I chose this book from my local bookshop on a lark, and I’m glad that I did! It has so many interesting and engrossing stories. My favorites are “Ratatoskr,” “Coyote Invents the Land of the Dead,” and “The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe.”

Nausicaä travels with Ohma, a god-warrior, to find the crypt of Shuwa. When she arrives, she realizes that the crypt won’t offer their salvation and instead must be destroyed.

I found the story a bit convoluted. Nausicaä never returns home. Repairs aren’t immediately noticeable. I didn’t feel like the story ended satisfactorily, but did feel that it reflects the vagaries of life. We change, move forward, and may never return to where we started from. Sometimes the world is too much. Is that Miyazaki’s intention?

Among Pilot’s sub-$100 fountain pens, Pilot Prera pens are a classical-looking pen that feature a snap-cap that tends to get raves (I admit, it’s my favorite cap on a fountain pen).

It’s a lightweight pen that relies on cartridges and cartridge-converters. Unfortunately, Pilot’s largest converter, the CON-70, doesn’t fit Prera pens. But you can fall back to reusing cartridges if you want larger converter than Pilot’s CON-40.

Pilot’s steel nibs are largely the same, at least among Pilot’s Kaküno, Explorer, Prera, Metropolitan, and Calligraphy pens. There are some differences with markings, but if you purchase a pen and want a different nib, you can swap between pens. This can be helpful if you enjoy the Prera, for instance, but want an EF nib. You can purchase a a Pilot pen that has an EF nib, such as a Metropolitan, and easily swap.

The ability to swap also lends to easy cleaning. You can easily disassemble the nib and feed, clean them, and reinsert back into the Prera. Pilot engineered their feeds so that there exists only one place for the nib to sit, which makes reinsertion much easier than many other fountain pens on the market.

I find the Prera pens resilient and functional pens that fit well within an office environment, if that’s a concern to you. I recommend them as a pocket pen that you can carry with you anywhere.

I often see TWSBI fountain pens recommended to new fountain pen users as a good, inexpensive pen. Many are sold with silicone grease and a wrench, all have instructions for filling and cleaning, and they have a number of nib options. The ink capacity is large, and TWSBI offers warranty support. Which many users discover that they need.

The pens are constructed of a fairly heavy, brittle plastic. The tool and instructions imply that you can open the pen and service it, but for many it is too easy to over tighten and break a pen. You won’t service your own pen? Even so, your pen may still develop cracks.

I’ve owned three TWSBI Diamond 540/580 pens, and all three developed cracks at one point or another. Mine were on the cap or section, and I found that a redesigned pen or warranty repair parts were just as likely to crack as not.

Against my better judgment I purchased a TWSBI mini, and time will tell how that fares. But in general, I recommend folks reconsider TWSBI pens and look for something more reliable.

Nausicaä is lost to the world, believing that she died with the Ohmu. But she must face a darkness in her mind before she can be free. Meanwhile her companions and friends race to find her before another war starts.

What I enjoy most about Nausicaä as a character is that she is powerful because she is caring. Her strength is derived from listening to plants, people, and creatures; and helping each to the extent that she can, often at great risk to herself.

I feel that Miyazaki does great credit in depicting Nausicaä as strong using her innate feminine-coded traits. That is, Miyazaki doesn’t fall into depicting Nausicaä as strong in spite of her caring nature; he avoids her adopting masculine traits on her journey.

I find that is very compelling for depicting the heroine’s journey.

Inti is in Scotland to reintroduce wolves. A run-in with a neighbor convinces Inti that the neighbor is abusing his wife. Later, when she discovers his dead body, she’s determined to find the killer before the wolves that she protects are harmed.

A mystery that also delves into the long-lasting effects of domestic abuse.

Recommended.

Nausicaä heads to the spot where three giant molds will converge to await the Ohmu. Yupa tries to prevent escalating war, and discovers that more horrors may yet be unleashed.

My Pelikan m205 is a bit drab. I purchased a taupe-colored pen on sale; in retrospect, it’s nice for it’s understated, non-flashy appeal. And, honestly, I was happy to get the pen for less than its usual cost.

Aside from looks, I have a love-hate relationship with the pen. As my first big-purchase pen, I had high hopes that it would amaze and delight. I enjoyed it’s bouncy nature, and I wanted to love it. But it felt scratchy, as if it were digging into the paper, so I set it aside for a long while.

I’ve come back to it with knowledge on checking tine alignment and performing minor adjustments, and I feel that today it is a decent writer. I enjoy that it has an ink window, that it isn’t ostentatious, and I appreciate its rather understated design. However, I don’t enjoy its small grip. And no matter how much I write with it, I can’t get out of my head that it once was a scratchy writer; I keep waiting for it to dig into my paper again.

As far as pens go, I like how it looks, even if it appears drab. I appreciate that it isn’t flashy, and that if I wanted to, I can find many other colors available in the m205 line. It features a nib and feed that are easy to swap, very similar to bygone Esterbrook model J pens, with a nib and feed unit that you unscrew to remove from the pen.

On the other hand, I admit that I regularly reach for less-expensive pens without bouncy nibs. A first among many lessons, this pen helped me understand that a more expensive pen doesn’t necessarily mean a more enjoyable pen.

Amanda Briars is a spinster novelist that hires a prostitute to finally figure out what all of the fuss is about. Unbeknownst to her, the person that shows up is Jack Devlin, a notorious London publisher. They seem to develop a relationship until their last expected parting Jack essentially rapes Amanda, impregnating her.

I don’t feel that there was much chemistry between Amanda and Jack, and the more forceful encounters or Jack assuring Amanda that she likes what he’s doing don’t sell their relationship for me.

Three childhood friends make a pact and a bond as sisters to discover their futures. Learning that they are linked and that one of the three clouds all of their futures is more than any of them bargained for.

Intrigue, drama, and twists throughout this book. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it!