Random internet observation

If I'd thought about it for a second, I would have realized that sites that have random TV info are often full of malware.
But I didn't think of it.
I hope I didn't just catch a virus because of my desire to quote something from Bones Season 4.  That would be sad.

Book meme! Day 4

Day 04 - Your favorite book or series ever

If you base it on how long a book/series held the title of favorite ever, and how intensely I felt that, then there is one clear and obvious winner:
The Song of the Lioness, by Tamora Pierce.
This was my absolute favorite series from the time I was 10 or so until I was 13.  I have re-read all four books about 100 times.  Most of my early D&D characters were based on Alanna - copper hair and purple eyes and all!  I bought the books in paperback with my babysitting and birthday money, and kept them by my bed.  When I had nightmares in high school and woke up in the middle of the night I would re-read bits of Alanna: The First Adventure or Lioness Rampant.
I still read all the Tortall books as soon as they come out, though I probably only buy half of them.
Reasons I liked these books so much:
Along with Robin McKinley's The Blue Crown and The Hero and the Sword, these books let me see that girls could do the stuff I loved so much in The Sword in the Stone, Robin Hood, King Arthur, etc.  I didn't want to be like Heidi or Polyanna or Wendy.  I did want to be like Alanna.  I guess now folks would probably find her character Mary Sue-ish, since she has special coloring and unique gifts and everyone loves her except the people who don't who are all evil and all that - but I don't care.  Those were the things I loved about her - she was brilliant and talented and tough and had unique magic and I wanted to be her so much.  I wanted to have a special horse and be friends with thieves and have gold armor and pull magic swords out of caves and rescue princes.  And the only possible place where I could do those things was in Tortall.

I like everything Tamora Pierce has written, and I loved the two Trickster books recently that followed Alanna's daughter.
Runner-up for favorite series during the same time period would probably be the Chronicles of Amber - which clearly illustrate, actually, why I loved Alanna so much - there was certainly no part of me that wanted to be Deirdre or Fiona - if I was going to be anyone in the Amber world it was going to be Corwin or Random, and there were certain obvious difficulties with that unless I somehow became a guy.
( Book meme list )