148. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (2009)

Length: 507 pages
Genre: Historical/Literary Fiction

Started: 28 November 2009
Finished: 14 December 2009

Where did it come from? Preordered from Amazon.
Why do I have it? Kingsolver’s one of my favorite authors, and this is her first new novel in almost a decade.

History and a
sense of self – where do we fit,
and where are the gaps?

“The most important thing about a person is always the thing you don’t know.” – p. 218

Summary: Harrison Shepard has never really fit in anywhere: born to a Mexican mother and an American father, he’s never really had a country to call his own. He’s dragged to Mexico by his capricious and gold-digging mother, where he begins keeping a journal. After a brief stint in the United States for boarding school during the Depression, he returns to Mexico, where he becomes a cook in the house of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, famous artists and Socialists. After the Russian Revolution, Trotsky’s exile brings him to Mexico, and to the house of the Riveras, where Harrison becomes his secretary. When Trotsky is murdered, Harrison flees to the U.S., which is caught in the grip of World War II. Harrison is able to channel his lifetime passion for writing into a successful career as an author – until the war is over, and the Anti-Communist fervor grips the country.

Review: Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. I was so looking forward to her first new novel in nine years that I pre-ordered it, new, in hardcover (and those are three things I never, ever do.) I really, really wanted to love it as much as I loved Poisonwood Bible or Prodigal Summer. So please believe me that it is killing me to say this, but: I didn’t particularly enjoy The Lacuna, and in fact had to struggle to even get through it.

Technically, and thematically, it is a lovely and well-executed book. It is very different in style (and subject) than any of Kingsolver’s previous novels, but the language she uses is still carefully crafted and stunningly beautiful. Also, she deftly weaves her themes – of the role of the artist, and the relationship between the artist and the public; of the need for, and cost of, privacy; of the interplay between politics, journalism, and truth; of how well anyone can know someone else’s life – throughout the book. There was a lot of potential for the metaphors that she carries throughout the book to become ponderous and over-done, but Kingsolver deftly avoids that trap as well. She writes about what it means to be American, what it means to belong, what it means to be home, as well as she ever have.

My problem was the story, and the characters – or, maybe more accurately, the lack thereof. Harrison is self-effacing to the extreme, and even when reading his journals, I found it really hard to get inside his head and really make an emotional connection with him. When the protagonist is such a cipher (and content to remain so), it becomes very difficult to maintain any involvement in the story. Harrison sort of Forrest-Gumps his way through Mexican and American history of the 1930s and 40s, always on the edge of important events, the perpetual observer, the eternal outsider. Throughout the story, important things were happening, but since I didn’t feel any connection to the main character, it became very hard for me to care.

Technically, thematically, and literarily, this book was wonderful, but unfortunately, those are not things that make me eager to pick a book back up once I’ve set it down. A book can be intellectually fantastic, but if there’s not some visceral or emotional pull to go along with it, it’s going to be a struggle. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I think this will probably work best for readers of literary fiction, or folks who aren’t as reliant on character-driven narrative as I appear to be (or, alternately, for those who like character-driven stuff but find Harrison to be more interesting than I did.) For Kingsolver fans, I’d recommend browsing a few chapters or borrowing it first to see how you get along before buying – it’s different enough from her previous work that liking the one is no guarantee of liking the other.

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First Line: In the beginning were the howlers.

Cover Thoughts: It’s graphic, and memorable, for sure. I like that the little blue spot is actually a cut-out to the blue hardcover underneath, which seems to fit well with the title, and with the metaphor of the lacuna that runs throughout the book.

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 6: “Leandro, the cook, took pity on the flutie boy from America who had nothing to do all day but poke around in the cliffs along the beach, pretending to hunt for something.” – internet is being no help here, but I’m thinking it means effeminate?
  .
• p. 8: “They smelled the zocalo first: roasted vanilla beans, coconut milk candies, boiled coffee.” – the main plaza or square.
  .
• p. 13: “The last galopina was a pretty girl, Ofelia, too much admired by Enrique, given the sack by Salomé.” – helper in the kitchen of a restaurant
  .
• p. 34: “He came back from the Day of the Dead with his hair tied in a special way, the horse-tail in back wound with henequen string.” – the fiber of an agave, used for making ropes, coarse fabrics, etc.
  .
• p. 34: “Natividad came in then with the tomatoes and epazote from the market, so there was no chance to say No lo supe.” – the pungent leaves of the wormseed plant, used as a seasoning in Mexican cooking.
  .
• p. 57: “It took a long time to walk back, but Mother wasn’t angry. She’d found a couple of dinchers in the pocket of her yellow dress.” – a pinched-out cigarette end.
  .
• p. 103: “He survives every time. Yelling his head off that it was going to be a real sockdolager.” – a decisive reply, argument, etc.; a heavy, finishing blow
  .
• p. 111: “But that particular one he plucked out first from among all the notebooks and pages he kept in portmanteau bindings on a shelf in his study.” – a case or bag to carry clothing in while traveling, esp. a leather trunk or suitcase that opens into two halves. In this case, I think it’s being used to mean a variety or hodgepodge?
  .
• p. 140: “They argue about everything: Which is better, art or philosophy? Easel art for the bourgeoisie, or murals for the public? Which is the more nationalist, pulque or tequila?” – a fermented milky drink made from the juice of certain species of agave in Mexico.
  .
• p. 171: “The commissar was quite a sight, working in his big straw hat and old-fashioned balbriggans.” – a plain-knit cotton fabric, used esp. in hosiery and underwear.
  .
• p. 297: “He wants it titled Vassals of Majesty, which is silly, as the characters are vassals of cupiditas and greed.” – desire.
  .
• p. 297: “All last night in south Asheville a crowd stood along the tracks in the cold, hoping to see the catafalque and coffin inside the lighted car when the cortege passed through.” – a raised structure on which the body of a deceased person lies or is carried in state.
  .
• p. 414: “I’ve got an apartment in the Lower East Seventies now, very voot.” – money; wealthy or rich, swank.
  .

147. A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (2009)
Southern Vampire Mysteries, short stories

Length: 192 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Short Stories

Started: 11 December 2009
Finished: 11 December 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? Apart from my determination to read everything Sookie? I wanted to know what critical information I’d missed before Definitely Dead.

Amidst the silly
fun, we finally get some
much-needed answers.

Summary: A Touch of Dead collects all of the Sookie Stackhouse stories that have been published in various anthologies into one slim little volume.

“Fairy Dust” (from Powers of Detection) takes place between Dead to the World and Dead as a Doornail, Sookie learns that fairies Claude and Claudette are actually the two surviving members of triplets, and they want her help in tracking down their sister’s killer.

“Dracula Night” (from Many Bloody Returns) also takes place between Dead to the World and Dead as a Doornail. In it, Eric is getting Fangtasia ready for the celebration of Dracula’s birth, in hopes that his idol will actually appear. Things, unsurprisingly, do not go exactly to plan, and once again, Sookie’s caught in the middle.

“One Word Answer” (from Bite) is the only story in this collection that contains critical information to the plot of the main books, and belongs in sequence right before Definitely Dead. In it, we finally get the scene where Sookie finds out her cousin Hadley is a) a vampire, and b) dead. We meet Mr. Cataliades for the first time, since he’s the one who has brought Sookie the news all the way from New Orleans… the news, along with other, even more unpleasant things.

“Lucky” (from Unusual Suspects) takes place between All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse. In it, Sookie and her witch roommate, Amelia, team up to figure out who has been rifling through the files of their local insurance agent.

“Gift Wrap” (from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe) takes place a week or two before the start of Dead and Gone. It’s Christmas, and since most of Sookie’s friends are out of town, she thinks she’ll be spending it alone… until she runs into a most unusual person in the woods near her house.

Review: While these stories were a fun brief distraction, there was nothing here that was nearly as good any of the normal series books. Because they came from anthologies, marketed to people who haven’t necessarily read the series books, they’re mostly fluffy and disposable, and filled with exposition that’s unnecessary for those of us who actually are fans. Because they needed to exist separate from the series, nothing of consequence happens or changes, and I noticed a few times that something Sookie learned in a short story had been forgotten by the next book in the sequence. (The flip side of that coin was that there were a few lines in series books – about the tie she gave her great grandfather for Christmas, for example – that are raised from being throwaway comments to something a little more, because we actually get to see the events take place.)

