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  Goodreads synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Aluna has lived her entire life under the ocean with the Coral  Kampii in the City of Shifting Tides. But after centuries spent hidden from the Above World, her colony’s survival is in doubt. The Kampii’s breathing necklaces are failing, but the elders are unwilling to venture above water to seek answers. Only headstrong Aluna and her friend Hoku are stubborn and bold enough to face the terrors of land to search for way to save their people.

But can Aluna’s warrior spirit and Hoku’s tech-savvy keep them safe? Set in a world where overcrowding has led humans to adapt—growing tails to live under the ocean or wings to live on mountains—here is a ride through a future where greed and cruelty have gone unchecked, but the loyalty of friends remains true.


I had a bit of trepidation starting this one, partly because it sounded a bit more "Under the seaaaa" (you all know the tune, right?) than I thought I was in the mood for, fun as that song is, and partly because it's middle grade instead of my usual YA. But neither of those proved to be problems once I was just a short way in, and even if Aluna hadn't left her ocean home (the clue *was* in the title) very quickly, it would have been fine.

Or more accurately, if Aluna hadn't headed for land, followed quickly by Hoku. One of the nicest things about the book is the journey companions, and the way these two friends pick up new ones along the way. Hoku and Aluna are the classic polar opposite types of friends, with Aluna being the one who wants to be a warrior (but isn't allowed to be, though at least she can train because of her brothers' willingness to teach her), and Hoku utterly uninterested in fighting, but fascinated by technology. It's nice that there isn't just this fairly standard twist in the grrrl being feisty and keen on fighting though, as the next companion to be added is Calli, an Aviar (I'll get to the 'splinters' soon), who's just as mechanically minded and smart as Hoku. And with whom Hoku is immediately smitten, in a really sweet and funny portrayal of first love. Hoku's internal musings on kissing were delightful.  Dash, who eventually joins the group, is - or should have been - an Equian word-weaver. And there's the utterly adoptable Zorro, a -- well, a very special raccoon, not to spoil anything.

The world is complicated and fascinating. As earth became over-populated and life there unsustainable, big corporations (including HydraTek) invented bio-engineering abilities to allow humans to exist under the sea, as with the Kampii and Deepfell; in the air high above earth; in the desert; and elsewhere.  The Kampii refer to the Ancients, who gave them thick skin and strong bones to allow them to survive underwater, but also breathing shells, which attach to the necks and allow them to draw oxygen from the water. But the breathing shells need power to function, unlike their other adaptations, and the Kampii don't have the technological abilities to generate that power in sufficient quantities, when the breathing shells start to fail.

I thought this was all wonderful, and was quite happy to leave the details of the science aside for the most part - I'm happy to see the book as just as hybrid as the splinters, rather than being categorised as simply straight science fiction or fantasy. I did have some quibbles occasionally, however. One was about the group of Aviars Hoku and Aluna encounter and come to be allied with, Skyfeather's Landing. This group is all female, and though there

...but this isn't a rant. Not really. No, I meant it's really not! Really. I'm beyond confused by the Lady Grace Mysteries, and would love a bit of input, by anyone who has read them, or read Patricia Finney's adult books written either as Patricia Finney or as P.F. Chilholm -- or who just feels like speculating as to what on earth might be going on.

What do I mean by asking what might be going on? Well, these are books for younger readers, with Grace, "Maid of Honour to Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth I of that name" being 13 and writing in her "daybooke", given to her by the woman in charge of the maids of honour, to write her "prayers and meditations in". Which makes sense, and is a good way to allow for the diary format. And there's a ton of real detail given about the Elizabethan court, with many an explanation in the glossary and author's note after the book. As well as having a sensible explanation for the book's format, there's a reasonable explanation given for how and why Grace comes to be a sleuth - if one takes the conventions of the children's mystery (series - aren't they almost always?) as the standard for "reasonable". You know the kind of thing - kids stumble onto heinous crime that no adults seem willing or able to solve, overhear just what they need to know, while hiding under a bed or behind a curtain, and are never in the slightest bit of danger throughout their huge adventures. Grace comes to be Elizabeth's "first Lady Pursuivant" - i.e., spy - in a way that fits in with these conventions (and the part of the note describing Elizabeth's secret service and the "tantalizing hints" that she had her own personal sources of information aside from that.)

