tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17237517101467051632024-03-07T01:48:35.266-05:00A Dime a DozenBecause there aren't enough blogs on books and music alreadyEclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-81958106381287969502013-07-10T21:07:00.002-04:002013-07-10T21:07:32.972-04:00What species of reader are you?<a href="http://www.laura-e-kelly.com/creative-work/infographics/reader-species"><img alt="What Species of Reader Are You?--Infographic" src="http://www.laura-e-kelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Reader-Species-Infographic1.png" width="432px" border="0" /></a><br />
<strong>Courtesy of <a href="http://laura-e-kelly.com">Laura E. Kelly </a>.</strong> <em>(Click to view at original large size.)</em><br />
Visit <a href="http://Laura-e-Kelly.com"">Laura-e-Kelly.com</a> for more about books, reading, and authors.
Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-43670587763053238302013-01-21T23:16:00.001-05:002013-01-21T23:16:06.675-05:00What happens when you love Robert Heinlein and Doroth Parker? John Scalzi. John Scalzi self-professes his two top influences to be Robert Heinlein and Dorothy Parker. As soon as you read "Old Man's War," you'll see plenty of both, to excellent (and of course pretty darn funny) results.
Cliched as it is, I could not put this book down. This book has an average rating of more than four stars on here and was nominated for the Hugo. It's easy to see why. I can't think of a single thing about this book I disliked. I could be more easily pleased or optimistic than the average sci-fi reader because I typically stick more to fantasy than SF. Perhaps the story of a 75-year-old going off to interstellar war is more trite than I am aware of. Some reviewers call it "Ender's Game" without the kids, but I think that description falls way short. Yes, it's military science fiction. But it's John Scalzi's first novel, and am amazing one at that. The writing, characters, pace and storyline are all spot-on. I laughed, I cried, I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I was surprised at the twist at the end. The pace is pretty fast -- there are some substantial topics Scalzi skims the surface of, but I don't fault him for it: there are four books in the series so far, with another one the way later this year. Perhaps he'll address the ethics of colonization or use of soldiers farther down the line, and perhaps not. None of that detracts from a thrilling, fun, rapid read. Thanks to "Old Man's War," I will definitely be checking out Heinlein, and more of Scalzi, in the near future.
If you're interested, Scalzi keeps an equally awesome blog, here: <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com">whatever.scalzi.com.</a> This is my favorite post, on <a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2012/07/26/who-gets-to-be-a-geek-anyone-who-wants-to-be/">"Who Gets to be a Geek?"</a>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-25697284397601005462012-11-26T10:50:00.000-05:002012-11-26T10:50:08.963-05:00Sandman: the Wake"Everything changes, and nothing is truly lost." Gaiman himself sums up this last installment nicely. Five stars for the last issue, but the first few give it an overal rating of 4/5. I loved this series. It lived up to all the hype, and more. I already want to go back to "Preludes & Nocturnes" and begin again. A series you can read and over and over again, and still pick up on new nuances and references and remembered relationships. Beautifully written, wonderfully done.