The one exception to the generally light, fluffy, and take-it-or-leave-it nature of the anthology is the story “One Word Answer.” It’s probably the darkest story in the book, and it contains some critical information that would have been excellent to have *before* I started in on Definitely Dead. It was my favorite story of the bunch, but I think that’s mainly because something actually *happened*. As for the rest of them… eh. Harmless, and a fun diversion, but nothing to get too excited over. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: If you’re handed a copy of this book before you start Dead as a Doornail, I’d definitely recommend reading the stories in the order that they fit into the chronology of the series. Don’t read ahead, though, or things will get very confusing, very fast. Otherwise, I’d say before starting Definitely Dead, get this collection out of the library and just read “One Word Answer” so that you’re all caught up to speed.

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First Line: The first time I was asked to write a short story aout my heroine Sookie Stackhouse, I wasn’t sure I could do it.

Cover Thoughts: I think that’s supposed to be the dress she’s wearing during “Dracula Night”, so that’s a nice touch. Plus, the moon is sparkly! Yay, sparkles!

Ahhh, break time. After much work, this semester is finally over. My class is done with, grades are submitted, and for the first time in months I can just sit back and relax with nothing I need to do. (Except laundry. And cleaning. And three reviews to write.)

First, to business! I let Random.org pick a winner for my giveaway of Adam Schell’s Tomato Rhapsody… and it’s Jen, from Devourer of Books! Congrats, Jen, I hope you enjoy it! And for everyone else, congrats on making me really, really crave fresh tomatoes. :) If you didn’t win, you can get yourself a copy of Adam’s great book at Amazon. Call it an early Christmas present to yourself… no one will ever need to know!

Second, after the voting for the past week, we’ve come up with a three way tie for which recipe to post, with Sour Cream Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, and White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies coming up with five votes apiece. So, since I get to be the tiebreaker, and since sugar cookie and gingerbread recipes are pretty easy to come by, AND since the White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies are probably the best cookies I’ve ever eaten, that’s what I’m going to post.

White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

from The Baker’s Field Guide to Christmas Cookies by Dede Wilson (which is an excellent cookbook, and really is laid out like a field guide – with “habitat”, “related species”, “lifespan”, etc – and so amuses the biology nerd in me.)

Ingredients:
- 2 2/3 cups oats
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 6 ounce white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup walnut halves, chopped
- 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk oats, flour, baking soda, and salt together. Stir in cranberries, walnuts, and white chocolate.
3. Melt butter over medium heat; continue simmering until solids turn golden-brown (don’t burn!).
4. Pour browned butter into bowl and whisk in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs, beating after each.
5. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Drop by generously rounded tablespoon onto sheets 2″ apart.
6. Bake until golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on racks.

Enjoy!

134. Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight (2005)
The Age of Fire, Book 1

Read By: David Drummond
Length: 13h 52min (384 pages)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Started: 07 October 2009
Finished: 02 November 2009

Where did it come from? From the publishers for review.
Why do I have it? I’ve read my way through all of the Temeraire books, so a new dragon book sounded like fun.

A baby dragon,
alone in the world, must fight
for his survival.

Summary: In Dragon Champion, E.E. Knight gives us a relatively standard high fantasy adventure story, with one big twist: it’s told entirely through the eyes of Auron, a dragon. Auron is a gray dragon, scaleless and without the hunger for treasure that plagues other dragons. His lack of armor makes him more vulnerable, and less immediately impressive, but also more adept at blending into his surroundings. After a fierce battle for primacy immediately post-hatching, Auron is the only male offspring left to his parents, the champion of their clutch. He’s bright and inquisitive, but his world is mostly limited to the confines of the cave in which he was hatched.

All of that changes on the day his cave is invaded by murderous dwarves. Auron’s parents are driven off or killed, and Auron must venture out into the world — first with one of his surviving sisters, and then later alone. His first goal is survival, but a meeting with an elf maiden opens his eyes to the real problem: it’s not just Auron’s survival that’s at risk, but the survival of his entire species. For dragon numbers have been decreasing for years, while the two-legged species — elves, dwarves, blighters, and especially men — have been increasing. Auron makes it his mission to find out why. Along the way, he makes some strange friends, faces some fierce and dangerous enemies, and must find a way to become the champion for which his parents named him.

Review: There’s a long tradition of animal stories in fantasy (although relatively few from the point of view of a strictly fantastical animal.) Their point is to show us the world through an unfamiliar set of eyes; by making the alien familiar, we are then forced to re-evaluate all of the elements we take for granted as unobjectionable. For this to work, we have to find a connection with our animal narrator, some common ground on which to build a base of sympathy. However, when a book opens with its protagonist disemboweling and eating his newly-hatched brother in a battle to the death, and when that same protagonist matter-of-factly mentions crushing the skulls of human children he’s seized for a snack… well, let’s just say that I found it somewhat hard to empathize with him.

My lack of connection with the book’s main character — and thus, with the book itself — may be a question of audiences. This book felt like it was aimed at 12-13 year olds. In and of itself, that’s not necessarily a problem — there’s plenty of fantasy out there for mid-grade readers that can also be enjoyed by adults. However, Dragon Champion felt like it was specifically written for mid-grade boys, with lots of emphasis on the fighting and adventure aspects. Having never been a 12-year-old boy, I can’t comment on how well they are likely to enjoy Auron’s story, but I suspect many of them will love it. For me, however, it didn’t quite make the jump into being a true crossover success.

That’s not to say that there weren’t elements I enjoyed. Knight’s world-building description is excellent. Even though he’s using pretty standard fantasy elements and races, the way they interact felt new, and I really enjoyed seeing each species’s perspective on the origin of the world and its current state. Some of Auron’s adventures were also very interesting — I particularly got a kick out of his brief sojourn with a wolf pack. (Also fun in this part was listening to David Drummond, who was otherwise quite good, try to narrate their howling dialogue.)

The problem with single-protagonist stories like Dragon Champion is that their success is entirely dependent on how strongly the reader empathizes with the main character. When it works, it’s great, and readers who empathize with Auron are likely to find Dragon Champion to be an exciting fantasy adventure story. For those of us who don’t particularly care for Knight’s leading dragon, however, it becomes very hard to stay involved in the story. 3 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Mid-grade and young adult fantasy fans who can’t get enough dragons will likely love it; for older readers, I think reactions will vary depending on how much you like the main character.

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Links: E. E. Knight’s Website

Other Reviews: Grasping for the Wind
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First Line: The hatchling tasted his first air.

Cover Thoughts: Assuming that’s supposed to be Auron on the cover, he doesn’t look quite like how I pictured him. He’s scaleless, so I pictured his skin as being smoother… plus he’s gray, not gold. It’s otherwise very dramatic, though.

146. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)
The Hunger Games, Book 1

Read By: Carolyn McCormick
Length: 11h 10m (384 pages)

Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi, Young Adult

Started: 03 December 2009
Finished: 07 December 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I’d been hearing about it for ages and finally gave in to peer pressure.

It’s kill-or-be-killed,
with strength and strategy your
only two allies.

Summary: Once a year, everyone must gather for the Reaping – a process by which one teenaged boy and one teenaged girl from each District are selected as Tributes to go to the Capitol and compete in the Hunger Games. The whole process is a reminder of the Capitol’s power, and a punishment of the Districts for an ancient rebellion – for the Hunger Games are not some friendly competition, but rather a battle to the death. Twenty-four Tributes go into the specially designed arena, where they must face not only the perils of wilderness survival, but also traps placed by the gamemakers to increase the entertainment of the viewing audience – not to mention the deadly attacks of their fellow Tributes.

When Katniss hears her younger sister’s name drawn at the Reaping, she panics. There’s no way Prim can possibly survive – and so Katniss volunteers to go in her place. However, District 12 – mainly made up of poor coal miners – hasn’t had a Hunger Games champion in years, and no one expects much out of Katniss or Peeta, a baker’s son who is the male Tribute. Katniss does have a slight advantage – she’s been illegally hunting to provide for her family for years – but in the kill-or-be-killed world of the Hunger Games, food may be the least of Katniss’s worries.

Review: To give a brief flavor of my opinion of this book, I’m actually going to give you my friend’s opinion first. I finished The Hunger Games, and immediately went raving about it to a friend who shares a similar taste in books. I managed to convince her to start it sooner rather than later, and a few hours after she started reading, the following IM conversation took place:

Her: “OMG THE HUNGER GAMES IS SO GOOD. It’s caps-lock good.”
Me: “Told you.”

And it is. It really is caps-lock good. It’s so good, I can’t believe that no one told about it before. Okay, fine, people have been saying how good it is for at least the past year, but I can’t believe no one has ever sat me down and said “No, really, you need to read this, and you need to read it now.” Dystopian novels are typically very hit-or-miss for me, but this one was a hit. A big one.

