screw you

10 Things to Read Now That Harry Potter is Over

1) George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire Series
* Epic Fantasy
* Varied three dimensional complex characters
* Extraordinary world building
* Adult Series
* Major Balls


2) Garth Nix's Abhorsen Trilogy
* Unique Tone
* Interesting World Building
* Satisfying Resolution
* Dark YA Fantasy


3) Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy
* Huge aspirations
* Being made into a major movie
* Interesting Theological Concepts
* Strong World Building
* Bit off more than it could chew... but still chewed enough to be worthwhile
* Classified as Children's/YA fiction but more appropriate for adults


4) Neil Stephenson's Snowcrash
* Awe inspiring prose (seriously I don't usually go off about prose but this guy is amazing)
* cyberpunk
* interesting characters
* believable and yet intriguing and foreign world
* written in the 90s but holds up well
* insane mythological/technological blending
* Adult Series

5) William Gibson's Neuromancer
* Essentially founded the cyberpunk genre
* gritty and realistic
* Stephenson's book and the Matrix owe this book a great debt
* Mysterious and large scale
* Adult


6) Tamora Pierce's Lioness Quartet
* Brain Candy
* Female Protagonist
* Multiple Consummated Love Interests
* YA Fantasy


7) Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain Series
* Medieval Fantasy World
* Hero of humble origins
* Hermione-like heroine
* Children's Fantasy


8) Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Series
* Arthurian Mythos
* General British/Celtic Mythology
* Modern Day Fantasy
* Also being made into a film
* Children's/YA Fantasy


9) Monica Furlong's Wise Child
* understated tone/quiet elegance
* realistic witchcraft
* female centric
* Children's Fantasy


10)Orson Scott Card's Enchantment (actually anything by Orson Scott Card)
* Urban Fantasy
* Russian Folklore
* Distinctive Tone
* Adult but not because of any graphic violence or sexuality

a couple of reversathon fic reccomendations:

we could steal time (just for one day): Harry/Tonks. This is sweet without being cliche and not at all true love forever-ish. The fic uses Tonk's mermorphmagus status to address themes and not just for kink value. I didn't even mind the references to gay crushes on Ron and Sirius that Harry supposedly had because it was well done. It also deals well with the Tonks/Remus relationship, unlike most fics that want to pair either of them with anyone else and addresses sexual orientation in a way that is responsbile realistic and not at all offputting and you know the subject easily annoys me in fic so that's saying something.

It Started With a Simple Tonic:McGonagall/Snape, but really more gen than anything. This is such a lovely fic of the kind that I always wish there was more of in fandom (not to mention it's a pairing that I wish there was more of). It explores both of their characters and their relationship in a way that doesn't seem at all forced. It's set post-war and really examines the toll that their lives have had on each of them and begs the question of whether second chances are possible/justified and deals with issues of youth vs. experience.

and, an ART REC:

Tom Riddle: This picture is ridiculously steamy without actually being pornographic and Tom looks just as I imagine him (aka: I would totally have sex with him even if he is a bad seed).