Leran more about the series <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/40372-the-sandman">here</a>. Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-7613032912665340622012-11-07T10:38:00.002-05:002012-11-07T10:38:39.509-05:00Like Books? Like Free Books? Beth Revis is giving away 50!!! FREE!!! BOOKS! If you like YA as much as I do, I don't need to explain to you why this is awesome.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeldoIrdBVRMa3FTtaLd1lxLjLyidFq1GDP67zCXUcI5GM-gINVI21swDiQMlkV8TwDRyZWZ3bsKeMMxITzHFLDXqEaKkzqJr6CPRgZ6qWD4c4FZFSS7y0gJdIPNI2xqavA7NpQbg1JaE/s1600/nov2012contest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeldoIrdBVRMa3FTtaLd1lxLjLyidFq1GDP67zCXUcI5GM-gINVI21swDiQMlkV8TwDRyZWZ3bsKeMMxITzHFLDXqEaKkzqJr6CPRgZ6qWD4c4FZFSS7y0gJdIPNI2xqavA7NpQbg1JaE/s400/nov2012contest.jpg" /></a></div>
Find all the details <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/2012/11/celebrate-books-win-library-of-signed.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+WritingItOut+%28writing+it+out%29">here</a>. Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-80596070439812023642012-04-29T21:52:00.002-04:002012-04-29T21:53:19.068-04:00"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher<p>Gut wrenching. This book resonated deeply, and I imagine it would with most girls -- high school and beyond.</p>
<p>I've read some critical reviews of this book stating that Hannah's reasons for suicide are unbelievable and petty. To me, they weren't -- perhaps because I know a half-dozen classmates who have committed suicide (while in high school, or in the 10 years since), and many of their reasons are similar. It is a snowball effect, and certainly easy to judge when you're on the outside looking in. But I completely empathize with her reasons, particularly for teens in high school. All events seem to have such magnitude and importance in high school (your friends, rumors, and crushes are the end all, be all. You can't imagine not having these people in your life, or having them not matter. Raging hormones and emotions out of control. The drama. The popular rankings and the physical rankings -- yearbook official or not -- certainly have an impact. The humiliations and awkward moments feel unforgettable). </p>
<p>It seems most of the criticism of this book stems from emotional reactions of people claiming the reasons aren't legit or believable -- when really, that's the whole point. Suicide is a deeply personal issue, and I can't imagine many situations where people think, "Oh yeah, that person definitely should have killed himself. Those are great reasons to die." Ridiculous.
</p>
<p>Suicide is one of the top-leading causes of death in young people, and is a subject I wish was more frequently dealt with in accessible lit. I'm impressed with Asher's effort and execution. I love who he weaved between the different narratives, breaking it up in a unique way as reader's go between perspectives, rather than chapter-by-chapter. Great pace and an interesting voice. Highly recommend it.</p>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-5935374402407054202012-02-25T19:31:00.002-05:002012-02-25T19:31:51.444-05:00Walking Dead Compendium, Vol. 1I'm wavering between 2-4 stars on this one, so settled on three. This collects the first 48 issues/8 graphic novels. I would rate the first issue 4.5, then the rest between 2-4. I love the show so much, I really wanted to like the comics more, but Kirkman's style and writing really does not have the depth of the film adaptation. There is not one strong female lead; all in all it's pretty sexist, with macho, aggressive behavior dominating. Perhaps some would argue that you have to be that way in order to survive in the zombie apocalypse, but then Kirkman should have had at least one woman not be suicidal, adulterous, or passively weak. Really ruined the whole series for me. The Compendium really ends on a cliff hanger, so a part of me wants to pick up the ninth graphic novel, but I am not convinced it's worth my time. Don't get me wrong: the plot is interesting, Rick is a very engaging main character who really grows and changes, the art is good, some of the writing is pretty good, but I had above-average standards because of the AMC series and the comics did not measure up. I would say it's above the average comic drivel but not up to the standards of the show.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-1286359752811314342012-01-08T12:15:00.002-05:002012-01-08T12:15:46.180-05:00"Fledgling" by Octavia ButlerOctavia Butler has been recommended to me again and again, so I finally picked up her last book. With "Fledgling," she does not disappoint. Although Butler has reportedly said that even she didn't take "Fledgling" seriously, it follows a lot of the same themes of her more-famous sci fi works.She reminds me of Mary Doria Russell, exploring issues of race, free will, humanity and morality. Fresh, interesting re-working of the usual vampire myth. Though it has something of a "whodunit" plot, the murder-mystery elements take a back burner to the main character's development and her exploration of her identity and where she fits in with her species. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in fantasy, anthropology and social critique. <br />
<br />
I really want to read "Parable of the Sower," now.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-34255284821077568012012-01-02T22:55:00.001-05:002012-01-02T22:55:38.016-05:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709527-bloodlines" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Bloodlines (Bloodlines, #1)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297199431m/8709527.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8709527-bloodlines">Bloodlines</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/137902.Richelle_Mead">Richelle Mead</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/250819710">1 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I was so disappointed in this book. Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series solidly good -- a straight up vamp teen romance series that was actually fairly well-written (particularly for the genre). Fun, fast read. Not so much with "Bloodlines." The plot was horribly obvious; the narrator oblivious while occasionally falling inconsistently into omniscient, which completely clashed with Sydney's character and literal personality. This novel was about 100 pages too long and told readers what was going on more often than showing them.
