Magic Strikes

Magic Strikes, by Illona Andrews, is one of those books that I feel like I've been waiting months, no years to read.  The author has a website where she posts snippets of her stories, including pieces from the upcoming books.  I get such a charge out of reading those snippets and I tear through them, only to leave me salivating for more.

Well, more finally arrived (thank you FedEX for sucking so very, very much!  You will face my wrath!) and I tore through Magic Strikes in a night.  (And again over the next couple of days.)  Really, it was everything I wanted and it left me wanting so much more.

Drafted into working for the Order of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems than she knows what to do with these days. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that's saying a lot.

But when Kate's werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games - an invitation only, no holds barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament - she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta's shapeshifting community...

Not only did we get more of Kate's life as a child (growing up with Voron, the training she underwent as a child, even her "bedtime" story), but we got more of Julie, Andrea, Saiman, and Derek in this novel, which helps to round the plot out so it's not all about Kate.  (Not that I would mind that, but have other characters to follow is fun.)  We also get more of the Kate/Curran drama, in which Curran shows/tells/demonstrates just how confident he is in their inevitable togetherness, while Kate shows/tells/demonstrates just how confident she is in it never happening. (Hee.)  

Although I very much liked the relationship aspects of this book, I think the biggest draw for me was learning more about Kate's past.  I love reading about her life growing up with Voron, as well as the additional tidbits about her biological father.  In the first two books, Kate was very much trying to keep a low profile, but in Magic Strikes, the low-profile life is over.  Kate's making her presence known in all sorts of ways, despite knowing what it will cost her.

I can't wait for Book Four.

Oh, Illona and Gordon recently did an interview with their publisher, which can be found here.

Oh, I think I need more coffee for this

"Anita Blake" books coming to a TV screen near you?

I just...  OK.  I'll admit it.  I was (and still am) a huge fan of the first (FIRST) part of this series.  I liked the writing, I liked the characters, I liked the way they got beat up, but then got back up (you ain't ever going to keep me down), I liked the emotions, and yes, I liked the tension between the characters.

But then the series turned into pron (yes, deliberately misspelled, thank you very much) and I can't stomach reading the series anymore.  Just, no.

Although, given the fact that IFC plans to market the series to their core group of men ages 18-34, I can see why this series (and especially the later two-thirds) would be ideal for them.

Still sick

but really, overall, feeling much better.  And since I'm feeling better, I really can't avoid the piles* of work I have to do anymore.  Taking it easy is the only good thing about being sick.

Alas.

So, Mother's Milk, by Andrew Thomas Breslin, is the first book I promised to review and yeah, that story was a mouthful.  A chewy, take it slow so you don't choke, mouthful that has more or less turned me from milk.  (I'd say dairy, except I have had both chocolate and cheese today. Twice.  Looks like the aliens still have me.) It was rather delicious though, and I've been a big fan of rice milk for ages now.

Cindy Kichlklug, a young, emphatically non-idealistic attorney finds herself in Washington, DC, working for a group of radical nutrition advocates with a passionate distaste for cow milk. Little does she suspect that their militant intolerance for lactose is a reaction to a secret global conspiracy orchestrated by the dairy industry, itself a puppet of alien masters from a distant planet orbiting the star Vega.

These Vegans (the ones from Vega, not the other kind) have been running things on Earth for thousands of years through mind-controlling substances secreted by the cows they brought here long ago, but now one of Cindy’s colleagues, socially inept mathematician Eddie Fishman, has discovered an innovative analytical technique that may expose their nefarious schemes. When Eddie is captured, Cindy teams up with cranky old anti-conspiracy veteran Tom Logan and a host of other rabble-rousing extremists to rescue Eddie and put an end to the diabolical (albeit delicious) machinations, all the while pursued by the dapper but devious “milk thugs” and fighting her own overwhelming desire for lattes and cheesecake.

It was a fun, but slow read; beyond the main storyline, there were footnotes about the legal profession, the history of various cultures, details about the vegan lifestyle, and a few jokes thrown in for good measure.  Cindy's point of view is rather the one that I think I would have had in her situation; a bit of a cynic mixed with a compassionate animal lover and a caffeine addict.  She's annoyed by the people she works for and then, when she finds out that they aren't simply crazy and they have a point, she looks for the quickest way she can get out of the mess she's been drug into.  

I will be honest; the clinical breakdown of what milk was and the vivid description of a cow being slaughtered were not something that I really wanted to read.  But I countered that with the numerous characters (the paranoid farmer, the vulgar-speaking debutant, the psychic dolphin, etc.) and the interesting twists in the plot (Tom Logan is a hoot), and I have to say that I liked it.  The ending didn't go quite as I expected it would, in fact it was nothing like I expected it to be, but it was a nice way to end the story.  The main characters are living their diary-free lives (I wonder if Cindy's cat still gets cream, or if Cindy will try converting him to a dairy-free lifestyle too?) and are more or less happy.  I think.  Mostly happy.  

Review of Magic Strikes to follow tomorrow.

*piles of work is more of a figure of speech, since all of my work is electronic these days.  

Looking for ways to make it better

So, while I'm still sick--I currently sound like an eighty-year-old smoker--I've been trying to find things to cheer me up as I wait to get better.  

One of those things--danger signs approaching--is on line shopping; it's so easy to go "oh! I really want that" and then three seconds later I'm typing in my credit card information, clicking the button for expedited shipping.  However, there are sales abounding, which makes the damages a little lighter.  

Book sites are the most dangerous places for me to shop on line at, although I have to say that the massive sale at ENC Press, where book prices are down twenty percent, is making it a little less scary.  It's also making my birthday/mother's day/father's day/Christmas shopping just that much easier.  (Note: Everyone is getting a copy of $everance this year.)

Plus, how can I not love a site that's currently advertising their sale as the "best depression special ever?"

Still coming soon

Haha, of course I managed to get sick yesterday, because not only do I have today and Saturday off, but today is also my 30th birthday and really, being sick just makes it that much more fun.

Posting on all topics to come; I promise. Right now it's all I can do stay awake and drink more water.

Happy Birthday to me.

Coming Soon

• My epic battle with FedEx to get my ARC of Magic Strikes by Illona Andrews.  FedEx decided that what I really needed was to wait 11 days to get this book.  (One day, FedEx will feel my wrath!)
• My review of Magic Strikes will be up soon (but just so you know, awesome is going to be my first word).
• My review of Mother's Milk  by Andrew Thomas Breslin and my ongoing struggle to avoid dairy for the next little while.  I'm not going to let the aliens screw with my brain!
• My exciting news about interviewing an author and more details to come.
• More exciting reviews (Headlong and Lament).

Once Upon A Time III

Is it Spring already? It must be, because Carl has posted his Once Upon A Time III challenge. While there are more details at his site--including the different levels of the challenge--it basically boils down to reading one book from each of the below category:

fan⋅ta⋅sy: a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting.(Wiki)

fairy tale: a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. (Wiki) (The Faerie Queen's Deception: Lament)

folk⋅lore: the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people; The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally. (Dictionary dot com)

my⋅thol⋅o⋅gy: a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person; a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered. (Dictionary dot com) (Magic Strikes)

Fantasy, fairy tale, folklore and mythology. The definitions above are a jumping off point, but those of us who have unabashedly reveled in between the pages of these genres know that each is so much more.

I can't join this challenge--much like I haven't joined the other challenges I'm participating in--but I might read-along. I do have "White Witch, Black Curse," "Pretty Monsters," and "The Faerie Queen's Deception" all on hand. Fantasy and fairytale are covered with these three options, so that just leaves mythology and folklore to consider.

ETA: Hmm, Magic Strikes was full of Indian/Hindu mythology, so I've got that genre covered... now to find a book on folklore.

Where was I?

Have I had my head buried in the sand?  Because I had absolutely no idea about this:

Under the CPSIA, which was passed by Congress in August, children’s products are required to undergo stringent testing for lead and phthalates. Currently, the General Counsel of the CPSC is interpreting the law to apply to ordinary, paper-based books for children 12 years of age or younger, so that all such books and product would have to be tested for lead content. Therefore, public, school, academic and museum libraries would be required either to remove all their children’s books or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities as of February 10.