Which is fine, but these departures from the realm of the at-all-probable aren't so much the conventions of the children's historical novel, and the contrast between factual, accurate bits and things like a Maid of Honour being close friends with a black, Muslim tumbler and a laundrymaid, is just odd. I've read one or two of the other books and just came back to the first, Assassin, to see if there was some explanation for how Grace could have got to be friends with the laundrymaid especially, but there's nothing.

The laundrymaid, Ellie, especially confuses me, as she's described so inconsistently: she's an orphan, has the "poor chapped hands" you might expect, sleeps in one of the storerooms in the laundry, and never has enough to eat. And the three have to keep their friendship secret because Ellie and Masou (the acrobat) would be in a lot of trouble if they were caught. And yet every time Grace goes anywhere, Ellie appears to be available to be sent out of the palace on errands or just to take a look at Grace all dressed up for a ball. I certainly find it very, very hard to believe that the lowest of workers in the laundry would be the one going into the rooms of the Queen's ladies - and indeed, even into the Queen's own rooms - to pick up the dirty laundry.

And then there's the language. It's not too difficult, obviously, but there are lots of words and phrasings used to make it sound Elizabethan, if not very consistently. The Queen, for example, says "But wherefore is Lady Grace's kirtle still not finished? [..] Surely this is not your wonted service to me. Why so long a-making? I had desired to see it before she wears it." Pretty clunky, but definitely period. There's also a description of why Grace knows that the dead man who appeared to have been stabbed had actually been killed some other way, as she remembers what her uncle, a physician, told her about the "sanguine humour" and how it ebbs back and forth like tides, but those tides stop when the body is dead. She also believes they might see an image of the murderer in the dead man's eye, which is really a nice addition, I think. So far, so younger-reader-adapted Elizabethan-ish.

Then, someone

I have finally followed up on my plan to re-read Charlotte's Web, and see why it's so popular in the USA. And yes, it's a good book. It combines a nice nostalgic rural childhood with a great animal cast, and lots of lovely moments of friendship and compassion. And I love the illustrations by Garth Williams.

But my lingering question after reading this is HOW IS YOUR COUNTRY NOT FULL OF VEGETARIANS?! The idea of Wilbur getting eaten is quite traumatic when reading this book. Do children give up meat after reading it?

Fuse 8 recently ran a poll on her blog looking for the best 10 children’s novels of all time, and then compiled the results into a top 100 list. I didn’t know about the poll in time to vote, which is probably a good thing seeing as I would find it very hard to pick – let alone rank! – ten books.

Some people have commented that it is obvious that the majority of respondents were women. But what was more obvious to me was that the respondents must have been predominantly from the USA. Although I think lots of the books in the top 100 would be shared in the UK or Australia, there were definite exceptions. Including, I dare say, the number one book Charlotte’s Web. I read and enjoyed it as a child in Australia but can’t remember any of my book-loving friends reading it, let alone having it their favourite book. I would love to see a nationality-specific list. And it would be interesting to see if an Australian top 100 was closer to a British or American list.

Having said all of this, I love the top 25 (copied below for your convenience). I had read and liked nearly all of them, with the exceptions being the DiCamillos – one borrowed from the library today - The Westing Game - read and enjoyed a couple of weeks ago – and the Spinelli. But I haven't read Charlotte's Web since I was about ten (am planning a re-read now!) so that obviously wouldn't have been on my list. Although I like The phantom tollbooth it would have been booted as well, and although I admired and really enjoyed Holes I read it as an adult so it just doesn't have the same grip as the other books so I think it would be shown the door too. The other book that might be cut from my hypothetical list is From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I adored this book when a librarian read it to us as a child, but couldn't remember the title and only found it again as an adult when I started blogging. So although it's a fantastic book I don't know that I would put it on a top ten.

Hmm, maybe I do have some sort of top ten floating around in my mind. I will definitely post it if I ever narrow it down to ten!