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4816892-nicole">View all my reviews</a>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-22619858536415711822011-11-27T00:56:00.001-05:002011-11-27T01:05:45.586-05:00<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/331692.The_Complete_Maus" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320468472m/331692.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/331692.The_Complete_Maus">The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5117.Art_Spiegelman">Art Spiegelman</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/237850323">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
A graphic novel actually won a Pulitzer, with good reason. You may be able to see/hear/read a lot of what the Spiegelmans endure in many other World War II memoirs, but "Maus" is told from the unique perspective of first-hand narration from Art's father, Vladek, and from a second-generation survivor struggling to understand what his parents went through in the war. Spiegelman effectively breaks up the headiness of the war history by switching the narration up between the war and present day conversation between father and son. This one really lived up to the hype.
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4816892-nicole">View all my reviews</a>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-22223049753711217492011-11-21T13:16:00.003-05:002011-11-21T13:22:38.034-05:00For a dreary Monday afternoonI'm a life-long reader, meaning: reading books and all that it entails is the only thing I have ever done with my life with any real consistency. Everything else falls to the wayside. I've tried soccer, I've tried roller derby, I've tried horseback riding (that one is second ... but not a close second), running, basketball, journalism.<br /><br />But I am always a reader. And when I think about the time, and space and relationships that have been devoured, for the sake of that next page, that next scene, that next author, that next book I have to have ... it's really quite pathetic, really.<br /><br />26 years, countless hours melting into days and weeks and months. And all that it means to? Some 450 books. I read and all that it it amounts to is some 450 books that I have actually read.<br /><br />Not much, is it?Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-42711231992113454712011-11-19T19:53:00.001-05:002011-11-19T19:53:35.052-05:00How To Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9902193-how-to-live-safely-in-a-science-fictional-universe" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320537641m/9902193.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9902193-how-to-live-safely-in-a-science-fictional-universe">How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe: A Novel</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/221608.Charles_Yu">Charles Yu</a><br/><br />My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/221382181">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />This book could be summed up as a coming-of-age survival story, but it is so much more than that. In its own words: "The story of a man trying to figure out what he knows, teetering on the edge of yes or no, of risk or safety, whether it is worth it or not to go on, to carry on, into the breach of each successive moment."<br /><br/><br /><br/>At times it's laugh-out-loud funny, at times it made me cry, and throughout, it's beautiful, stream-of-conscious, poetic. It gets bit redundant at times -- the same plot loops said a few different ways throughout, but that's also kind of the point. Well worth the read. <br /><br/><br/><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4816892-nicole">View all my reviews</a>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-26004341681939482212011-03-06T10:29:00.002-05:002011-03-06T10:30:50.715-05:00Wicked Lovely Series: Darkest Mercy<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6368611-darkest-mercy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely, #5)" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278717537m/6368611.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6368611-darkest-mercy">Darkest Mercy</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/175855.Melissa_Marr">Melissa Marr</a><br/><br />My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/141104420">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />This series was such a guilty pleasure for me, but it was solidly good (what the Twilight series should have been, in the end). Yes, there's teen romance and love triangles, but in all the right ways. Marr does an excellent job of developing the characters throughout the series and draws from classic fey folklore. I love the play between the courts. Just another ya series I can't stop reading -- but at least this one was written coherently.<br /><br/><br/>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-36190183904127409012011-02-03T09:18:00.001-05:002011-02-03T09:18:37.980-05:00House of Mystery<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3754399-house-of-mystery-vol-1" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="House of Mystery, Vol. 1: Room and Boredom" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1242251976m/3754399.