Reviewer demographics are bizarre things. I just noticed on Friday that my super-short story Certified has 4 x 5-star reviews plus 1 x 4-star review on Smashwords, and yet on Barnes & Noble, it has 3 x 4-star, 3 x 3-star, and 2 x 2-star. Also of note is the fact that all the Smashword reviews have comments, while only one of the B&N ones does. These trends - less, higher-star reviews on Smashwords with comments; more, lower-star reviews on B&N sans comments - bear out across all four of my free shorts.
Investigating further, I think you can leave reviews anonymously and without comments on B&N, but not on Smashwords, and on Smashwords you have to have purchased the book through them in order to be able to leave a review.
Not really sure where I'm going with this, because 4 books isn't really a sufficient sample size, esp when they're all flash fiction and free (which I think is a big factor in negative reviews - the cheaper something is, the more likely people who would never like that kind of fiction anywhere are to pick it up), but it's kind of interesting to see that on sites where you have to man up and identify yourself, reviews tend to be positive, and on sites where you can be anonymous they trend towards, well, not necessarily negative, although one or two are (at which I snicker), but definitely less glowing. More honest?? Who knows.
Anyway, random thoughts for the day. Anyone else noticed any trends like this?
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
04 June 2012
09 May 2012
Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
May 2012, HarperCollins
544 pages, Hardcover
Personal copy
YA Dystopian
Violence, kissing, betrayal and a hearty dose of guilt
Personal copy
YA Dystopian
Violence, kissing, betrayal and a hearty dose of guilt
Summary from HarperCollins:
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has
consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris
Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while
grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and
loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
Amy's Thoughts:
**Some mild, general Divergent spoilers**
Picking up right where Divergent left off, Insurgent explores what Tris will do now that war has erupted. As far as she knows, almost everyone she loved is dead - some by her own hand, something that she can never forgive herself for. Plagued by doubt and overwhelming guilt, Tris has to decide if there is anything worth living for after all. And of course, we all know what Tobias thinks about that :D
Look, you all know I loved Divergent. Insurgent is even better. I really like this trend that I'm seeing of YA trilogies/series getting stronger and stronger as they progress. Roth really steps things up here in terms of stakes and plot twists, but most importantly (for me), she really digs deep into the psychology of the characters to create compelling motivation and character growth that feels so real, it's like you know the people involved. If you fell in love with Tris and Four in Divergent, you'll really never want to leave them after Insurgent.
Speaking of love, I have to say I really admire the way that Ms Roth dealt with Tris and Tobias's relationship in this book. Without spoilerising, suffice to say it is real, and difficult, and an exceptionally honest portrayal of love that you don't often find in mainstream fiction. Well done Roth.
Of course, being book 2 of 3, Insurgent ends on a cliffhanger that had me literally screaming at it (ask Boyo, the husbandical one) and I CANNOT BELIEVE I now have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for the conclusion. Urgh. Want.
In terms of the bad, there are a few copyediting/continuity errors that have crept in (Ms Roth apologises), but only in one instance did it jolt me out of the story, and it still wasn't a biggie - I flipped back a few pages to double check, went "Huh, must be a mistake", and kept reading.
Final Conclusion:
LOVE. THIS. BOOK. Mostly for Tris's character arc - her growth and development, and the sensitive way that Roth handles it.
More:
Find Ms Roth on her website and on Twitter.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
Amy's Thoughts:
**Some mild, general Divergent spoilers**
Picking up right where Divergent left off, Insurgent explores what Tris will do now that war has erupted. As far as she knows, almost everyone she loved is dead - some by her own hand, something that she can never forgive herself for. Plagued by doubt and overwhelming guilt, Tris has to decide if there is anything worth living for after all. And of course, we all know what Tobias thinks about that :D
Look, you all know I loved Divergent. Insurgent is even better. I really like this trend that I'm seeing of YA trilogies/series getting stronger and stronger as they progress. Roth really steps things up here in terms of stakes and plot twists, but most importantly (for me), she really digs deep into the psychology of the characters to create compelling motivation and character growth that feels so real, it's like you know the people involved. If you fell in love with Tris and Four in Divergent, you'll really never want to leave them after Insurgent.
Speaking of love, I have to say I really admire the way that Ms Roth dealt with Tris and Tobias's relationship in this book. Without spoilerising, suffice to say it is real, and difficult, and an exceptionally honest portrayal of love that you don't often find in mainstream fiction. Well done Roth.
Of course, being book 2 of 3, Insurgent ends on a cliffhanger that had me literally screaming at it (ask Boyo, the husbandical one) and I CANNOT BELIEVE I now have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for the conclusion. Urgh. Want.
In terms of the bad, there are a few copyediting/continuity errors that have crept in (Ms Roth apologises), but only in one instance did it jolt me out of the story, and it still wasn't a biggie - I flipped back a few pages to double check, went "Huh, must be a mistake", and kept reading.
Final Conclusion:
LOVE. THIS. BOOK. Mostly for Tris's character arc - her growth and development, and the sensitive way that Roth handles it.
More:
Find Ms Roth on her website and on Twitter.
04 May 2012
The Breakaway by Michelle Davidson Argyle
May 2012, Rhemalda Publishing
320 pages, Paperback & eBook
Review copy
Young adult contemporary suspence
kissing, closed-curtain sex
Review copy
Young adult contemporary suspence
kissing, closed-curtain sex
Summary from Rhemalda:
When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she’s missing. Escape isn’t high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she’s part of a family—even if it is a family of criminals. But she’s still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she’s falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn’t sure she wants to take it.
Amy's Thoughts:
I had the privilege of reading this book in draft form many years ago, and I had the most wonderful experience when I read the completed version recently. You know how you tend to remember books you like holistically, as general impressions of what was good, and so on? And sometimes, when you pick them up again years later, they're not quite as good as you remember, and you realise you'd forgotten all the flaws. But sometimes, you pick them up, and they are exactly as great as you remembered. That's how I felt about The Breakaway. I know it's changed since the early-ish draft I read, and I can even point to the places where it's changed - but the overall story, the essence of the book, is exactly how I remembered it, and it's wonderful.
Michelle explores an issue not often explored in YA literature - Stockholm Syndrome - and does so thoughtfully and sensitively. The MC Naomi grows up in the course of this novel, and I love how real her journey is; she isn't some fictional hero full of verve and courage and strength, she's just an ordinary girl - and I mean a real ordinary girl, not as in "Oh look at me, I'm so ordinary and average, even though really I have no flaws at all and am actually just a Mary Sue, written so that you can fill my blanks in with your own personality and pretend you are me." I'm not a fan of that kind of story; can you tell? O:)
For all that this is categorised as suspense, it is, like much of Michelle's writing, a very quiet sort of suspense. It's not a high-pace heart-pounder; it's thoughtful, and intelligent, and the suspense is elegantly done, revolving around Naomi's mental state and decision making rather than chases and physical danger. If you like real MCs who have real, mixed up emotions and can't always bring themselves to be strong, and if you like intelligent stories about intelligent people, and if you like thoughtful stories about real issues - with a smattering of romance, of course - then this is very much the book for you.
Final Conclusion:
This is a smooth, effortless read and a really interesting exploration of a topic that doesn't see much attention in YA usually - a fantastic book.
You can pick up a copy of The Breakaway at Amazon or from the publisher's website. Find Michelle Davidson Argyle on her website, and view the trailer for The Breakaway here.
Michelle lives and writes in Utah, surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. She loves the seasons, but late summer and early fall are her favorites. She adores chocolate, sushi, and lots of ethnic food, and loves to read and write books in whatever time she can grab between her sword-wielding husband and energetic daughter. She believes a simple life is the best life.
08 April 2012
Review: Even Villains Fall In Love by Liana Brooks
April 2012, Breathless PresseBook
Personal copy
Science Fiction Romance (Superhero fiction)
Kisses, caresses, off-screen sex, quadriplets who want their Mummy NOW
Personal copy
Science Fiction Romance (Superhero fiction)
Kisses, caresses, off-screen sex, quadriplets who want their Mummy NOW
Summary from Breathless Press:
If you believe the rumors you know that Doctor Charm, the wickedly sexy super villain, retired in shame seven years ago after his last fight with the superhero Zephyr Girl. The fact that the charming Evan Smith - father of four and husband of the too-beautiful-to-be-real Tabitha - bears a resemblance to the defeated Doctor is pure coincidence. And, please, ignore the minions.
Everything is perfect in the Smith household until Tabitha announces her return to work as a superhero. Evan was hoping to keep her distracted until after he rigged the 2012 presidential election, but – genius that he is – Evan has a backup plan. In his basement lab Evan has a machine whose sole purpose is keeping Tabitha hungry for him.
But children and labs don’t mix. The machine is broken, and Tabitha storms out, claiming she no longer knows him. World domination takes a back seat to meeting his daughters’ demands to get Mommy back right now. This time his genius isn’t going to be enough – he’s going to need both his evil alter-ego and the blooming super abilities of his children to save his wife. But even his most charming self might not be enough to save their marriage.
Amy's Thoughts:
Those of you that follow me on Twitter will probably not be surprised by my adoration of this book. Not only is it my twinny's debut (SO EXCITING), I helped out with the betaing and proofreading of this one, so it's completely amazing to have seen it go from a casual summer joke to Real Live Proper Book. YAY!
EVFiL is a fun, quirky story about the super villain who married the superhero. He's hot, she's gorgeous, and it was just the kind of scandal the world needed :D Only now they have four kids, Evan's plan to take over the world via the US presidential elections is falling behind schedule - and his wife decides she wants to go back to superheroing. Seriously, is this not the most awesome set up? But of course, everything goes wrong, and Evan has to decide between ruling the free world, and getting his wife back - and, of course, everything is not as it seems >:)
So, reasons why you should read this book:
1) It's funny.
2) If you like anything in the superhero genre, you will probably like this.
3) It's SO nice to have a romance novel(la) based on a married couple for a change. Romance does not end with a wedding, people!
4) It's funny.
5) I helped proofread it.
O:)
Excerpt:
Maria rolled her eyes. "We won't get hurt, Daddy. You'll protect us. You never got hurt as a super villain, did you?"
"Um..."
"See? We'll be safe."
Delila raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"Can we have costumes?"
He was blindsided with nowhere to run. "Sure. I'll have a minion get right on that. You do realize that if I let you near a fight, your mother will kill me? She will skin me alive. Literally. This is a very bad idea."
"Mommy doesn't like you leaving us alone either," Maria said.
"Minions don't count," Angela added.
Final Conclusion:
If you enjoy lighthearted romance, real family dynamics, and a bit of superhero magic on the side, this is definitely the book for you. It's funny, it's quirky, and I really can't wait to read the next in the series :D
Find Liana Brooks on her website, or see the publisher's page for Even Villains Fall In Love.
Liana Brooks was born in San Diego, California. Years later she was disappointed to learn that The Shire was not some place she could move to, nor was Rider of Rohan an acceptable career choice. Studying marine biology so she could play with sharks seemed to be the only alternative. After college Liana settled down to work as a full-time author and mother because logical career progression is something that happens to other people. When she grows up, Liana wants to be an Evil Overlord and take over the world.
In the meantime, she writes sci-fi and SFR in between trips to the beach. She can be found wearing colorful socks on the Emerald Coast, or online at www.lianabrooks.com.