#1 Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

#2 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

#3 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

#4 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

#5 From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

#6 Holes by Louis Sachar

#7 The Giver by Lois Lowry

#8 The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

#9 Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

#10 The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

#11 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

#12 The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

#13 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

#14 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

#15 Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

#16 Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

#17 Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

#18 Matilda by Roald Dahl

#19 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

#20 Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

#21 Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riodan

#22 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo

#23 Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

#24 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

#25 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

Things have been busy around here as my mum is visiting, and we're getting ready to go on a short holiday mid-week. But in the meantime, I thought I'd mention one of the funniest books I've read in ages, The true meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. I think jadelennox recommended this book - thank-you!

Smekday is set in the near future and describes what happens when an alien race, the Boov, take over Earth. It’s narrated by the sarcastic 13-year old Tui and co-stars a Boov named J-Lo. I loved the small drawings and comics scattered throughout the text. At times the messages around colonisation and race relations were slightly heavy handed, but I doubt I would have thought so had I read it as a child. But overall The true meaning of Smekday was splendidly fun. I spent a lot of time laughing aloud and am looking forward to reading it again soon. Highly recommended.

You can read an excerpt of the book here and watch a short film about the new holidays given to us by the Boov.

2009 has been a year of scrambling to write about even a tiny proportion of the books I’ve been enjoying. I’m home for almost a week now so will try to write about at least a couple of books.

I finally got around to reading Hunger games by Suzanne Collins. I admit, despite piles of rave reviews I wasn’t thrilled by the idea of a book about a reality show about children killing each other. But this aspect didn’t actually throw me as much as I imagined – scarily enough it was quite believable. I can see why this book has been so popular. The book is very face paced; I tore through it in an evening (with occasional squeaks of suspense). The descriptions of the district, city and game were had enough detail to lend the story authenticity but didn't interfere with the central role of the game itself. There were many believable characters in the large cast.

However, I wasn’t completely blown away. One reservation is that I felt the book should have been harder in some way, as though everything just worked out too well all the time. Because I read so fast I’m a bit unsure why I feel like this, but suspect it’s because Katniss’s ethical dilemmas are watered down – she doesn’t really have to face many tough choices. Katniss herself (understandably enough) concentrated on survival, which I think made her difficult to understand – occasionally it felt as though I was being told what she felt and believed rather than it arising naturally from the story. Perhaps this arose due to the difficulty of describing a character who is tough but fundamentally caring.

I’m glad that there is going to be a sequel, and that it sounds like it is going to deal with the wider life outside of the game. I’ll be interested to see how Katniss takes what she has learnt of the world back to her district and what impact this has on her area and the wider world. The narrow focus of Hunger games helped give it intensity but I’m looking forward to seeing what Collins can do with a bigger story. In the meantime this is a great book for children and adults who enjoy action stories or science fiction.

Even after reading RJ Anderson's blog (rj_anderson) for yonks and with the lure of a Brian Froud fairy on the front cover I probably wouldn’t have picked up RJ Anderson’s Knife (to be published as Faery rebels in the US) without reading several excellent reviews first. I just wasn’t feeling interested by the idea of another story starring faeries. But I’m glad I was persuaded otherwise!

Knife is a children’s fantasy story about a faery called Knife who steps outside of her small world inside an old oak tree and starts to wonder why the magic of her group of fellow faeries is diminishing. The more she investigates, the stranger the truths Knife has grown up with become. Knife is quite a hard character, which is probably why her growing friendship with a teenage boy who lives in the big house nearby is a wonderful part of the story. Having said that it is a children’s book, some elements of it are YA – without giving anything away by the end of the book Knife has to make life changing decisions for herself and the faeries she lives with.

For any Sounisians reading, you’ll be delighted to read that Megan Whalen Turner said "FAERY REBELS: SPELL HUNTER has the charm of Mary Norton’s THE BORROWERS and the edge of Holly Black’s TITHE.". I definitely thought it tended more towards the Borrowers side of things, perhaps because that’s what I was looking for after what seems like an avalanche of edgy dangerous faery books. In Knife the fantasy component feels warm and believable, perhaps because of its focus on one house and the oak tree in its garden.