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3754399-house-of-mystery-vol-1">House of Mystery, Vol. 1: Room and Boredom</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/92149.Matthew_Sturges">Matthew Sturges</a><br/><br />My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/145593425">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br /><br />I looked into House of Mystery because of my love of Fables and Jack of Fables. They are as different as night and day, but both excellent. The series focuses on five characters who are trapped in a supernatural bar set in the House of Mystery (an architectural hodge-podge, creepy mansion) where people pay their tab in the only accepted currency of the realm: story telling. While much darker than Fables, the two series share Sturges and Willingham's wit and humor. I'm interested to see where they take it in the next volume.<br /><br/><br/><br /><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4816892-nicole">View all my reviews</a>Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-42345895350965518222011-01-15T22:36:00.000-05:002011-01-15T22:37:10.743-05:00All About Love: New VisionsA coworker of mine recommended bell hooks to me. I'm glad she did. The book's premise is an interesting one, and I agreed with a lot of what hooks' argues. Hooks contends that many in our society have forgotten how to love, what it is to love. If you love someone, you do not abuse them, physically or mentally. Hooks believes that there is a difference between affection and love, that many confuse the two.<br /><br />Anyone who thinks "falling in love" is something that happens to you against your will -- that love is not a choice -- does not know love. Love is a choice, a decision you make to commit to someone; it is something you have to work for.<br /><br />Hooks covers spirituality, familial love, romantic love, commitment, honesty, values, community.<br /><br />I haven't read as much non-fiction as I should. I've never read any "self-help" books and I have barely scratched the surface in philosophy, sociology and feminism. This is a book of essays on various topics concerning love -- the first in a series of three by hooks. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in really examining yourself, your values and relationships.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-21582720313214128822011-01-12T18:22:00.002-05:002011-01-23T00:45:30.960-05:00"What is the What"I'm having difficulty putting into words what I want to say about this book. It had huge emotional impact for me and really illuminated the tragedy that has happened in Sudan over the last decades. African history in general (let alone country-specific events) is vague to so many Americans. "What is the What" is a must-read for anyone with any interest in modern-day Sudan. Beautifully written, gripping and funny. Eggers' brings home a frightening tragedy while making it compelling and accessible. Achek's story is the epitome of triumph over tragedy.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-58245962332051337702011-01-08T09:48:00.004-05:002011-01-08T10:08:38.148-05:00"The Art of Racing in the Rain"I bought "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein as a Christmas gift for someone and ended up reading it myself because I decided giving any family member a book narrated by an old dog about to die just seemed cruel.<br /><br />And if you think that's a depressing beginning, it just gets worse from there. After the dog, Enzo, reveals in the first two pages that he is reflecting on his life with his owner Denny and his family as he dying -- he then informs you Denny's wife ends up dying, too. And then he proceeds to go back in time to allow you to become emotionally involved with Denny and Eve and their daughter Zoe before Eve dies.<br /><br />And then it gets worse again, but I won't tell you about that part and ruin the meat of the plot for you.<br /><br />I'm making the book sound terrible: it's not; it's just terribly depressing. It's actually beautifully written with wonderful characters and an interesting, if slightly melodramatic, plot. If you can get past how utterly heart-wrenching the book is (and let me tell you, the downward spiral in Denny's life kept going far longer than I expected), the book of course ends up being an ultimately uplifting story. <br /><br />But, wow, I went through a full box of tissues before reaching the uplifting bit.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-63205629205271668312010-12-31T23:17:00.002-05:002010-12-31T23:41:16.128-05:00Discovering bell hooksA friend suggested I check out bell hooks after a really good discussion at work. I'm in the middle of reading "All About Love: New Visions" and "Feminism is for Everybody."<br /><br />Neil and I started reading "New Visions" together, and the same reasons that I love it so far are the same reasons it drives Neil crazy. Go figure.<br /><br />It's the first noon-fiction work I have really gotten into. It doesn't read like a text book, but I don't think hooks is exactly preachy, either. She simply tells the reader what she thinks, how she's feeling, and why, drawing heavily on personal experience and quoting a few other authors, sociologists and psychologists along the way.