A [collective noun] of Unas

[altariel]

I've read two books this week that each contained a character called Una. One was Provocation by Charlotte Grimshaw, a hard-boiled-ish crime thriller set in Auckland. The other was The New House at Winwood, by Clare Mallory, a girls' school story set near Dunedin. Two Una-tastic novels, both set in New Zealand. Neither Una was particularly brilliant, to be honest, which was a slight disappointment. Let's pretend that they're called "Yoo-na" then.

As an aside, The New House at Winwood was just great: it read like a political thriller. Winwood School has a new head, who has - in the term prior to the book starting - carried out all kinds of changes: tighter rules on sweets and sports and going into town and, worst of all, she has built a new house, accommodating forty new girls. The girls from the two old houses swear they will have nothing to do with the girls from the new house. But the Head has a number of cunning plans up her sleeve, not least moving two of the most popular old girls over to the new house, and making one of them head girl... So, really, a book about putting down a rebellion and generating a political consensus. Inspired. Loved it.

While we're on the subject of people called Una, here's that meme:

"Take a picture of yourself right now. Don't change your clothes. Don't fix your hair. Just take a picture. Post that picture with no editing. (Except maybe to get the image size down to something reasonable. Don’t go posting an eight megapixel image.) Include these instructions."

I went to bed with a migraine last night, and I've spent the day in bed reading paperbacks. So this is what I look like the day after a migraine, having spent a day in bed reading paperbacks. (You should be able to see the bed and a pillow behind me.) I look more like one of my brothers than I usually do. Oh, and you can see the new specs of repute.

Comments

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

You haven't changed at all! (Well, except for the glasses but I don't remember the other ones.) You look very serious and intellectual whereas I'm spaced out and woolly after a migraine.

That book sounds great! I shall see if the library has it. It should. I had no idea there were school stories set here.

Did you watch SG1? There's a race called the Unas (singular and plural), a member of which was in the second ep I watched which was a brilliant standalone story of communication between two species with no common language: wonderful SF.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I probably have more silver hairs than I used to! They're more obvious when my hair is longer.

I'm sure you would be able to find Clare Mallory's books in local libraries. I hadn't heard of her until Girls Gone By started reprinting the books: as soon as I saw she was a New Zealander, I knew I'd have to try them. From her biography she sounds a remarkable, talented, clever woman.

I never watched SG1: the picture of that Unas is exactly how I felt while the migraine was upon me. That sounds like a good episode: reminiscent of the TNG episode 'Darmok'.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I shall check my library--after all, they had most of the AF books. [does so] Damn. They only have 'Merry Again' and 'Merry Marches On'.

That ep was an amazing one; the Unas were very alien (unlike most species in SG1). I think it would stand alone very well; it was the second or third I saw and was mainly Daniel (the historian and linguist) communicating with an Unas. Excellent SF.

I feel more like my icon when I have a migraine: all huge hurty head and hardly any body.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Damn, you'd expect them to have a NZ author! The publishing company lists one dealer in NZ (here). I like the Merry books, but the others of hers that I've read are better.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

You would think that, wouldn't you?

Thanks! I'll check that out. Are the others a series too, or standalone?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

So far as I know, the other books are standalone, but I've still not read quite a few of them. The ones I have read (Juliet Overseas and The New House at Winwood) were independent of each other.