08 November 2011
The AWESOME That Is Divergent
Ie, how Divergent is awesome. Not divergent awesomeness, although that could be also fun.
May 2011, HarperCollins
Summary from HarperCollins:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
Amy's thoughts:
OH. THE. SQUEE. I know, I know, I keep going on about the books I've read recently, but SERIOUSLY. YOU GUYS. There has been a whole spate of REALLY AWESOME YA debuts recently. REALLY. AWESOME. Divergent is definitely one of them, and if you're at all curious/unconvinced, note that you can read the first 100 pages free online.
I'm warning you, though: you'll knife anyone who gets in the way of you and the rest of the book once you have. (Though at least the book is out now; I read the first 100 pages 6 months before the book was released, oh the horror).
Ahem. Okay. Actually reviewey stuff. Divergent is YA dystopian fiction premised on the idea that society has been divided into five factors, each of which live life according to a particular value because they believe that that is the best way to restore peace to society. Tris's (Beatrice) story begins when she has to decide whether to stay in her family's faction, or defect to another. It's a pretty standard YA coming-of-age set-up, in an original-yet-familiar social/conceptual setting; it's good, sure, but this is not what makes Roth's book astounding. What makes it astounding is the amazing voice and the characterisation.
Roth absolutely nails Tris's voice; Tris is innocent and naive, yet determined and brave all at the same time, and the conflict that she feels between her old way of life and her (self-) imposed new way of life is treated with subtlety and delicacy and is just... *melts* *pats the pretty*
Topped off with a twist I didn't really expect (hurrah!) and your obligatory hot guy (though please note, his characterisation is equally as subtle as Triss's), this really is an amazing, amazing book. Go on: read the first pages already.
Final Conclusion:
I am speechless, and Ms Roth is on my auto-buy list. Read the first 100 pages of Divergent here, stalk Ms Roth on twitter and on her blog, and watch out for an announcement later this week about how you can win your very own copy of Divergent-shiny that I bought especially for you :o)
May 2011, HarperCollins487 pages, Paperback
Personal copy
YA Dystopian
Some violence, discussion about not-having-sex-yet
Personal copy
YA Dystopian
Some violence, discussion about not-having-sex-yet
Summary from HarperCollins:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.
Amy's thoughts:
OH. THE. SQUEE. I know, I know, I keep going on about the books I've read recently, but SERIOUSLY. YOU GUYS. There has been a whole spate of REALLY AWESOME YA debuts recently. REALLY. AWESOME. Divergent is definitely one of them, and if you're at all curious/unconvinced, note that you can read the first 100 pages free online.
I'm warning you, though: you'll knife anyone who gets in the way of you and the rest of the book once you have. (Though at least the book is out now; I read the first 100 pages 6 months before the book was released, oh the horror).
Ahem. Okay. Actually reviewey stuff. Divergent is YA dystopian fiction premised on the idea that society has been divided into five factors, each of which live life according to a particular value because they believe that that is the best way to restore peace to society. Tris's (Beatrice) story begins when she has to decide whether to stay in her family's faction, or defect to another. It's a pretty standard YA coming-of-age set-up, in an original-yet-familiar social/conceptual setting; it's good, sure, but this is not what makes Roth's book astounding. What makes it astounding is the amazing voice and the characterisation.
Roth absolutely nails Tris's voice; Tris is innocent and naive, yet determined and brave all at the same time, and the conflict that she feels between her old way of life and her (self-) imposed new way of life is treated with subtlety and delicacy and is just... *melts* *pats the pretty*
Topped off with a twist I didn't really expect (hurrah!) and your obligatory hot guy (though please note, his characterisation is equally as subtle as Triss's), this really is an amazing, amazing book. Go on: read the first pages already.
Final Conclusion:
I am speechless, and Ms Roth is on my auto-buy list. Read the first 100 pages of Divergent here, stalk Ms Roth on twitter and on her blog, and watch out for an announcement later this week about how you can win your very own copy of Divergent-shiny that I bought especially for you :o)
13 October 2011
Monarch - Review & Giveaway!
September 2011, Rhemalda341 pages, Paperback
Personal copy
Romantic Thriller
Some violence, closed-curtain sex
Personal copy
Romantic Thriller
Some violence, closed-curtain sex
Summary from Rhemalda:
Nick’s life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness — a wife who committed suicide and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the U.S. has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he’ll have the chance to start his life over again.
Just when he’s on the brink of catching Ferreira, he’s framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He’s safe, but not for long …
Amy's thoughts:
Despite the dead body on the opening page (;)), Monarch was one of those books that took me a couple of chapters to really get into. However, like Blood Song that I read recently and also took time getting into, I'm really, REALLY glad I did. (And look, seriously? Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series is one of my all-time favourites, and it took me three goes to make it through the first chapter of the first book! This is a me-issue, clearly.)
Monarch is pegged as a thriller, and certainly has all the thriller paraphernalia - spies, betrayals, guns and cover stories, murders, threats, and time running out - but somehow, it's quieter than your average thriller, more thoughtful. Michelle utilises beautiful symbolism throughout and various different points of view to make this story about so much more than just a man on the run; I like to call Ender's Game, one of my all-time favourite novels, the science fiction novel for people who don't read science fiction - Monarch is the thriller for people who don't read thrillers. It's equal parts thriller and romance, contemporary and literary, and really embodies Michelle's cross-genre style. It's quiet and understated in a way that reminds you that life is not so much about what happens, as who it happens with - something worth remembering, I think.
Monarch utilises three points of view (Nick, Lilian of Monarch Inn, and Lilian's adult son Devan) and within Nick's point of view, two timelines, past and present. Occasionally the segues between Nick's timelines feel a little stiff, but overall the complex structure enhances the story and deepens our understanding of the characters and plot, and I really enjoyed seeing the story from different perspectives, especially since Michelle has done so well at giving them unique, original voices.
Overall, this is a very pleasing debut, and I can't wait for The Breakaway, Michelle's next novel (also a standalone), to be released next year. Yay!
Final Conclusion:
This is a great example of what you can do when you're not afraid to cross the genre boundaries. Congratulations on an awesome debut, Michelle!
Find out more about Michelle Davidson Argyle here including her highly awesome blog which you should all go follow right away! Sign up for her newsletter, too, because she does awesome giveaways for her subscribers. :)
Nick’s life as a CIA spy should be fulfilling, but it has only given him unhappiness — a wife who committed suicide and two daughters who resent everything he has become. Now, stuck in the Amazon on the last mission of his career, he must track down Matheus Ferreira, a drug lord and terrorist the U.S. has tried to bring down for years. If he succeeds, he’ll have the chance to start his life over again.
Just when he’s on the brink of catching Ferreira, he’s framed for a murder that turns his world upside down. His only chance of survival lies in West Virginia where Lilian Love, a woman from his past, owns the secluded Monarch Inn. He’s safe, but not for long …
Amy's thoughts:
Despite the dead body on the opening page (;)), Monarch was one of those books that took me a couple of chapters to really get into. However, like Blood Song that I read recently and also took time getting into, I'm really, REALLY glad I did. (And look, seriously? Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series is one of my all-time favourites, and it took me three goes to make it through the first chapter of the first book! This is a me-issue, clearly.)
Monarch is pegged as a thriller, and certainly has all the thriller paraphernalia - spies, betrayals, guns and cover stories, murders, threats, and time running out - but somehow, it's quieter than your average thriller, more thoughtful. Michelle utilises beautiful symbolism throughout and various different points of view to make this story about so much more than just a man on the run; I like to call Ender's Game, one of my all-time favourite novels, the science fiction novel for people who don't read science fiction - Monarch is the thriller for people who don't read thrillers. It's equal parts thriller and romance, contemporary and literary, and really embodies Michelle's cross-genre style. It's quiet and understated in a way that reminds you that life is not so much about what happens, as who it happens with - something worth remembering, I think.
Monarch utilises three points of view (Nick, Lilian of Monarch Inn, and Lilian's adult son Devan) and within Nick's point of view, two timelines, past and present. Occasionally the segues between Nick's timelines feel a little stiff, but overall the complex structure enhances the story and deepens our understanding of the characters and plot, and I really enjoyed seeing the story from different perspectives, especially since Michelle has done so well at giving them unique, original voices.
Overall, this is a very pleasing debut, and I can't wait for The Breakaway, Michelle's next novel (also a standalone), to be released next year. Yay!
Final Conclusion:
This is a great example of what you can do when you're not afraid to cross the genre boundaries. Congratulations on an awesome debut, Michelle!
Find out more about Michelle Davidson Argyle here including her highly awesome blog which you should all go follow right away! Sign up for her newsletter, too, because she does awesome giveaways for her subscribers. :)
Giveaway!
This is Michelle's debut novel, and as Michelle is a friend of mine, I'm understandably excited :D I was privileged enough to read a very early draft of this story, and I even helped a little with the opening paragraph of the novel! So I'm even MORE excited to be able to offer you the chance to win a copy of this fantastic story.
I have not one but TWO e-copies of Monarch to give away. One is an ARC, and the other is the final version (and yes, they are fractionally different). I also have a swag-bag, with a signed poster and bookmarks.
All you have to do to enter is tell someone else about this contest (anyone, anywhere, I trust you), then enter your details in the safe-and-secret online form. Contest is OPEN INTERNATIONALLY, and will close on October 27. Yay!
31 August 2011
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
October 2011, Scholastic
404 pages, Paperback
Review copy
Literary fantasy
Some brutal, horrible deaths
404 pages, Paperback
Review copy
Literary fantasy
Some brutal, horrible deaths
Summary from Scholastic:
It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
Amy's Thoughts:
This is not a book to squee over; this is a book to quietly die for. I really, really don't know how to do this book justice in a review, so bear with me while I try.
The Scorpio Races is set on a small island in the UK, and the ocean permeates the story. More. This story IS the ocean. The ocean is vast and deep and dangerous and compelling, moody and tempestuous and utterly, utterly charming while at the same time pervaded by a dangerous undercurrent. Ocean, water, blue-brown-grey, gull crying in loneliness from the craggy cliffs and the wind whipping in your face - this is Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races.
It's quiet, and compelling, and oh, so utterly, utterly true. No, it's not a factual story, but what it says about people and life and grief and love - it's real. It's true.
I've never in my life hated an author before, not even when J.K. killed off beloved characters in her Harry Potter series. I cried, sure, just like I bawled my eyes out for the last three chapters of Marley and Me; but I've never hated an author for something they made happen in a book.
I hated Ms Stiefvater. At a certain point in the last quarter of The Scorpio Races, I wanted to throw it against a wall and scream in outrage and horror at the unfairness of it all. But I couldn't, because what she'd written was right; it was true. And I couldn't bring myself to not read the end, not see how it finished. And I'm so, so, so glad I did finish it, because the ending was worth waiting for, and is so bittersweetly beautiful that I'm literally crying again now remembering it.
I love this book. If you love human-animal connections, real romantic relationships that are more about mutual respect and understanding than mushiness, difficult decisions, wild places, bittersweet endings and of course, killer water horses, please: love this book too.
Final Conclusion:
This is the most heart-wrenching book I can ever remember reading. I want to carry it around with me forever to remind me of all that is beautiful and important in life - and what exactly love is.