I’ll start with the positives. First, this book is insanely compelling. I listened to the bulk of it almost straight through, completely lost in the story and hating every interruption that made me take off my headphones. This book’s got tension and suspense dripping off its pages, and there was just no way I was going to go to bed before finding out what happened to Katniss. This book didn’t even have the normal problem of series books that try to create tension; normally I’m not terribly worried for the main characters’ lives, since I know there’s another book to come, but in this case, I was rarely 100% sure that Katniss was going to come out of the arena unscathed. The action is pretty much non-stop throughout the book, and even when there’s nothing actually happening, Katniss is always thinking, always planning, and it was always completely riveting. She’s a very well-developed and relatable character, and I found myself totally wrapped up with her fate (even if she could on occasion be a little bit thick-headed.)

Now, the negatives: … I can’t really find any. There’s a pretty strong element of deus ex machina throughout the story, but that’s sort of the point – the gamemakers can do whatever they like to the tributes in the arena. A lot of the technology isn’t explained, but since Katniss is a poor girl from one of the outer districts, she’d have no idea how any of it worked anyways. A lot of questions are left unanswered, and topics left unexplored, but not so that it makes the book feel incomplete… just so that I immediately want to dive into the sequel. The only thing I can possibly think to ding it for is the present-tense writing, which normally annoys me… but in this case, even that works to the story’s advantage, giving Katniss’s predicament a real sense of immediacy.

So, yeah. Caps-lock good. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Read it. If you have even the slightest inclination towards dystopian fiction, survival fiction, modern young adult literature, or really good stories in general, you should pick this one up sooner rather than later.

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Links: – I wonder if Suzanne Collins is a Dawson’s Creek fan? Because a key scene in The Hunger Games felt *awfully* reminiscent of one of the best scenes in all of Dawson’s Creek… and used, word-for-word, the single best line of dialogue ever uttered on that show.

- Series 7: The Contenders is a movie from 2001 that is essentially the same plot as The Hunger Games, although it’s adults instead of teenagers, and it’s not in a dystopian future… plus it came out *before* the vast reality TV boom of recent years. I haven’t seen it in years, but I remember it as being darkly funny, and worth watching, particularly for fans of the book who are interested in comparing.

Other Reviews: As Usual I Need More Bookshelves, At Home With Books, The Bluestocking Society, The Book Nest, Books and Movies, Dear Author, Devourer of Books, Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?, I’m Booking It!, In Search of Giants, The Infinite Shelf, My Friend Amy, Presenting Lenore, ReviewsbyLola’s Blog, Rhapsody In Books Weblog, YA Fabulous, YAnnabe
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First Line: When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.

Cover Thoughts: Honestly, I can’t help but wonder if the cover is part of the reason it took me so long to get around to the book. After having read it, I now get the significance of the bird in the gold hoop with the arrow, but on the whole, the design still leaves me cold. It doesn’t tell me anything about the plot of the book, it doesn’t tell me much about the tone of the book, and the font choices and some of the design elements suggest that it’s more tech-y, space-ship-y sci-fi than is actually the case.

145. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (2009)
Leviathan, Book 1

Read By: Alan Cumming
Length: 8h 15m (448 pages)

Genre: Alternate Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi, Steampunk

Started: 30 November 2009
Finished: 03 December 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? While I haven’t loved absolutely everything Scott Westerfeld’s written, I’ve really enjoyed enough of it that his new books will get read as a matter of course.

I bet none of your
war stories involve a huge
flying whale, do they?

On a related tip, when Fantasia 2000 came out, I saw it opening night in IMAX. During the Pines of Rome piece, a little kid – maybe 3 or 4 – who was sitting right in front of us and had otherwise been very well-behaved, busted out with a very loud, very emphatic “Mommy! Whales. Do. Not. FLY!” That kid’s probably 13 or so nowadays… I wonder how he’d feel about this book?

Summary: Leviathan tells the story of two young people on the eve of World War One. Deryn is a girl, and thus barred from military service, but she’s pretending to be a boy in order to join the British Air Force. However, the Air Force is not just Sopwiths, not by a long shot. In Westerfeld’s version of history, Darwin discovered not only the theory of evolution by natural selection, but also DNA, and since his time his followers have been building new life forms from the building blocks of others. The largest is the Leviathan, a giant zeppellin-like airship modeled on a whale (as well as a host of other creatures), and a more prestigious service assignment than a young midshipman could dare to hope for.

The other storyline follows Prince Alek of Austria-Hungary. When his parents are assassinated, he is hustled out of the castle by Count Volger, his father’s longtime advisor. In an instant, Alek has become an important pawn in a game of political maneuvering that he did not realize he even belonged to, and to escape to safety, they must flee unnoticed in a Walker – a mechanized battle robot.

Alek and Deryn’s stories intersect when the Leviathan is shot down near Alek’s hideout in Switzerland. Although the Darwinists and the Clankers are typically enemies, the two must become unlikely allies if either of them are to survive.

Review: Steampunk is not normally my cup of tea. Conceptually, I think it’s neat, and visually, steampunk-inspired stuff is typically gorgeous, but as a genre, it’s never done much to crank my gears. (Terrible pun fully intended.) So I was a little bit wary of Leviathan at the outset, but since Westerfeld’s generally pretty reliable, I decided to give it a go.

And I’m really glad I did. I quite enjoyed Leviathan; maybe because of Westerfeld’s skill at telling interesting stories with likable characters; maybe because it’s not in-your-face about its steampunkiness, and thus it reads more like historical fiction; maybe because I am a huge sucker for any time an author can sneak some biology into their fiction (see also: Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer, and Westerfeld’s own Peeps.) I had a great time listening for all of the little history of science references that Westerfeld snuck in throughout the book, and got to feel briefly smug every time I caught one.

Actually, Westerfeld managed to hit two of my buttons: not only am I a sucker for biology in fiction, I also really like the “girl disguises herself as a boy to enter military service” plot device (see also: Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness quartet, and L. A. Meyer’s Bloody Jack series.) Both Deryn and Alek were interesting and well-developed characters, and although I spent early chapters wanting to kick Alek in the shins and tell him to stop being such a moron, he’s at least got a believable excuse for his naivete.

I also enjoyed the setting; I haven’t read nearly as much fiction set in World War I as in World War II. Westerfeld helpfully includes an author’s note that lays out what parts of his story are true, what parts are based on truth but modified to fit his alternate world, and what parts were made up for the sake of the story.

Throughout the book, the action moves along at a good clip, managing to work the details and descriptive world-building into the story without slowing down the flow of the narrative. I was never totally emotionally involved in the story, but I was always interested, with the result that I tore through the audiobook much faster than normal. The ending was kind of abrupt – nothing is resolved, but the characters get to a temporary bit of safety and then the book just ends. I can see why the break was made where it was, but it’s still a little annoying – I would have definitely picked up the next book anyways, so the cliffhanger feels like a bit of overkill. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: It’s hard to recommend a book to others when I’m still surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did. Fans of steampunk or alternate history, or entertaining young adult novels with fast-moving adventure storylines will for sure want to pick this up. Otherwise, it sits at this strange boundary between sci-fi and historical fiction, and folks who are fans of one but not the other may find the crossover either really intriguing, or they may find it thoroughly annoying. I’m one of the former, happily, but I suspect reactions will vary.

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First Line: The Austrian horses glinted in the moonlight, their riders standing tall in the saddle, swords raised.

Cover Thoughts: Eh. It’s really well-designed and interesting looking, and I like that it gives the impression of the interplay between the mechanical and the organic vessels of war. On the other hand, it’s a lot more aggressively steampunk than I think the book actually is. It’s all “Gears! Look at my gears! GEARS!”, which is not the impression I got from the actual story at all.

I’ve been kind of absentee this past week, and it’s only going to continue for the next week or so. After that, though, the semester will be over, and I can spend the rest of the year worrying about nothing other than my dissertation research. :)

This week has been an almost continuous stream of student meetings, grading, and Christmas cookie making, with little enough time for reading. I’ve gotten through some of my audiobook while I baked, but other than that, it’s been pretty sparse. So far, I’ve made Baklava, Brigadeiro, White Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies, Chocolate Marshmallow Logs (known in my family as Stained-Glass Cookies), Peppermint Bark, Cornflake Wreaths, Sour-Cream Sugar Cookies, Gingerbread, and a new recipe for me which I am henceforth dubbing Chocolate Crackle Cookies. (The name in the cookbook is Kris Kringle’s Chocolate Krinkles, which is way too twee to be able to say out loud.) I have ingredients and recipes for several more types I would have liked to try, but even with giving them away at every opportunity, I am still surrounded by a sea of cookies that I don’t really want to eat (I much prefer baking to eating), as well as being shy on free time to make more.

