Literary items.

I was reading this blog (congratulations, Karen!) and was reading the archives of her story through adoption. I came across this poem and, damnit, it nearly made me cry again. And I was doing so well today.

To You (by Karla Kuskin)

I think I could walk

through the simmering sand

if I held your hand.

I think I could swim

the skin shivering sea

if you would accompany me.

And run on ragged, windy heights,

climb rugged rocks

and walk on air:

I think I could do anything at all,

if you were there.

Books.

The Illustrated Man - Ray Bradbury
I first read this at my grandparents' house when I was eight or nine. It absolutely entranced me (although I fully admit to not having 'got' all the nuances at that age). It's still probably the only book that I can definitely put in my favourite top five at all times.

One Hand Clapping - Lise Leroux
This is the oddest book I have ever read. It's a selection of chapters about oddities and genetic tampering, about love and ambition and jealousy and families...
It all comes together at the end as a wonderful revelation as to how the characters fit with each other. It's pretty hard to describe.

The City of Ember - Jeanne DuPrau
A very unusual children's book. The City of Ember is the only light in otherwise never-ending darkness, the old stories say. But now the lights are failing, the supplies are running out, and the city seems doomed.

Being Dead - Jim Crace
This is a love story. It tells of the history of a couple from when they first met to their last day together. The story flips backwards and forwards between their love story, and the story of their bodies' decay on the beach where they were murdered. The imagery is absolutely amazing in this book. It's not a gore-soaked horror that lies on the beach, but the quiet hum of entropy.

And finally...

Litmocracy have a different background now, which I actually got paid for (theoretically). So hooray.