More information can be found in a whole host of places, like at the ALA, or here at Publishers Weekly.

Living Dead Girl

Giving myself a break from the mad, mad milk conspiracy, I picked up and read Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott and it was heartbreakingly sad.  Poor, little lost girl; she's been bent and broken and bled until the only thing she can be is Alice.  

While it was another excellent book by a favorite author of mine (Perfect You, Bloom), it was not the mental break book I needed.

The sheep are going to have to wait

Because I have a great deal to get done tonight before I can even think about counting them.

But first...I won one of the book giveaways over at A Book Blogger's Diary.  Yay me!

Interests

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, sounds really, really good.

Stephen Colbert is a genius.  Heh, the Rand Illusion.  (For those that haven't watched it, it's basically a plan (written by Ayn Rand in her novel "Atlas Shrugged") that calls for all the "important" people to stop working because they don't want to share their profits with the poor money-grubbers.  

Interesting idea

Just read an article here about Erin Balser, a Twitter book critic.  She posts reviews of the books she's read, as well as interviews with authors, in 140 characters or less.  I have to say I'm impressed, because I don't think I could ever be that succinct with my words.

Also, I started a new book yesterday (Mother's Milk) and I started knitting a new pair of socks. Shall I place a wager on which new thing gets finished first?

ETA: It was Mother's Milk by a landslide (three days).  I finished the first sock today.

Failing time management

Oh, how I need thirty-six hours in a day!  I'd be able to accomplish so much more, like actually make it to the library before closing hours to pick up the seven books I have waiting for me!  And with thirty-six hours in a day, I'd definitely have time to actually read them!

I've just started a new book, Mother's Milk, and I have to say that the opening chapters have been very interesting.  Science, Latin, law, and the dairy industry, all wrapped up in one book.

Looking to the future

Sassymonkey has an excellent post on why she prefers buying paperbacks versus hardbacks and I have to say that I agree.  Partly the cost, partly the size factor, and partly the fact that it throws off the look of my books, I will almost always wait for the paperback when buying a book.  

(I almost want to feel bad about my decision to wait for paperbacks--I want to work in publishing--but I don't.  It's not that I don't like hardbacks, it's just that paperbacks have so many things going for them.)

Also, I've decided to stop reading The Orient Express by Graham Greene.  On one hand, it's not the book I thought I was going to be reading.  Also, it's boring as hell.  I can't find it in myself to care about any of these characters and I've managed to make it halfway through the story.   Instead I've picked up Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, a rather dramatic change, but I think one that I'll like better.  It's been on my to-read list for years and I'm hoping to enjoy it as much as I did The Screwtape Letters.  

New Reading Ideas

A few days ago I realized that I had nothing on reserve at the public library (how did I let that happen?), which I quickly rectified, but now I'm wishing I hadn't been quite so hasty.

Marg over at Reading Adventures recently posted her review of Briar Rose, a modern retelling of the Sleeping Beauty myth set against the Holocaust.  

Leila at bookshelves of doom wrote about The Running Man, which she picked up after reading The Hunger Games (LOVED) because she was on a dystopia kick.  I just finished Junk and while I wouldn't mind rereading The Hunger Games, maybe I'll pick up The Running Man instead.  It kind of sounds like Blade Runner, with the whole killing/chasing/finish line theme.

Of course, I could always continue reading Bleak House.  I've only got all of it to finish.

How is it possible that I've only read eight books so far this year?  I know I've been busy, but seriously?  Seriously?

Junk, by Christopher Largen

Junk was the second book I've read recently and I have to say that while I enjoyed it, it wasn't as laugh-out-loud funny as $everance is.  It's more of a quiet, oh-no-they-didn't sort of book.  Like Fahrenheit 451, but without the burning people alive.  

Junk is set in a future U.S. where the WAR ON DRUGS has turned into the WAR ON JUNK.  In an effort to combat obesity, the U.S. government has outlawed all forms of junk food.  Bakeries are closed, eating red meat gets you thrown in jail, and a kid will kill himself rather than be found with a Twinkie wrapper in his pocket.  Gangs no longer sell drugs, instead pushing any and all forms of snacks, sugar, and salt on a huge black market.  Europe is in on the banning too, although Amsterdam has a thriving tourist industry, since that country isn't banning anything. 

It was a very interesting story, made more so by the fact that Largen included "mockuments" on the WAR ON JUNK in his story, taken from newspapers, court documents, and apparently, letters from prison; all chosen from actual drug-war documents.  

The interesting thing about this book is that I can already see signs of something like this happening here in the U.S.  Snack and drink machines are removed from schools and hospitals over health concerns, smoking indoors has been outlawed, chains are now required to post nutritional information on the menu board, and shows like "The Biggest Loser" are huge.  Note, I'm not saying that removing overly-sugary drinks from schools is a bad idea, or that I like smokers, but I am pointing out that rights and privileges are being removed and not everyone seems to care.  

I mean, who doesn't want the right to own salt?

$everance

So, $everance. Absolutely hysterical.

Seriously, I was reading it on the subway and I kept laughing out loud. The people around me no doubt thought I was insane. The author, Richard Kaempfer, really nailed the whole black humor he was going for in his novel, about a radio air jockey who just wants to be fired already, but of course the office manager won't fire him because then the company would have to pay him eighteen months' pay as severance. Zagorski, the disk jockey, actually goes so far as to send the most ridiculous e-mail ever to everyone in the company, including the CEO, thinking that of course the guy will fire him for all of these stupid suggestions...but instead the CEO thinks Zagorski is brilliant; the CEO implements one of the off-the-cuff idea and it makes the company millions! Instead of getting fired, Zagorski ends up getting promoted and eventually realizes that nothing he does is going to get him fired...unless he comes up with something that loses the company money. And that's when the fun really starts.

It's totally poking fun at Wall Street, the five media companies that run the media, and politics, while also pointing out that (hello!) there are only five companies (men) who control almost everything we read, watch, and listen too and maybe someone should pay attention to that? I honestly think that this book is going to be given out as a gift this year; I can't think of anyone who wouldn't get a kick out of reading it.

Adding one more thing to the to-do list

Or make that two more things, since I need to review Bone Crossed *and* $everance.

La la la...

Catch-up Post

Will be written later.

Haven't read anything in weeks.  Need to write about Korean texts, free book from Harper Collins, Bleak House (which hasn't been read in months), new internship(s), and things I want to read.

Note to self: post!

Read

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis has been one of my must finish books for years now.  I always get about halfway through before I inevitably put the book down because it's too dry/too serious/not what I really want to read.  This time though, I managed to push through those feelings, in part because I finally get dry, British humor.  (Thank you, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet, for Good Omens.)

The Screwtape Letters are just that, a series of letters from Screwtape, a senior demon, to his nephew, Wormwood, on how best to corrupt Wormwood's charge.  It's a very short book, only 172 and that's including three prefaces and an epilogue.  Again, it comes across as a very dry book, but the humor is there, although so very British that it's easy to see why I missed it at ages seventeen, twenty, and twenty-three.  Screwtape is full of wisdom and knowledge on how best to tempt humans to their side, and how to fix things when Wormwood screws up and his charge leans more toward the "Enemy's" side.  I enjoyed reading this book, not just because I'm looking to expand my reading list or because I want to read more Christian literature, but because it was an interesting and thought-provoking read for me.

Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen was another novel that I'd wanted to read for a few years but had never gotten around to starting.  Half of me is sorry I waited so long, while the other half is just happy that I read it, because damn.  This book was not what I expected, but so much better.

Fran Benedetto has just left her abusive, cop husband after years of being abused; she's grabbed their son and has fled via the underground railroad that's been set up for battered women and children.  Ending up in Florida, Liz (as Fran is now called) does her best to get on with her life, but it's hard, so hard, because she knows that Bobby is never going to let them go.  She's always waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the phone to ring, for Bobby to be at the door.  

It's a gripping, compelling, time-stopping read and I was always mad when I reached my stop because I had to get up and stop reading!  Fran/Liz's voice is great, always jumping back and forth from the here and now to the then, as she remembers things from her past, or stops herself from thinking about them.  There are twists in the novel that I didn't see coming (although I think that with a second read I would) and the ending is not what you expect.  It's not a happy novel, but it's a gripping one, and I highly recommend it.