I might have the strangest quibble of the book out of any readers so far. I wish they had been called fairies rather than faeries. I think it would better match the classic woodland fairy/small magical flying creature aspect of the book. So it’s not surprising that I agree with Lady Shrapnell and prefer the UK title (and cover) to the US one. It's out in affordable paperback over here if anyone else feels the same way! Otherwise I believe RJ Anderson will soon be giving away copies of the North American book on her blog... Read the rest of this post

Frances Hardinge’s new book Gullstruck Island sat at the bottom of my new book pile (this is a rationed pile otherwise I would gobble them up too quickly) for longer than I had anticipated. I loved her two wildly different previous novels Fly by night and Verdigris deep and had heard good things about this new book. I vaguely suspect it was the whole island thing. Is it possible I still had Nation taking up the tropical island story slot in my mind and didn’t want to squish another book in yet? But anyway, when I finally read it on the weekend I was hooked.

Lots of weird and wonderful tribes live on Gullstruck Island, including the Lace who smile all the time and the colonialists who need land to accommodate their ever expanding graveyards. But the strangest people are the Lost, rare people who can move their senses around independently and as a result run lots of crucial services like exchanging news, weather forecasts and economic information. Hathin is a teenage girl who is a carer for her Lost sister, a role that is soon to become more demanding than ever as the cultures of Gullstruck collide.

Gullstruck Island is a very action packed adventure story. But there are lots of quieter moments that allow the reader to feel connected with Hathin and the other characters. I liked how honestly Hardinge dealt with the ambivalent feelings of love and frustration that can arise from caring for someone who needs lots of attention but is generally unresponsive in return. Familiar themes of the dangers of mob behaviour and revenge are treated in a sensitive and interesting way.

Hardinge has constructed a rich fantasy world that incorporates a wide assortment of customs from Earth but without making any of the cultures recognisable as a whole. Her language is similarly rich. I don’t usually stop during a first read of a story to admire phrases but as with her earlier books I was doing just that. And I think the bright red cover will be popular with children. I personally liked the insects that featured on some of the interior pages.

I’ve just realised the reason I haven’t read that many reviews of this book is that although it’s available on Amazon.com, it’s not actually released in the US yet – I think it’s going to be the renamed The Lost Conspiracy and come out in September.

Neil Gaiman’s The graveyard book winning the Newbery made me feel slightly guilty I didn’t get around to posting even a short review of it late last year. The reason I didn’t get around to it was that although I loved it when I was reading it (especially the writing style and the whole idea of a child being raised by ghosts) I felt a bit more distant towards it not long afterwards. I often like books more when I’m actually reading them – any blog post I write within a couple of days of reading a book is liable to find me scratching my head over my enthusiasm months later. In this case, I suspect it was the combination of the episodic style and the ending, which felt rushed and slightly contrived, which dampened my enthusiasm. However, it has made me put The jungle book on my reading list to see if I like it better as an adult than as a child.

And to be honest, I thought it was good but I expected it to be good because it was by Neil Gaiman, which made me less interested in writing about it.

An Australian author, Melina Marchetta, has won the Printz award for her novel Jellicoe Road. Embarrassingly I can’t really remember this book. I know I found it slightly tough going at the start but that’s about it. Anyone else here enjoy it?

Looking at my list of books read, I'm quite far behind on talking about books of interest. Here's a quicky update on some of them:

Josephine Tey’s The Franchise Affair was another excellent mystery. This one is about a country solicitor whose peaceful life is interrupted when he called in to help two local women who are accused of kidnapping a girl. The girl can describe the women and their house accurately, and her story appears to be without any holes, but the solicitor is convinced the local women are innocent. It didn’t press as many of my personal buttons as Brat Farrar but was still a great read where the central mystery was well mixed with descriptions of country life and a little romance.

As I’ve already told some of you, I took Sherwood Smith’s King’s Shield with my on my holidays and was dismayed by how the story sucked me in – I finished it far too quickly and had to scrabble around for new books! So I guess it’s obvious that I enjoyed it greatly. Less piratical activity but lots of battles and hints of interesting things ahead!

