FACE UP

Well, I'm not sure how to admit this but I created a Facebook account.

Yeah, yeah, I know I've grumped about how it is just for kids and how there is no reason to get one. Well I caved in anyway, since there is a word puzzle game on Facebook that I really want to try playing.

I've created my account - sent some friend invitations out to people I recognized after it dug through all my e-mail addresses and now I'm looking at a home page that is bewildering.

Who are all these other people it thinks I might know?

How come it's not a friendly happy picture like other users?

Where is the tamagotchi kitty thing my wife has to keep logging in to feed?

Most, importantly, where is the darn word paths word puzzle I came here looking for?

Maybe I was right and this is for kids - am I hitting the stage of life where it's just to hard to figure out some weird new application like this. Also, am I supposed to talk with people here? Mostly I just want to check it out. Even after signing up I still can't figure out not just what to do here, but the more important question of what I WANT to do here.

I guess I'll play with it for a day or two and see if it's worth keeping or if I should just delete the darn thing and give up on word paths.

A ROMANCE?

I've been happily making my way through my pile of Christmas books. I've had a few digressions as I started to reread the P.I. Garrett novels (which I HIGHLY recommend) and I had to detour into buying two extra Space Opera books so that I wouldn't start with book 3 in a series. (They were The Myriad and Wolf Star by RM Melouch, I can recommend these to but only if you like space operas. I'll be reading book 3 The Sagittarius Command next.)

One of the books in my pile kept drifting down even though it was very favorably recommended by two of my book loving friends. My problem with it was that my lovely wife mentioned to me that she had a hard time finding it because it was filed in the romance section instead of with fantasy.

I can't imagine why, I mean just look at that cover. The long flowing hair. The intertwined vines. The red lips. The cover art just screams....... well OK, it does look like a romance cover. Just see for your self.

Poison Study, though, is a terrific adventure story set in a unique fantasy world. Maria Snyder has created an all new type of magic use and set it in a vibrant kingdom that recently went through a military coup. Our heroine is set on a path as a condemned murderer as the new food tester for the supreme military commander which sets up a plot of intrigue, adventure, discovery, and yes, even romance.

I'll refrain from saying more about this except for: 1) Go read this book. You'll love it and 2) I just put the sequel Magic Study on my list of books to get.

And finally: 3) I promise not to hesitate to read a good book just because it is shelved in the romance section. A good book holds its own regardless of what people try to categorize it as. In my opinion I would have never placed it on a romance shelf but I can see why it is there. Where ever they put it in your bookstore, Romance or Fantasy go ahead and give this one a try. I'm sure you'll like it.