Filling my heart with glee!

There's a new trailer for Coraline out, this one featuring Neil Gaiman in his home.  It's delicious!

(I would embed it, it Blogger would let me.)

Excellent, Jellicoe Road won an award!  It really is one of my newest favorites.

Keeping myself busy

For Christmas my friend gave me a subscription to Bookmark and I have to say that this gift is going to be as damaging to my social life as crack is to people's health.  I've marked down eighteen books that I feel I have to read now, and this is only the first issue! 

I've seen two "must read" lists pop up in the past week, here at Editorial Ass and Sassymonkey and I have the feeling that at least one more is going to show up soon before the end of the month. 

I've started reading The Screwtape Letters on my way to and from work (I ride the subway, so I have at least twenty minutes each way to read) and while I'm enjoying it, I think that it might not be the right subway book for me.  The book is written in a very dry tone with bits of English humor popping up here and there.  (It's kind of like reading Good Omens, but even dryer.)  I find myself rereading passages each day as I try not to get lost in the tangle of Lewis' writing. The only other books by him that I've read have been the Chronicles of Narnia,  and I don't remember them being quite so densely written.

Reviews

Feast of Fools and The Westing Game are still the only books I've read so far in 2009; I don't know what my deal is, although I think it might have something to do with all of the holiday knitting I'm still trying to finish. Both were quick, simple reads.

Feast of Fools is a continuation of the Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine.  I was reading her Weather Warden series (and grew tired of that), so I switched over to her Young Adult series.  Basically, our heroine is a sixteen-year-old genius who had the chance to go to MIT, but her concerned parents wanted her to go to college closer to home, which meant the nearby community college.  What no one knew was that the town was actually run by vampires... Claire gets involved with some local kids, struggles to stay alive and out of both human politics and vampiric ones, and eventually becomes the "servant" of the head vampire, Amelia.  

In Feast of Fools, Amelia's "father", Mr. Bishop, comes to town and demands that everyone in the town swear their loyalty to him.  In addition to that, Claire's parents have just moved to town (brought there by Amelia) and now Claire is struggling to protect them from the truth about Morganville, stay alive, keep her boyfriend and friends alive, and figure out what Mr. Bishop's end game is.  

It could have been a much better story, but it was so rushed.  Half of the plot seems to take place off page, details are glossed over, and a lot of information was left out, in my opinion.  I don't know that I'll continue reading anymore in this series, although I do like Claire.  I also really want to take the college classes she's taking.

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin was a much better story, in my opinion, although I think it was written for the pre-teen reader. Very simplistic writing, short sentences, but it had a great plot and anyone who likes a clever whodunit would enjoy this book.  

Sixteen different people, all of whom live in the same building, find out that they are the heirs of Sam Westing, one of the richest and most reclusive men around.  Some of the heirs have had contact with Sam Westing in the past, while others have only heard of him.  What makes this novel so interesting, is that in addition to trying to solve the mysterious clues that Sam Westing left behind in his will, we are also trying to figure out which of the sixteen heirs is the thief, the bomber, the bookie, and the mistake.  

What I'm reading now, beside Bleak House, is The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen.  I also need to get started on my WWII list and my nonfiction New York museum books.

Welcoming in the New Year

So, bookwise 2009 hasn't started off with the bang I wanted it too.  Despite my excitement over Bleak House and the other books I posted about two weeks ago, I haven't turned a single page on any of them.  Instead, my time has been spent either working, knitting, or trying to sound out Korean vocabulary.  

Still, I have faith that I can accomplish all of my reading goals this year, even if I don't start until tomorrow.

2008 in Review

OK, so while my count says I've read 168 books this year, my breakdown has a slightly different number.

Le sigh; I'm going to have to go over my check marks again...

Fiction: 39

Young Adult: 35

Urban Fantasy: 31

Science Fiction and Fantasy: 24

Romance: 24

Nonfiction: 7 (woo hoo!)

Short stories: 5

Classics: 1

At least I have my reading goal for 2009: 178 books.

(My) Best Books of 2008

(in the order that I read them)

1. Court Duel by Sherwood Smith.  I love this story; I love the world Sherwood has created, I love the characters, I love Mel and how she's trying to do what's right and what she should while also trying to find her way.  I love Danric and everyone else and I really, really, want more about these characters.  (YA)
2. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott.  Another book whose main character I absolutely loved. Lauren doesn't live her life so much as she just goes with the flow.  It isn't until a guy she knew when she was kid comes back into her life that Lauren realizes how much she's been missing in her life.  And that's when things start to get sticky and Lauren realizes that going after what she wants and what makes her happy could be the hardest thing she does. (YA)
3. Inda by Sherwood Smith.  Hee.  Another book by Smith, but with totally different characters.  Almost a different world, but not really.  Inda is set centuries before Court Duel.  Full of families, royal strife, betrayals, war, pirates, and one boy's honor, it was an amazing story and I was thrilled to find out that there were three more parts.  The fourth (and last) book in this series should be out in 2009 and I can't wait. (YA)
4. The Spymaster's Lady by Johanna Bourne is amazing.  Yes, I know it's a romance novel. Yes, I know it's a historical romance novel.  Yes, I know that the cover has a shirtless man on the front and that that has nothing to do with the plot.  I don't care.  This is one gripping, intelligent, funny, and twisty story and I love it.  I've read it four times now, and each time I'm picking up something that I glossed over or missed the first time around.  There are clues about the characters that I didn't get until after I'd finished the novel.  Such a great book.  (HR)
5. The Host by Stephanie Meyer.  OK, say what you will about the Twilight series (yes, I have all the books; yes, I enjoyed the books; no, I haven't seen the movie although I will once my roommate finishes the first book), The Host was awesome and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to read it.  The whole aliens thing turned me off (because, haha, I don't really like space soap operas/aliens/funny green men who want to eat my brain books) and it wasn't until I was moving this summer that I picked this up.  And promptly spent the whole night reading it.  I was engaged, I was cheering, I was so angry for Wanda that I could have spit, and I almost cried several different times.  I really, really hope that Meyer continues this series.  (SF)
6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Go forth and read it now.  It's a cross between a post-apocalyptic world meets The Girl Who Owned a City plus The Lottery with violence and bravery and honor and survival at all costs thrown in (ala Kate, from Magic Burns) and it was so, so good.  I've heard rumors that this was the first book in a three-part series and I really hope that's true. (YA)
7. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta.  Taylor was abandoned at age seven by her mother at the 7-11 on Jellicoe Road and she's spent her whole life since alternately trying to find her mother and to forget her.  Her final year at the foster home she lives in, the closest thing she has to a mother (Hannah) vanishes, people from her past show back up, secrets that Taylor has forgotten return, and Taylor realizes that the life she's living has been lived before by people she's never met, but has read about in Hannah's unfinished novel.  (And yeah, did my summary confuse you too?  Try Amazon's; it's much better.) (YA)

(Other books that I really enjoyed reading this year: Cast in Shadow (SFF), Magic Burns (UF), Black Ice (F/R), The Fox: also by S. Smith (YA), Black Ships (YA), Perfect You: also by E. Scott (YA), The King's Shield: also by S. Smith (YA), Good Omens (F), The Rites of Spring(Break) (F), Steelflower (SFF), and The Graveyard Book (SFF))

Two things of note.

1. My theme of the year: YA.  No, seriously.  YA this year rocked.
2. I really need my niece to be at least eight years older already.

Merry Christmas!

To everyone that celebrates, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Or, I hope you have a happy fifth day of Hanukkah, a wonderful Solstice, or just a great 25th!

PS: my roommate got me "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" for Christmas and I can't wait to read that later tonight.

To be productive

Means that very soon I will have to get out of my warm bed and get ready to face this day.  I have a to-do list that's as long as my arm and I really feel like everything on their needs to be done today.  Le sigh.  'Tis the season, and all that.