<br /><br />Hooks contends that Americans no longer know how to love - that we confuse affection and care with love. Someone who is abusive does not love the person he or she is abusing. The short book focuses on different subjects every chapter - familial love, passionate love, greed, religion and spirituality, etc. Love should be more about respect -- you should cherish those who stand by, who you feel most comfortable around ... when it is all too easy to take them for granted and take things out on them. But doing that is not love.<br /><br />This isn't to say that I agree with everything she has to say, and I don't think you have to in order to enjoy this book. It simply challenges you to question our society's views on love, how the media perceives love, and what it means to love. <br /><br />More later, once I finish it.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-32833869240124707602010-12-30T08:52:00.003-05:002010-12-31T23:14:59.629-05:00A Northern LightHistorical fiction abounds. It's not exactly hard to find a children's story about a kid who meets Abraham Lincoln or befriends Mark Twain or whatever it might be (in the adult section, too). It becomes a rarity when you stumble across a historical fiction book that works. Jennifer Donnelly's "A Northern Light" is one such work. In it, the real 20th century murder of Grace Brown is interwoven into the life of 16-year-old Mattie Gokey, as Mattie is working at the hotel in a town where a pregnant Grace is found drowned in the lake. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh2iGWznsoS-iVT9iXi4j0tpO79jy4n6E-EEz_xasx7PVS5EApTCNFITzLxpAfS6_ntSzZA8JV9mDpzp5liNC7Chg0T4IdS4zMiu8ONiufSkt8pSSrq1Q0A42sH1WUeVqRINufb4AWLU/s1600/northernlight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 183px; height: 275px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDh2iGWznsoS-iVT9iXi4j0tpO79jy4n6E-EEz_xasx7PVS5EApTCNFITzLxpAfS6_ntSzZA8JV9mDpzp5liNC7Chg0T4IdS4zMiu8ONiufSkt8pSSrq1Q0A42sH1WUeVqRINufb4AWLU/s320/northernlight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557063359681451426" /></a><br /><br />The story weaves between Mattie's present -- the summer of 1906 working at the hotel, getting to know Grace and then trying to understand her death -- and flashbacks to Mattie's past year working at home, going to school and trying to obtain her high school degree. <br /><br />It's not hard to see why "A Northern Light" won a Carnegie Medal, Printz Award and was selected as a Borders Original Voice. The book deals with a lot of heavy issues - classism, racism, women's rights - in an accessible way, while still having an interesting plot and full characters. The Appalachian dialect of the early 1900s is done really well and really adds to the setting.<br /><br />I had not heard of Jennifer Donnelly before reading this book. Her latest novel, "Revolution," came out earlier this year, and is also getting strong reviews. Looking forward to checking it out, too.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-88368067954137770982010-11-14T22:15:00.005-05:002010-12-30T08:51:27.513-05:00Maggie FureyI finally finished Maggie Furey's Shadowleague trilogy sometime in November. When I first started the series with "Heart of the Myrial," I thought it was a pretty stereotypical, predictable fantasy series. It ended having a few surprises, getting progressively better with the final two books -- "Spirit of the Stone" and "Echo of Eternity."<br /><br />The story centers on a group called the Shadowleague who are supposed to be the only beings on the world that can penetrate the barriers between the different countries on the planet. Each country is divided by a curtain wall that keeps the different elements and geographical landscapes separate. Some are rainy and mountainous -- others, dry and arid. Specifically designed to cater to the species living in each different location, every country is perfectly suited for its inhabitant. The dragons, who need sunlight to survive, are located in the dessert. Humans who rely on cattle and farming are in a green, lush plains. But then something begins to destroy the curtain walls separating the different climates, causing all of the species to begin to deteriorate. The destruction of the curtain walls wreaks havoc in each country as normally dessert lands become rainy and mild, tropical climates turn bitterly cold. Humans, centaurs, aliens, and dragons all begin to suffer and die. <br /><br />Later on in the series, the main characters discover that the world was actually built by a superior alien race -- it is a giant machine that is slowly breaking down, destroying the curtain walls in the process and mixing the weather. The Loremasters of the Shadowleague are specially selected members of each race on the world, the gate keepers of the knowledge of the planet. They alone know the secret to penetrate the curtain walls, as they alone have shared knowledge of all the different countries, so of course they alone can save the planet.