The pages practically turned themselves once I got into Erec Rex by Kaza Kingsley. I wasn't sure I was in the mood for more fantasy. But after Erec and his new friend, Bethany, found themselves in a strange magical realm, the action rarely let up. Erec's search for his adoptive mother brought him to a strange new world where all the children his age, almost 13, were taking part in competitions to find the next three leaders.
The best way for Erec to hide who he really was - a "Loser" from the non-magical world -, was to pretend to be a competitor. The contests are a combination of skill and cleverness with coded messages and dangerous tasks. It is too easy to compare the book to Harry Potter but Kingsley includes a lot of the things that make Rowling's famous series so popular. Clever puzzles, action packed contests, adults who are not what they seem, children who make childish choices, lots of danger AND a new exciting and weird sport, Springball, that can be played by normal humans and magical humans alike.
There are already two books in the series and the next time I have a free hour or two, I am reading The Monsters of Otherness, book two in the Erec Rex series.

Just checking in. Hub and I went on a 12 night cruise and got back last weekend. Re-entry is HARD! After 12 mornings of leaving the room and coming back to a freshly made bed, never having to ask for a refill of water or coffee, fascinating food, beautiful scenery and the freedom to do NOTHING but watch the ocean, reality is AWFUL I think I understand why social hierarchies exist now. It is so nice to have someone do things FOR me. Since picking up after others is sort of debasing, social hierarchies ensure that the lucky few are served by the not so lucky many. The cruise ship staff is paid, although not nearly what they are worth. If they were paid what they are worth, we couldn't have afforded this cruise.
Well, I'm perfectly capable of making my own bed but it was nice to see how the other one percent lives.

I picked up a Brother Cadfael mystery in the ship's library. I know I have read every single Brother Cadfael mystery but I have reached the age where plots blur enough that re-reading a book is not a disappointment. Ellis Peters spins a great plot and includes just enough historical detail for the reader to understand the political intrigue that underlies her mysteries. Of course, Cadfael is too good to be true but we all need heroes.

I also read How to Be Bad, a collaboration of Lauren Myracle, e. lockhart, and Sarah Mlynowski. Three girls, two best friends and a new much richer interloper, go on a road trip to Miami from northern Florida. Each girl brings along her own peculiar problems. Jesse is dealing with her free-spirited mother's diagnosis of breast cancer. Vicks desperately misses her long time steady who is a freshman at a college in Miami. Mel is the new rich girl who feels like a cipher in her over achieving family and is adjusting to her move to Florida from Canada.
I am leery of collaborations but this worked well. Each author assumes the voice of one of the girls and the story is told alternately. The adolescent foolishnesses the girls get into are believable and so are the misunderstandings. lockhart and Myracle are authors I respect and I will have to read more of Mlynowski after reading this. BTW, the book isn't on sale until the beginning of May. Being a YS librarian has some perks.

I spent a lot of time planning for my story performance last Saturday at Bear Creek ski resort. And the performance went well. (Whew!) Hub and I went back to Bear Creek last night for a Dove Chocolate tasting, wine tasting and music event. My favorite accordionist, Alex Meixner, was playing the accordion that he hopes I will buy. HA! It's way too beautiful for a schlub player like me - plus it's pretty expensive, too. Alex was amazing as always and we all had a very tasty time.
Enough checking in, for me. Good night!