As HBO's Game of Thrones cuts through the competition tomorrow, I've turned back to young adult literature for the time being. After Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Ian McEwan's Atonement, sometimes I need a light escape. Newest find? Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Ten pages in, the promising start gives me hope that it won't repeat my disappointment after reading The Discovery of Witches. A rather nauseating tale of a beautiful (oblivious to her allure... of course), intelligent, talented, heroine and her vampire lover. I have officially OD'd on vampires. The only thing I've "discovered" is that a perfect protagonist produces little empathy and even less charm. Another reason for George R.R. Martin's appeal to the masses, imperfection is human nature.
