Books for the season

Winter wouldn’t be winter at our house without a reading of Terry Pratchett’s novel The Hogfather, a wise and profound satire about the way our culture handles the winter holidays, from decorating and gift-giving to over-indulging to confronting our deepest hopes and fears.

Pratchett, a highly regarded British novelist, writes mainstream adult and young adult fiction (and, come to thing of it, children’s books) cleverly disguised as comedic fantasy. While he’s a household name in Britain, he’s more of a cult author in the US — often known for an early-career collaboration with Gothic/anime writer Neil Gaiman (Good Omens, 1990).

This winter we’re starting early, with Pratchett’s recent young adult book, Wintersmith — the story of an adventurous teenage girl who has leapt into a dance with the god of Winter, an act that threatens to derail the cycle of the seasons.

Seattle Weblogger Meetup

The Seattle Weblogger Meetup this evening at Ralph’s in Belltown night included Hamburger Lad (complaining of blogger’s block), Clark Humphrey of Misc Media (showing us preview copies of his latest book Seattle’s Belltown), and Jack Bell, who had his hands full with grandson Riley (who is celebrating his 5th birthday this week). And me, taking a break from Thanksgiving cooking.

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