I’m giving up on Elizabeth Goudge’s adult romances. The middle window was so treacly sweet that I think I only finished due to its relatively short length (apologies, gauroth - although I think you liked this as a teen?). It’s amazing how heavy handed the sentimentality is in her adult books compared to her children’s ones.

By contrast, the final Elizabeth Enright Melendy book, A spiderweb for two was sweet but tempered with a good eye for realistic family relationships. This featured the two youngest Melendys, who are desolate at being left at home as their older siblings attend boarding school. But the year passes quickly after they receive a series of clues on a treasure hunt around their house, garden and local countryside. As with the other books in the series (a great find of this year) a comfortable, enjoyable read.

I'm being lazy here and nicking bits of my quick reviews from goodreads, so if you're one of my friends there please don't be surprised if you have deja vu.

A new mystery book that I enjoyed a month or so ago was In the bleak midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. This is a modern mystery/crime book set in a small town in New York and starring a female Episcopalion priest and the local police chief. The setting was very well done (it made me feel cold!), the characters mostly believable and the storyline well paced and interesting. It's the first in a series, which is great as now I have the sequels to look forward to now! I think I owe Jen for this recommendation.

As I mentioned recently, I've started reading my way through the Elizabeth Goudge books in my library system. I liked Linnets and Valerians a lot more than Green dolphin country. This is a children's book from 1964 (though set at the turn of the century) that combines a family story with elements of fantasy. The family part revolves around four children who have had to move in with their previously reclusive uncle. There are lots of loving descriptions of the English countryside and meals, and everyday childhood dramas over chores etc. Overall I enjoyed it, although the fantasy parts felt less well done than in The little white horse. People who enjoy Enright, Nesbit etc would probably like this book.

In a comment of my 2006 review of The sharing knife: beguilement I said I'm sometimes surprised at how enthusiastic I am in a blog entry compared to my memories of a book later on. And sure enough, I just re-read this book (in preparation for reading its sequel The sharing knife: legacy) and was surprised that I was so warm in my reaction in 2006. This time around I felt that despite touching moments the romance was not wholly believable, and Fawn, the main female lead was a bit irritating in her naivity. The relationship didn't develop as much I'd hope in the sequel, either. I still found the world building excellent and the overall story interesting. I wonder if my love of Bujold's other books have led me to be too critical of these books which are quite different in tone and pace? Are there other Bujold fans who think the Sharing knife books are her best?

On the weekend I had a treat – a new book by Eva Ibbotson! The dragonfly pool is a children’s book set in Europe just before world war two. There are lots of elements in the novel that felt like classic Ibbotson to me. A young heroine who is kind and thoughtful and adored by her family. A wacky school where students are allowed to wear what they want, keep pets in a hut and are taught biology by their mysterious teacher through early morning nature walks. Vividly described settings that range from pre-war London to countryside Devon to an Alpine country. And in the end, good triumphing over evil.

At the danger of sounding like a grump after all of these positives, I was still a little underwhelmed. This wasn’t my favourite Ibboston. In particular, I feel like the main character could have been developed further – at times it seemed like we only had other people’s opinions of how special Tally was rather than being shown it. It would have been good to have felt like this book represented a new and exciting development for the author. But even without this, The dragonfly pool was a lovely summer weekend read.

Some quick thoughts on books I’ve read recently:

Popco by Scarlett Thomas. Alice is singled out by her large children’s toy company to create a new fad for teenage girls. While trying to understand her new task Alice is also trying to solve the mystery of a locket left to her by her grandfather, a coding genius. Scenes of scary insights into marketing for children are interspersed by Alice’s memory of herself as a young girl and teenager.

There were many great elements to this book but overall I don’t know that it really worked for me. I loved the whole code breaking aspect (I would have been a sucker for the children’s spy kit described in the book), Alice’s teen experiences rang true and there were lots of intriguing side stories. But I think some of the suspense in the book was let down by the various ensuing events. I also wasn’t convinced by Alice’s sudden conversion to understanding the evils of mass marketing/mass meat production etc. But I know other people found the story meaningful, so I might have been a bit hard on old Alice. I think rowana recommended this book to me – thanks Ro!