I posted the recipe for Brigadeiro last year, but I’ll let you guys vote on which recipe you want this year, and I’ll post it next week.

144. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (2008)
Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 8

Length: 303 pages

Genre: Fantasy; Mystery; Romance

Started: 01 December 2009
Finished: 02 December 2009

Where did it come from? Amazon.
Why do I have it? The box set I bought only included books 1-7, but you know I wasn’t going to stop there.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 19 October 2009.
Verdict? Keeper.

It’s a dog-eat-dog
world… but also vamp-eat-vamp.
What’s a girl to do?

Summary: After the deadly events at the vampire summit, there is major upheaval in the world of vampire politics. And, thanks to her close ties to some of the most powerful Louisiana vampires, small-town telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse is likely to get caught in the crossfire of any power play or takeover. But Sookie isn’t just tied to the vampires; she’s also a friend of the Shreveport Were pack. They’re having their own leadership issues, and when members of the pack start turning up dead, Sookie is in danger of getting herself in the middle of a brewing Were war. And she can’t rely on her boyfriend the were-tiger to keep her safe – he’s been missing since the summit. And, to top it all off, Sookie meets a family member – her great-grandfather – that she’d never known about. Since Sookie’s only other family is her irresponsible and immature brother Jason, a new relative is a big deal… but since her great-grandfather isn’t exactly human, their family reunion seems likely to raise yet more complications.

Review: This book is a bit of a conundrum for me. Its plotline is more scattered that any book since Living Dead in Dallas (my least favorite so far, primarily *because* of its fragmented nature.) And yet, I enjoyed it more than any book since Dead to the World (my favorite so far.) How can I reconcile that?

Maybe it’s because while From Dead to Worse certainly was scattered, and strangely plotted (the big battle that I was expecting to be the climax occurred about halfway through the book), it wasn’t scattered in the same *way* as Living Dead in Dallas. Instead of bringing up a bunch of elements that exist only for the purpose of a single book, From Dead to Worse draws elements from throughout the series, reviving and wrapping up plotlines from many books back, while introducing new elements that will take us into the books to come. I liked that the focus of the story has shifted back to Sookie and away from all supernatural politics all the time, and I enjoyed the fact that she got to spend some more time interacting with her hometown people as well as supes from far and wide.

But I think the real reason that I enjoyed it so much was that it was hugely, compulsively readable. The plot came in a lot of little disparate pieces, sure, but each of the pieces was so good and held my attention so well that on the day I picked it up, I stayed up into the small hours of the night because I didn’t want to stop reading it, and the only reason I didn’t stay up into the wee small hours to finish it was that pesky sense of responsibility telling me that I needed to get at least some sleep. Maybe it was just the right book for the right mood, but for whatever reason, it really worked for me. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: No way this will make sense if you haven’t read the earlier books, but for Sookie fans, I’m pleased to report that this series doesn’t show any signs of a slump in the later books.

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Other Reviews: All About {n}, Angieville, Ashley’s Library, Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Books Lists Life, Darque Reviews, Dear Author (1), Dear Author (2), Fantasy/Sci-Fi Lovin’, Love Vampires, Lurv A La Mode, The Movieholic & Bibliophile’s Blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty, Rhapsody in Books Weblog, Scooper Speaks
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: If this was The Lord of the Rings and I had a smart British voice like Cate Blanchett, I could tell you the background of the events of that fall in a really suspenseful way.

Cover Thoughts: I … don’t get it. But Sookie’s dress is sparkly! Sparkles! I like sparkles! Also, poor Sam, he never gets to be on the cover, even when he gets to be awesome in the book.

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 54: “There was nothing epicene about Eric, nothing ethereally beautiful, either. He was all male.” – belonging to, or partaking of the characteristics of, both sexes.

143. Fire by Kristin Cashore (2009)
Graceling, prequel/companion

Read By: Xanthe Elbrick
Length: 12h 39m (480 pages)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Started: 18 November 2009
Finished: 29 November 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I was so blown away by how good Graceling was, before I’d even finished it I’d already requested Fire from the library.

Fire, if she wants,
could make you beat yourself up.
“Quit hitting yourself!”

Summary: In the Kingdom of the Dells, there are Monsters… but not horribly, ugly, scary monsters. In the Dells, Monsters are shaped like ordinary creatures – birds, bugs, horses – but are brightly colored, and have the ability to lure, pacify, and control the minds of the ordinary humans. Most Monsters are animals, but seventeen-year-old Fire is the last human Monster in the Dells. She has bright red, orange, and pink hair that she has to keep covered lest everyone who sees her fall instantly in love; the ability to sense minds, read thoughts, and control the emotions of weak-willed individuals; and a strict sense of morality that she has forged from her unusual life experience. Fire refuses to let anyone use her as a tool for their own ends, but her kingdom is on the brink of war, and she must find a line between duty and self-preservation, and how best to use the power the has caused her to be isolated, mistrusted, and feared, without overstepping her own boundaries of right and wrong.

Fire is more of a companion novel to Graceling, rather than a prequel proper. However, there is some overlap, for Fire crosses paths with a young boy… a strange young boy with eyes of two different colors, and a gift that seems similar to her own, although infinitely more dangerous and disturbing.

Review: Fire addresses a lot of the same issues as Graceling – a young female with powers that isolate her learning how to be her own woman instead of a tool for those more powerful (or, in Spiderman terms, with great power comes great responsibility, and also great danger of being manipulated into using that power in irresponsible ways.) However, Fire comes at these issues from a much darker place than does Graceling. Katsa is unique, for sure, but not nearly to the same degree as Fire, the last of her kind. That loneliness has left its scars on Fire’s psyche, as has her family and childhood, and by giving us glimpses of that damage, Cashore assures that her protagonist will be sympathetic and relatable instead of dangerous and unapproachable. Fire may not be as immediately likeable as Katsa, just because she is something Other, but I think she’s actually stronger, and I wound up respecting her immensely.

Likewise, the book itself is a little more serious, a little darker. While there is a romantic storyline, it’s a quieter, less quick-witted-banter-y kind of romance, and it’s not nearly so much of the focus as was Katsa and Po’s relationship in Graceling. Instead, Fire focuses a lot more on the growth of its protagonist, and the romance is mostly significant because it means that Fire has let down enough of her guard to begin to form relationships with other people. Not that the romance scenes weren’t romantic – they were, for sure, and Cashore has now provided me with two new BookBoyfriends – but they weren’t the main focus.

So, Fire is a darker, sadder, and more emotionally mature book than Graceling, although the pacing, plotting, and worldbuilding are equally well done. All of that being said, I didn’t like Fire quite as much as I did Graceling, although that is 100% my problem, and nothing to do with the books themselves. While I listened to Graceling almost straight through, I listened to Fire in many small chunks, spread out over a longer period of time. Also, I must have been distracted during some key parts of the early chunks, because I missed a few elements of backstory – mainly, the secrets and relationships of the previous generation – that made things rather confusing later on. However, I’m sure this will sort itself out with a re-read, and given how much I enjoyed the parts I wasn’t confused by, I’m sure I’ll be re-reading this some time sooner rather than later. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Fans of YA fantasy, particularly of authors like Tamora Pierce, should check out Kristin Cashore for sure. Fire could easily be read as a stand-alone, although reading it before Graceling might cause some minor spoilers for that book.

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Links: Kristin Cashore’s blog

Other Reviews: About Books, Addicted to Books, At Home With Books, Bib-Laura-graphy, The Book Nest, Books and Movies, Books and Other Thoughts, The Discriminating Fangirl, Em’s Bookshelf, Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review, Here There and Everywhere (2nd Edition), In Between the Pages, Killin’ Time Reading, Lisa the Nerd, Lurv a la Mode, The Magic of Ink, Melissa’s Bookshelf, Persnickety Snark, Presenting Lenore, Read What You Know, Reading Keeps You Sane, S. Krishna’s Books, Today’s Adventure
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: Larch often thought that if it had not been for his newborn son, he never would have survived his wife Mikra’s death.

Cover Thoughts: I love the design of these covers. For both this one and Graceling’s cover, my eye goes first to the weapon, and I just think “oh, okay, weapon on a patterned background”, and then only after looking for a long time do I see the person – the eye in Graceling dagger, or Fire with her headscarf here.

142. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (2007)
Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 7

Length: 323 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Started: 25 November 2009
Finished: 26 November 2009

Where did it come from? Amazon
Why do I have it? Bought the box set.
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 10 September 2009
Verdict? Keeper.

Most conferences are
more fun after dark, but not
if you work for vamps.

Summary: The time for the vampire summit of all of the Kings and Queens of the southern and midwestern states has arrived, and telepathic waitress will be attending as an aide to the vampire Queen of Louisiana. However, it’s not just going to be a business meeting – the Queen is on trial for the murder of her husband, the King of Arkansas, and her position has been vastly weakened by the damage from Hurricane Katrina. Sookie knows that being one of the only humans amidst a sea of power-hungry vampire politics isn’t going to be easy, or safe, but she didn’t count on quite how dangerous it was really going to be.

Review: I know I’ve complained that past books in this series have had too much of Sookie and her tangled personal life, and not enough else happening. However, I think this book tipped a little too far in the other direction: too much mystery, not enough romance. Or, more to the point, too much vampire politics, not enough Quinn. (Although before I read this book I was talking to a friend about how no matter what Quinn’s supposed to be wearing, I always picture him as a genie – it’s the shaved head and olive skin – and then in this book he goes and shows up in an actual genie outfit. I couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard.) The plot is certainly interesting, and I appreciate that Harris keeps trying to widen Sookie’s world and build in new details. However, I just don’t find the Queen a particularly compelling character, and the parts I enjoyed most were the scenes that had the least to do with the plot proper. Added to that was certainly the fact that the “mystery” was not particularly mysterious, to the point where I was almost yelling at Sookie for being so incredibly blind. Still, it was a very fast and enjoyable read, which is really all I ask for from this series. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not the best this series has been, but still totally worth reading, plus there are some interesting developments that make me very excited for the next book.

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Other Reviews: Love Vampires, The Movieholic & Bibliophile’s Blog, Musings of a Bookish Kitty, Not Enough Books, Reading Adventures, Reading Comes From Writing, Rhapsody in Books Weblog
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First Line: The Shreveport vampire bar would be opening late tonight.

Cover Thoughts: Hee. Almost directly out of the book, which is kind of awesome. Plus no Vampire Bill!

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 91: “When someone has had approximately a thousand years to practice kissing, he can become very good at it, and I would be lying if I said I was immune to such osculatory talent.” – related to kissing.
  .
• p. 173: “Kentucky turned out to look a lot like Davy Crockett. All he needed was a ba’ar and a coonskin cap.” – bear. Duh.

141. Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson (2009)
Alcatraz Smedry, Book 3

Read my review of:
- Book 1: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
- Book 2: Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones

Length: 336 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Started: 23 November 2009
Finished: 25 November 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I really enjoyed the previous two books in the series and can always use a light, fun read.

Even his Talent
didn’t prepare Alcatraz
to be a Smedry.

Summary: After growing up in the Librarian-controlled Hushlands, Alcatraz Smedry is finally returning to the Free Kingdoms. After all of the danger he has faced, one might think he’d be ready for anything, but he’s never had to deal with people treating him like celebrity, thanks both to his Smedry heritage and his time in the Hushlands. He also, for the first time, has to deal with his parents: his newly-rescued father is strange and distant, and his mother, a Librarian, is skulking around the city, and Alcatraz is sure she’s up to no good. To top things off, his friend Bastille has been stripped of her armor and her powers, and the Librarians have sent an envoy to the king, ostensibly negotiating a peace treaty… although Alcatraz will have to find out what their real motivations are before it’s too late.

Review: I’m sad to say it, but I didn’t quite enjoy this installment as much as I’d enjoyed the first two books in the series. It was still extremely clever, very fast-paced, and incredibly imaginative. However, I just didn’t connect to Alcatraz as a narrator as much as I had before, although I can’t quite point to a reason why. Maybe he was a little bit less snarkily sarcastic than usual, or maybe the shine has worn off the hyper-aware meta-narration he provides. Maybe it’s because I haven’t recently re-read the first two books (a lapse for which Alcatraz berated me at several points throughout the book), so maybe I was missing some plot or character through-lines that would have made this third book resonate more strongly. Maybe I was just not in exactly the right mood to appreciate it fully.

None of this is meant to say that this is a bad book. It’s not, at all. It was absolutely an enjoyable read, with a bunch of giggle-inducing lines and scenes and gags liberally sprinkled throughout. (I particularly loved the tips to thirteen-year-old boys about thirteen-year-old girls.) There are also some interesting developments regarding What’s Really Going On that make me excited to see where Sanderson takes the series next. It’s just that it felt like the plot was a *little* less interesting than previous, a *slightly* smaller percentage of the jokes connected, and a *smidge* of the sparkle that made the first two books such a riot had worn off. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not as gangbusters as the first two books, but still a solidly entertaining read. Don’t start here, but the series as a whole is highly recommended to young fantasy fans, mid-grade reluctant readers, and Hushlanders of all ages who need something light and humorous after being overly oppressed by the Librarian regime.

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Links: Brandon Sanderson’s website

Other Reviews: The Intelli-Gent Reviews
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: So there I was, hanging upside down underneath a gigantic glass bird, speeding along at a hundred miles an hour above the ocean, in no danger whatsoever.

Cover Thoughts: I’ve never been crazy about the photo-collage style of the Alcatraz covers – instead of looking funky, like I think they’re supposed to, they just look haphazard and not quite finished to me.

Commenters

Many thanks to November’s commenters!

Also: asia meana, Betty, debora evert, Joyce, jules, Katie, Lisa Richards, liz (aka Conan), Michael Ricketts, Norbert Haupt, RavnVoice, Sophia, Stuntgirl

Search Terms

should i let my 13 year old read eye of the world
I don’t see why not. There’s some violence, obviously (killing of troll-like monsters, mostly), but it’s not particularly graphic or out of the ordinary for fantasy novels. There are some scary/creepy parts, but that’s entirely dependent on how easily scared they are. No sex in the first one, either (and minimal-to-no on-screen sex in the entire series.) Basically, if they can handle the length, there’s nothing in the content that wouldn’t be appropriate.

firefly bok
No, chickens “bok”. Fireflies are pretty quiet, except for maybe a *blink*ing noise.

reading recommended
Yes, yes it is.

is peter and the shadow thieves a graph
No, it’s a book. This is a graph. (Actually, that was a sentence. And a link. But definitely not a pipe.)

threatened by capricorn
Goats are nasty buggers, it’s true, but somehow I feel like Leo or Scorpio would be a lot more threatening.

what are the names of the kids that went
…up a hill? Jack and Jill. …into the witch’s cottage? Hansel and Gretel. …over the river and through the woods? As far as I know, they’ve remained anonymous.

eye of the world series book 13 review
I wish! Talk to me in about a year, once it’s been finished and published.

ancient way of giving love letters
I’m sure the archaeologists were thrilled to discover the shoebox full of cuneiform love tablets in a teenager’s bedroom closet in ancient Mesopotamian ruins. [....okay, something about the phrase "love tablets" just sounds wrong.]

tally youngblood compared to princess diana
Both of them really liked riding hoverboards. It’s totally true.

It is not December already. I refuse to accept that it is December. Take a hike, December, we don’t want your type around here!

Ye Grande Olde TBR(e) Challenge Update

I started November with 249 unread books sitting around my house. And I ended with … *drumroll* … 238! Negative numbers, hooray! Even without counting the purge I did this month, I’d still only be at a +2. I’ve been good. :) Although not so good at reading out of my TBR pile, thanks to work-related business and a bunch of books coming in for me at the library.

