Two things that have nothing in common . . .

. . . except for the fact that they are both books.

Old Tom's Guide to Being Good by Leigh Hobbs
It would appear that this is the wrong jacket, but it's still pretty darn funny. Especially when you consider that the book is about Angela Throgmorton insisting that her cat (yes, the one in the picture) brush up on his manners to prepare for a tea party with the queen. When I look at that cat, I think "etiquette." And I love watching kids trying to get cats to do their bidding--always good for a laugh.


Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell
This is the third book in a trilogy, and I can't wait for it to fall into my hot little hands. At the center of this epic story are three completely different teens--a haughty girl of noble birth, an illegitimate boy eager to prove himself as a soldier, and a poor thief with a scarred hand. How their lives intertwine, and how they find themselves in the center of a battle to protect their native land from invasion by the much stronger Hrum, makes this trilogy fascinating and exciting and top-notch fantasy.



Okay . . . I lied . . . there aren't just two things in this post. Thinking of how much I'm looking forward to Forging the Sword made me remember another fantasy that I'm beside myself with excitement about, and I needed to tell you about that, too. Blade of Fire by Stuart Hill is the sequel to Cry of the Icemark, which is one of the best fantasy books I've read in the last decade. This exquisitely written story has everything you could want in a fantasy--a feisty female heroine, a soulful man to help her, vampires, wolves, invading armies, emotional deaths, good deeds rewarded, peril, swordfights. This book was so good I carried the galley back with me from the Dominican Republic (and usually when I travel I leave a trail of galleys behind me), thus giving me much less room for souvenirs. If Blade of Fire is half as good as the first book, it will be the best fantasy of 2006. Oh . . . I'm all in a swivet!