I'm not getting as much read on Bleak House as I wanted too; right now I'm trying to knit as much as possible and unfortunately, I need my hands for both reading and knitting.  Still, I'm getting at least a chapter read each day.  Right now, the cousins and the orphaned governess are on their way to the home of Mr.  Jarndyce, their mysterious benefactor/cousin/I don't know yet.

It's very exciting.

A light on the horizon

This story, about Harper Collins and Borders, is giving me a teensy bit of hope.  

Teensy. Bit. Of. Hope.

Starting Bleak House today

Well, I'm starting it if I can ever drag myself out of bed.  Unable to fall asleep + slight cold = very much wanting to stay in bed all day long.

ETA:  I've started Bleak House and I'm enjoying it, although I have several hundred pages to go.  It's very detailed and the perfect thing to read when I'm stuck on the subway, stopped somewhere between home and work.  I find I'm very interested to know about the Jarndyce & Jarndyce case; I want to know what the dispute is about and how all the characters (that we've met so far) relate to it.  

Looking ahead to the coming year

I find I need new challenges.  I can of course challenge myself to read new, interesting books, but it's a lot more fun when I have something (like pride) on the line.

First thing Google gave me when I typed in "2009 reading challenges" was J.Kaye's list and damn! That is a comprehensive list of challenges for 2009.

I think my search might just stop here.

(later)

Paranormal 999 Challenge.  Heh, no brainer.  Of course I'm doing this one.  I could probably do this one the first month.

The 2nd Book Challenge.  OK, again, one I'll probably do without trying, so why not?

Young Adult Book Challenge.  Once again, no brainer.

Support Your Local Library Challenge. I'll be doing the third challenge, and again, no brainer.  I

OK, it's time to join some challenging Challenges, because what's the point of joining things I'm going to do anyway?

Christian Readers 09 Challenge.  Excellent.  I'm not sure what I'll be reading yet, but I know C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters will be the first book.  I started this years ago, but never finished it.   

Genre Challenge.  Oh, this one already started (Nov to Nov), so I'm behind, but it looks like fun.  And I can totally catch up. =)

I'm not going to do the 100+ Challenge that I see mentioned everywhere because I know I'll read 100+ books.  Nope, instead I'm going to challenge myself to read 10 books more than the total I read this year.  

Hee, the 42 Science Fiction Challenge is so going on my list.

Hmm, this challenge could be interesting:  War Through the Generations.

I need a nonfiction challenge... and I'm still looking for one.  Maybe I could just challenge myself again?  I did that this year and I've read seven (I think) nonfiction books.  

That's it!  I challenge myself.  OK, here goes.

I will read six (I think) nonfiction books this year.  The catch: they have to be about something/someplace/some person in New York museums.  Awesome.

My six books are:

• Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
• Making the Mummies Dance: Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Thomas Hoving
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

So, I need on on either the V&A or the British Museum, one for Greece, one on the Louvre, and one more.  I want it to be about a museum I've been to...

(even later)

Oh, I can't help myself!  I like the looks of the Read Your Name Challenge.

And now that NaNo is done

I find that I still have no time (or energy) to post! Haha, I *love* my life.

Random things:

• Sassymonkey's post (back in November, yes I am *that* far behind) about how much money she saves a year by getting books from her library was very thought provoking. One the one hand, I am all for saving money, especially now that I have so very little of it. I'm also running low on space for books, so getting books that I can't keep is great for me. But... I want to get into book publishing (it's why I moved from Seattle to New York) and book publishers are not having a great year. (That is an understatement.) It's been said by many, many people already in the past few months about how book publishers (and book stores) need people to buy books, so I guess I almost feel guilty for the happy feeling I have inside, estimating how much money I'm saving. (Almost. I really like saving money.)

• For Christmas this year, 95% of the gifts I'm giving are books.  (Books  I bought.  At a bookstore.)
• I want to buy The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for people for Christmas, but I don't know a single person that I think would like it. That makes me sad. I also want to buy Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, but same problem. Very sad. I need my niece to be eight years older. Or friends who like YA novels. 
• I need friends who like science fiction and fantasy. None of my friends do and it makes me very sad, because I can't talk to them about all the great books I'm reading, because they're all "eh, I don't like science fiction." I'm trying to trick them with novels like The Time Traveler's Wife and Tam Lin, but it's slow going.
• I am slogging my way through Generation Kill on the subway and I really think I should be more disturbed by some of the things the soldiers say/think/do, but... I'm *of* this generation. I watched violent movies, played first-person shooter games, and watched the Gulf War on TV. I read Ender's Game at age twelve (and every year after, I reread it) and it wasn't until this past summer, when a friend I'd given it to pointed out that it disturbed him because the kids were being raised to war, that I got "it." I was all, uh-huh, yeah, violence. It took me way too long to understand that that fact disturbed him. I just read it as normal. 
• Marg, of Reading Adventures, posted a link to Kim's 2009 Blog Improvement Challenge; it looks like an interesting idea, and I think that it might help me to remain excited about posting. It's not that I don't want to post more than I do, but I always think I'll have time "tomorrow" and I don't.  I also think that I'll have more energy "tomorrow" and I don't. 
  
• I really want to change my blog format around now.
• I think Bleak House is going to be the next book I read on the subway.  I've wanted to read it forever and it'll last me a while, but it's big and heavy and do I really need an additional five pounds in my bag?  Yes, I think I do.
• I really like the Cast in series by Michelle Sagara (West), but I'm slightly annoyed that the plot of that series has yet to move in the direction I'm waiting for it to move in.  There was all this build up, all this great tension... and then she picked up another plot.  Maybe in the fifth book, she'll get back to "my plot" and I can rejoice.

Also to be reviewed, once NaNo is over

Three Cups of Tea, One Bullet Away, Midnight's Daughter, and Cast in Fury.

*Note: two of those books are nonfiction, which means I have indeed read six nonfiction books this year!*

ETA: The Graveyard Book (wonderful), Jellicoe Road (beautiful and gripping), Saving Francesca (engaging), and A Foreign Affair (plucky) need to be reviewed too.

Awesome

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Amazing. Just... amazing.

Go. Read.

I'll have a more coherent review later.

Nonfiction books

Huh. I just realized that I've read three four nonfiction books so far, and I'm in the midst of reading two more! Will wonders never cease? Will I actually read five six nonfiction books this year?

In an incorrect order...

Looking for Trouble: One Woman, Six Wars, and a Revolution by Leslie Cockburn
The Pirate Queen: In Search of Grace O'Malley and Other Legendary Women of the Sea by Barbara Sjoholm
The Floating Brothel: The Extraordinary True Story of an Eighteenth-Century Ship and Its Cargo of Female Convicts by Sian Rees
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

Excellent. I finished two books a few days ago and look, I'm here posting in the same week. Awesome sign, totally evidence that I'm gong to do better....

Except NaNoWriMo starts in nine days and I won't have any time to read. Hmm, this might be a problem.

The Floating Brothel by Siam Rees was really interesting, if not what I thought it was going to be. In the beginning of the book, the author mentions how some of the female convicts who were sent to Sydney's Cove (Australia) became founding women of the colony there and I thought that I'd learn more about that. That didn't really happen; we do learn how some of the women end up, if they married someone there or found a way to return to England, but most of the book was from the memoirs of the ship's agent, who had been "married" to one of the women on board and who fathered a child on her. He'd always planned to go back for her, but he actually never made it and she married someone else. Like I said, interesting book with a lot of great detail. Got a bit dry sometimes, but I liked the subject material.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman was a very quick, very exciting read. I'm glad I finally picked it up; I'd started it a couple of years ago, and then for some reason never finished it. Carl's R.I.P. challenge was just the motivation I needed though to pick it up again. It's about Coraline, a young girl who moves with her family to an old house in the country. The house has been turned into a couple of flats, with two sisters, both retired actresses, living on the ground floor with their terriers, and an old man, who trains mice to play musical instruments, living upstairs. There is also a cat.

Exploring the inside of her new home, Coraline realizes that there's a door that leads to nowhere, bricked over as it is. Unable to leave it alone though, Coraline goes back and unlocks it one day when her parents are out and finds the bricks gone. Exploring (yes, that is a theme for Coraline), she goes through the doorway and finds herself in her other-apartment, with her other-parents (with creepy black button eyes), and her other-neighbors. There is also the cat.