…anyways, let’s take a look at the breakdown:

Neutral books – Read, but don’t affect the TBR pile

Audiobooks - Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight (review coming soon) - The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (review coming soon) – Graceling by Kristin Cashore – Fire by Kristin Cashore (review coming soon)
Read but not owned – Who Hates Whom by Bob Harris – Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger – Jack of Fables, Vol. 6: The Big Book of War by Bill Willingham – Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson (review coming soon)
Re-reads - Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

Changes to the TBR pile

Cleared from my TBR pile (huzzah!) – The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson – All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (review coming soon)
Added to, then promptly cleared from my TBR pile (um… huzzah?) None this month.
Other removals from my TBR pile (meh?) All of those listed in this post, plus Wideacre by Philippa Gregory (13 total.)
Added to my TBR pile (shame!) – The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver – The Witch’s Trinity by Erika Mailman (Literate Housewife’s fault) – The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Lots of people have loved it, but we’ll split fault amongst Nymeth, Chris, and Bart) – Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey
Other Non-TBR Book Acquisitions - Forever Favorite Crochet by Better Homes and Gardens - Party!: Easy Recipes for Fingerfood and Party Drinks by Fran Warde – Classic Cocktails From Around the World by Allan Gage – The Art of the Cocktail by Ben Reed – The Big Book of Cocktails: 365 Mouthwatering Mixes, Shakers and Shots by Brian Lucas – Cocktail Bible: Classic and Contemporary Cocktails for Every Occasion I am a huge sucker for cookbooks, particularly bartending recipes. And then Bookcloseouts goes and has a cookbook sale… But, in my defense, at least one of those isn’t a real acquisition – it’s going to be my contribution to the office holiday gift swap. (Probably the last one.)

140. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (2009)
The Wheel of Time, Book 12

Length: 784 pages
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Started: 12 November 2009
Finished: 22 November 2009

Where did it come from? From the publishers for review.
Why do I have it? I don’t talk about it a lot, since I read them all long before I started reviewing/blogging, but The Wheel of Time is the series that got me permanently hooked on fantasy as an adult. After 11 books and a prequel, these characters are like family, so how could I not want to find out what happens to them, especially now that there’s an end in sight?
How long has it been on my TBR pile? Since 28 October 2009.
Verdict? TOTALLY FRAKKING AWESOME. (So: keeper.)

It’s taken twelve books
to get here; I can’t sum up
in seventeen words.

***No spoilers for this book, but there may be incidental spoilers for earlier books.***

Summary: The Last Battle is coming, and coming quickly; the Dark One’s touch has never been more evident in the world. Rand al’Thor, the Dragon Reborn, is mankind’s only chance of defeating the Dark One in the Last Battle… but how can anyone prepare for a responsibility like that? Rand has conquered almost half of the known world, but his hold of the various countries is fracturing, and he knows mankind must present a united front if they are to have any hope of survival. To that end, he tries to make peace with the Seanchan invaders, but even that may be for naught if Rand cannot learn to control the darkness and hardness that he has tried for so long to cultivate in his soul.

Meanwhile, Egwene, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is a captive within the White Tower. She is subject to severe punishments at the command of Elaida, the irrational and power-mad Amyrlin, but worse than the pain of any beating is watching the White Tower crumble from within. She knows the Aes Sedai need to be strong, and the Tower must be whole in order to aid Rand at Tarmon Gaidon, but how can a prisoner possibly manage such a daunting task?

Review: If you would have asked me, before reading this book, if either Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson had a distinctive writing style, I would have said no. Not that they’re not both good writers, but just that neither has a way with words that would enable me to point to a passage and say ‘There, that sounds like Sanderson’ the way I could with Guy Gavriel Kay or Michael Chabon. However, as I discovered within the first few pages of the prologue, just because neither has a distinctive style, also does not mean that they have the same style. Sanderson addresses this in his author’s note, saying that he did not try to emulate Jordan’s style, choosing to stay true to the characters and the story, but to tell it in his own words. And that’s fine; Sanderson is an accomplished writer whose books I enjoy. On the other hand, I will admit it was initially a little bit jarring to come across paragraphs or sentences that were decidedly un-Jordan-like.

I adapted quickly, though, and truth be told, Sanderson does an excellent job of maintaining continuity not only with the storyline, but more importantly, with the feel of the characters. Egwene’s POV chapters still feel like Egwene, Perrin still sounds like Perrin, Rand still feels like a complete dolt who you just want to kick in the shins until he finally loosens up a little. I was somewhat worried about Mat; he’s got a pretty distinctive voice – one that is easy to imitate, but hard to get right – plus Mat’s first chapter doesn’t come until almost midway through the book. To my delight, though, that chapter starts with Mat delivering a (*very* Mat-ish) monologue about women… followed by Talmanes making fun of the way Mat talks in a way that is not only hilarious, but also pokes gentle fun at Mat (and by extension, Jordan), and just generally lets us know that Sanderson gets it.

“I’m not giving up gambling,” Mat muttered. “Or drinking.”
“So I believe you’ve told me,” Talmanes said. “Three or four times so far. I half believe that if I were to peek into your tent at night, I’d find you mumbling it in your sleep. ‘I’m going to keep bloody gambling! Bloody, bloody gambling and drinking! Where’s my bloody drink? Anyone want to gamble for it?’” (p. 317)

And that’s the reason why I think having Sanderson take over after Jordan’s death has worked where so many multi-author continuations have failed: Sanderson gets it. He wants the series to turn out well as much as any of the rest of us do. He’s a fan too. But, unlike the average fanboy or fangirl, he’s also an accomplished writer in his own stead, with the chops to pull it off. And that combination of talent and passion are what makes The Gathering Storm a worthy continuation instead of merely an acceptable one.

Okay, enough about the writing, let’s talk about what actually happens. In short? TOTALLY AWESOME. It is not hyperbole to say that I laughed, I cried, I spent large chunks of the book with a pit of dread in my stomach because so many things were going so terribly wrong for the characters, and I quite literally stood up and cheered out loud at at least two points. (There may even have been fist-pumping.) There are prophecies fulfilled, storylines wrapped up, mysteries solved, and a wealth of wonderful and memorable and just perfect character moments.

I know there are also those out there who are apprehensive over the fact that Brandon Sanderson’s contribution was initially going to be one book… and then two… and now finally three. I was certainly a little worried myself that the split would result in something patchy and without a satisfying end point (I’m looking at you, A Feast for Crows.) But that worry was completely baseless; The Gathering Storm has some of the most complete narrative arcs of any book in the series, not to mention one of the most satisfying endings. Just excellent. 5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Don’t start here if you haven’t read any of the previous 11 books, obviously. However, The Gathering Storm strongly reminded me why I love this series so much, why it was worth sticking it out through some of the slower books. It made me want to go start the series over from the beginning, and (although I wouldn’t have thought it possible), it made me even more eager to get my hands on the next installment.

This Review on LibraryThing | This Book on LibraryThing | This Book on Amazon

Links: – Brandon Sanderson’s webpage
- Encyclopaedia WOT, if you need to brush up on previous books

Other Reviews: Adventures in Reading, Age 30+…A Lifetime of Books, Books ‘n’ Border Collies, Neth Space, Only The Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist, The Wertzone
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: Renald Fanwar sat on his porch, warming the sturdy blackoak chair crafted for him by his grandson two years before.

Cover Thoughts: Probably my least favorite part about the book. It is a pretty direct representation of a scene… and yes, Rand’s actually shaking his fist at the sky. (Optional: yelling “Nooooooo!!!”) Also, I don’t think Aviendha would be caught dead in that much eye make-up… or that boob-tacular of a blouse.

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 25: “Well, he would have to replace the snath with a longer straight shaft of ashwood.” – the shaft or handle of a scythe.

Happy Sunday, all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, or if you celebrated it a month ago, or don’t celebrate it at all, I hope you had a wonderful last week in November! My week’s been lovely, full of family and friends I haven’t seen in a long time and delicious food and only one small fire (tip: don’t put candied sweet potatoes under the broiler unless you really want your kitchen to smell like a campfire.)

I’ve spent a large chunk of my non-family-bonding “free” time this week grading term papers, but I have managed to get a fair amount of reading done. I polished off Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson, and All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris this week, both of which were solid fun if not hugely socks-knocking, and got about 50 pages into The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, which is good so far but not at all what I was expecting. I’ve also listened to most of Fire by Kristin Cashore, which I’ll almost certainly finish up on my drive home from my parents’ this afternoon. Queued up after that is Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, but I might give the audiobooks a break and just spend the rest of the drive singing loudly (and off-key).
_____________________________________
On an unrelated subject, I’ve got a question for my readers… how do you keep track of comments that you leave (or do you at all?) I’ve been using Commentful, which I liked well enough – every time I left a comment somewhere, I hit the little bookmarklet on my menu bar, and it would record the URL and number of comments. I could then go look at my watchlist, which would check when new comments were added after mine, and highlight sites where there had been responses. Great in theory, but it was kind of unreliable, and now their server has been down for over a week, so I’m at loose ends. Are there other sites that do something similar?

In theory I could subscribe to comments by e-mail, but a) not every site has that, and b) I think I would find that kind of intrusive – I like to know about reply comments on my schedule, not on the e-mail server’s schedule. As an interim measure I’ve been starring posts in my feed reader, but then I have to go back and check each one for new comments manually, which is a pain. There’s got to be a better way to do it. So tell me, readers: How do you track your comments around the blogging world?

