"Shades of Milk and Honey"

Last night I finished Mary Robinette Kowal's novel "Shades of Milk and Honey", a homage to Jane Austen, in which the heroine is a plain young woman who practices the magic of Glamour. Very enjoyable.

off the cold, and into steam

I've finally shaken off my cold and was able to enjoy my first day-off of the week, with some reading, some coffee, and some research to update my "Steampunk and Hollywood" talk for Bubonicon. In other words, I watched last year's episode of "Castle" where Nathan Fillion becomes involved with the steampunk scene.