<br /><br />It sounds cheesy, I know. It is a straight up adventure fantasy, but a good one, with likable, well-rounded characters and an enjoyable, entertaining storyline. Simple enough, but a quick read and one that keeps the reading interested.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-8827258572021789162010-11-12T21:25:00.003-05:002010-11-12T22:05:38.362-05:00lesenThis started out as a post about the Shadowleague trilogy (original intent, anyway), and ended up like this:<br /><br />The entire living room is filled with books: only science fiction. Four bookshelves, and we still had to stick two more in the spare bedroom. <br /><br />And that only covers science fiction/fantasy. The rest of the spare bedroom is children and young adult. The dining room is poetry. The bedroom is just two shelves of all the books we want to read "soon." The basement is fiction, but only the first three shelves of it. Behind the fake bamboo room in the basement, Neil has 40,000 comics and graphic novels. <br /><br />And I still haven't gotten to the boxes of books we have yet to unpack -- history, philosophy, the rest of fiction. We can't use the garage, because it is filled with bookshelves we won't have room for until we finish the basement.<br /><br />It's kind of disgusting, really. This is why I sit at home, alone on Friday nights, reading and writing about what I read.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-41934263053949879472010-10-17T18:47:00.005-04:002010-10-17T22:32:50.751-04:00The Turn of the ScrewI like to think that I read a lot of books - certainly more than the average person. back in the day, I might have considered myself well-read ... but now, not so much. Being told to write for an audience with a fifth-grade reading level ... and eventually reading on basically the same level, must have had an effect eventually. <br /><br />Anyway, I haven't read a "real" book a while. I used to love the classics, but now all I read are books that don't take much brain power ... teen fantasy, science fiction, graphic novels. Don't get me wrong: clearly I love the teenage brain sludge, otherwise I wouldn't read it ... but when I went back to the classics with "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James, I think it made my head hurt a little.<br /><br />James was a wee bit over my head. I have absolutely no idea if the narrator (the governess) was insane and imagining the whole thing, or it was supposed to be just a straight up ghost story. How can you tell when the narrator is reliable?<br /><br />Quick summary: the novella begins with a friend recounting a tale of a dear friend he had, now deceased, who was a governess for a wealthy gentleman out in the country where she is instructed to care for two children, but never to contact their guardian for any reason. The story soon switches to this governess' perspective. And of course, she meets the two children, Flora and Miles and they seem perfect. Pale, blue-eyed, the whole package. And then the governess starts seeing dead people around the house. Oh, and they happen to be the previous governess and her lover. And she is the only one who can see them. And she is convinced the children can see them, too, and are being "influenced" by them ... and are just pretending to not see them.<br /><br />But maybe it doesn't really matter. Either the governess was crazy or it's a straight up ghost story. I'm just not completely sure if the governess was supposed to be the bad guy, or the ghosts were supposed to be the bad guys.<br /><br /><br />Either way, it was a short novella and a nice ghost story of sorts to read in October.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-81627366892754494682010-09-25T12:47:00.003-04:002010-09-25T21:06:13.127-04:00Books I've read recently, but have been too lazy to write aboutSo, hey, you get the condensed versions:<br /><br />• Percy Jackson and the Olympian's "The Battle for the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan. I love this series. A lot. It just keeps getting better and better - sad to be only one away from finishing. I guess I will have to check out the Red Pyramid and some of his other new stuff.<br /><br />• "The Lions of Al-Rassan" by Guy Gavriel Kay. I love every Kay book, and this is one of his best (doesn't quite beat Tigana but it is definitely up there.) This has to be the most historical book of his I've read, not nearly as fantasy-like as most of his other works. There are real parallels here to Spanish history and the wars with Christians, Jews and Moors. Well worth a look if you are at all into historical fantasy.<br /><br />• "The Heart of the Myrial" by Maggie Furey. Another Maggie insisted that I read this book a long, long time ago. It took me about 7 years, but I finally got around to it. While it began as a rather typical fantasy, it packed a few surprises. The writing gets better with the series.