139. The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (2008)

Read By: Alyssa Bresnahan
Length: 11h 40m (400 pages)

Genre: Somewhere between Literary Fiction and Mystery.

Started: 13 November 2009
Finished: 17 November 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? The Lace Reader was one of the books that I remember getting major blog buzz not long after I started blogging myself, and it’s been on my radar ever since.

Death in the family
reveals secrets that Towner
didn’t know were there.

Summary: Towner Whitney comes from a long line of women who can “read” lace – that is, see and interpret visions when looking through a lace panel. When her great-aunt dies, Towner returns from California to her childhood home in Salem, Massachusetts, to deal with her family and the mass of secrets and memories that her great-aunt Eva has left behind. But things aren’t as easy for Towner as simply selling the house and moving on; no one in town believes that Eva died in an accident, and most people are pointing their fingers at a local group of religious fanatics, lead by a man who is convinced that the women in Towner’s family are witches. However, when one of the women from their church disappears as well, the waters are muddied even further. Towner not only has to deal with the tangled web of the present, but also with her own fractured past of mental illness and psychiatric treatment following the death of her twin sister when they were teens.

Review: While I really enjoyed this book, an unfortunate vagary of timing kept me from really loving it. See, I started this book soon after finishing Her Fearful Symmetry. Both novels feature storylines involving Huge Unspeakably Bad Secrets from the Past, and both star at least one set of twins. Because my brain was already primed for sniffing out Unspeakably Bad Secrets, and because I knew going in that Towner was an unreliable narrator (that’s not a spoiler, she tells us as much within the first paragraph of the book), I was double- and triple-guessing everything that happened instead of just letting the story carry me along, and as a result, I figured out what was going on *way* earlier than I would have otherwise.

The good news is that figuring out the book’s twists didn’t stop me from enjoying it. The pieces of backstory and the layers of deception are applied – and removed – so carefully and so masterfully that the whole thing hangs together perfectly. Barry’s also very good at describing her setting; you can practically feel the salt air blowing off the pages. (Or out of your headphones, in my case.) Towner was an excellently crafted character, feeling full and real and just slightly broken, with minute cracks below the surface that start to widen and show as the novel progresses. Barry’s secondary characters are just as wonderful, particularly Rafferty, the detective, and Ann Chase, the leader of the local coven of witches.

The only real thing I had a problem with – other than figuring out the twists too early, which was my fault, not the book’s – was the pacing. Or, not exactly the pacing, since things move along at a good clip and I never really noticed any dragging. It’s more that I found the frequent narrative tone shifts – from Taylor’s first-person narration, to third-person from the point of view of the detective, to Towner again, but reading a story about her past, etc. – a little bit unexpected and wrong-footing. Nevertheless, I tore through this book much faster than average, and only barely stopped myself from immediately starting it again to hunt for the clues I’d missed the first time. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Just because it is set in Salem and involves fortune-telling women does not mean that it is historical fiction about witchcraft. I think it would probably appeal most to fans of psychological mysteries and unreliable narrators, or anyone who likes an intricate and very involving story.

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Links: Brunonia Barry’s blog

Other Reviews: Adventures in Reading, Book Chatter and Other Stuff, The Book Lady’s Blog, Bookopolis, Books and Movies, Boston Bibliophile, Caribousmom, Devourer of Books, Fizzy Thoughts, Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?, In the Shadow of Mt. TBR, The Life and Times of a New New Yorker, The Literate Housewife Review, Outlandish Dreaming, Peeking Between the Pages, S. Krishna’s Books, She is Too Fond of Books, Shh I’m Reading…, Trish’s Reading Nook, The Written World
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: My name is Towner Whitney. No, that’s not exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time.

Cover Thoughts: I love the combination of the lace pattern with the rocky island cliff. The half-transparent girl is just icing.

138. Jack of Fables, Vol. 6: The Big Book of War by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, Russ Braun, José Marzán Jr., Dan Green (2009)
Jack of Fables, Volume 6

Read my reviews of:
- the main Fables volumes
- Jack of Fables, Vol. 1: The (Nearly) Great Escape
- Jack of Fables, Vol. 2: Jack of Hearts
- Jack of Fables, Vol. 3: The Bad Prince
- Jack of Fables, Vol. 4: Americana
- Jack of Fables, Vol. 5: Turning Pages

Length: 128 pages
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy

Started: 14 November 2009
Finished: 14 November 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? A new Fables fix in whatever form is always welcome.

You’ve got to be in
dire straits if you’d let Jack
lead your whole army.

Summary: Jack has had his differences with Mr. Revise, the Page sisters, and the staff of the Golden Boughs retirement home for Fables. But despite the animosity that exists between them, they must join forces to fight off an even bigger danger: The Bookburner, who has marched with his army to the Golden Boughs, intent on ridding the world of the Fables, whatever it takes.

Review: I enjoyed this volume more than I did several of the previous Jack of Fables collections, perhaps because we finally start to learn some of the secrets behind the story. We get to find out more about Revise’s plan, the relationships between the Literals, and some dark secrets about Jack’s past. The action and fight scenes are well-done, and the artwork is great as usual. I also thought that there was more comic relief than normal (or maybe more of the comedy worked for me than normal.) Babe was hilarious as always, but I also found the Knifejohns funny (if also nightmare-inducing), more of Jack’s narration worked, and even Kevin Thorne got in a one-liner or two. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: I’m never going to be as invested in this series as I am in Fables proper, but it’s a fun complement that’s starting to get a fair amount of depth of its own.

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Other Reviews: Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: So, here it is — one for the ages. A true and fantastic tale of love, war, heroism and great deeds.

Cover Thoughts: Hee! Would have been better if Jack’s boxers had something more obnoxious than just stripes, though. Also, the shading/stubble kind of make it looks like he wiped his mouth with newsprint.

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 16: ““While they cower in terror, awaiting their shameful and cowardly demise, I think I”ll make just one final inspection of my lovely eidolon army.”” – An image of an ideal. In this case it’s being used to mean something like “archetype.”
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137. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (2008)
Graceling, Book 1

Read By: David Baker and a full cast
Length: 12h 30min (480 pages)

Genre: Young Adult; Fantasy

Started: 02 November 2009
Finished: 12 November 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I like young adult fantasy in general, and the wave of “OMGyouhavetoreadthis”-ness from my fellow book bloggers was pretty convincing, but I’ll give Darla’s review the nod for tipping me over the edge.

Make fun of her eyes
and she’ll kick your ass. But she’ll
feel bad about it.

Summary: Katsa is special. Born with one blue eye and one green – the mark of the Graced – Katsa is a near-unbeatable fighter, either with her hands or with any weapon she holds. Her uncle, King Randa, has turned Katsa’s Grace to his advantage, using her as his enforcer, thug, and assassin. Katsa’s not happy with this role, however, and has started a secret society committed to righting wrongs on the sly. On one of their missions to rescue a kidnapped old man from the dungeons of a neighboring king, Katsa meets Po, who is a prince in his own right, the grandson of the old man, and who possesses a fighting Grace that can match Katsa’s own. They become sparing partners, and eventually friends, but the question of Po’s grandfather’s kidnapping gnaws at them. Who would order such a thing, and why? They set out to investigate, but what they find is a threat so great that it might engulf all of the seven kingdoms… if they can’t find a way to stop it.

Review: The short version? I enjoyed the heck out of it. I enjoyed it so much I was creating opportunities to go and listen to more of it, cheerfully volunteering for one of the most boring tasks at work, just because it’s a task I could do with my headphones on. I’m actually having a really hard time putting my finger on exactly why I liked it so much, but before I start dissecting it, I just want to reiterate: Graceling was compelling, relatable, exciting, and a thoroughly great read.

In almost all particulars, Graceling is very very similar to a Tamora Pierce novel. Teen heroine who has some special ability that sets her apart from everyone else, who’s good at almost everything she does, even though these powers make her somewhat of an outsider? Check and check. Romantic interest who is also special/supernatural/powered in some way, and is therefore the only guy who can ever hope to keep up with our heroine? Both have ‘em. (As a side note, I now have enough of a bookcrush on Po that I’m willing to overlook his metallic-colored eyes, which is ordinarily a huge pet peeve.) Plot involving political intrigue and corruption within a medieval fantasy kingdom? Yup. A healthy mix of coming-of age, romance, action, plotting, and witty banter? Yes across the board. The only real difference I can pick out is that Pierce’s books have more magic/mythology, with direct involvement by the gods, while the origin of the Graces is never really explained. There’s not even a method-of-consumption bias: I listened to both of them done by Full Cast Audio (which took me a while to get into, but eventually wound up being very enjoyable; a lot of the voice actors did really excellent work). So, even though there’s not much to chose between them, while Pierce’s books are reliably enjoyable, none of them knocked my socks off the way Graceling did.

