What Book Have You Read Recently?

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

I read a rather sad short story, The Labyrinth Cat by Urishibara Yuki. It is basically a woman's memories of a cat who lived in an old apartment complex. I highly recommend it, but have at least one handkerchief on hand (I thought it was a tear-jerker/heart-breaker.)

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Digger by Ursula Vernon

It's a comic about the (mis)adventures of a wombat that gets sidetracked while digging a tunnel. Her tunnel ends up in a far-away temple to Ganesh. She gets to meet several rather interesting (and "interesting") beings ranging from an oracular slug to vampire gourds to a half-crazy member of a special religious police force.

Oh, and then there are the two demons (one very young, the other quite ancient) and the avatar of Ganesh...

You can find the entire archived comic online, if interested. A little forewarning: it has several heartbreaking sections along with rather hilarious sections.

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine

[Dream]

Phyllis, I liked that one, too.

[Snoopy]

Haiku Mind

ed. by Patricia Donegan.

[Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine]

Rereading Digger and reading Hari no Hana by Inariya Fusanosuke.

The second one is based on the life of Ashiya Douman, a Buddhist priest in the Chowa era. Inariya-sensei usually does WWII-based manga, but this one has really caught my attention with all of the political intrigue and the machinations even within the Buddhist temples.

I have picked up a few interesting epithets from Digger, including one that, according to Ms. Vernon, roughly translates to "Is that my pickax in your gut? And is this your pickax in my eye?" and another that is Digger's battle-cry, "Remember Tunnel Seventeen!"

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine