'Graceling'

Kristin Cashore's "Graceling" is a sparkling new romantic fantasy (or fantastic romance) that takes place in the Seven Kingdoms, home to the regular citizenry and the Graced.

Gracelings are known by their eyes of different colors and by their extraordinary abilities. Each may be graced with talents as different as swimming, fighting, mind reading, or, in the case of Katsa, niece to King Randa, killing.

Randa has trained his sister's daughter to destroy or strong-arm his enemies into paying their debts, yielding their lands, and giving him whatever he wants. She secretly rebels by forming a council to right such wrongs as she can, and eventually, by defying the king, and falling in with a young Lienid prince who is searching for his grandfather's kidnappers. Together the two must use their Graces for the ultimate good, to destroy a sadistic king with an appalling gift, horribly misused.

Katsa and Po's growing love for each other is beautifully expressed, as is their concern for those they care for. Plenty of suspense and breakneck action interleaves the tender times, making "Graceling" a book hard resist.

'More Information Than You Require'

John Hodgman's "More Information Than You Require" is filled with arcane, almost entirely made-up data about items as variant as how to win every time at roulette (bet on all the black numbers and all the red numbers) to the rumored existence of a two-foot deep blood-red Mongolian death worm which may or may not shoot electricity from its antennae.

Hodgman, who plays the part of the PC on the Buy a Mac commercials is about as funny in this book as he is in the commercials; i.e., snortworthy from time to time, but not laugh-out-loud funny. But if you are in the mood for a listing of Mole People and their occupations, Hodgman is your man.

• Laura Wadley is a librarian with the Provo City Library. E-mail her at lauraw@provo.lib.ut.us.