Find Maggie Stiefvater on her website, and view the trailer for The scorpio Races here.
EXCITING CONTEST NEWS: I'm doing a joint giveaway with Nayuleska of Nayu's corner. To enter for your chance to win an ARC of The Scorpio Races, tell someone about this contest (FB, Twitter, your blog, in person, whatevs) and fill in this form. And no, we don't require proof that you told someone; we trust you. Although if you came up with a way to show us that you told someone in person, that would be kind of awesome. *imagines photos, videos, audios* *cackles*
The contest will close on SEPTEMBER 13 and is open INTERNATIONALLY. Oh, and the cover is not as pictured since it's an uncorrected proof ;)
22 August 2011
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
January 2011, Penguin/Razorbill
408 pages, Paperback
Library copy
YA science fiction
Some graphic pain, murder, sex (not MC)
Summary from Penguin:
Oh, my gosh! I LOVED this book! I read it in a single sitting, past my bedtime, and adored every minute of it. This book is full of twists and turns and surprising reveals, and although I guess one or two I didn't actually guess how they would work, and made exclamations of delight often enough that my husband kept giving me strange looks.
The characters are interesting and well-rounded and, most importantly, smart and active. Although they're in a very difficult situation (stuck on a gen-ship several centuries away from Earth) with mysterious murders of an odd variety happening all around them, they Get Stuff Done.
The worldbuilding is just gorgeous - rich and layered and entirely logical - sometimes scarily so. But most importantly, this book does EXACTLY what science fiction is, in my opinion, supposed to do: it asks important ethical and moral questions. What is the truth? Does everyone actually deserve - or need - to know it? What constitutes good leadership? Does the end ever justify the means? And just exactly how much can love overcome?
A very, very awesome book.
Final Conclusion:
This is one of my favourite books all year. Well done, Ms Revis!
Find out more about Across the Universe at its website, or more about Beth Revis at her website :)
Amy has left the life she loves for a world 300 years away
Trapped in space and frozen in time, Amy is bound for a new planet. But fifty years before she's due to arrive, she is violently woken, the victim of an attempted murder. Now Amy's lost on board and nothing makes sense - she's never felt so alone.
Yet someone is waiting for her. He wants to protect her; and more if she'll let him.
But who can she trust amidst the secrets and lies? A killer is out there – and Amy has nowhere to hide . . .
Oh, my gosh! I LOVED this book! I read it in a single sitting, past my bedtime, and adored every minute of it. This book is full of twists and turns and surprising reveals, and although I guess one or two I didn't actually guess how they would work, and made exclamations of delight often enough that my husband kept giving me strange looks.
The characters are interesting and well-rounded and, most importantly, smart and active. Although they're in a very difficult situation (stuck on a gen-ship several centuries away from Earth) with mysterious murders of an odd variety happening all around them, they Get Stuff Done.
The worldbuilding is just gorgeous - rich and layered and entirely logical - sometimes scarily so. But most importantly, this book does EXACTLY what science fiction is, in my opinion, supposed to do: it asks important ethical and moral questions. What is the truth? Does everyone actually deserve - or need - to know it? What constitutes good leadership? Does the end ever justify the means? And just exactly how much can love overcome?
A very, very awesome book.
Final Conclusion:
This is one of my favourite books all year. Well done, Ms Revis!
Find out more about Across the Universe at its website, or more about Beth Revis at her website :)
13 August 2011
Blood Song by Rhiannon Hart
Sept 2011, Random House
290, Paperback
Review copy
YA fantasy
Occasional mild violence, a kiss or two
290, Paperback
Review copy
YA fantasy
Occasional mild violence, a kiss or two
Summary from Random House Australia:
When her sister becomes betrothed to a prince in a northern nation, Zeraphina's only consolations are that her loyal animal companions are by her side - and that her burning hunger to travel north is finally being sated.
Already her black hair and pale eyes mark her out as different, but now Zeraphina must be even more careful to keep her secret safe. Craving blood is not considered normal behaviour for anyone, let alone a princess. So when the king's advisor, Rodden, seems to know more about her condition than she does, Zeraphina is determined to find out more.
Zeraphina must be willing to sacrifice everything if she's to uncover the truth - but what if the truth is beyond her worst nightmares?
Amy's Thoughts:
I must confess, my thoughts as I waded through the first three chapters of this book were - oh no, not another 'Just Another Vampire Story' (J.A.V.S.). Somehow, I'd missed the (totally obvious) references in the back cover copy and HELLO, THE TITLE, and I was worried I wouldn't enjoy the book after all. But I DID like the back cover copy, and that kept me going.
I'm so, SO glad I did. As soon as the MMC is introduced somewhere around chapter 4 or 5, this book morphed from being my few-pages-every-few-days bathroom book to an un-put-down-able story that I HAD to finish RIGHT THEN. Rodden, the MMC? SO. MUCH. AWESOME. He and the FMC Zeraphina play off each other perfectly, and there's snark, and attraction, and it's just all so shiny.
Plus, the books is definitely NOT a J.A.V.S. Hart's take on 'vampires' is refreshing (more in line with historical perspectives of vampirism, not the new-fangled vampires-are-sparkly-and-sexy) and fits well into her original world building. Plus, hello, telepathic connections with animals. I'm in. (That's part of what attracted me to the story in the first place).
Final Conclusion:
I'll be looking out for the next book in the series, for sure. This was a fun read :)
Find out more about Blood Song and Rhiannon Hart at her blog, Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered.
22 June 2011
ARGH-SQUEEEEE!!!
ALSO! I got a parcel in the mail today. It pretty much made my entire week.
My wonderful, amazing, insert-more-fantabulous-adjectives-here friend Nayuleska from Nayu's Reading Corner sent me a BOOK, in my capacity as a sometimes-reviewer on her blog! And not just any book: an ARC of Maggie Stiefvater's brand new book, The Scorpio Races.
I've read the first chapter, despite the fact that I really NEED to be writing reports, and let me tell you - it's amazing. I can't WAIT until reports are done and I can snuggle down and read it for reals.
So. Much. Squee :o)
My wonderful, amazing, insert-more-fantabulous-adjectives-here friend Nayuleska from Nayu's Reading Corner sent me a BOOK, in my capacity as a sometimes-reviewer on her blog! And not just any book: an ARC of Maggie Stiefvater's brand new book, The Scorpio Races.
I've read the first chapter, despite the fact that I really NEED to be writing reports, and let me tell you - it's amazing. I can't WAIT until reports are done and I can snuggle down and read it for reals.
So. Much. Squee :o)
27 September 2010
Review of Candor by Pam Bachorz
Just a quick reminder that I'm the Sunday reviewer over at Nayu's Reading Corner. This week's review was of Candor, a fantastic dystopic debut by author Pam Bachorz.
21 May 2010
GTTBRPU200 #6 22 - 26
Although I didn't blog about it at the time, this was the last section of books counted in the official GTTBRPU200* effort, before I started full-time work at the end of January. I'm book-logging again because, believe it or not, I'm still trying to get the TBR pile under 200 o.O Oi. After this booklog, I need to come up with a name for this year's effort - preferable one that's easier for people to remember and type ;) :D
The TBR pile has been hovering about about 212 for the last couple of months; I read some books, I buy some new ones to add to the stack, and the dratted thing just keeps hovering. One day, I will remember that in order to make headway on a pile, one must stop adding to it first O:)
But anyway. On to the booklog.
*Get The To-Be-Read Pile Under 200
#22: Around the World in 80 Days ~ Jules VerneSo, in trying to get the TBR pile under 200, I may or may not have totally cheated and gone through all the Really Short Easy Books that I own. I have this series of children's classics, for example, of which Around the World is a part, and, well... it was short!
The story itself is pretty much what you'd expect from the genre; I'm sure it's exciting if you're below ten :) Simple plot line, simple characters, simple conclusion. *shrug* Nice to be able to say I've read it, but that's about all.
#23: The Arrival ~ Shaun TanTHIS is one of my MOST FAVOURITEST books EVER. It's a picture book, entirely wordless, by OH MY FLUFFY PINK FROG! The story it tells!
The Arrival is about immigration, in general terms. In more specific terms, it's about a man who leaves his family behind to go to a foreign, scary, alien place. He meets new friends, navigates the strange, unintelligible signs of the new world to get a job, and eventually, his family joins him. But seriously, picture = thousand words. This book is all pictures. Nothing I can say will do it justice. Just go BUY IT already and READ IT, for the sheer beauty of the imagery, the talent behind the drawing, and the incredible complexity of the story demonstrated only in images. So pretty!!
The Arrival is about immigration, in general terms. In more specific terms, it's about a man who leaves his family behind to go to a foreign, scary, alien place. He meets new friends, navigates the strange, unintelligible signs of the new world to get a job, and eventually, his family joins him. But seriously, picture = thousand words. This book is all pictures. Nothing I can say will do it justice. Just go BUY IT already and READ IT, for the sheer beauty of the imagery, the talent behind the drawing, and the incredible complexity of the story demonstrated only in images. So pretty!!
#24: The Amber Photograph ~ Penelope J. StokesI tried to read this one once years ago and it didn't work. I think probably because I'd just read two of Stokes's other books, and this one felt too much the same. However, coming back to it now, fresh and not having read her work for a long time, I found this book incredibly inspiring.
The younger character's (sorry, can't remember names right now - she's early 20s, though) mother dies, sending her life into a tailspin, and setting her on a determined path to uncover the mystery surrounding her parentage, when all she ever wanted was her Daddy's love.
Amber, a slightly older character, must battle the scars left behind by a childhood of misery and abuse; all she wants is to escape the shadow of her father, but it seems that everywhere she turns, she's reminded of him. She's moved across the entire country and that still isn't far enough - until she begins to find solace in her art.
Their paths cross, and secrets begin to come unraveled. A much shiny book that tackles deep issues and still realistically concludes with a feel-good ending, this book actually inspired one of my short stories, which ended up selling second time out. I'll tell you which one after it's been published - don't want to jinx it :D
Oh, and I should mention that this is a Christian novel. Rare that I find Christian fiction to be well-written, but Stokes seems to manage it - even if her books are all kind of the same.
#25: Tiger ~ Stephen Mills I bought this one to act as 'research' for The Hunter Hunted, which I was in January attempting to revise. I was rather delighted to discover that my portrayal of tigers was reasonably accurate, and that with just a little tweaking I could not only make them more realistic, but make the story deeper and more complex also. Huzzah!
Seriously, if ever you need to know about tigers, this is a go-to book. Excellent, comprehensive and comprehensible information on patterns of behaviour, inter-tiger dynamics, mating, rearing cubs, territories, hunting, and the effects of their diminishing territory fills this book. Well, almost; there are also excellent sections on man-eaters, conservation efforts, and a huge list of places you can go to see tigers in the wild. I *hugs* this book muchly B-)
#26: The Handmaid's Tale ~ Margaret AtwoodI read this one in preparation for the new job - it was one of the texts I would be teaching to my year 11s in Contemporary Literature. I'd only read one Atwood before (The Blind Assassin, which inexplicably is linked in my mind to Merc's wonderful story, The Wish Master), and had quite enjoyed that, so I had hopeful expectations.