Coraline's other-mother desperately wants Coraline to stay with her/them, but when Coraline refuses, she lets her return to her family...only for Coraline to find them missing. With no other choice, Coraline has to go back through the door and rescue her parents, facing down her other-mother at the same time.

It's the perfect blend of creepy and exciting, with great little details, that make it such an excellent book. I've said it before: I don't like Gaiman's "adult" books, but I love the ones he writes for kids. I wish my niece was old enough to read this, but she's only six and I think it'd give her nightmares. It's that awesome. You know that Coraline is going to be OK, but at the same time there's a good chance that the nightmare will get her and that is what makes it awesome, in my opinion.

I've just started One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick and it's really interesting. I don't usually like memoirs, but this one came highly recommended.

*headdesk*

Oh, I was going to do better this time about writing and reading and, oh, I don't know, posting, and yet...

At least I've been reading. Currently it's The Floating Brothel by Sian Rees, a nonfiction account of 18th century women prisoners who were shipped off to Australia in an attempt to a) help colonize the country and b) reduce the nation's expenses. I'm about half way through it and I'm in turns fascinated by these women's lives and completely horrified by what was considered "normal" by the sailors--and other men--who were in charge of these women's lives. Seriously, the hypocrisy is enough to make me want to slap someone, but of course they're all long dead.

Still with the non-reading

I don't understand why, but every now and then I just don't feel like reading. I don't know if it's the stress of life, the overwhelming stack of books I have piled everywhere, or just a slump that happens every now and then, but when it happens I don't read. At all. No magazine, no newspapers, no flyers posted on the walls, and definitely no books.

It makes me sad just thinking about it, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing the slump is over (for now). I've torn through two books in as many days, liking one and being kind of meh about the other. I'm lucky that one of these totally counts as a R.I.P. read; way behind on that challenge as well.

The Night Villa by Carol Goodman was the meh book. I know I've written about her before and I'm a big fan of her earlier books, the ones set somewhere in upstate New York. They've got a lyrical quality to them, in my mind, and I love the say she describes things. Sadly, I've not gotten that feeling from her later books and I think it might time for me to back off reading her for a bit. The Night Villa is set in Austin, TX, briefly, before moving to Naples, Italy, and the island of Capri. Professor Sophie Chase is chasing (not an intentional pun, I promise) too many things; her past-involving her ex who turned into a cult-worshiping freak, her ex lover-a fellow professor and the head of the expedition, and her thesis-involving the life of a female slave that Sophie feels very close to. There are the usual complications-mysterious bosses, whispered conversations, sly looks-, a gorgeous setting, and of course the main plot, which is discovering what secrets survived the volcanic explosion centuries ago that covered the island in layers of ash.

Maybe it was the fact that it read like her past books that turned me off, or maybe it was that because it read like her past books and I could see what was going to happen before it did that turned me off, but I think this might be my last Goodman for a while.

The other book was Faefever by Karen Marie Moning, the third book in her latest series. Mac, a sidhe-seer, is trying to survive the ever-encroaching darkness that the Unseelie fae are spreading while juggling both her boss/mentor/enemy Jericho Barrons and V'lane, the death-by-sex Seelie Prince that is her mentor/enemy/friend. She's in way over her head, being lied (Barrons, V'lane) to and betrayed (Rowena, head of the other sidhe-seers) by pretty much everyone she comes into contact with, and nothing she does seems to matter when the Lord Master--who seems to be both Fae and human and who also seduced and killed Mac's older sister--decides that he's going to bring down the walls the separate Earth from the Fae realms. It's on Halloween night, Samhain, when Mac finally figures out part of what's going on; it's too late at that point though to try and save anyone and the most she can do is try and save herself.

I liked the first two books in this series more that this one; Mac seemed way to slow-mentally-this time. There were several obvious clues that she should have picked up on, or at least mentioned, but she's spending so much time trying to juggle Barrons and V'lane that she seems to forget. She's also way to dependent on other people; not necessarily her fault though, as no one will tell her anything, or it's doled out in such tiny pieces that it doesn't do much good. It also didn't help that this time, Mac kept "breaking into" the story to tell us stuff, like this is important, or I'm really embarrassed by this bid. Those breaks kept throwing me out of the story; I really hope book four and five have less of those Mac-moments.

Now to go outside and celebrate the changing season for a bit; I love Fall.

A lack of reading

So, I managed to catch one of those summer colds and the damn thing won't clear up and go away. No, instead I'm left with a lingering cough and the inability to do anything but sleep. This thing is even affecting my desire to read; how unfair is that? The only book I've managed to read this past week is Wren's Quest by Sherwood Smith.

Second in the series, we find the orphaned Wren staying with her best friend Teressa, the long-thought dead princess of Meldrith. Studying the art of magic, Wren is all set to take her first exam before heading off to seek out information on her long-lost family. Focusing on her studies, Wren doesn't see the trouble that's springing up in the court; people are picking fights and causing trouble in record numbers. Attacked herself during her exam, Wren sets off with young Prince Connor as her companion, leaving Teressa behind with her family and fellow magician Tyron. However, leaving the court behind doesn't solve any problems, and those seeking to cause trouble at the court aren't willing to let Wren and Connor leave without a fight.

It's another cute tale, focusing a bit more on Connor this time, with Wren learning a bit more about her family history and Tess learning how to deal with court life. There's also the usual villian--whom I spotted early on--but it's interesting how Smith ties the bad guy in to Tess's family; it isn't resolved either, so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of that story in the following books.

Book giveaway

Paranormal romance, anyone?

R.I.P. Challenge

So, as previous mentioned, Carl is doing his annual R.I.P. Challenge again and I am determined to complete this one. I've always started them, but halfway through I switch my reading "schedule" and don't finish it "in time." This year, that will not happen.

I'm going to do Peril the First:

Read Four books of any length, from any sub-genre (mystery, suspense, thriller, dark fantasy, gothic, horror, supernatural) of scary stories that you choose.

First up: Dead Until Dark (of which the review was just posted) by Charlaine Harris, followed by Coraline by Neil Gaiman (just posted the review), The Laughter of Dead Kings by Elizabeth Peters Faefever by Karen Marie Moning (just posted the review), a collection of short stories by Shirley Jackson and I think I might reread Macbeth this year. I know that's five titles, but it never hurts to have options, right?

Of course, I'm completely open to suggestions...

Dead Until Dark

I picked up and read Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris last night after watching the first episode of True Blood on HBO. It's about Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in a small town in Louisiana. Working her shift at the local bar, one night a vampire named Bill comes in and everything changes for Sookie. 'Cursed' all her life with the ability to hear people's thoughts, Bill is a rarity to Sookie because she can't hear him. Her determination to spend more time with Bill, and his choice to spend more time with her, causes upheaval in their small town, as most folks aren't too keen on mixed relationships. There's also the recent rash of murders lately, with two local fang-bangers ending up dead...and all marks point to Bill.

I was never interested in the series before then--despite my love of vampire novels--and sadly I'm still not. I thought the episode was OK, had the makings to be great, and I really like Anna Paquin, so I'll probably watch at least the next few episodes, but I doubt I'll read any more of the books. It just didn't draw me in at all and none of the characters were very interesting to me. Has anyone read them? Do the books get better? I really wanted to like this, and I think Pam sounds like an interesting character, but the rest of them just left me bored.

Reviews, reviews, reviews

Who knew that standing on your feet all day was so exhausting? I sure didn't, but I do now! It's hard, and I have no idea how people do this all the time; give me an office job any day. I was so tired by the end of the day that the idea of doing anything but lying down made my head hurt, hence the lack of posting.

But, that's all over now, and I can post reviews on the eight books I read in the past few weeks.

First up, Looking For Trouble by Leslie Cockburn. It's her memoir of her time in the investigative news business. She was one of the first women reporters/producers to cover Third World stories. She went everywhere, covered everything from wars to famines to drug lords--entering countries without permission at times--and she did it while pregnant (she has kids).

It was an interesting read; I learned a lot about things (wars) that I'd never really heard about before and it was inspiring to read about her adventures.