In fact, the only thing I can find to ding Graceling for is a bit of heavy-handed expository worldbuilding in the early chapters. The nature of the Graces, the political layout of the various kingdoms, etc., are all presented flat out in a way that doesn’t feel particularly organic to the story or the characters, instead of being more subtly woven in. Still, it is a very interesting world that’s being set up, and once it’s established, everything flows much more smoothly, and the character development and story development are handled with considerable skill, especially given that this is Cashore’s first novel. I also really appreciated both the strong feminist lead, and the overall sensibility and mature handling of some thorny issues. Overall, even though I can’t entirely define *why* I enjoyed it so much, I found it absolutely engrossing, I was sad that it was over, and I already have Fire queued up on my iPod. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Fans of Tamora Pierce or those who like YA fantasy with a strong feminist twist should definitely put Graceling at the top of their list. Even those who aren’t particular fantasy fans but who like a good coming-of-age story with solid doses of romance, humor, and action should check it out; I don’t think the fantasy elements are prevalent enough to be off-putting.

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Links: Kristin Cashore’s blog

Other Reviews: Angieville, At Home with Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, The Book Nest, Books and Movies, Books and Other Thoughts, Bookshelves of Doom, Boy With Books, Dear Author, Into the Wardrobe, The Magic of Ink, Medieval Bookworm, Page 247, The Reading Zone, Regular Rumination, S. Krishna’s Books, Stella Matutina, Tiny Little Reading Room, Today’s Adventure, YA Fabulous, YAnnabe
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind.

Cover Thoughts: It’s pretty standard fare as far as medieval fantasy covers go, but I like the color palette, and I only just realized when looking at the large version that there’s an eye reflected in the blade. Tres cool.

Happy Sunday, all!

It’s been a pretty lazy weekend around here – the first in a while (and the last until the end of the semester) with no grading or other work responsibilities. (It’s been lovely.)

I spent yesterday morning running errands, and yesterday afternoon and this morning finishing The Gathering Storm, the newest Wheel of Time book by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. And, let me just say: AWESOME. It was fantastic, it was well worth waiting for, it reminded me why I love this series so much, and MAN, it made me wish that I had someone around to discuss it with. (And by discuss, I kind of mean jump up and down and go, “EEEEEeeeeEEE! Wasn’t that awesome when _________!? And when _________?? I know! EEee!!”) A few of my friends have read some of the WoT books (and I’ve managed to get a few more started on the series recently), but the only person I know in real life who’s read all 11 books is my dad, and he hasn’t even started the new one yet. Normally I will blather on about books to whoever will pretend to listen, but in this case I still hold out hope that I’ll manage to convert one of the holdouts into finally reading the series, so I can’t even blather on to them for fear of spoilers. So it looks I’m going to have to wait for my fangirl squealing, at least until my dad reads it.

Unless anyone out there is a WoT fan and wants to jump up and down and “squeee!” with me?

Anyhow, the rest of today is going to be dedicated to writing reviews (I’ve still got a moderate backlog that I’d like to clear up by the end of the month), and maybe doing some baking – I’ve got a recipe for Vegan Apple Cider Cupcakes that I want to try out while it’s still appropriately apple-cider-y weather.

What about you, readers? Big plans for the remainder of the weekend? Already prepping for the upcoming holidays? Read something awesome recently and need a place to vent your “Squeee!”-ing about it? Let’s hear it. :)

136. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (2009)

Length: 406 pages

Genre: It’s a ghost story, but it’s not really Horror or Fantasy; there are Unspeakable Dark Secrets that people are keeping, but it’s not really a mystery. General Fiction, I guess, for lack of something better.

Started: 09 November 2009
Finished: 11 November 2009

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife, and a number of lucky-ducks who got an ARC said it was great, so I had to request it.

It’s a ghost story,
twin story, and mystery
all wrapped up in one.

(These haikus would be
most appropriate as a
palindrome, but… no.)

Summary: Identical twins Julia and Valentina Poole are directionless twenty-year-olds when they receive notification that their Aunt Elspeth – their mother’s estranged twin – has died of cancer. They’ve never met her, but in her will she’s left them her London flat and its contents, with the condition that they live in the flat for a year, and that neither of their parents may enter it. The girls find this odd, but lacking anything else to do, they move to London and into Elspeth’s flat, which is located right next to the famous Highgate Cemetery. As they meet her neighbors – including Martin, who creates crossword puzzles and is trapped in his apartment by severe OCD, and Robert, a cemetery tour guide who was also Elspeth’s lover – and adjust to their new lives, they begin to understand that not everything about London is what they thought it would be. For starters, it starts to seem like their aunt’s not entirely gone…

Review: While this book didn’t have the same emotional impact on me as did The Time Traveler’s Wife, it did have the same depth of characterization, the same intricate plotting, and the same compulsive readability. (It also had a very similar underlying theme of “How much can love survive?”) Starting at the beginning, Niffenegger does an excellent job of introducing, distinguishing, and building her characters; they’re all quirky, but no so quirky as to feel like cariacatures. They felt multi-layered and real enough that even when they were making bad decisions, I recognized those decisions as being entirely in character. The structure of the book is also well-done, the parallels between characters and events are always present, lending the book itself the symmetry of the title, without ever being intrusive. There are parts that got as complicated as anything in TTW (I had to make myself a little chart on my bookmark to keep track of one bit), but for the most part, it’s handled smoothly.

The best part about this book, however, was its absorbing, compulsively readable nature. I was sucked in very quickly, and then stayed up way past my bedtime for three nights running. I am apparently a big sucker for the Huge Unspeakably Bad Secrets from the Past plot device, and for three nights in a row, I couldn’t just put the book down and go to sleep… I mean, what if one of those secrets were explained in the very next chapter?!? (As it turns out, the penny finally dropped when I had two minutes left to read before I had to go lead a review session. Argh!) Also nice was that after ratcheting up all of that suspense, the Huge Unspeakably Bad Secrets a) weren’t super-predictable, and b) weren’t disappointing. The ending did a nice job of wrapping up the various threads while still keeping me involved, especially since by the end of the book, the only character I really still liked was Martin (see above re: bad decisions). So, while it didn’t leave me in a soggy puddle of tears like TTW, it was an addictingly good read, atmospheric and subtly creepy without being scary, intricately plotted and themed without being overbearingly Literary, and overall just a fascinating and very enjoyable read. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Anyone who likes Victorian ghost stories or the atmosphere of Gothic mysteries should definitely check this out, as should those who are just in the mood for an engrossing read.

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Links: Audrey Niffenegger’s home page

Other Reviews: 5 Minutes for Books, All About {n}, At Home With Books, Bailey’s and Books, Beth’s Book-Nook Blog, The Book Lady’s Blog, Book-a-rama, Books I Done Read, Books on the Brain, Booktumbling, Bookworm with a View, A Bookworm’s World, Devourer of Books, Farm Lane Books Blog, I’m Booking It, The Literate Housewife Review, A Lovely Shore Breeze, The Magical Lasso, Nomad Reader, Nose in a Book, Novels Now, Presenting Lenore, Reviews By Lola’s Blog, S. Krishna’s Books, Sasquatch Radio, Savidge Reads, Sophisticated Dorkiness, Stainless Steel Droppings, Well-Mannered Frivolity, Yule Time Reading
Have you reviewed this book? Leave a comment with the link and I’ll add it in.

First Line: Elspeth died while Robert was standing in front of a vending machine watching tea shoot into a small paper cup.

Cover Thoughts: Love it. The branches are wonderfully creepy, especially if you think of them like what the November view would be from one of the graves inside Highgate. Also, it’s kind of shiny/reflective, and I’m kind of like a crow when it comes to anything sparkly.

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 14: “His head was still bowed and he seemed to be intent on each sett in the courtyard as he walked across it.” – a small, rectangular paving stone.
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• p. 121: “She had the general appearance of a small girl who had been riding a waltzer in her nightclothes.” – a fairground ride that consists of a number of cars which are free to spin individually while rotating around a central point like a carousel. (So… a tilt-a-whirl?)