Expectations fulfilled and succeeded. Critics don't call this 1984 from a feminist perspective without reason; and I love 1984. So you know O:) Near-ish future dystopia, fragmented narrative, lyrical style full of vivid imagery, death, destruction, sorrow, joy, hope... I loveses this book. Be warned, it's not G-rated; there is the occasional swearing and explicit if clinical (deliberately so) descriptions of sex - but the ideas that this proposes are simply *explodes* Read this book!!
15 January 2010
GTTBRPU200 Booklog #5: Books 17 - 21
Time for the second installment of holiday reading! This is what else I read over the Christmas/New Year break. Yes, I'm totally cheating with this challenge and reading as many of my short books as possible >:)
GTTBRPU200 #17: The Call Of The Wild, by Jack London
I must say, my first impression after reading this book is that it's nowhere near as cutsie as I expected. Yay :) For those of you who, like me, have managed to remain ignorant of the plotline of this classic tale, it follows the (mis)adventures of Buck, a beautiful hulk of a furry dog, stolen from his owner and sold into life as a sled dog in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. Can I just say - yay dogs that act like dogs! London gives them all unique and realistic personalities, and it's obvious that he understands how dog society works - and he respects the animals enough to give it as it is, without glossing over some of the more vicious aspects. If you haven't read it, this is definitely a classic I'd put at the top of the classics-to-read list.
GTTBRPU200 #18: Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard
This is one of the few books I bought myself over Christmas that I'll be teaching come term-time, so I have to admit, I was expecting a dry, boring read. Huzzah! I was wrong! This, ladies and gentlemen, is what theatre is supposed to be like. It's clever, entertaining, and deals with huge and important themes in a way that's sensitive, funny, and startling all at once.
Arcadia follows two plot lines, one set ~100 yrs ago (too lazy to check precisely O:)) and one set in the present, both in the same old house - the same room, in fact. The people in the present are academics trying to piece together events of the past, and the juxtaposition of the 'truth' - what really happened - and people's interpretations thereof in the future is beautiful.
Dealing with themes like passion versus logic, science versus religion, belief versus proof, and the sheer magnitude of genius, this is simply a gorgeous play. READ IT! Especially if you like science :o) And huzzah for a play I'm actually looking forward to teaching :D
GTTBRPU200 #19: Robin Hood, no author listed
If we put aside the fact that it is glaringly obvious this is an old book - characters being too stupid to live, for example, and letting their pride set them up to ridiculous lengths *cough*Robin*cough* - if we ignore that, this was a fun read. Yay outlaws in the forest! Yay bows and arrows! Yay King on his gorgeous black steed coming to save the day!
*grin* It's your quintessential medieval fantasy. If you like that, you'll like this. If you don't, and can't appreciate this story for it's historical value, probably give it a miss ;) Lucky for me, I do like classic fantasy (in small doses), so I quite enjoyed it. Yay!
GTTBRPU200 #20: Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
Eh. So, I confess, I saw the Disney version once when I was in my early teens and can't remember a thing of it, so clearly the movie didn't impress me much. Sadly, the book was much the same. Stories that glorify brattiness, selfishness and/or idiocy in any form just make me impatient.
Yes, it has some lovely underlying symbolise re the dynamic between youth and age, innocence and wisdom, etc etc, but really, Peter annoyed me too much for that to be any compensation. But, at least I can say I've read it now :)
GTTBRPU200 #21: The Snow Pony, by Alison Lester
This is one of those lovely, poignant stories that linger with you for a long time afterwards. I had to read it over a period of days, even though it was physically a short book, just so that I could savour it and let it all sink in. And after I finished, I literally couldn't pick up another book that night; my mind was too full of all I'd read. Beautiful.
Set in the highlands of Australia, The Snow Pony tells the story of Dusty and the beautiful mountain brumby that only she can ride. Despite the potential in that concept for romantic sap (which Dusty herself is disparaging of), the story is real and gritty, showing the pressures of the farming life in drought-ridden Australia and the way that it can drive families apart - or force them together.
This is a beautiful, beautiful book, full of real, broken characters, moments of stunning imagery, and written in a poignant, lingering style that haunted me for days afterwards. I love this book :)
So, watch me be slack and not load covers today. But you get that.
Happy weekend, everyone!!
GTTBRPU200 #17: The Call Of The Wild, by Jack London
I must say, my first impression after reading this book is that it's nowhere near as cutsie as I expected. Yay :) For those of you who, like me, have managed to remain ignorant of the plotline of this classic tale, it follows the (mis)adventures of Buck, a beautiful hulk of a furry dog, stolen from his owner and sold into life as a sled dog in the harsh wilderness of Alaska. Can I just say - yay dogs that act like dogs! London gives them all unique and realistic personalities, and it's obvious that he understands how dog society works - and he respects the animals enough to give it as it is, without glossing over some of the more vicious aspects. If you haven't read it, this is definitely a classic I'd put at the top of the classics-to-read list.
GTTBRPU200 #18: Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard
This is one of the few books I bought myself over Christmas that I'll be teaching come term-time, so I have to admit, I was expecting a dry, boring read. Huzzah! I was wrong! This, ladies and gentlemen, is what theatre is supposed to be like. It's clever, entertaining, and deals with huge and important themes in a way that's sensitive, funny, and startling all at once.
Arcadia follows two plot lines, one set ~100 yrs ago (too lazy to check precisely O:)) and one set in the present, both in the same old house - the same room, in fact. The people in the present are academics trying to piece together events of the past, and the juxtaposition of the 'truth' - what really happened - and people's interpretations thereof in the future is beautiful.
Dealing with themes like passion versus logic, science versus religion, belief versus proof, and the sheer magnitude of genius, this is simply a gorgeous play. READ IT! Especially if you like science :o) And huzzah for a play I'm actually looking forward to teaching :D
GTTBRPU200 #19: Robin Hood, no author listed
If we put aside the fact that it is glaringly obvious this is an old book - characters being too stupid to live, for example, and letting their pride set them up to ridiculous lengths *cough*Robin*cough* - if we ignore that, this was a fun read. Yay outlaws in the forest! Yay bows and arrows! Yay King on his gorgeous black steed coming to save the day!
*grin* It's your quintessential medieval fantasy. If you like that, you'll like this. If you don't, and can't appreciate this story for it's historical value, probably give it a miss ;) Lucky for me, I do like classic fantasy (in small doses), so I quite enjoyed it. Yay!
GTTBRPU200 #20: Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
Eh. So, I confess, I saw the Disney version once when I was in my early teens and can't remember a thing of it, so clearly the movie didn't impress me much. Sadly, the book was much the same. Stories that glorify brattiness, selfishness and/or idiocy in any form just make me impatient.
Yes, it has some lovely underlying symbolise re the dynamic between youth and age, innocence and wisdom, etc etc, but really, Peter annoyed me too much for that to be any compensation. But, at least I can say I've read it now :)
GTTBRPU200 #21: The Snow Pony, by Alison Lester
This is one of those lovely, poignant stories that linger with you for a long time afterwards. I had to read it over a period of days, even though it was physically a short book, just so that I could savour it and let it all sink in. And after I finished, I literally couldn't pick up another book that night; my mind was too full of all I'd read. Beautiful.
Set in the highlands of Australia, The Snow Pony tells the story of Dusty and the beautiful mountain brumby that only she can ride. Despite the potential in that concept for romantic sap (which Dusty herself is disparaging of), the story is real and gritty, showing the pressures of the farming life in drought-ridden Australia and the way that it can drive families apart - or force them together.
This is a beautiful, beautiful book, full of real, broken characters, moments of stunning imagery, and written in a poignant, lingering style that haunted me for days afterwards. I love this book :)
So, watch me be slack and not load covers today. But you get that.
Happy weekend, everyone!!
08 January 2010
GTTBRPU200 Booklog #4: Books 12 - 16
Before the main post, can I just say a huge thank you to everyone who commented on my last post? You guys are amazing, and your outpouring of support means so much to me. Thank you, more than words can say.
The book-reading effort went great guns over the holidays: I completed more than ten books between leaving home on Christmas Eve and returning on January 3. Yay me! Here's the first installment of my holiday reading:
GTTBRPU200 #12: Nothing Interesting About Cross Street, by Beth Yahp (Ed.)
[No cover image available]
This is what you get when your creative writing teacher at school is way too enthusiastic o.O It's a compilation of short stories (ranging from short-short-short to the just short) by both well-known Australian authors and the class of students that one of them taught. The title is the complaint voiced by the students when asked to write about their lives, where they lived, what they did - anything, please, just write! *grin*
As would be expected, some of the stories are top notch, and some are... well, written by amateurs. Do the good stories make the read worth it? Probably. Unless you had something more interesting to read. O:)
GTTBRPU200 #13: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu (translated by John Minford)
This is one I picked up a while ago because, believe it or not, it was mentioned by Holly Lisle in one of her writing courses. No, I can't recall which one, but I was intrigued by the way she took what Sun Tzu had to say about warfare and deftly applied it to other conflicts in her life, both writing and non-writing. Naturally, I had to see for myself what it said.
It's a classic for a reason: this is one of those books that you read wherein the advice is so self-evident that you *facepalm* and wonder why no one thought of this before, only you're glad they didn't, because it means you aren't the only silly one on the planet :D In this beautiful translation the language is simple and poetic, concentrating not only on giving advice but also phrasing it handsomely. If you're willing to sit down and really think about what he has to say, this really is the only book you'll ever need on tactics - and the meat of the book, the actual bit that Sun Tzu wrote, is less than 100 pages.
I cheated a little on this one and didn't read the annotated version in the second half of the book, just the original translation. I'm looking forward to making the time to go through the annotated version in detail :)
GTTBRPU200 #14: Fear the Fantastic, by K.A. Applegate
This one's my favourite of this booklog, possibly because by the time I read this I was hanging out like an addict waiting for a fix for some classic contemporary fantasy adventure. Applegate also authored the Animorph series, which I quite enjoyed in highschool, and this has a similar flavour: lots of action, snarky first person MC, shiny, shiny world building, and a few clever plot ideas.
This book picks up midway through the series, and while I hadn't read any of the previous ones, it was easy enough to figure out what was going on. MC Chris and friends are stuck in Everworld, the world where the gods are real, and creatures from fairytales can be friends - or nightmares. Only, they're still in the real world too, trapped by a twist of fate that occurred in an earlier installment. Kinda cool, because when they fall asleep in Everworld they slip back into their Earth lives, and sometimes things can get interesting. The main objective in this book, the series of which essentially comprises one massive quest, is to cross the Hetwan country. This they do, with much trickery and excitement along the way.
Fun enough that I'll be keeping an eye out in second hand stores (since I assume it's out of print) for the next book, since I have the one after that in my possession also.
GTTBRPU200 #15: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Given it's pretty much the original pirate story, we can forgive what would now be considered cliched and one-dimensional characters. The story is a fun romp for boys that I quite enjoyed, although to be honest most of the time I was thinking how well Jim Henderson and crew did with the Muppet interpretation *grin*
It's a classic, and rightly so. Lots of fun.
GTTBRPU200 #16: Julius Again, by VeraLee Wiggins
This is the kind of religious book that's cute when you're about 8 and have led a sheltered life. Okay, I'm Christian, but seriously, people, PUH-LEASE!! It IS possible to write NON-cutsie religious fiction! I promise you!! This, on the other hand, is the kind of book you give to people when they are small in order to brainwash them.
