And now the boy feels inexplicably nervous. He could offer her Aerin Firehair, but she's probably read that a million times before. She's mentioned gormless Other fiction, but he's not sure what that means. And he has no idea what sorts of vegetarian magazines she'd like to scan through.

He has her canon locked away in his sylladex of course, but that will never, ever see the light of day--bottled or otherwise--if he's still breathing.

"Um," he says, as the phrase out of your league tickles his ear, "well, I've recommended Mademoiselle de Maupin by Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier to Oswin before. The titular lady is an opera star who cross-dresses, has unparalleled skills with the sword, and sets fire to a convent because she loves one of the nuns. True story."

He taps his chin. "There's also Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History, which you might find funny."