Weekend, please be better

[fredericks]

Overall shitTASTIC Friday. No more comments on that matter besides what's in the subject line. I think I spend too much time ruminating over what I've failed and not enough time feeling accomplished when I do things well. Or not. I don't know. Screw it: Bring on the drunken costumed dancing.

I picked up the first book in the "Percy and the Olympians" series The Lightning Thief a little while back after it was recommended by captainschlumpy but only got around to reading it today (it's likely that I was influenced by emily_goddess's tasteful squeeing over the upcoming movie). Anyway, I started it on the subway ride into the office and was hooked from the first *sentence*. I've never been sucked into a book that fast before. Funny true moment - a high schooler sat down next to me reading either the same book or another book in the series and gave me his opinion ("that's a good book"). On the way home I picked up the other available four books and intend to get as far through things as possible this weekend.

Some folks use Calgon, some folks use young adult fiction. I prolly could do with a double team at this point.

Comments

[emily-goddess.livejournal.com]

Icon: I'll see if I can find the fanfic it's based on. Not the best writing ever, but I like the idea of Thomas playing Edward Cullen to get women.

As for Dionysos: unlike Snape, he has a fairly good reason for resenting heroes. And unlike Dumbledore, Zeus isn't a kindly old man who loves the kiddies. I doubt he cares how Mr. D treats the kids, as long as he's miserable. Personally, the HP parallel that bothered me most was the combination of a male hero who's new to this magical world, and a female sidekick who knows all about it and is basically a walking encyclopedia who occasionally gets to fight. I think Annabeth has more character than Hermione, but their roles are awfully similar.

[emily-goddess.livejournal.com]

Found the fic. That was easier than I thought.

[fredericks.livejournal.com]

Heh. I read that and I thought to myself "wow, Dresden not angsting two full pages about Thomas's feeding. Yeah, that'll happen. *snort*." Funny premise, though.

[fredericks.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was the introduction of Tantalus that had me thinking of HP, specifically Dolores Umbridge. Dionysus comes across as negligent but not particularly malevolent. Annabeth being pushed to the background doesn't personally bug as much since she's continually hinting about some trauma or another that's made her plight difficult. But I hear you about the wise female helping the male character.

I do like that Percy has killed - monsters, and only those who have attacked him, but still. And the ending of book one was surprising in a way I haven't seen while reading YA in, like, forever. Makes me wonder what I'm missing in the genre. Also makes me want to go out and find it. Hence my taking of your recs.