*breathes* Okay. SO. If we pretend that the book exists outside the cutsie-religiousness, it's actually a cool story, if somewhat saccharine. Boy has parrot who is always getting into mischief and therefore doesn't trust parrot much; throughout story he has to learn to trust his parrot to get him out of mischief, and much fun ensues. Boy gains a new father (part of the cutsie; the angst over this is tokenistic and too easily resolved, besides being blatantly unfounded given the man who's to be his father is a saint), and parrot finds a family on their new property. Boy angsts about the parrot not loving him any more, but comes to realise that the parrot still loves him even though he now has a parrot family too, and all is well and happy.
Happy. Happy happy happy. *rolls eyes* Oh. My.
And that's that! Next installment coming next Friday. At this point, it's looking like I'll reach my goal of getting the TBR pile under 200 by the end of January, even with the influx of books that I had to buy for school. Huzzah for that! I'm not sure what challenge I'll be on to after that; I'm thinking I'll need to assess my new work load first and figure out how much spare time I'll have. But I'm sure I'll think of something! In the meantime, have a great weekend, everyone :)
The book-reading effort went great guns over the holidays: I completed more than ten books between leaving home on Christmas Eve and returning on January 3. Yay me! Here's the first installment of my holiday reading:
GTTBRPU200 #12: Nothing Interesting About Cross Street, by Beth Yahp (Ed.)
[No cover image available]
This is what you get when your creative writing teacher at school is way too enthusiastic o.O It's a compilation of short stories (ranging from short-short-short to the just short) by both well-known Australian authors and the class of students that one of them taught. The title is the complaint voiced by the students when asked to write about their lives, where they lived, what they did - anything, please, just write! *grin*
As would be expected, some of the stories are top notch, and some are... well, written by amateurs. Do the good stories make the read worth it? Probably. Unless you had something more interesting to read. O:)
GTTBRPU200 #13: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu (translated by John Minford)
This is one I picked up a while ago because, believe it or not, it was mentioned by Holly Lisle in one of her writing courses. No, I can't recall which one, but I was intrigued by the way she took what Sun Tzu had to say about warfare and deftly applied it to other conflicts in her life, both writing and non-writing. Naturally, I had to see for myself what it said.
It's a classic for a reason: this is one of those books that you read wherein the advice is so self-evident that you *facepalm* and wonder why no one thought of this before, only you're glad they didn't, because it means you aren't the only silly one on the planet :D In this beautiful translation the language is simple and poetic, concentrating not only on giving advice but also phrasing it handsomely. If you're willing to sit down and really think about what he has to say, this really is the only book you'll ever need on tactics - and the meat of the book, the actual bit that Sun Tzu wrote, is less than 100 pages.
I cheated a little on this one and didn't read the annotated version in the second half of the book, just the original translation. I'm looking forward to making the time to go through the annotated version in detail :)
GTTBRPU200 #14: Fear the Fantastic, by K.A. Applegate
This one's my favourite of this booklog, possibly because by the time I read this I was hanging out like an addict waiting for a fix for some classic contemporary fantasy adventure. Applegate also authored the Animorph series, which I quite enjoyed in highschool, and this has a similar flavour: lots of action, snarky first person MC, shiny, shiny world building, and a few clever plot ideas.This book picks up midway through the series, and while I hadn't read any of the previous ones, it was easy enough to figure out what was going on. MC Chris and friends are stuck in Everworld, the world where the gods are real, and creatures from fairytales can be friends - or nightmares. Only, they're still in the real world too, trapped by a twist of fate that occurred in an earlier installment. Kinda cool, because when they fall asleep in Everworld they slip back into their Earth lives, and sometimes things can get interesting. The main objective in this book, the series of which essentially comprises one massive quest, is to cross the Hetwan country. This they do, with much trickery and excitement along the way.
Fun enough that I'll be keeping an eye out in second hand stores (since I assume it's out of print) for the next book, since I have the one after that in my possession also.
GTTBRPU200 #15: Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Given it's pretty much the original pirate story, we can forgive what would now be considered cliched and one-dimensional characters. The story is a fun romp for boys that I quite enjoyed, although to be honest most of the time I was thinking how well Jim Henderson and crew did with the Muppet interpretation *grin*
It's a classic, and rightly so. Lots of fun.
GTTBRPU200 #16: Julius Again, by VeraLee Wiggins
This is the kind of religious book that's cute when you're about 8 and have led a sheltered life. Okay, I'm Christian, but seriously, people, PUH-LEASE!! It IS possible to write NON-cutsie religious fiction! I promise you!! This, on the other hand, is the kind of book you give to people when they are small in order to brainwash them.*breathes* Okay. SO. If we pretend that the book exists outside the cutsie-religiousness, it's actually a cool story, if somewhat saccharine. Boy has parrot who is always getting into mischief and therefore doesn't trust parrot much; throughout story he has to learn to trust his parrot to get him out of mischief, and much fun ensues. Boy gains a new father (part of the cutsie; the angst over this is tokenistic and too easily resolved, besides being blatantly unfounded given the man who's to be his father is a saint), and parrot finds a family on their new property. Boy angsts about the parrot not loving him any more, but comes to realise that the parrot still loves him even though he now has a parrot family too, and all is well and happy.
Happy. Happy happy happy. *rolls eyes* Oh. My.
And that's that! Next installment coming next Friday. At this point, it's looking like I'll reach my goal of getting the TBR pile under 200 by the end of January, even with the influx of books that I had to buy for school. Huzzah for that! I'm not sure what challenge I'll be on to after that; I'm thinking I'll need to assess my new work load first and figure out how much spare time I'll have. But I'm sure I'll think of something! In the meantime, have a great weekend, everyone :)
23 December 2009
Random Fun, And The GTTBRPU200 Effort Continues
So, my darling laptop Sapphire has been through a bad break up. Two weeks ago she split with my home wireless internet - which, really, I have to say I understand. He was lazy, slow, and really just couldn't bring what was required.
Today, I took Sapphire to work and introduced her to real wireless internet. He was smooth, he was fast, and he gave her everything she needed.
(Updated anti-virus software, in case you wondered. I mean, I know your minds wouldn't wander off in unsavoury directions, so this clarification is, I know, totally unncessary. But still.)
And now, she's back to being her perky self, and she's feeling so good she's even agree (somewhat cautiously) to just sometimes, only-if-we're-never-alone-and-don't-think-this-means-I-changed-my-mind-okay, try being friends with my home wireless.
Good girl. *applauds*
So, on to today, and more random miscellania in keeping with the spirit of how I feel two days before Christmas with a head cold in the middle of summer. o.O
First up, some very exciting news: the wonderful Merc's most wonderful story Hero's Choice is out! It's a serial, so you'll have to check back in each Monday to read it, but I promise you, it's worth it. I read this story when it was only a baby, and let me tell you, it's every bit as good looking as an adult ;)
In this week's installment:
On a cold and starry night, Dark Lord Mrakota finds the Chosen One prophesied to kill him. Being unconventional, Mrakota adopts the boy and names him Hero. This does not go over so well with the Guild of Old Mentors or the rangers...
Click! Link! Here!
Secondly, stories of my own. Work on anything writerly has stalled out in the last week due to insane Christmas busyness, but we leave for holidays tomorrow and Sapphire is Coming With Me. As are a whole swag of books. Huzzah :D Huzzah also for a week of nothing-to-do-except-occasionally-be-sociable-with-the-in-laws, and therefore a chance to recoup brain power so that things like writing can actually occur.
So, in lieu of actual progress, I updated my WIPs page for you all O:) There's now a blurb there for The Hunter Hunted, aka "That tiger novelette I finished the other week and squeed about". Yay :) (Yes, you have to scroll down. What is this, Lazyville?)
Finally, the GTTBRPU200 loving continues. Today I bring you three books, bringing my total books read in the challenge so far to 11, and the books remaining to 219. ... And I'm getting a couple more for Christmas. Ouch.
... I should quit blogging and go read, shouldn't I? Ahem. Well. About those three books...
GTTBRPU200 #9: No Small Thing by Natalie Ghent
This is one of those awesomely quiet books that, when you read it, you think are 'nice': a good read, a satisfactory story and conclusion, but nothing... sparkling. And yet, somehow the
impact of the book doesn't quite mesh with that initial impression. Another book that did this to me was The Thirteenth Tale; it's quiet and unassuming, with (objectively) nothing to really keep you intrigued - and yet, somehow, it does, and you remember it for the rest of your life.
No Small Thing is like that. It is, essentially, a book about a boy from a struggling single-parent story who sees an ad in the paper: Pony, free to good home. They used to have ponies, back when Dad was around, but Queenie, his younger sister, was too little then to remember. And she wants a pony more than anything. And he wants one too.
This quiet story follows (MC) through a year of his life, showing the effects that one small act - responding to the ad, bringing home the pony - has on both his life and the lives of his family. It reminded me of the way that sometimes, even when everything else in life is rubbish, all that's needed is for one thing to go right, and that's enough. It's a beautiful story about a boy and a horse, set against the backdrop of a broken and real family that somehow connected with me deeply, and left me satisfied after what was superficially a quick, light read.
GTTBRPU200 #10: Heidi by Johanna Spyri
So, there's this whole pile - well, half a shelf full - of childrens classics that somewhere had on sale once for like $5 each in matching hardcovers. For those of you lucky enough to be Bibliophiles living anywhere OTHER than Australia, let me point out here that your standard MG/YA mass market paperback (MMP) is $15-$20, and hardcover anywhere from $20-$50 bucks. Adult book prices are similar for hardcover, and MMPs retail for $19-$25. Whole set of matching hardbacks for $5 each? Yes please!
That was like a year ago, and now, watch me finally sit down to read them. *grin*
Anyway, Heidi. Cute story, very quick read that reads exactly like a classic should: lovely simple yet stately language, 'perfect' storyline where everything turns out exactly as it should, and characters right out of a fable. *pats the story fondly* If you like fables and classics, this one should be on your to read list :)
GTTBRPU200 #11: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I picked this one up cheap at the uni bookstore one day because someone (I think Angela?) mentioned on their blog that it had been influential to their own writing - so I was naturally curious. Curiosity = rewarded. This is an AWESOME little book (v. quick read, only took me 30 mins) that is fully illustrated by the author and just makes me go *shine*. This is one I'll definitely be reading and rereading.
So there you have it: this week's booklog :) I have a 5 hour car trip coming up tomorrow and the next day, so hopefully by next week I'll have a bunch more books to review for you :)
In the meantime, thanks for reading my meanderings, and I hope you all have a fantastic holiday. See you next Monday!
Today, I took Sapphire to work and introduced her to real wireless internet. He was smooth, he was fast, and he gave her everything she needed.
(Updated anti-virus software, in case you wondered. I mean, I know your minds wouldn't wander off in unsavoury directions, so this clarification is, I know, totally unncessary. But still.)
And now, she's back to being her perky self, and she's feeling so good she's even agree (somewhat cautiously) to just sometimes, only-if-we're-never-alone-and-don't-think-this-means-I-changed-my-mind-okay, try being friends with my home wireless.
