Yes, all these books are for me

So I got done with work insanely early last Saturday. This almost never happens; I'm usually typing like a mad woman until past 7 (not writing, typing; this is the day job). But through a strange cluster of unpredictable events, there I was with no work to do and time on my hands. So Quin and I took the boys to the Mall of America. This is their Mecca. Not the MOA, but what lies within it, near its very heart: the Lego store.

Me? I'm not so much a Lego fan, and the store is always crowded (comes from only having 3 stores in the entire US, I think), so while Quin roamed the aisles with the boys I slipped away to the Barnes & Noble. Roaming an actual, non-virtual bookstore is a rare treat for me, I only get to do it about twice a year (and one of those times will inevitably be Christmas - ugh).

I headed straight for the graphic novel section and loaded up on Hellboys, Hellblazers (also known as Constantine), Samurai Champloo manga, and a book about Sandman. As I'm making my way to the register it occurs to me my stack is awfully testosteroney, and I'm in the mood for something a little girly too. So I head to general fiction and find this book: Cheating at Solitaire by Ally Carter. Ally is a fellow Backspacer, so I've been seeing this cover for months. I always thought it looked interesting. I tend not to like most things specifically geared towards women, but I had a sense that this might fall into the little subcategory of women things which I like.

Boy, was I ever right. I enjoyed this book immensely (I finished it in an evening and an afternoon; had I not had to work the next morning I could have easily sat up all night finishing it). It's smart and funny, and Julia, the main character, feels like a real woman. I like reading about a woman who doesn't feel like she needs a man to complete her life; it's refreshing. All of the secondary characters are well written as well; I particularly liked "the Georgias", three old women, two named Georgia and one a former Miss Georgia. But as a writer, I'm particularly impressed with the way she writes scenes. Nothing ends to soon, nothing goes on too long. The scene crafting here is just perfect. I'll be reading this one more than once.

I know I usually only recommend fantasy and sci-fi books here, but I'm going to break from tradition and recommend this one, because it's just that good.