Mette Ivie Harrison, Children's writer, triathlete, marathons, Ironman, training, fitness, workouts, The Princess and the Hound, Mira, Mirror, The Monster In Me, The Princess and the Bear, Young Adult Books, Fantasy, recommendations, reviews, adult fantasy, adult sf, adults science fiction, Romance, yoga, Lois McMaster Bujold, Miles Vorkosigan, Shards of Honor, The Curse of Chalion, Young Miles, Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game, Pastwatch, Cordelia's Honor, Carol Berg, Transformation, Seventh Son, Mirror of Her Dreams, Stephen R. Donaldson, Juliet Marillier, Daughter of the Forest, Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Midshipman's Hope, David Feintuch, Nick Seafort, George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Kate Elliott, Jaran, Robin Hobb, Assassin's Apprentice, Fitz Farseer, Walter J. Miller, Jr., Elizabeth Moon, The Speed of Dark, The Deed of Paksenarrion, Guy Gavriel Kay, Sailing to Sarantium, Lions of Al-Rassan, Remnant Population, Connie Willis, Doomsday Book, Jo Walton, The King's Peace, bellwether

Tranfsformation by Carol Berg	A heart-breaking story of a slave and a master and how they come to love each other. Not your every-day love-story. If you want a more traditional love story with lots of wonderful fantasy and angst, read Son of Avonar, Berg’s latest.	Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold	I never get tired of rereading this book. I love the refrains at the end of each section, and it's both a wonderful spy novel and a wonderful romance. Plus, you can't beat the way that Bujold has a woman be a captain, and a woman, both at the same time.
Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold	Can you tell how much I like Bujold yet? This is the first book in the wonderful Miles Vorkosigan series, about the twitchy little dwarf who takes over the universe. Or almost.	The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold	See? I think Bujold is probably the best writer alive today. I love the way that she uses religion so honestly in this book. These gods are real, and the way they use their servants so badly is real, too. Plus, of course, romance!
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card	One of the great writers of speculative fiction and a personal friend of mine. This is the novel that brought him fame (and deservedly so). But it's more than the story of a boy who goes to war and becomes the general of all humanity's spaceships. Read it again, if you've forgotten the ending.	Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card	This is a book that made me think very differently about Christopher Columbus.
Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card	This is the first of the Alvin Maker series, about a magical, historical America and the UnMaker that lurks to destroy it.	The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen R. Donaldson	I know, I know. This novel has been accused of sexism at its worst in sf. But I still love it, for the story of the magic and the story of the king.
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier	The fairy tale of the seven swans is one of my favorites, and Juliet Marillier makes it come to life. To live silently, while the man you love believes you will betray him, is heartbreakingly real here. And so is the girl's love for her brothers.	Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke	A book that feels very real, about a historical England that has very real magic in it. You also to get meet a cast of characters that you thought you knew, but here they are in a new and different version of themselves.
Midshipman's Hope by David Feintuch	I read this series in a gulp and was astonished to discover that it had spent so long unpublished. A great story about one boy’s journey to manhood and the terrible choices—unforgivable, really— that he must make along the way. David Feintuch died in 2006. A loss to us all.	Jaran by Kate Elliott	All right, I'm a sucker for romances, and this one has some fun elements of fantasy and science fiction. But what I liked the most was the backstory about nomadic tribes that are matrilineal instead of patriarchal. Seeing how that would play out in an entire society was very interesting. And then Elliott takes it a step further in subsequent novels. It's the key to understanding the aliens' culture, as well.
The Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb	A story about a young boy coming to himself, and then losing himself. Also a love story. Two love stories--at least. Also the story of a king losing his kingdom. The story of a son giving all he has for his father. A story of a boy with forbidden magic. A story of a boy who dies and comes back to life. A story of a boy and his wolf. A story I could not forget.	Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay	Another alternate world with magic story, but this one is set during the reign of the Roman Empire. Kay is known for his wordsmithing, but he is also a great storyteller.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin	This is a book about twisted minds, written by a man with a twisted mind. And it is wonderful. So long as you are not squeamish and do not throw books across the room when your favorite characters die and the antagonists win—over and over again. All the old fantasy conventions are set on their head here. You think life in medieval times was simpler? You want to go back to it? You don’t. You think dragons are wonderful creatures? Well, maybe not. But there is a reason for them.	A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.	If you haven't read this sf classic, you have missed something extraordinary. No other dystopian future means anything without this as context. And if they tell you the old sf writers didn't know how to do characterization, they were wrong.
The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon	The story of a woman warrior written by a woman who knows what she is talking about. The discussion of sword fighting here wasn't based on the movies.	The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon	In the future, they can cure autism. But if you had lived with it all your life, would you choose to change?
Remnant Population by Elizabeth Moon	The best sf about a grandmother you will ever read. What happens when you are left alone on a planet because you are too stubborn to leave? What happens when you discover there is a native population, after all?	Doomsday Book by Connie Willis	"Necrophilically" funny! About a girl who travels back in time to the days of the plague. She gets sick herself, but it's not the plague. There's a disease she's brought from the future, and it's killing everyone then, too!
Bellwether by Connie Willis	This is a funny, little romance. But for me, it's a book that made me think entirely differently about fads. And about the sheep who follow them. Also, hula hoops.
The King's Peace by Jo Walton	A realistic retelling of the story of Guinevere and King Arthur. Jo Walton has a wonderful voice and a clean, perfect, precise writing style.
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