.

I remember well the dazzling array of things to blow your brains type of hot in Thailand. I was an cautious 13 year old and made my parents try everything first!

*sends sunshiny vibes your way*

Yes'm! Executive Chef to this here fine establishment, and I admit that being a chef's daughter has its pitfalls, as I seem to have won a taste for ~high class/snooty dishes~ from reading all his cookbooks around the house (that my father ironically mostly doesn't like himself) and yet none of the passion or real skill for cooking. I mean, I LOVE food shopping, reading about food, taking pictures about food, partaking in delicious food and clearly planning large aspects of my life around it --BUT ACTUALLY COOKING? Aww hell naaaww XDD. Dad says it's because I'm lazy and I say that that is totally true, but also due to the fact that every time I was supposed to help him, he always chucked me out of the kitchen because I was 'too slow', or he'd get snappish (his style of cooking is very abrupt and get out of my way chop chop) and I'd go BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Y ARE U SO MEEEN TO MEEEE. So I'd sit in front of the TV with my stepbro and eventually food would magically appear in front of us when we were called to the dinner table XDD. (and in something that I will be forever bitter about, my stepbro apparently has a very delicate and superskilled palate in actually identifying ingredients that Dad is in awe of, whereas I am more of the OM NOM NOM THIS IS DELISH/OM NOM NOM THIS IS OKAY I GUESS/OM NOM NOM I DON'T LIKE THIS :( school of fine tastebuds)

WOW HAVE I JUST RAMBLED ON ABOUT FOOD.

I think your sunshine-y vibes got waylaid in Germany or something ajkfha arrrrgh it is hopefully not going to rain todayyy :(

Oh WOW that looks AMAZING. Seriously. Oh man, I wish I was there right now! Also, and I said this on FB, but thank you so much for the Roma card! MWAH!

I would think that learning to cook from a professional chef would be terrible! Very scary. It does sound good to have food just appear for you. I love how into food you are, it's very cool. Me, I am all about the baking.

THIS IS A RAMBLE FRIENDLY ZONE. Being informative and passionate about things is encouraged.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

THEY TOTALLY NEED TO UPDATE SOME OF THEIR PROMO PICS, but it's a pretty banging place! It's hilarious how much my Mom hates it though (it's on such an impractical side of the street! You'll get run over walking there! Why is your father still working there ugh ugh ugh' lollll)

They all either are super chill OR assume that you know everything and treat you like their sous-chefs to command around lol. BAKING! I wish I were a good baker, I am just a good ~appreciator~ of baked good though~~ What would you consider your signature baked goods dish? Or whatever you like to bake the most? HAVE YOU EVER BAKED A) a blueberry pie or B)cinnamon rolls YET? curious and suddenly hungry minds want to know!

Well, the streets of Bangkok are pretty hectic! But that is very funny...

Seriously, I love baking so much. That I get from my Mum, actually. I make all sorts of things, cakes mostly. I have never made either of those things, though I would love to make cinamon rolls, I really like cinnamon. I have made apple and blackberry pie...

I wish there was a good way to send cake in the post!

I made Malteaser cupcakes last week, they were delicious (if I say so myself),. You make them with ovaltine so they really do taste of Malteasers!
(http://s712.photobucket.com/albums/ww127/laliandra/?action=view&current=IMG_1293.jpg)

I AM HAPPY I HAVE DELISH THAI DESSERTS NEXT TO ME, BECAUSE AAAAAUGH THE THOUGHT ALONE OF APPLE BLACKBERRY PIE IS MAKING MY MOUTH WATER

AND THE PICTURE. AHHHH! THE SQUIGGLY BITS OF ICING LOOK LIKE CHESTNUT! THE WAY PEOPLE DECORATE MONT BLANCS-- AKA ANOTHER TOTALLY DELISH THING.

OM NOM NOM LAL, YOU BAKER QUEEN YOU ♥ ♥

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The Day Today

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!!!!!! SUBSTITUTE "CUPCAKES" FOR CHICKEN IN THIS ICON