Next, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. I read this one, my second by Hammett, because I thought the story sounded interesting. Nick and Nora are a wealthy, married couple on vacation when they run into the daughter of an old acquaintance of Nick's. It seems that her father has gone missing, two people are dead, and she wants Nick, a former investigator, to find him. Others get word of this, including the ex-wife, the mobsters, and the cops, and suddenly Nick (and Nora) are forced to look into this disappearance whether they want to or not.

I enjoyed it, but I wasn't really interested in it; it's probably going to be my last Hammett for a while.

The Disreputable Files of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart was a cute story, although I was less than happy with the ending. Frankie, a sophomore at a private high school in New York, undergoes a dramatic change from unattractive wall flower to knock out over the course of a summer. When she comes back to school, she gets the guy she's always wanted, but finds that 1) she can't really be herself and 2) he's keeping secrets from her. Following him, she finds that he's part of a secret guys-only society; pissed off, she makes herself a member without anyone being the wiser. Well, except for the guy she's impersonating.

It was cute, clever, and funny, but the end just didn't sit well. I won't tell you what happens because that would ruin it; I just thought there would be more.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud is the first in three-book series, telling the story of a djinn named Bartimaeus and a young magician named Nick. It's set in an alternate England, where magic is quite common, science less. Magicians don't really have magic powers; what they have is the ability to call on magical creatures and command them to do things for them; like steal an amulet from someone else. Nick, angry with being treated like a child, secretly calls up Bartimaeus and forces the djinn to do several tasks for him; however it ends up backfiring and Bartimaeus and Nick are forced to work together to save their lives, much less the lives of the magicians of England.

I liked reading Bartimaeus' side of the story, Nick's much less. He was something of a whiny kid, and he could be incredibly stupid at times too. I'm not sure if I'll read the next two books; I only read the first one because a friend of mine recommended it. Maybe I'll see what he has to say about the next one.

Hunter's Prayer by Lilith Saintcrow was a book that I was eagerly anticipating. Sadly, it didn't live up to quite what I wanted it to be, although it was very good. It's set two years after the previous book (which was one of the things I didn't like) and Jill and Saul are now in an established relationship. Jill, the Hunter for her town, is called in when eviscerated prostitutes suddenly start appearing. Looking into that, she's also got to deal with the Sorrow who killed her mentor; a woman who is part of a cult to bring back the banished Elder gods. Turns out that the murdered women and the reappearance of the Sorrow might just have something in common, if only Jill can figure out what it is before she ends up chained to slab.

Again, I was disappointed when it turned out that this book was set two years into the future; I was really looking forward to reading about Jill and Saul's growing relationship. I was also surprised when Jill let the Sorrow live; it seemed slightly out of character. Other than those two points, I really did enjoy this book; there were plenty of side-stories that kept it interesting (showing us more about Jill's life) and a couple of plot twists that I didn't see coming.

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman is a non-fiction book about Jan and Antonia Zabinski, Polish zookeepers, who, during World War II, hid hundreds of people in their house and the remnants of their zoo. It was really interesting, pieced together from Antonia's diaries and letters, as well as interviews with their son and the few remaining survivors. Sickened by what was going on around them, Antonia and Jan decided to hide both Jews and members of the Polish Resistance, some of whom ended up staying with them for years. Calling them by the names of former animals, the Zabinski's were 100% successful, even with a German camp in the zoo.

In between the stories about hiding people, we also get to read about their zoo-keeping habits (they had one of the better zoos in Europe), we also get to read about Jan's adventures as a member of the resistance, and about their animals, several of which Antonia would raise in the house, alongside her son. It's a very detailed story--with a happy ending--and I think that anyone who likes history, animals, or non-fiction accounts of WWII would like it.

Jhegaala by Steven Brust, is the eleventh book in the Vlad series and I'm honestly slightly confused into where it falls in the timeline. One of the other reviews I read said that it belongs after Phoenix and before Athyra. Either way, I liked it. Vlad is on the run from the price on his head and decides that it's time he took a vacation. Seeking out his mother's side of the family, Vlad ends up in the middle of a three-way war, with all sides thinking he's the enemy. Vlad, who just wants to find his relatives, doesn't really get involved until it's too late. Then, he's thrust into the middle of it, trying to decipher history from legend from hate, all the while keeping himself alive.

Reading it only reaffirms my decision to reread all eleven books in order, because it's been years since I've read any of them and I'm slightly hazy on the details.

Women of the Silkby Gail Tsukiyama is the story of a young girl who's father sends her to a silk-making factory at a young age; the family is very poor and the village fortune-teller doesn't see marriage in Pei's future. Left alone by her family, Pei struggles to make her way in the silk factory, while rumors about Japanese soldiers and the coming war haunt everyone. She's surrounded by other girls from similar backgrounds, some of whom become friends, as well as Aunt Yee, the mother figure to every girl their. It's a very quiet story--nothing major or loud really happens--but it's very beautiful as well. We get the points of view from some of the other girls and women there at the silk-making factory, and each one is intwined around Pei's life. I wouldn't say that it has a happy ending, but it does have a satisfactory one.

Now to catch up with everyone else's post from the past few weeks.

Catching up

*waves*

Right, so I had every intention of posting when I came back from Mass, but then I started my new job as a runner in a bookstore and have been completely drained of energy every day. I had no idea how exhausting it was to be on my feet for eight hours; my legs and feet are going to hate me by the time this job ends. But, pain aside, I like it. It's a fun, fast, hectic job, but I get to spend it surrounded by books and I get to climb on shelves.

As for books though, I've got five to post about, one of which is Hunter's Prayer. I found it last night at B&N, after searching two other stores for it.

Post are going to have to wait though...I have some long-overdue editing work to finish up. Before I go though, I wanted to point out that Carl's R.I.P. Challenge is starting up (thanks, Danielle, for posting that) and that they're going to be releasing a movie version of Blindness by Jose Saramago. I'm not sure how I feel about this; the book was very interesting, if disturbing and I think that some of that might be lost in a movie version.

Steelflower

So, Hunter's Prayer doesn't come out for another eight days, but I did find Steelflower on the shelves, which almost makes up for it. I've been waiting to read this book for ages now; I had to wait until it came out in print, since I'm not a fan of e-books.

Kaia Steelflower has lived by her skills and her sword for the past eleven years, ever since her house threw her out for not having any magical ability. She doesn't care, though, really, she gets by just fine on her own. Well, she did, until she picked the wrong person's pocket and ended up with a flawed necklace, a gigantic barbarian, hordes of assassins, and a prince from her homeland; none of whom will leave her alone. It's going to take more than her sword to get her out of this one, and even that's if she's lucky.

Kaia is one of the blessed people--others call them elves, a term they hate--and at the age of five underwent the ritual testing for power. Every member of the blessed people have power, so when Kaia unexpectedly fails the test, she's shunned. At sixteen, she leaves with nothing but the sword on her back and sets off to make her own path with the outsiders. She's got herself convinced that she's not lonely, she doesn't need her people, the G'mai, or any power to survive. It's a long, lonely road that Kaia walks, but she isn't willing to leave it. Instead, she gets forced off it when the barbarian, whose pocket she picked, decides to tag along with her after she saves his life in two different fights. Unable to get rid of him, she's even more stunned when Darik shows up, chasing the necklace that she stole.

It seems that Darik has been using the necklace to find his twinmate, something that every G'mai must find if they want to survive. Kaia had always believed she was exempt from this, since she had no power anyway. But Darik, having found his twinmate, isn't willing to take no for an answer, and Kaia finds herself the leader of this ever-growing band.

It's a pretty engaging story, with an interesting group of characters. Everyone has issues they're trying to work through, none more than Kaia, and we get bits and pieces of everyone's pasts as the story goes along. This first book ends on a small cliffhanger, and although Saintcrow hasn't written the sequel, she's made noises on her blog about doing so. I really hope she does. I'd love to see more of Kaia and Darik and the rest of the group. (By the end, there are four more people tagging along. Kaia isn't exactly happy about that.)

And THAT ends the Olympic mini-challenge for me. Now, I'm off to Worcester, MA, for a bridal shower.

