First, I recommend the Twilight books, even though I wasn’t sure I’d like them.  They’re more drawn out than I’m used to, but they’re pretty rich and you end up liking all of the characters, which I appreciate (it’s so rare to sympathize with everyone).  I’m about to read the fourth and then I’ll go see the movie during the day (when no one else is there).  I’m trying to contain my excitement until I’m actually in the theater so I don’t annoy husband-guy with constant squees of delight.  (He has enough squees to put up with when the trailer comes on TV or when Sims 3 releases a new screenshot.)

I’m also about to read A Stranger to Command, which has dorky cover art but an amazing main character (get the hardcover and throw away the dust jacket, imo).  One of my top 5 favorite books is Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith, following the adventures of unpolished rebel Countess Meliara as she helps take down the evil king and tries to figure out who her friends and allies are.  The first half of the book is all action and fighting and struggle.  The second half is all court politics.  I personally prefer the second half, but both halves include the Marquis of Shevraeth, a reserved young military genius who Meliara sees as her greatest foe.  Aaaand he’s my favorite character.  ^-^  Really, he’s as much a main character as Mel in Crown Duel.  And A Stranger to Command is about his military training.

I was concerned that military training (plus that unfortunate cover art) would be less than fascinating, but then I went to Sherwood Smith’s site and read the fan-requested scenes in Crown Duel from Shevraeth’s point of view (spoilers up the wazoo, so read the book first please) and I realized that he’s even more interesting when Smith is writing from his P.O.V.  So now I can’t wait to read A Stranger to Command.

Now look at the doodle I made last year for Crown Duel and wallow in my mild insanity:

 Wallow, I tell you!