No matter what I'm doing, I'd most likely rather be reading.
I'm a confessed book addict from Portland Oregon. I'm just looking for a place to display my obsession.
I've decided, now that I have several reviews published on this blog, to organize them by the rating I gave them. This list contains books I gave a rating of 8, 9, and 10.
I've decided, now that I have several reviews published on this blog, to organize them by the rating I gave them. This list contains books I gave a rating of 5, 6, and 7.
I've decided, now that I have several reviews published on this blog, to organize them by the rating I gave them. This list contains books I gave a rating of 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Synopsis: Opal LaZelle is a makeup artist, specializing in transforming actors into fantastical and grotesque creatures. Unknown to the cast and crews of the films she works on, Opal comes from a family gifted in the art of magic--and she applies more than makeup when altering an actor's features.
On location in the backwoods of Lapis, Oregon, Opal uses her talent to turn Corvus Weather into the Dark God of Forest of the Night, enabling him to vanish into the role. But when Corvus's performance becomes too convincing--on set and off--Opal realizes he's not acting. Something has taken possession of Corvus. Something sinister tied to the town's past and capable of absorbing the very essence of life. Something Opal doesn't have enough power to confront, much less drive from the man she has fallen in love with.
My Rating: 4/10
My Thoughts: I could not for the life of me get interested in this book. I loved the first one, A Fistful of Sky, and was so excited for this one to come out. But this one was almost painful to continue reading. Nina Kiriki Hoffman's stories are often unusual, bordering on weird, and this one was the same way. But unlike her other books, which I found unique and entertaining, Fall of Light was weird and boring. It starts off alright, but all the build up for a big final confrontation and resolution simply becomes a non-isssue.
Now I will admit that in A Fistful of Sky Opal was the least interesting character to me. She seemed vain and shallow, and this worried me when I found out she was the main character in this book. However when you read from her perspective you get a sense of where she is coming from, and what she experienced growing up and I began to like her a little more. However, I wish there had been more family members featured. To me that was the best part of the first book, the interaction between the siblings. Maybe the next book will make me happy and feature Jasper.
Hoffman seems to me to have a unique world view on the interactions between people, and this is reflected in her characters and how they always seem to take strange and disturbing news in stride. No one ever freaks out when they discover that they had been possessed by a forest god all day long, even though they previously never believed in magic or spiritual beings. Everyone's reaction is simply: oh, ok that explains it. In this book that fact annoyed me hugely. Reacting that way seemed unnatural and kind of detracted from the story.
Overall it was the fact that it was a quick and easy read that allowed me to finish, but this book has not scared me away from Hoffman forever. I just hope the next book steps it back up to the old standards.
I've decided I wanted to do a post about some of my favorite books of all time. This list does not include all of my favorite books, but these are probably the very top of my favorites list. I decided not to include Harry Potter, Twilight, Jane Austen, or Hunger Games, even though they are also included on the top of my top favorites. I figured everyone has already heard about them and have either read them, or written them off as uninteresting. So here they are, in no particular order, 10 of my favorite books...
In my opinion, Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier is one of the best books ever written. It's a fairy tale retelling, yet goes so much beyond that. It's fully fleshed out with a beautiful and believable love story. This is the first book I ever read where I became emotionally attached to the characters, was absolutely addicted to reading it and went through withdrawals when it was finished. Juliet Marillier is slowly becoming a household name, and it is well deserved.
Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier is the second in the Sevenwaters series, and it is just as good, if not better, than the first book. The characters here are just as captivating, and the love story just as beautiful, yet nothing seems repetitive from the first book. I've spent a lot of time debating with myself which of the two is the better book, and I have yet to come to any sort of conclusion. If you haven't yet, go and read them. Now.