Good girl. *applauds*
So, on to today, and more random miscellania in keeping with the spirit of how I feel two days before Christmas with a head cold in the middle of summer. o.O
First up, some very exciting news: the wonderful Merc's most wonderful story Hero's Choice is out! It's a serial, so you'll have to check back in each Monday to read it, but I promise you, it's worth it. I read this story when it was only a baby, and let me tell you, it's every bit as good looking as an adult ;)
In this week's installment:
On a cold and starry night, Dark Lord Mrakota finds the Chosen One prophesied to kill him. Being unconventional, Mrakota adopts the boy and names him Hero. This does not go over so well with the Guild of Old Mentors or the rangers...
Click! Link! Here!
Secondly, stories of my own. Work on anything writerly has stalled out in the last week due to insane Christmas busyness, but we leave for holidays tomorrow and Sapphire is Coming With Me. As are a whole swag of books. Huzzah :D Huzzah also for a week of nothing-to-do-except-occasionally-be-sociable-with-the-in-laws, and therefore a chance to recoup brain power so that things like writing can actually occur.
So, in lieu of actual progress, I updated my WIPs page for you all O:) There's now a blurb there for The Hunter Hunted, aka "That tiger novelette I finished the other week and squeed about". Yay :) (Yes, you have to scroll down. What is this, Lazyville?)
Finally, the GTTBRPU200 loving continues. Today I bring you three books, bringing my total books read in the challenge so far to 11, and the books remaining to 219. ... And I'm getting a couple more for Christmas. Ouch.
... I should quit blogging and go read, shouldn't I? Ahem. Well. About those three books...
GTTBRPU200 #9: No Small Thing by Natalie Ghent
This is one of those awesomely quiet books that, when you read it, you think are 'nice': a good read, a satisfactory story and conclusion, but nothing... sparkling. And yet, somehow the
impact of the book doesn't quite mesh with that initial impression. Another book that did this to me was The Thirteenth Tale; it's quiet and unassuming, with (objectively) nothing to really keep you intrigued - and yet, somehow, it does, and you remember it for the rest of your life.
No Small Thing is like that. It is, essentially, a book about a boy from a struggling single-parent story who sees an ad in the paper: Pony, free to good home. They used to have ponies, back when Dad was around, but Queenie, his younger sister, was too little then to remember. And she wants a pony more than anything. And he wants one too.This quiet story follows (MC) through a year of his life, showing the effects that one small act - responding to the ad, bringing home the pony - has on both his life and the lives of his family. It reminded me of the way that sometimes, even when everything else in life is rubbish, all that's needed is for one thing to go right, and that's enough. It's a beautiful story about a boy and a horse, set against the backdrop of a broken and real family that somehow connected with me deeply, and left me satisfied after what was superficially a quick, light read.
GTTBRPU200 #10: Heidi by Johanna Spyri
So, there's this whole pile - well, half a shelf full - of childrens classics that somewhere had on sale once for like $5 each in matching hardcovers. For those of you lucky enough to be Bibliophiles living anywhere OTHER than Australia, let me point out here that your standard MG/YA mass market paperback (MMP) is $15-$20, and hardcover anywhere from $20-$50 bucks. Adult book prices are similar for hardcover, and MMPs retail for $19-$25. Whole set of matching hardbacks for $5 each? Yes please!That was like a year ago, and now, watch me finally sit down to read them. *grin*
Anyway, Heidi. Cute story, very quick read that reads exactly like a classic should: lovely simple yet stately language, 'perfect' storyline where everything turns out exactly as it should, and characters right out of a fable. *pats the story fondly* If you like fables and classics, this one should be on your to read list :)
GTTBRPU200 #11: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I picked this one up cheap at the uni bookstore one day because someone (I think Angela?) mentioned on their blog that it had been influential to their own writing - so I was naturally curious. Curiosity = rewarded. This is an AWESOME little book (v. quick read, only took me 30 mins) that is fully illustrated by the author and just makes me go *shine*. This is one I'll definitely be reading and rereading.
Told from the POV of a man (or woman? I don't think it's ever explicitly stated. Given the time period, we assume male, but, you know.) stranded in the desert after his plane breaks down, it details his encounters with the little prince, who is a traveller from another planet - a very tiny planet that he alone inhabits. On the face of it it's such a simple tale; and it's pretty enough to be enjoyed as such. But this is a perfect example of 'literature', IMO: not only can it be enjoyed on the brain candy level, it's also packed full of allusion and meaning, and philosophical musings on the nature of the human condition. I'm positive I didn't pick everything up on the first read through; like I said, this is a book to reread.
So there you have it: this week's booklog :) I have a 5 hour car trip coming up tomorrow and the next day, so hopefully by next week I'll have a bunch more books to review for you :)
In the meantime, thanks for reading my meanderings, and I hope you all have a fantastic holiday. See you next Monday!
21 December 2009
GTTBRPU200 Booklog #2: Books 5 - 8
...And with this post, I say a temporary farewell! I've decided, since my laptop/internet still continue to have Problems, that I will follow the lead of other book industry bloggers and take a break from now until the new year. I'll be back on January 4 with the obligatory yearly recap :)
Until then, I'll schedule some reruns of old posts that were popular. I hope you all have a very happy and safe holiday season! Blessings for you all :)
So, the effort to get the pile of books I own-but-haven't-read down below 200 continues. I'm quite sure my efforts shall be thwarted by in-coming books at Christmas, but so far I'm going okay - I read 6 books in the first 5 days of the attempt, which for me is pretty insane. This last week's been a bit slower, but still, 8 books in two weeks is pretty good for me :) And I still have 6 weeks to go, so that's potentially another 24, which means I'd be below 200.........
GTTBRPU200 #5: Deep Trouble, by Debi Gliori
The first hint that something's wrong for the Strega-Borgia family is when their butler fails to show up to take them home from the airport. When they find him lying inert on their doorstep and smelling faintly of sulphur, they might not realise how much trouble they're in - but Flora (), the children's nanny and fully-fledged witch, most certainly does.
You know how sometimes you form a preconception of a book? Well, for some reason, I didn't expect to enjoy this one a whole lot. But, I was WRONG!! It's fantastic :D Written in cleverly-done omni (it only annoyed me once, right at the end of the book) with multiple character POVs, this book is a really fun and surprisingly compelling read.
Featuring Baci, the mother who's training to be a witch but is dismally pathetic at it (she's responsible for the herd of naked princes that appeared in the airport, but we won't tell anyone else that), Damp, the two year old who already is a witch (though nobody knows it), brother and sister () and Pandora, and a whole host of monsters including (), the moat crocodile, and Ffup, the dragon who desperately wants the Loch Ness Monster to hurry up and give her a ring so their engagement can be Proper, nanny Flora has her hands full trying to keep them safe and out of trouble.
GTTBRPU200 #6: Deep Ocean, by Tony Rice
So, I decided it was time to mix things up a bit and read some of my non-fiction. This one is a 90-page pop-science book exploring the creatures of the deep ocean. It's easy to read, very comprehensible, but not dumbed-down at the same time. There were quite a few interesting snippets about life in the deep sea that I pricked my ears up at and tucked away for some day in the future when we see the underwater side of the How Not To Take Over The World world (Magic Eyes world, for short). Full colour illustrations, charts when applicable, and easy-to swallow text made this book a surprisingly quick and informative read.
GTTBRPU200 #7: Paradise Lost, by John Milton
Yes, this one's a bit of a cheat, because to be fair, I'd already read most of it a couple of years ago. But, confound-it-all, I wanted to finish the horrible thing so I could have a sense of closure. So on Tuesday I forced myself through the final two books (out of twelve), and can officially call the thing Read. Woo hoo!!
To be fair, it's not actually that horrible: it's an exceptionally clever piece of literature, the entire story of the Biblical fall set in blank verse (that's non-rhyming iambic pentameter, not to be confused with 'free verse', which has no particular structure). It has lovely imagery and, like I said, is very clever. It's just... long. Like, we're talking a 303 page piece of 16th century poetry here. Oi.
GTTBRPU200 #8: Wild Horse, by Sharon Siamon
Cute book about girls and horses :) *adores horses* While I'm still not sure if you're actually supposed to like one of the MC's, this one was a fun, quick read.
When Alison's parents finally carry out their threat and sell her magnificent $50,000 horse Duchess, she's utterly distraught. Determined to make them relent, she refuses to eat or sleep or study - or even ride. When one of her best friends (and cousin), Becky, mentions that she's heading east to spend a week with their mothers' cousin, someone whom Alison's parents despite, Alison realises this is the perfect plan: threaten to go spend the week under the 'corrupting' influence of Terri unless they buy her horse back.
Only, of course, they don't; instead, they take advantage of the situation and gallivant off without her on a ten day cruise. Now Alison's stuck in a tiny dump of a house with people who actually expect her to work - and ride.
The omni POV and consequential dips into everyone's thoughts was a little clunky, especially compared to Deep Trouble; Alison is a spoilt brat; and the ending is a little too convenient, and I don't think Alison really learns her lesson at all. But other than that, a light-hearted, fun "friendship" story.
Until then, I'll schedule some reruns of old posts that were popular. I hope you all have a very happy and safe holiday season! Blessings for you all :)
So, the effort to get the pile of books I own-but-haven't-read down below 200 continues. I'm quite sure my efforts shall be thwarted by in-coming books at Christmas, but so far I'm going okay - I read 6 books in the first 5 days of the attempt, which for me is pretty insane. This last week's been a bit slower, but still, 8 books in two weeks is pretty good for me :) And I still have 6 weeks to go, so that's potentially another 24, which means I'd be below 200.........
GTTBRPU200 #5: Deep Trouble, by Debi Gliori
The first hint that something's wrong for the Strega-Borgia family is when their butler fails to show up to take them home from the airport. When they find him lying inert on their doorstep and smelling faintly of sulphur, they might not realise how much trouble they're in - but Flora (), the children's nanny and fully-fledged witch, most certainly does.You know how sometimes you form a preconception of a book? Well, for some reason, I didn't expect to enjoy this one a whole lot. But, I was WRONG!! It's fantastic :D Written in cleverly-done omni (it only annoyed me once, right at the end of the book) with multiple character POVs, this book is a really fun and surprisingly compelling read.
Featuring Baci, the mother who's training to be a witch but is dismally pathetic at it (she's responsible for the herd of naked princes that appeared in the airport, but we won't tell anyone else that), Damp, the two year old who already is a witch (though nobody knows it), brother and sister () and Pandora, and a whole host of monsters including (), the moat crocodile, and Ffup, the dragon who desperately wants the Loch Ness Monster to hurry up and give her a ring so their engagement can be Proper, nanny Flora has her hands full trying to keep them safe and out of trouble.
GTTBRPU200 #6: Deep Ocean, by Tony Rice
So, I decided it was time to mix things up a bit and read some of my non-fiction. This one is a 90-page pop-science book exploring the creatures of the deep ocean. It's easy to read, very comprehensible, but not dumbed-down at the same time. There were quite a few interesting snippets about life in the deep sea that I pricked my ears up at and tucked away for some day in the future when we see the underwater side of the How Not To Take Over The World world (Magic Eyes world, for short). Full colour illustrations, charts when applicable, and easy-to swallow text made this book a surprisingly quick and informative read.GTTBRPU200 #7: Paradise Lost, by John Milton
Yes, this one's a bit of a cheat, because to be fair, I'd already read most of it a couple of years ago. But, confound-it-all, I wanted to finish the horrible thing so I could have a sense of closure. So on Tuesday I forced myself through the final two books (out of twelve), and can officially call the thing Read. Woo hoo!!To be fair, it's not actually that horrible: it's an exceptionally clever piece of literature, the entire story of the Biblical fall set in blank verse (that's non-rhyming iambic pentameter, not to be confused with 'free verse', which has no particular structure). It has lovely imagery and, like I said, is very clever. It's just... long. Like, we're talking a 303 page piece of 16th century poetry here. Oi.
