A funny thing happened this month at the library.
I ran across a title that looked interesting, so I checked on the web and found it was part of the Olympus Bound trilogy by Jordanna Max Brodsky. I usually try to grab all three books when I can so I don’t have to wait, but in this case the second book was lent out so I got the other two. I read the first book and it was quite enjoyable, something like a cross between Gaiman’s American Gods and Pratchett’s Small Gods (both enjoyable in their own rights). The premise is that not only did the Greek gods really exist, they still do for the most part, and the strength of their continuing godhood depends on how “worshipped” they or their symbols are. (I.e., Hephaestus is almost mortal since blacksmithing is no longer honored, while Dionysis remains strong as long as debauchery is practiced.) The main story line follows Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt along with many other titles.
Towards the end of the first book, I realized that whoever had book 2 would be wanting to read book 3 next, and it wasn’t doing me any good. So I figured I’d be nice and return it to the library. Soon enough, book 2 was returned and I grabbed it before I’d finished book 1. So far so good.
As I was making my way through book 2, I noticed that the library now listed book 3 as lost. WTF? I waited and waited, hoping maybe the person who checked it out would return it. (My library doesn’t charge late fines. This is nice for when you accidentally forget to return a movie, but it gives no incentive for returning things in a timely manner.) I finished book 2 (also enjoyable), and still no book 3. I mentioned it to the librarian when I returned book 2, and she filled out a form with me to order a replacement. (Cool!)
But in the meantime, nothing to read. But not to worry, I have a bunch of rereads at home for this very purpose. Enter Harry Potter.
I regularly reread Potter, partly because I like the way Rowling crafted the stories and partly because I always seem to notice something new. On this turn, I noticed something creepy and distressing in the Chamber of Secrets. If you recall, the Herbology professor is growing Mandrakes from what appear to be babies with plants sticking out of their heads. She advises her peers that the Mandrakes will soon be ready for making a potion to cure the petrified students – she says the threw a wild party the other night, and soon will be moving into each other’s pots.
So think about that. The Mandrakes are acting like intelligent teenagers, but that means that soon the professor will yank them out of their pots and chop them up into little pieces to make her potion. EW!
Somewhere around the Goblet of Fire the Olympus Bound Book 3 turned up, so that’s how I closed out the month.
17. The Immortals, Brodsky
18. Winter of the Gods, Brodsky
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
20. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
21. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
22. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
23. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
24. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
25. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows