Finished the 4 Diane Duane books (The Young Wizards Series) that I borrowed from the library in 2 days. Slower than usual, but that might be because I had to stop and cry towards the end of 3 of the books. Warning: Book reviews (note, many) coming up. Will try to be as spoiler-less as possible.

Book 1: So You Want to Be A Wizard
The book that started it all. I read it when I was in Pri 4, but always remembered it somewhere at the back of my mind. My memory must be bad though, because some of the things in there happened a little differently from what I remembered. Even so, I still loved the way it dealt with the cycles, Light and Dark themes without being cliched or rampaging on some wayward tangent that takes a whole load of lit background (and time) to figure out. Cried for the trees, because I remembered what Liusel had said about their fate (and acceptance of it), and for Fred.

Book 3: High Wizardry
Couldn't get book 2, so I read this first. Lucky, that was OK. The main character in this was a bit more of a brat than she was in book 1, and I really wanted to slap her at some parts. But even through the murderous intents, I understood why she felt that way, so it didn't make it as hard to read as HP Book 5. There was a bit too much of wizardry being thrown around effortlessly to make it feasible, but I cried at page 335, though I suspect it was threatening to happen all the way from 293.

Book 4: A Wizard Aboard
Not as good as the others, but maybe that's because I didn't cry! I was throughly annoyed at the beginning, rather bored by weapon making, and very bored at the lack of spells. Not to mention that Kit was being very irresponsible and a love story that had no beginning or end and turned out to be a very tiny sideplot. The only good thing about this book was all the detail about material and magical Ireland, and the Sidhe (the Good People). This is the first description about them that actually makes sense, much more sense than even Tolkien. But both Duane and Tolkien got their history more or less straight, which is why they have common threads. And one description of the Sidhe is my favourite out of the books so far:
And then the tide of colour poured itself down into Main Street ... and the first of the drows fell away from the gryphon fountain, screaming as a crystal sword pieced it. The horses shone, the riders shone, but not with any kind of light; they were simply more there than the main street was, more there than the broken glass, and the crashed cars, and the gray things; more vivid, more real. Everything seen in the same glance with them went pallid or dull - the crimson of cloaks and banners that burned like coals, the blues and emerald greens like spring suddenly afire amid the concrete, the gold of torques and arm rings glowing as if they were molten, the silver of hair burning like the moon through cloud, the raven of hair burning like the cold between the stars.

If you aren't moved after that, you're not human or I'm a bad summariser.

Book 6: A Wizard Alone
Something really important happened in the previous book, so you're not advised to read this before book 5. I suppose that the suspense in this book was lost on me because I have experience with autistic children, but it's wonderful the way she tackled autistism without being too judgmental or sounding too inhumane. Even the councillors at the Autism Resource centre don't do as well as Duane sometimes. And the way the trap was set... splendid! Wonderful imagery too. Crying... well, read on:
"In here, it's been safe. In here, I never have to look, never have to be afraid I'll see what might be there. Rejection. The one who sees me and doesn't want to look back. Because he's bored with me, or I've hurt him, or..."
"I will put aside fear for courage," Kit said.
"And death for life," Nita said, very softly.