Well, it’s Christmas and we’re all snuggled up with our friends and families, so just a couple of things for you today:

Tad Williams, Weather Mage, by Lauren ZurchinRemember Lauren Zurchin who we met back in February when she told us about the Fantasy Author calendar she was creating for charity? Well, it’s finished and it’s really cool.

The proceeds from the calendars go to two literacy charities: First Book and Patrick Rothfuss‘s Worldbuilders, which we keep reminding you about. Thanks to some funding from Random House, all donations made to First Book during December are being tripled. And for every calendar sold by December 31, Patrick Rothfuss will donate and additional $5. This means that each calendar sold will result in getting TEN books into the hands of underprivileged kids.

Want to know what’s in the calendar? Well, there’s Patrick Rothfuss lounging with a Siberian Lynx, Holly Black with blue hair and an African Eagle Hawk, Brandon Sanderson pouring glow sticks on the beach, Tad Williams as a Weather Mage with a really cool staff (shown here), Gail Carriger as an evil witch queen… and so much more — I don’t want to spoil ALL the surprises! At Lauren’s website, you can see the final images, and read about the process that went into creating each of them.

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Okay, and now for something just plain fun that could keep you entertained for an hour or two on a lazy holiday (like today!). My son showed me the Akinator Web Genius this week. Pick a favorite literary character (or any other person, real or fictional, alive or dead) and play 20 questions with Akinator. See how many questions he needs to accurately identify your character.

It took him only 24 questions to figure out one of my favorites. In the comments below, let me know who you chose and how many questions it took Akinator to identify your character.

Have a great holiday! For those of you who celebrate Christmas, we hope you received some wonderful books today!

Author

  • Kat Hooper

    KAT HOOPER, who started this site in June 2007, earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience and psychology at Indiana University (Bloomington) and now teaches and conducts brain research at the University of North Florida. When she reads fiction, she wants to encounter new ideas and lots of imagination. She wants to view the world in a different way. She wants to have her mind blown. She loves beautiful language and has no patience for dull prose, vapid romance, or cheesy dialogue. She prefers complex characterization, intriguing plots, and plenty of action. Favorite authors are Jack Vance, Robin Hobb, Kage Baker, William Gibson, Gene Wolfe, Richard Matheson, and C.S. Lewis.