<br /><br />• "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins - The entire Hunger Games series was excellent. As with anything that gains the slightest bit of notoriety, critics wailed about how violent and "adult" the books are. Death? Corrupt politicians? Noooo! So beyond a teenager's reach. But, seriously, the entire series is impossible to put down, and the ending didn't disappoint. <br /><br />• "Girls in Trucks" by Katie Crouch. Crouch's debut, another one I picked up at a GM meeting a few years ago. I had heard nothing about it since I got it three years ago, so was surprised when people approached me saying they had heard good things about it. A national bestseller - who knew? What started out as a somewhat stereotypical YA about a high school girl took a few surprising turns. Deep, probing -- it asks all the tough love questions. Crouch just came out with her second, this spring. I will have to check it out.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-42878748816819572902010-08-08T12:53:00.002-04:002010-08-08T20:40:58.408-04:00A good Shannon Hale book!You might think I would have given up on Shannon Hale after starting with "Austenland," but I decided to try "Princess Academy," as I already owned it.<br /><br />I should probably be a little ashamed at how much I like this book. I REALLY loved it. A lot. It had surprising depth for a YA novel. Not only was it a great fairytale princess story, but it also portrayed teenage insecurities, classism, and typical childhood rivalries exceptionally well. I guess I shouldn't have doubted a book that got a Newberry Honor nod.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-54528110485948931532010-08-06T22:01:00.003-04:002010-08-06T22:48:28.696-04:00AustenlandI picked up an advanced copy of "Austenland" at one of the last meetings I attended before being forced to leave the book world. Like nearly every other hopelessly romantic female in the world, I gravitate toward all things Austen, but this one was too much for me. I can't imagine this book appealing to anyone who isn't an Austen fan (or at least Pride and Prejudice -- be it the book, BBC or 2004 film version).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwz0RGwxPQjd0mm1tefMUz_WIml_mbd4lyCkV2jhgBVsTicuCW6jsVJXaHv3zMjmnQOlW7CnA0mWhfuND8a_r15cj5ycdYSu-vUv7sCVjIqKO6KbpZQh4cF6z4z6Q4OINcXjSOk5QanRo/s1600/austen-sm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwz0RGwxPQjd0mm1tefMUz_WIml_mbd4lyCkV2jhgBVsTicuCW6jsVJXaHv3zMjmnQOlW7CnA0mWhfuND8a_r15cj5ycdYSu-vUv7sCVjIqKO6KbpZQh4cF6z4z6Q4OINcXjSOk5QanRo/s320/austen-sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="Shannon Hale" /></a><br /><br />It is such a short, quick book (basically the only thing I've been reading, this summer. surprise surprise!) that I did manage to get through the whole thing, but it was trite and predictable the entire way. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong: generally, I can't get enough of horrible, predictable romantic comedies, but even I have my limits. Ugh. This is the worst post ever (and that's saying something, since all I do is ramble about my personal opinions of the books I read without any sort of critique whatsoever) but man, sorry. I'm done.Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723751710146705163.post-63861094803856952302010-07-18T21:54:00.003-04:002010-07-18T22:07:21.247-04:00Alison CroggonAlison Croggon's Pellinor series begins with "The Naming" (released outside the U.S. as "The Gift"). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkAVT_Ac0CDHBDYdm6kOJC7Rvr9zZ5tkvWFmsJqsiOIEvvLu_CZF7sbMr5QINEci-uiZOf0uhbkUwySpMORic0FChPgI3y2W9Bm4YSEc9R9I23q1-et65WPyWlILjrQ8n2KbzKcSOUp0/s1600/naming.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkAVT_Ac0CDHBDYdm6kOJC7Rvr9zZ5tkvWFmsJqsiOIEvvLu_CZF7sbMr5QINEci-uiZOf0uhbkUwySpMORic0FChPgI3y2W9Bm4YSEc9R9I23q1-et65WPyWlILjrQ8n2KbzKcSOUp0/s320/naming.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495430405086147842" /></a><br /><br />There is nothing remotely original about the series, drawing heavily on LoTR and Harry Potter (right down to defeating a sea dog monster by singing it a lullaby in the second in the series). But, the writing's better than average and the characters are interesting.<br /><br />I read the first one really quickly but am having a hard time getting through the second in the series, "The Riddle." I am struggling with the same issue I faced when reading "The Historian" -- I just feel like the same stuff keeps happening over and over again, without really going anywhere. Maerad and Cadvan are traveling. They're faced with a force of evil and banish it. She talks about the weather and landscape. They get to where they're going. They hear bad news, then they travel again. They're faced with a force of evil and banish it. They travel some more. They meet another bad guy. They travel some more. She talks about the weather and landscape. Then they get to where they're going. (In "The Historian" -- oh! another dead end and lost clue. Noooo!). "The Historian" dragged forever without really going anywhere -- Croggon's second is just repetitive. <br /><br />This series has been recommended to be several times; a good bookseller friend of mine raves about it. So maybe I'm the only one who thinks it is a little too Lord of the Rings/Star Wars (don't go to the dark side, the light is all about "balance"/Harry Potter?<br /><br />Ah well. With any luck, it will get better as the series goes on (again, like HP).Eclecticbookwrmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17877729959121371427noreply@blogger.com0