A Victory of Eagles

OK, so I have this thing about hardcover books; I tend not to buy them if they're part of a series that, prior to this book, has been coming out in paperback. I just don't like the way it looks on my shelves. This in turn is a problem for me, because then I have to wait for the book to come out in paperback before I can buy it. Thank God for public libraries, or I'd still be waiting to read A Victory of Eagles, by Naomi Novik.

Starting out just after the previous book, we find Temeraire stuck in the breeding grounds in Scotland, while Laurence is held, waiting his execution, in the brig. Both are miserable because of their situation and the separation they're going through. Temeraire at least has the other dragons in the breeding grounds to talk to--some of whom he finds quite intelligent and interested in the same sort of things that he is--while Laurence is despised by everyone for his "treason." Napoleon's breeching of England's shores--destroying a good chunk of England's Navy--changes that, as the men in charge realize that they need a dragon with Temeraire's skills right now and that Laurence is the only man who can captain him.

What they hadn't planned on though was Temeraire deciding he'd had enough of the whole waiting around thing; he convinces the other dragons in the breeding ground to fly out with him, and naming himself Commodore Temeraire, goes off to fight the French Army. (It doesn't hurt that the dragons are tired of the French stealing their cows, either.) It's only by a timely rescue that Laurence and Temeraire are able to find each other; Temeraire believing that Laurence is dead, while Laurence has been unable to find the band of dragons.

It's not a bad story; most of the usual characters are included, although there wasn't enough of Lily, Maximus, or Emily Roland for me. The bond between the three dragons is one of my favorite parts of this series and while it was there in this book, I was expecting more. (If you don't remember from the first book, the three dragons become quite good friends and make a pact that they will come whenever needed to protect the others' captains. Maximus does bring it up, "whispering" to Laurence that they haven't forgotten their pact, much to the dismay of Maximus's crew.) There also wasn't a whole lot with Emily in the book; I really enjoy reading about her, since it's through her that we see how the Corps, as a whole, works. All of the other captains have grown up in the system, Laurence and Temeraire are both stumbling their way through it, but Emily is currently in the system.

There's plenty of action and brilliant fights, although Laurence's ongoing depression--through most of the book--really started to wear on me. I understand why he feels the way he does, but he cuts everyone off, including Temeraire, and goes on to make horrible decisions. There was also way to much of Iskierka; she's so annoying to me and I really want someone to just smash her. She even manages to get herself kidnapped and then tries to play it off.

Out of the five books in this series, I have to say that this one and the previous one were my least favorite. I have high hopes for the sixth book--our duo will be off, pretty much on their own--and hopefully that'll bring some of the spark back for me.

This pretty much ends the Olympic Reading Challenge for me--unless B&N has Hunter's Prayer--and I'm mostly satisfied with it. Four books isn't so bad.

Best news I've heard all day

Penguin to launch on-line dating service.

I kind of think I need to sign up for this.

Coming soon, a book review

Wow

Congratulations, Michael Phelps, on more gold medals than anyone else.

Congratulations, Natalie Coughlin, on more medals than any other US women.

Congratulations, Dana Torres, on getting the silver. And they said you were too old.

Congratulations, Constantina Tomescu, of Romania, for winning the women's marathon. And they said you were too old.

Congratulations to everyone; you made it to the Olympics and I'm so very proud and happy for you all.

Lazy days of summer

Being unemployed is almost like being a kid again during summer break.  Wake up late, snack throughout the day, spend some time outside, and read, read, read.  Eventually though, even I got bored with that, which is probably why my mother would send me to do something for awhile.  I guess that urge to do something has stuck, because starting next week summer will be over for me.  Yup, that's right, I found myself a (temporary) job at a bookstore as a runner.  

It should keep me occupied.

But, in the meantime, I still have oodles of time on my hand and two, that's right, two books to review.

Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs, is a follow up to her short story in On the Prowl, entitled The Alpha and The Omega. It introduced us to Charles, Mercy's second-oldest foster brother, and Anna, a submissive werewolf in a Chicago pack.  Recognizing Alan MacKenzie (the boy from the first Mercy book, Moon Called), Anna realizes what happened to him was her Alpha's fault, so she calls Bran, who in turn sends Charles to investigate.  I don't want to give too much of that story's plot away (although once I start reviewing Cry Wolf you'll probably get the gist of it), but Anna and Charles end up somewhat together.  Charles is all about claiming her as his mate, but Anna went through a lot at the hands of her former pack and she's not all that sure about Charles.

(Now, if anyone has read the Mercy series, this story is set at the end of the first book, when the whole Gerry & Carter Wallace things happens.  Samuel is back for the funeral, Bran is grieving for his friend, and over in Spokane, Adam is still dealing with Mercy. (Heh.) If you haven't read the series, well, some of the side plots might not make sense, but that's OK.)

Now, in Cry Wolf, we find Anna with Charles in Montana, where Anna is trying to come to grips with everything (she's not submissive, she's an Omega, Charles's wolf has claimed her as his mate, and Anna's wolf feels the same way) and it's a bit overwhelming.  Then there's Charles, who is still seriously injured and trying to heal himself while making Anna feel comfortable. The funeral the next day doesn't help matters; Anna's thrust into a new pack that's both grieving and angry at their recent losses and not ready to welcome anyone, much less a new female.  The attentions of Asil, a Spanish wolf somewhere around Bran's age, don't help matters between Charles and Anna, as Asil tries to flirt with Anna as well as get under Charles' skin.  

There's also the troubling rumors of a rouge werewolf up in the hills; the first sighting was written off, but the second missing body can't be ignored and Charles and Anna are sent out to find out what's going on.  They end up dealing with more than anyone thought; someone old, insane, and with powers that threaten not just the pack, but every wolf in North America.  

It was an excellent story and I'm really hoping that we get another book featuring Charles and Anna, although not at the expense of Mercy!

The second book I finished was The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett.  From the back:

A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a sightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man named Gutman, and Brigid O'Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime.  These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammet's coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted generations of readers.

What more can I say?  Sam Spade is exactly what I pictured him to be, a tough, sly, gritty man, stereotyped in every black and white film I've ever seen, who cares about nothing and no one but himself.  When a recent case, brought to them by a crying redhead, ends up being the reason his partner is killed, Spade takes it upon himself to figure out the why and the who.  Everyone involved has a secret they'd kill for and everyone, everyone is lying.  Spade doesn't seem to care though, letting them tell their lies and hide their secrets, while calmly picking the whole thing apart.  I won't tell you that it's a happy story, and there's no happy ending here, but there is a satisfying one and this won't be the last book by Hammett that I read.

Hmm, doesn't this look like fun

Granted, I'm starting three days behind everyone else, but this Olympic mini-challengeby Annie looks like a lot of fun.

First seen on Marg's site, the challenge is as follows:

So you want to support your country this Olympics but the extent of your sporting expertise is running from bookstore to bookstore searching for the latest Philippa Gregory novel? Well then do I have a challenge for you!

For the entire period of the Olympic Games (08 August 08 till 24 August 08) I'll be hosting a unique mini-challenge. It's country against country in the battle to prove your reading patriatism. The ultimate prize will be awarded to the individual who earns the most gold medals - a US $20 Amazon.com Gift Voucher. The runner up will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Voucher. Both 1st and 2nd place will also receive a special 'winner' badge to place on their blog.
How it Works...

1) You are to read as many books possible written by authors from your own country during the period the Olympics are on. The genre and length of the books will be up to you.
2) Each time you finish a book, post your name, country, blog address, book title and author as a comment on the bottom of this post. That will earn yourself and your country a silver medal. If you do all the above plus post a link to your review of the book you earn yourself and your country a gold medal.
3) A running country medal tally will be kept down the right hand side of this blog as well as the individual currently topping the leader board.
4) To win the Amazon Gift Voucher, you must be a gold medal winner (ie you must have submitted a review).
5) I don't mind if you've read the books before or were half-way through when the challenge started either.

Granted, I'm a bit behind the curve, but seeing as how I'm UNEMPLOYED and therefore have OODLES OF TIME on my hands, well, if I can't manage a book a day, I will have to hang my head in shame.

And luckily, I just finished a book today, Devil's Due by Rachel Caine, author of the Weather Warden series.  Romance/supernatural/fiction, and it's 290 pages long.