GTTBRPU200 #8: Wild Horse, by Sharon Siamon
Cute book about girls and horses :) *adores horses* While I'm still not sure if you're actually supposed to like one of the MC's, this one was a fun, quick read.When Alison's parents finally carry out their threat and sell her magnificent $50,000 horse Duchess, she's utterly distraught. Determined to make them relent, she refuses to eat or sleep or study - or even ride. When one of her best friends (and cousin), Becky, mentions that she's heading east to spend a week with their mothers' cousin, someone whom Alison's parents despite, Alison realises this is the perfect plan: threaten to go spend the week under the 'corrupting' influence of Terri unless they buy her horse back.
Only, of course, they don't; instead, they take advantage of the situation and gallivant off without her on a ten day cruise. Now Alison's stuck in a tiny dump of a house with people who actually expect her to work - and ride.
The omni POV and consequential dips into everyone's thoughts was a little clunky, especially compared to Deep Trouble; Alison is a spoilt brat; and the ending is a little too convenient, and I don't think Alison really learns her lesson at all. But other than that, a light-hearted, fun "friendship" story.
11 December 2009
GTTBRPU200 Booklog: Books 1 - 4
So, it finally occurred to me that, as others do, it is actually okay for me not to give a full-blown review of books! Hence, booklogs, with mini-reviews and quick impressions: a way for me to share what I'm reading without killing myself writing reviews :)
Also, I've been reading voraciously the last week since I counted how many books I own and haven't read and updated the good ol' Towering TBR of Doom; I've decided that I'm going to aim to get my TBR pile down to under 200 (or at 200) by the time I start my new job on January 27. *fingers crossed*
...And I haven't decided yet whether that figure will include or exclude books I know I'm getting from Christmas, since it already means reading 25+ books in 2 months, when I usually read 30-35 in a year!!
So, the first booklog for the Get-The-TBR-Pile-Under-200, or GTTBRPU200, with, yes, the exact covers that I read the books in, because I'm neutrotic that way.
GTTBRPU200 #1: The Glittering Eye, by L.J. Adlington
Amy is sent to spend Christmas with her archaeologist father in Egypt, and discovers a hidden tomb that holds the key to our alternate POV character's life.
This is a pretty cool book, not least because the MC is called Amy O:) (Which, I suspect, is why Yuna sent it to me :D) It alternates in POV between modern day Amy and an ancient Egyptian boy known as Shabti, whose fates end up being intimately entwined. While for me personally it lacked that special 'spark' (I felt the ending could have been foreshadowed better, and the plot a little more seemless and, I don't know, meaningful?), it's still a great story, with cunningly woven in backstory, a fantastic ending, great incorporation of Egyptology details without too many infodumps.
GTTBRPU200 #2: Magic Pony: Pony Camp, by Sue Bentley
MC goes to pony camp for the first time and finds a magical pony in the woods who needs her help to find his missing twin sister.
I'm torn on this book. On the one hand, it's gorgeous, with lots of colour and sparkle, and it's the kind of thing I would have adored to death when I was eight. But on the other hand, the resolution of the story is... unsatisfying; it mostly comes about without any direct action on behalf of the MC. I suspected a plot twist that would have fixed this, but it never came to fruition, which was a little disappointing. But otherwise, a really cute book :)
GTTBRPU200 #3: The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling
I think it's a pretty gutsy endeavour to try to write original fairy tales; they're such a specific genre, and while their language and plots may be simple, the way they convey their underlying moral/meaning is anything but. Try too hard and you end up with a "message story" that preaches rather than reveals; try too little, and you get a rather plain, rather pointless piece of prose. In this book, I think Rowling's managed the former; the five fables have a delightful, genuinely fable-like feel to them, and the morals are perfectly encoded. If you like fairy tales and fables, definitely check this one out.
GTTBRPU200 #4: Promise of the Wolves, by Dorothy Hearst
In a world where part of the Wolf Promise is to never consort with humans, Kaala, a wolf pup marked by the moon, is allowed to live against the wishes of her packleader, who believes that a pup so marked will must either bring the pack good luck, or destroy it forever; he doesn't want to risk his pack for her, especially when she is drawn to the humans.
This one's definitely my favourite from this booklog. Finally, a fantastic books that portrays wolves as wolves!! Regular Reader will be aware that I wrote an ebook, The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Dogs. Mistake number 31: Dogs are not wolves. (And naturally, the reverse: wolves are not dogs). It's very refreshing to read a book from a wolf's POV about their life and pack that's so very canine :)
The first chapter is not the hookiest I've ever read, but by about chapter 3 I was glued to it, and emotionally invested in Kaala's fate and the fate of her pack. Fantastic description of a beautiful world, filled with well-drawn characters. I likes muchly. If you like wolves - READ THIS BOOK! :D
So, four books down, 25 to go. Yay!
Also, I've been reading voraciously the last week since I counted how many books I own and haven't read and updated the good ol' Towering TBR of Doom; I've decided that I'm going to aim to get my TBR pile down to under 200 (or at 200) by the time I start my new job on January 27. *fingers crossed*
...And I haven't decided yet whether that figure will include or exclude books I know I'm getting from Christmas, since it already means reading 25+ books in 2 months, when I usually read 30-35 in a year!!
So, the first booklog for the Get-The-TBR-Pile-Under-200, or GTTBRPU200, with, yes, the exact covers that I read the books in, because I'm neutrotic that way.
GTTBRPU200 #1: The Glittering Eye, by L.J. Adlington
Amy is sent to spend Christmas with her archaeologist father in Egypt, and discovers a hidden tomb that holds the key to our alternate POV character's life.This is a pretty cool book, not least because the MC is called Amy O:) (Which, I suspect, is why Yuna sent it to me :D) It alternates in POV between modern day Amy and an ancient Egyptian boy known as Shabti, whose fates end up being intimately entwined. While for me personally it lacked that special 'spark' (I felt the ending could have been foreshadowed better, and the plot a little more seemless and, I don't know, meaningful?), it's still a great story, with cunningly woven in backstory, a fantastic ending, great incorporation of Egyptology details without too many infodumps.
GTTBRPU200 #2: Magic Pony: Pony Camp, by Sue Bentley
MC goes to pony camp for the first time and finds a magical pony in the woods who needs her help to find his missing twin sister.I'm torn on this book. On the one hand, it's gorgeous, with lots of colour and sparkle, and it's the kind of thing I would have adored to death when I was eight. But on the other hand, the resolution of the story is... unsatisfying; it mostly comes about without any direct action on behalf of the MC. I suspected a plot twist that would have fixed this, but it never came to fruition, which was a little disappointing. But otherwise, a really cute book :)
GTTBRPU200 #3: The Tales of Beedle the Bard, by J.K. Rowling
I think it's a pretty gutsy endeavour to try to write original fairy tales; they're such a specific genre, and while their language and plots may be simple, the way they convey their underlying moral/meaning is anything but. Try too hard and you end up with a "message story" that preaches rather than reveals; try too little, and you get a rather plain, rather pointless piece of prose. In this book, I think Rowling's managed the former; the five fables have a delightful, genuinely fable-like feel to them, and the morals are perfectly encoded. If you like fairy tales and fables, definitely check this one out.GTTBRPU200 #4: Promise of the Wolves, by Dorothy Hearst
In a world where part of the Wolf Promise is to never consort with humans, Kaala, a wolf pup marked by the moon, is allowed to live against the wishes of her packleader, who believes that a pup so marked will must either bring the pack good luck, or destroy it forever; he doesn't want to risk his pack for her, especially when she is drawn to the humans.This one's definitely my favourite from this booklog. Finally, a fantastic books that portrays wolves as wolves!! Regular Reader will be aware that I wrote an ebook, The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Dogs. Mistake number 31: Dogs are not wolves. (And naturally, the reverse: wolves are not dogs). It's very refreshing to read a book from a wolf's POV about their life and pack that's so very canine :)
The first chapter is not the hookiest I've ever read, but by about chapter 3 I was glued to it, and emotionally invested in Kaala's fate and the fate of her pack. Fantastic description of a beautiful world, filled with well-drawn characters. I likes muchly. If you like wolves - READ THIS BOOK! :D
So, four books down, 25 to go. Yay!
04 December 2009
Reading Randomosity
Ha! I bet you thought I wasn't going to post today. You did, didn't you? Oh ye of little faith!
Anyway. On to the post.
I'm sure, if you've been writing for any amount of time, that you'll have stumbled on this piece of advice: Writers must be readers.
It is, believe it or not and contrary to all expectations, a good piece of advice. Well, I think so, anyway. Given the rambliness of my brain tonight, who's to say whether what I think is actually sane or not?
But anyway. (I have a feeling I'm going to be saying a lot of that tonight). I think it's good advice; so good, in fact, that it deserves its own blog post. So tune in on Monday for More On That. What it all boils down to for the point of this blog post, however, is that a lot of people have been reading lately.
There's Natalie Whipple, client of agent Nathan Bransford, who does a kind of anti-NaNoWriMo and takes the entire month off writing, and only reads; there's Yuna, a good friend of mine who reviews books and recently sent a couple to me to devour; there's Liana, who's been complaining lately that she's out of books to read; Sparky and her booklogs; Merc and her 100 book challenge.
It's probably not true, but it feels to me at the moment like everyone is reading - and I'm not. I feel like I haven't read in aaaaaages. For the first fifteen years of my life, I read voraciously. I devoured books. I could read about 100 pages/hour, and read everywhere; Mum used to joke that my younger sister and I were the only kids on the planet that had to be told to stop reading and take a day off school :D
For the next couple of years, I still read a lot, just not quite so much.
And then I went to university. Does this happen to everyone? Do we just hit a certain stage in life and all of a sudden there just isn't time to read any more? Because it wasn't that I didn't want to read - it was just that all of a sudden, my university reading was taking up all my time and my studies were taking up all my brain, and... I just... didn't read.
With all these people reading lately, and with having done so much writing in November, and with (woo hoo) university finally being over, reading is calling me again. And, wonderfully, I've received not one but TWO packages of books in the last couple of weeks - the first a pack from Nancy Holder from a competition that I won, and the second from Nayu's Reading Corner, won in another contest :)
So now I'm debating: do I want to do an anti-NaNo now and take the month off from writing, and just read? But what about my goal to finish HNOT by Christmas?
Decisions, decision.
At this point, I think I'll meander along as I have been the last four days: reading when I feel like it, writing when I feel like it. It's quite likely that I'll make Sun-Mon-Tues my writing days, because I'm off work, and Wed-Thurs-Fri reading days, since reading requires less brainpower and is easier to do at lunchtime at work ;)
And I'm reviving my read-every-book-I-own challenge; I really do need to read them before I buy any more. To that end, over the weekend I'll be updating the links on this site: the TBR pile will be updated to include all the books I own but haven't read, and somewhere I'll add a link to books read, because I find that I need to keep such a list or I forget both what I've read, and how little I've read O:)
I might even, if I'm brave, attempt Merc's old challenge: 100 books in a year.