I discovered Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card in high school, a friend recommended it to me, and oh my gosh. Amazing. It takes place in the future, and there is a school up in space were kids train to be military leaders by playing a zero gravity war game. What's not to like about that? In fact it's so awesome that writing this, I want to go reread it.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffengger blew my mind. I was fascinated with the time travel in this novel, and how the plot jumped all over the place rather than moving normally through time. Plus it had a great love story. I have not seen the movie yet, and I'm not sure I want to. I like leaving the characters and places in my mind alone rather than inserting someone else's vision. Plus this plot is so intricate I don't think any movie could do it justice.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart was actually a surprising find. I'd heard a bit about it amongst my various internet literature channels when it first came out, but I didn't have much interest in it. Finally I decided to try it, and boy was I mad at myself for waiting so long. If you want a girl power book, this is it. It's packed full of feminist social commentary, and has an intelligent funny heroine. I just wish I could accidentally come across more awesome books like this.
I had to read The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharten for a lit class in college. It started off slow, but by the end had quickly become one of my favorite books. I wasn't so much into the love story, but rather the interaction between the main character, Archer, and the two women that are in his life, his fiancee and another woman he begins to love. But ultimately it was the ending that made this novel for me. I'm a sucker for an interesting ending, and this book's was awesome.
I decided to list Villette by Charlotte Bronte rather than Jane Eyre because I think Villette is a gem yet to be discovered, and Jane Eyre is already a household name. However, this book is not for the faint of heart. If you are looking for lots of action and adventure, then go somewhere else. Plus the love story is subtle, rather than in your face. But ultimately what made this book for me was the ending. It was perfect, but that's just my opinion, and many MANY people disagree with me on this matter. But still, I recommend you give it a try, especially if you love classic literature.
I was initially attracted to the Book of Flying by Keith Miller because of it's cover. I found it beautiful and interesting at the same time. Because of this I was happy to discover it contained a beautiful and interesting story as well. The story is told almost as a fable, with several stories within the framing narrative, and it's set in a fascinating world with thieves and people with wings, and a librarian who aspires for more. Simply exquisite.
The Bacon at Alexandria by Gillian Anderson is an older book, and out of print now, so I had a hard time tracking one down. But when I finally got my hands on a copy, it was all worth it. This novel takes place just before the fall of Rome and follows a girl who wants to be a doctor in a time when women were only good for marrying off and taking care of the kids and the home. My only slight issue with this novel was the ending. I thought it left several things hanging which I would have liked answered, but still, you can't go wrong with novels staring modern minded women in a misogynistic time period.
The Oracle's Queen by Lynn Flewelling is actually the third book in the trilogy, yet it is by far the best. The first book is very slow but necessary for setting up the story. The second book begins to get interesting, but still fall short. The final book however is amazing. It's not only an epic fantasy, but deals with gender issues and self image. Plus it has a great love story, which is always something I love discovering.
Synopsis: It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.
My Rating: 7/10
My Thoughts: Nothing happens in this book, yet I couldn't put it down. Ok, not "nothing happens"... but after the initial cataclysmic event, not a lot happens. Basically it's an account of every day life of a family dealing with the apocalypse. Accounts of lack of food, electricity, water and the slow sacrifice of everything that exists in modern life fill the pages, and I was riveted.
It was interesting to read about society trying to keep school going as long as possible. It was a very hopeful gesture for a society that did not know if life was ever going to return to normal and if knowing tenth grade history would ever be needed. I would have thought in a society struggling for survival, school would have been the first thing to go. Yet they kept it going as long as possible keeping normalcy as an anchor in a world no one recognizes any more.
I also liked the part where she meets her ice skater hero one day at the pond, then they part never to meet again. Miranda herself questions if that really happened or if was merely a hallucination of a starving girl. And the question is never answered.
I only gave this book a 7, even though I really did like it, because though it was interesting there wasn't a lot that would make me want to go back and reread it. The books that I give an 8 or higher to are ones I would gladly go back and reread. They have something about them that continues to draw me even after I've finished it. This book just didn't quite have that.
There are not a lot of characters in the book, and I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, but lovers of post-apocalyptic fiction should check it out.
There is a second book in the series which follows a boy in New York city. I'm not sure I'm interested in that one, but the third one comes out soon and it continues Miranda's story. That one I can't wait for.
Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about tidy bookshelves. Are your bookshelves strictly books only? Or have knick-knacks invaded? Do your shelves also shelve DVDs? Photos? Why not snap a photo – I’m sure we all like to spy on other’s shelves!
I've never done a Musing Monday before, but I couldn't resist this one...
I have 4 bookshelves, 3 of which are in my room, and one is just outside in the hallway. I also have a little shelf in my room which has some books on it. I keep thinking I can't fit in any more books, but then I find ways...
My biggest bookshelf is floor to ceiling. The top shelf has my post-apocalyptic/dystopia collection alongside my Harry Potter books. The next shelf down has my historical fiction books. The third shelf is random mass markets, and the fourth shelf contains my fiction books.
My next bookshelf was a bit hard to take a picture of, because it extends back behind my desk. The top shelf has books I bought and have never read and I’ve since lost interest in. Maybe I’ll go back to them, maybe not. The second shelf contains Fantasy. Third shelf is some of my young adult. And the fourth shelf is my childhood favorites, including my Little House on the Prairie books. I absolutely loved those as a kid and they are probably responsible for my reading addiction.
This bookshelf has my Stephenie Meyer and Juliet Marillier books on top, then the first shelf contains my non-fiction books and the bottom contains more random mass markets.
This little shelf contains my favorite young adult books on top, and then the books I have checked out from the library on the bottom.
Finally, this is the shelf that resides in the hallway because I simply could not put any more bookshelves in my room. It contains all my classic literature and houses my movies. My DVD's are on the bottom shelf, which is not pictured. I promise I'm not stuck in the VHS age...
I guess I do have a fairly organized system, though it probably only makes sense to me...
Probably half or more of the books I read are young adult, so this challenge shouldn't be too tough... I'm going to try and do the Stepping it Up level, which is 50 books.
This challenge runs from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010. This challenge can be found here.
Synopsis: In Coraline's family's new flat there is a locked door. On the other side is a brick wall--until Coraline unlocks the door... and finds a passage to another flat in another home just like her own.
Only different.
The food is better there. Books have pictures that writhe and crawl and shimmer. And there's another mother and father there who want Coraline to be their little girl. They want to change her and keep her with them... forever.
My Rating: 8/10
My Thoughts: I wish I could come up with a smart, simple, original story like this. The book was both creepy and fun at the same time, and it brought back memories of my own childhood, wandering around my house and yard hoping for adventure to find me. I was a little annoyed by the writing style, to me it seemed a bit patronizing, but overall detracted very little from the story.
I did watch the movie before reading the book, and was disappointed to discover that Wybie was not in the book. He was my favorite part of the movie. Overall, Coraline was very short, very quick to read, and very fun.
J. Kaye's Book Blog is again hosting this challenge. It can be found here. I was waaaaay short of 100 last year even though my goal was 120. My goal this year is simply 100.
This was not a good year for me with the challenges, though I didn't join most of them until September or later, so that didn't give me a lot of time to finish...
100 Book Challenge: I only read 53 books this year, and I think that it is an all time low for me. I blame my boyfriend for distracting me.
18th and 19th Century Women Writers Challenge: I was 0/4 in this challenge. I guess I overestimated how much I could accomplish for this challenge in 4 months. I did start one of the books I listed, but never finished it.
What's in a Name Challenge: I was 2/6 on this challenge. It was a lot harder than it looked originally, and again I didn't have a lot of time.
DystopYA Challenge: This was the one challenge I was 3/3 for, but this challenge was also really easy for me. I can pump out YA books so quickly, and dystopia is my favorite genre.
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My next bookshelf was a bit hard to take a picture of, because it extends back behind my desk. The top shelf has books I bought and have never read and I’ve since lost interest in. Maybe I’ll go back to them, maybe not. The second shelf contains Fantasy. Third shelf is some of my young adult. And the fourth shelf is my childhood favorites, including my Little House on the Prairie books. I absolutely loved those as a kid and they are probably responsible for my reading addiction.
This bookshelf has my Stephenie Meyer and Juliet Marillier books on top, then the first shelf contains my non-fiction books and the bottom contains more random mass markets.
