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I deeply enjoyed Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon, so it came as a surprise to me when I failed to finish the rest of that series.
The problem with the sequels to me was how repetitive they were. Types of characters, conflicts, and even certain sorts of plot twists from the Mists of Avalon were recycled so often in the later books that I lost interest.
It would have made sense for some of these things to be repeated give the time period and how slowly society changed. Reusing the same sorts of characters was less understandable to me, especially when it came to priestesses who over-estimated their powers and/or influence on others and men who consistently ignored good advice due to the gender of the person giving it.
So I stopped reading this series. I’m still glad I read The Mists of Avalon, though, and always keep my eyes open for other books that tell traditional myths, legends, and stories from new perspectives.
Occasionally, I’ve had to step into the road for a moment to get past that wall of obliviousness because they won’t even acknowledge a polite “excuse me!” (If concerned elders of my family read this, please note I only do it as a last resort on very quiet streets).
I chose all of these characters for one reason: they’d be fabulous dinner companions. Any one of them would be filled with interesting anecdotes about their lives.
Navigating the Canadian Immigration System. I’d discuss everything from filling out the many pages of paperwork for it, to adjusting to Canadian culture, to how long it took me to go through each stage of the process.
It was tough to narrow this down to only one answer, but I’m going to have to go with Robert J. Sawyer’s 
Parks. Yes, I gave this as an answer last year for the 
Streams, Lakes, and Ponds. If Toronto were near the ocean, I would have added that to this list, too. Whether I’m paddling on them, sitting quietly on a ferry gliding through them, or watching from the edge of a watery place as duck families swim by, I love being near water no matter what form it takes. (Swimming isn’t on this list because it’s usually too chilly to swim outdoors in Ontario until summer begins).
How did that change? Some Dutch growers began cross-breeding different types of carrots in the late 1600s. It’s thought that they probably crossed purple carrots with white ones to eventually create the orange carrots we all know.
I’m a quiet, gentle, shy person who has a mischievous streak that occasionally surprises people. Here are some characters who remind me of myself.
My youngest brother was about two or three then, so sometimes he’d need a parent to carry him if we walked for a long distance. But the important thing was that we were together and we got to explore rocks that felt impossible large to me as a child.