To that end, links to reviews by Yuna of the two most recent reads: The Glittering Eye, by L.J. Adlington, and Magic Ponies: Pony Camp, by Sue Bentley.
So, anyone else out there reading at the moment? Do you go through anti-writing phases? Do you come back to writing refreshed, or does it just make it harder to get back into it? And what's your fav book that you've read lately (ish) that I need to the Towering TBR Pile of Doom (TM)?
Anyway. On to the post.
I'm sure, if you've been writing for any amount of time, that you'll have stumbled on this piece of advice: Writers must be readers.
It is, believe it or not and contrary to all expectations, a good piece of advice. Well, I think so, anyway. Given the rambliness of my brain tonight, who's to say whether what I think is actually sane or not?
But anyway. (I have a feeling I'm going to be saying a lot of that tonight). I think it's good advice; so good, in fact, that it deserves its own blog post. So tune in on Monday for More On That. What it all boils down to for the point of this blog post, however, is that a lot of people have been reading lately.
There's Natalie Whipple, client of agent Nathan Bransford, who does a kind of anti-NaNoWriMo and takes the entire month off writing, and only reads; there's Yuna, a good friend of mine who reviews books and recently sent a couple to me to devour; there's Liana, who's been complaining lately that she's out of books to read; Sparky and her booklogs; Merc and her 100 book challenge.
It's probably not true, but it feels to me at the moment like everyone is reading - and I'm not. I feel like I haven't read in aaaaaages. For the first fifteen years of my life, I read voraciously. I devoured books. I could read about 100 pages/hour, and read everywhere; Mum used to joke that my younger sister and I were the only kids on the planet that had to be told to stop reading and take a day off school :D
For the next couple of years, I still read a lot, just not quite so much.
And then I went to university. Does this happen to everyone? Do we just hit a certain stage in life and all of a sudden there just isn't time to read any more? Because it wasn't that I didn't want to read - it was just that all of a sudden, my university reading was taking up all my time and my studies were taking up all my brain, and... I just... didn't read.
With all these people reading lately, and with having done so much writing in November, and with (woo hoo) university finally being over, reading is calling me again. And, wonderfully, I've received not one but TWO packages of books in the last couple of weeks - the first a pack from Nancy Holder from a competition that I won, and the second from Nayu's Reading Corner, won in another contest :)
So now I'm debating: do I want to do an anti-NaNo now and take the month off from writing, and just read? But what about my goal to finish HNOT by Christmas?
Decisions, decision.
At this point, I think I'll meander along as I have been the last four days: reading when I feel like it, writing when I feel like it. It's quite likely that I'll make Sun-Mon-Tues my writing days, because I'm off work, and Wed-Thurs-Fri reading days, since reading requires less brainpower and is easier to do at lunchtime at work ;)
And I'm reviving my read-every-book-I-own challenge; I really do need to read them before I buy any more. To that end, over the weekend I'll be updating the links on this site: the TBR pile will be updated to include all the books I own but haven't read, and somewhere I'll add a link to books read, because I find that I need to keep such a list or I forget both what I've read, and how little I've read O:)
I might even, if I'm brave, attempt Merc's old challenge: 100 books in a year.
To that end, links to reviews by Yuna of the two most recent reads: The Glittering Eye, by L.J. Adlington, and Magic Ponies: Pony Camp, by Sue Bentley.
So, anyone else out there reading at the moment? Do you go through anti-writing phases? Do you come back to writing refreshed, or does it just make it harder to get back into it? And what's your fav book that you've read lately (ish) that I need to the Towering TBR Pile of Doom (TM)?
13 July 2009
Guest Post: The Life of Yuna
Today, we have another guest post. This time, Yunaleska (penname Eleanor Fletcher) introduces herself and tells us a bit about her writing life.
Hi everyone! Amy very kindly let me put a post up while she's off on her travels. This is a little post about me. (Or, the way I phrased my post suggestion (think of Donkey in Shrek) me! me! me!) It's self-promotion, no doubts about it. But it's a chance to explain who's behind the Yunaleska comments on this blog.
I'm one of Amy's writing friends. I have 3 identities online.
Yuna/Yunaleska on blogger. I'm a writer, currently editing one wip which I hope to query by the end of this year. It's a standalone YA sci-fi novel, but it does belong in my Empire series. You can follow my writing progress at Nayu's Realm
Inky gets credit for being one of those who inspired me to start blogging about writing.The posts here are highly informative. With my writing blog, its more a journal of how I'm progressing on my wips. The frustrations and joys of being a writer.
It's rather haphazard because a lot of my focus is on my review blog, Nayu's Reading Corner This is a new adventure for me, still in the early stages. My book count per month has increased significantly - I devour them, just as I used to when I was little. I got out of reading a lot for many years, something I'm rectifying.
I'm immensely grateful to publishers for saying yes, we'll send you review copies. My mother couldn't quite believe it when I explained I don't pay for the books. I do buy books, and I do get them out from the library.
Book reviewing is publicity for the publisher and author. It's not just that though. It's a way for me as reader to rabbit on about the book. I can highlight issues addressed in stories which sometimes reviews don't point out. I get to explain my view of the characters and their actions. I get a soapbox to advertise the books I adore. Plus, to talk about the funky illustrations (having a little obsession with those at the moment).
I feel that taking on life as a reviewer is enriching my life as a writer. I'm reading more (so getting *ideas* for stories, and a feel for wha people like. I'm slowly (very slowly) improving my summary skills. I'll need these for my queries.
My third identity, you ask? I joined the dark side today. Twitter. Again, another platform for my review work, and also just to keep in touch with friends and authors. I'm under Nayuleska - Yunaleska was taken.
Other info about me:
Hi everyone! Amy very kindly let me put a post up while she's off on her travels. This is a little post about me. (Or, the way I phrased my post suggestion (think of Donkey in Shrek) me! me! me!) It's self-promotion, no doubts about it. But it's a chance to explain who's behind the Yunaleska comments on this blog.
I'm one of Amy's writing friends. I have 3 identities online.
Yuna/Yunaleska on blogger. I'm a writer, currently editing one wip which I hope to query by the end of this year. It's a standalone YA sci-fi novel, but it does belong in my Empire series. You can follow my writing progress at Nayu's Realm
Inky gets credit for being one of those who inspired me to start blogging about writing.The posts here are highly informative. With my writing blog, its more a journal of how I'm progressing on my wips. The frustrations and joys of being a writer.
It's rather haphazard because a lot of my focus is on my review blog, Nayu's Reading Corner This is a new adventure for me, still in the early stages. My book count per month has increased significantly - I devour them, just as I used to when I was little. I got out of reading a lot for many years, something I'm rectifying.
I'm immensely grateful to publishers for saying yes, we'll send you review copies. My mother couldn't quite believe it when I explained I don't pay for the books. I do buy books, and I do get them out from the library.
Book reviewing is publicity for the publisher and author. It's not just that though. It's a way for me as reader to rabbit on about the book. I can highlight issues addressed in stories which sometimes reviews don't point out. I get to explain my view of the characters and their actions. I get a soapbox to advertise the books I adore. Plus, to talk about the funky illustrations (having a little obsession with those at the moment).
I feel that taking on life as a reviewer is enriching my life as a writer. I'm reading more (so getting *ideas* for stories, and a feel for wha people like. I'm slowly (very slowly) improving my summary skills. I'll need these for my queries.
My third identity, you ask? I joined the dark side today. Twitter. Again, another platform for my review work, and also just to keep in touch with friends and authors. I'm under Nayuleska - Yunaleska was taken.
Other info about me:
- Writes: YA, mostly sci-fi and fantasy
- Read: the above, plus thrillers, historical, manga
- Adores: languages. Learning Japanese, and now Mandarin and Cantonese.I'm definnitely mad for attempting both at once, but life's for living.
- Obsessed with: anime, and video games. Writing beats all of those.
- Dreams: getting The Call. Having my books sold. Also dream about getting zebra finches.
- Random fact: my car is purple.
31 May 2009
Some New Shinies
So, prac is over, huzzah. I enjoyed it immensely, but I'm glad it's over. It was exhausting. Intense.
And now I head into what is going to be the busiest week of the year for me, in which I have six uni assignments due that I've bared started due to being on prac, and am returning to working 1.5 days per week and attending classes. Oh fun.
In compensation O:) I was very Bad and bought myself some books on Friday: The Awake, by Glenda Larke, Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher, and Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover, by Ally Carter. Much excitementness :)
And then I was extra naughty and spent far too long today reading the Glenda Larke one - which, I must say, was actually really good. It's a random one I picked up after seeing it in the stores a few weeks ago. Larke is an Australian author, which often means nothing but sometimes means the work will be somewhat parochial, and I hadn't read her before - but I was pleasantly surprised. I picked up the book more to test out the voice of the novel (written in first person) than anything; I wanted a quick happy read, and what I was really craving was the new Lisa Shearin book, but that's not available in Aus. So Larke was my fall-back, to see if it would be any good - and I'm pleased to say it was. It's not as immediately action-packed, and it didn't hook me right away - I mean, it was good, but not unputdownable - but the further I went the better it got, which is always great :o) And it ended with a bang, and in a most satisfying manner, leaving me rather desperate for the other two books in the series :D So I must say Larke's done well :)
The Jim Butcher I expect will be fabulous, and I'm trying desperately to resist the temptation to pick it up and devour it; in fact, ditto the Ally Carter, which is the new one out in her Gallagher Girls series which both I and the mini sis love :)
So yes. Some exciting reading happening - or not happening, in fact, as I poke listlessly at homework instead *wrinkles nose*
Anyway. Better get back to it, I suppose. :)
And now I head into what is going to be the busiest week of the year for me, in which I have six uni assignments due that I've bared started due to being on prac, and am returning to working 1.5 days per week and attending classes. Oh fun.
In compensation O:) I was very Bad and bought myself some books on Friday: The Awake, by Glenda Larke, Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher, and Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover, by Ally Carter. Much excitementness :)
And then I was extra naughty and spent far too long today reading the Glenda Larke one - which, I must say, was actually really good. It's a random one I picked up after seeing it in the stores a few weeks ago. Larke is an Australian author, which often means nothing but sometimes means the work will be somewhat parochial, and I hadn't read her before - but I was pleasantly surprised. I picked up the book more to test out the voice of the novel (written in first person) than anything; I wanted a quick happy read, and what I was really craving was the new Lisa Shearin book, but that's not available in Aus. So Larke was my fall-back, to see if it would be any good - and I'm pleased to say it was. It's not as immediately action-packed, and it didn't hook me right away - I mean, it was good, but not unputdownable - but the further I went the better it got, which is always great :o) And it ended with a bang, and in a most satisfying manner, leaving me rather desperate for the other two books in the series :D So I must say Larke's done well :)
The Jim Butcher I expect will be fabulous, and I'm trying desperately to resist the temptation to pick it up and devour it; in fact, ditto the Ally Carter, which is the new one out in her Gallagher Girls series which both I and the mini sis love :)
So yes. Some exciting reading happening - or not happening, in fact, as I poke listlessly at homework instead *wrinkles nose*
Anyway. Better get back to it, I suppose. :)
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