All seated on the ground by Connie Willis. Aliens have landed on Earth, but they just stand around looking disapproving. This was a fun novella by one of my favourite authors, with Christmas carols playing a large role, so I enjoyed reading it. But I admit I’m glad I hadn’t bought the expensive hardback as a lot of the themes and storytelling methods were reminiscent of other Willis stories and I’m hungry for something new.

Flora Segunda: Being the Magickal Mishaps of a Girl of Spirit, Her Glass- Gazing Sidekick, Two Ominous Butlers (One Blue), a House with Eleven Thousand Rooms, and a Red Dog by Ysabeau S. Wilce. Everyone has written about this book extensively over the last year so I won’t write too much (hee, that’s a good excuse isn’t it?). As the wonderful title suggests, Flora Segunda is set in a fantasy world crowded with colourful names and magical beings. Unfortunately things aren’t going so great for Flora – her mum is absent, her dad depressed and the magical butler that is supposed to look after Flora’s house has diminished and the whole place is collapsing around the family. But in the best tradition of a penny dreadful, the plot soon picks up and Flora is having adventures all over the place. I thought it was great fun. At times the characters seemed two-dimensional, but this might have been in comparison to the flamboyant setting and plot. I look forward to reading the sequel!

OK, my break from blogging about books has resulted in me now wanting to write about lots of books but knowing I won’t have time! And everything has been mad enough this week that I think it’s safest to start with some quick thoughts on a very disparate bunch and write more entries (hopefully!) over the next few days.

First up is The Secret Policeman by Kate Thompson. This Irish children’s fantasy novel won the Guardian’s children book prize and the Whitbread Children's prize in 2005 (hey, better to read it a few years late than never). The secret policeman starts by describing a world that is running out of time. Children don’t have time to relax, adults don’t have time to get everything done, even the school bus is always late despite the best efforts of its driver. Soon it becomes apparent that there are faeries involved. I enjoyed the folklore feel of the novel but didn't really feel overly attached to the characters. One unusual touch, that I assume would be even cooler if I were a musician, is pieces of music at the front of each chapter. Overall, I enjoyed it but wouldn’t have been my first pick for the prizes.

And onto a different type of secret in Diana Peterfreund’s Secret Society Girl. This book tells the story of 20 year old Amy, who is unexpectedly tapped for an exclusive secret society of her Ivy League (fictionalised Yale) college and soon faces a range of challenges. The story is fun but not particularly suspenseful in itself - this would be a great holiday read particularly for people who enjoy reading about college experiences as Peterfreund added in lots of background detail. What probably made the book most enjoyable to me was the extreme sarcasm of the main character!

I undestand now why everyone is squeeing about Elizabeth Enright’s The Saturdays and its sequels being in print again. I can see why it became a classic childhood read for so many people. The situation in The Saturdays is something I would have loved as a child: four siblings decide to pool their pocket money so every fourth Saturday one of them will have enough money to go and do something they really want to do. They get to do it alone (this idea alone would have sucked me in, I loved my younger sisters, but a day out without them? So special!) and don’t even have to tell the others what they did. This book was reminiscent of Nesbit without the fantasy, maybe because of the close-knit yet realistic family and the generally old-fashioned feel.

(which reminds me that I 1: actually saw the Bel Kaufman novel, UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE, for the first time in many years at the local Barnes & Noble amd 2: I had no idea Kaufman was the granddaughter of Sholom Aleichem. Without Aleichem, my life would be as shaky as a ... as... as a Fiddler on The Roof.) :}

In another reference to great moments in literature:

"Call me... KLUTZ." (Ishmael just left the building for a smoke.)

This was me a few hours ago (with a greateful nod of the head to the artist):

I'm bruised and battered on my shoulder and legs (Thanks, Bruce but otherwise fine. Walking as if I am dragging a sack of bricks attached to my right foot. I have no idea HOW I fell down the stairs but I did indeed know that Someone Save My Life Tonight and spared my leg (legs?) from breaking. The bathroom garbage bowl gouged my chest when I clutched it close to my chest as I did a Flying Nun and lost all sense of footing and balance. I never actually lost touch with the steps but instead of walking down them, I flew like a witch, unashamed of my new, awesome powers. {}