Now, Devil's Due is a sequel to Devil's Bargain, a book I haven't read. The public library here in Brooklyn doesn't have a copy and I didn't really have the urge to buy it. Luckily in this case, since Devil's Due isn't a book I plan to read again.

From the author's website:

Everything you do matters.

Lucia Garza opened a detective agency with Jazz Callender, and discovered a whole new, eerie world of precognition, coincidence, and chaos. There's a chance that Lucia and Jazz can escape their fate, but it's risky. They need people they can trust ... but can Lucia trust Jazz's old partner, Ben McCarthy? Or is he working for the other side?

Worse ... is their side really the right one?

Now, while I might be missing some things--due to not reading the first book--what happens is this: Lucia and her partner Jazz get these little red envelopes with a note inside that they absolutely, without fail, have to follow. Or else. Or else people die. Or else people don't die. Or else they die. You see the dilemma they're in? They started their detective agency with the help of a secret benefactor; all the cash they need in exchange for doing whatever the little red envelopes say to do. Only things start going sideways when Lucia realizes that Ben McCarthy's, Jazz's old partner and a man who's just had his triple homicide conviction overturned (due to some oh-so-timely evidence showing up), isn't as innocent as he seems. Meanwhile, Jazz's lover is still working for the Cross Society (that's the society that's funded the agency) and Lucia is really starting to think that no one is safe to trust, not even Jazz.

Without giving away the entire plot, the main thing is that the Cross Society and the Eidolon Corporation were founded by a psychic who can see all the probable futures that each one of us has...and every probable future that comes about after we make a decision. And so on. It's enough to drive a sane person nuts. And so the Corporation, and then the society, were founded to try and control the future. Starting out with the best of intentions--to save lives, etc.,--things quickly start going the other way, which is when Lucia and Jazz get drawn into the mix. The Cross Society has "seen" that they're important, so they get them involved. As it turns out, Lucia is a bit more special then most; it's imperative that she be kept alive, although no one is willing to tell her why.

There were a lot of plot holes in this story, and I don't think it's because I hadn't read the previous book. Lucia's past is hinted at a lot, but we're never actually told what she used to do for a living. Nor or we told why she did those things or why she got out, although that is hinted. There is also a scene in the last third of the book that makes my stomach crawl and I'm so angry that Lucia is, at the end, all fine and dandy with it. However, Lucia does have all the makings of being an awesome character. She's rich, with a dubious background, well-dressed at all times, and knows a great deal about hurting people by hand or with a weapon. I mean, it's hard to dislike the woman who takes out the valet because she sees something shiny in his hand.

And the ending of the book is left completely open for a follow up, but there aren't any more central characters to write about. And that irks me, because I'd love to see more of Gregory, with or without Lucia. Yeah, she and Ben are OK together (you did see that coming, right?), but I think she and Gregory would be a whole lot more fun, especially since he also has a rather dubious background. Of course, he's evil and mean and hurt Lucia at one point (and I'm not in favor of that!), but still, way more chemistry between them.

Because again, I'm too busy watching the Olympics to read

ETA: In light of my next post, this title is clearly a blatant lie.

Stolen from Danielle at A Work In Progress, the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century

Let's see how well I do:

Allingham, Margery. The Tiger in the Smoke
Ambler, Eric. A Coffin for Dimitrios
Armstrong, Charlotte. A Dram of Poison
Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity's Death
Ball, John. In the Heat of the Night
Barnard, Robert. Death by Sheer Torture
Barr, Nevada. Track of the Cat
Blake, Nicholas. The Beast Must Die
Block, Lawrence. When the Sacred Ginmill Closes
Brand, Christianna. Green for Danger
Brown, Frederic. The Fabulous Clipjoint
Buchan, John. The 39 Steps
Burke, James Lee. Black Cherry Blues
Cain, James M.. The Postman Always Rings Twice
Cannell, Dorothy. The Thin Woman
Carr, John Dickson. The Three Coffins
Caudwell, Sarah. Thus Was Adonis Murdered
Chandler, Raymond. The Big Sleep
Christie, Agatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Connelly, Michael. The Concrete Blonde
Constantine, K.C.. The Man Who Liked Slow Tomatoes
Crais, Robert. The Monkey's Raincoat
Crispin, Edmund. The Moving Toyshop
Crombie, Deborah. Dreaming of the Bones
Crumley, James. The Last Good Kiss
Dickinson, Peter. The Yellow Room Conspiracy
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles
DuMaurier, Daphne. Rebecca
Dunning, John. Booked to Die
Elkins, Aaron. Old Bones
Evanovich, Janet. One for the Money
Finney, Jack. Time and Again
Ford, G.M.. Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca?
Francis, Dick. Whip Hand
Fremlin, Celia. The Hours Before Dawn
George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance
Gilbert, Michael. Smallbone Deceased
Grafton, Sue. "A" is for Alibi
Graham, Caroline. The Killings at Badger's Drift
Grimes, Martha. The Man With the Load of Mischief
Hammett, Dashiell. The Maltese Falcon
Hare, Cyril. An English Murder
Harris, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs
Hiaasen, Carl. Tourist Season
Highsmith, Patricia. The Talented Mr. Ripley
Hill, Reginald. On Beulah Height
Hillerman, Tony. A Thief of Time
Himes, Chester. Cotton Comes to Harlem
Innes, Michael. Hamlet, Revenge
James, P.D.. An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
Kellerman, Faye. The Ritual Bath
Kellerman, Jonathan. When the Bough Breaks
King, Laurie. The Beekeeper's Apprentice
Langton, Jane. Dark Nantucket Noon
le Carre, John. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird
Lehane, Dennie. Darkness, Take My Hand
Leonard, Elmore. Get Shorty
Lochte, Dick. Sleeping Dog
Lovesey, Peter. Rough Cider
MacDonald, John D.. The Deep Blue Good-by
MacDonald, Philip. The List of Adrian Messenger
Macdonald, Ross. The Chill
Maron, Margaret. Bootlegger's Daughter
Marsh, Ngaio. Death of a Peer
McBain, Ed. Sadie When She Died
McClure, James. The Sunday Hangman
McCrumb, Sharyn. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
Millar, Margaret. Stranger in My Grave
Mosley, Walter. Devil in a Blue Dress
Muller, Marcia. Edwin of the Iron Shoes
Neel, Janet. Death's Bright Angel
O'Connell, Carol. Mallory's Oracle
Padgett, Abigail. Child of Silence
Paretsky, Sara. Deadlock
Parker, Robert. Looking for Rachel Wallace
Perez-Reverte, Arturo. The Club Dumas
Perry, Thomas. Vanishing Act
Peters, Elizabeth. Crocodile on the Sandbank
Peters, Ellis. One Corpse Too Many
Pronzini, Bill. Blue Lonesome
Queen, Ellery. Cat of Many Tails
Rendell, Ruth. No More Dying Then
Rice, Craig. The Wrong Murder
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. The Circular Staircase
Robinson, Peter. Blood at the Root
Rosen, Richard. Strike Three You're Dead
Ross, Kate. A Broken Vessel
Rozan, S.J.. Concourse
Sayers, Dorothy. Murder Must Advertise
Sjowall & Wahloo. The Laughing Policeman
Stout, Rex. Some Buried Caesar
Tey, Josephine. Brat Farrar
Thomas, Ross. Chinaman's Chance
Todd, Charles. A Test of Wills
Turow, Scott. Presumed Innocent
Upfield, Arthur. The Sands of Windee
Walters, Minette. The Ice House
White, Randy Wayne. Sanibel Flats
Woolrich, Cornell. I Married a Dead Man

Huh, four. Four five out of one hundred.

How did you do?

What I'm not doing

OK, so I have to confess that I've never been a big fan of watching the Olympic. I just don't enjoy watching sports on TV and while I always watch some of events, it's more of a turn on and watch for ten minutes kind of thing.

But for some unknown reason, I am HOOKED on them this year. I can't stop watching, have no desire to do anything else (like read, buy food, look for a job), and I can't understand why.

Oh, it's men's swimming and Phelps is up. I have to go, you understand, right?