I am obsessed with the audio versions of these books. I listen to them while doing data entry at work.

Gung jnf pbzcyrgryl zl nffhzcgvba gur irel svefg gvzr V ernq gur obbxf! V jnf guevyyrq, gubhtu, jura vg qnjarq ba zr gung vg jnf bar bs gur Onyvgnat tveyf. (Bs pbhefr, V vagvnyyl obhtug vagb gur vqrn gung vg jnf Fnenv, abg Qbir).

And since I'm replying to you, anyway. These are my very favorite Tortall books, and I love Aly fiercely. Thank you!

She is my absolute favorite of all the Tortall heroines. You are not alone!

TRICKSTER'S CHOICE!

Gurfr ner zl snibevgr, snibevgr Gnzben Cvrepr obbxf. Gurl ner nyfb ceboyrzngvp. V xabj guvf, naq V xabj gung gurfr obbxf pna or hacbchyne. Bs pbhefr V jnag Znex gb ybir guvf obbxf naq Nyl (NYL!) nf zhpu nf V qb, ohg V npprcg gung ur znl be znl abg srry gung jnl. V'z ernyyl ybbxvat sbejneq gb uvf gubhtugf ba gurfr obbxf, naq nz rkpvgrq gb qvfphff gurz va gur pbzzragf. V unir ab vagragvba bs qrsraqvat ceboyrzngvp zngrevny, be vafvfgvat gung crbcyr jub qvfyvxr gur obbxf sbe nal ernfba nf Jebat. V ubcr V svaq n srj bguref jub rawbl gur obbxf nf zhpu nf V qb, naq V ybbx sbejneq gb unir n ahnaprq pbairefngvba nobhg gung cnegf bs gur obbxf gung ner ceboyrzngvp. Whfg orpnhfr V ybir gurfr obbxf qbrfa'g zrna V qba'g frr gur vffhrf. Naljnl. Nyy guvf whfg gb fnl V NZ FB RKPVGRQ!

I LOVE YOU, SMASH WILLIAMS.

Yeah, basically MATT SARACEN FOREVER. I love the flirtation between him and Julie. I love Lorraine.

Although it irks me that a replacement for Carlotta never appeared (because, seriously, THEY SHOULD SEND A REPLACEMENT) I'm interested enough in Matt's mom to want to see where this will lead.

Ugh. People can be the worst.

Watching Tim Riggins order rare squab (I actually ate squab for the first time this year as part of a tasting course on my honeymoon. It definitely was not rare, though) is almost too painful for me to watch. The second-hand embarrassment is overwhelming.

I've never had a moment like this with food, but I have with clothing. I got a pair of cute floral flip-flops from a friend of mine in a clothing swap. They were Vera Bradley sandals, but I had no idea who that was or what that meant. I was living in New York City at the time, and knew nothing about fashion or style or designers. (Spoiler alert: I still don't). Even if I had an interest in such things, I was far too poor to be able to own any of them. I wore the sandals to a casual after-work event at one point, and was lured into a conversation about them. Even though it was immediately clear that I had no idea what they were, or why they were a talking point, the girls I was talking to wouldn't let it go, and thoroughly embarrassed me about the rest of my outfit (which was decidedly not name brand and many years out of date). They even went so far as to insinuate that I'd stolen the shoes, because obviously I could never afford to come by something that high-end honestly. It was AWFUL and I never wore the flip flops again after that.

I have really, really curly hair (think Keri Russel in her Felicity days, and then some) and strangers--both men and women, to be fair--are ALWAYS TOUCHING IT WITHOUT PERMISSION. It is the most bizarre and uncomfortable feeling. I loathe it. Keep your hands to yourself!

I started watching ahead, so I've made some of these comments in ROT13 on previous reviews. I stopped mid-season 3 though, so hopefully I'll sync back up with Mark soon.

I have issues with this season opener. Continuity in character development is a huge thing for me. I'm more forgiving about continuity in plot, but when you give me great characters (FNL does) and prove that you can develop them beautifully and organically (season one, you are perfect) then I kind of expect you to keep doing that. And I get upset when you drop the ball.

The time jump itself isn't doesn't bother me. And I'm fine with where the Taylors and Smash are at (admittedly, I forgot that Smash's scholarship is academic, not athletic, but that's a plot point, not a character point, so I can easily dismiss it. Brian's character development at this point rings 100% true for me, though).

My problems are these: SANTIAGO WHERE ARE YOU? When we discover that Lyla's living with Buddy, I expected the reveal to be that she was sleeping with Santiago, not Tim. Speaking of Lyla and Tim...

HOW? WHEN? WHY? The chemistry and attraction has always been there, so that part makes sense. And it's fun to watch them together on the screen. But how does Lyla get there? Even if it was clear she wasn't going to stick with church BF, it seemed clear to me that she was at least going to stick with the church. Apparently not. Also, she was pretty clear and firm on her rejection of Tim last season. WHAT HAPPENED?

Tyra and Landry. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU BROKE UP? WHY? WOULD IT HAVE KILLED THE WRITERS TO PUT THIS BREAK UP ON THE SCREEN? I waited all of season 2 for them to get together, and then they do at the very end, and I never get to see any of the good stuff. You made me watch murdergate, but I don't get to watch their non-murder-filled consensual, seemingly adorable and happy relationship before it crumbles for no explained reason?! Did they just break up because Tyra's concerned about her social standing? If that's the case, it feels like a step backward for her? If it's not the reason, WHAT IS THE REASON? PLEASE, I AM NOT ASKING FOR THE MOON, HERE.