Lori's (lkernagh's) 2013 Kaleidoscope Year of Reading - Part 1

Lori's 2013 Kaleidoscope of Reading


January Kaleidoscope Picture: Snowdrops

I am back! Last year was my first year with the 75 group and I had a great time discovering new books, great conversations and making new friends. I am looking forward to even more fun in 2013!

Just like last year, the majority of my 2013 reading is being structured by the various challenges that I will be participating in for the year. My home base will be the 2013 Category Challenge group, but I will also be participating in the ROOT - 2013 Read Our Own Tomes, RTT - Reading Through Time and the SANDMAN groups on top of this one. There will be some duplication of reviews from group to group, as there are different members in each of the groups and I don't want anyone to feel left out or make them work to access a review.

No promises that I will be quick to respond to comments posted here - real life and work commitments take precedence. Just so you know, I read threads starting with the oldest unread posts in my Talk listing and work my way up from there so if you have a really active thread, I will get there - really I will - just no guarantees of frequent visits. I am also a bit of a lurker - sadly, no time to post comments every visit to every thread - but I will de-lurk on threads when a book mention/review, conversation or picture strikes my fancy.

To give you a feel for the books I will be reading in 2013, here are the categories for my 2013 Category Challenge:

1. All things GRAPHIC - Graphic Novels
2. All things NEW - published in 2012 or 2013
3. All things EPISTOLARY
4. All things GOTHIC
5. All things FABLES and FAIRY TALES - original and re-telling
6. All things EUROPA - books published by Europa Editions
7. All things REGENCY - books set in the Regency period
8. All things PENGUIN - books published by Penguin
9. All things MITFORD - Book series by Jan Karon
10. All things SERIES, SEQUELS, PREQUELS and TRILOGIES
11. All things NEWSWORTHY - books that get a lot of buzz (On LT, as prize contenders and winners, etc)
12. All things ON MY TBR BOOKCASE
13. All things WITH A TITLE, AUTHOR(S) AND WORDS WRITTEN - The life saving 'catch-all category'

Books read:

JANUARY:
#1 - The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber -
#2 - The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman -
#3 - Clay: A Novel by Melissa Harrison -
#4 - A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina Illustrated by Antonio Fuso -
#5 - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka-
#6 - A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch-
#7 - The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman -

FEBRUARY:
#8 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen -
#9 - The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison -
#10 - Black Butler, Vol. 1 by Yana Toboso -
#11 - Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso -
#12 - Lady Susan by Jane Austen -
#13 - Enter At Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices edited by Alex Scully -
#14 - Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon -
#15 - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel -
#16 - Black Butler, Vol. 3 by Yana Toboso -
#17 - Black Butler, Vol. 4 by Yana Toboso -
#18 - Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai -
#19 - Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge -

MARCH:

APRIL:

This thread is now open for business! Pull up a chair and settle in or breeze through while you are out and about the group..... the door is always open and the kettle is on!

Ooh, that's a pretty picture! I love kaleidoscopes.

Hi Lori, beautiful snowdrops!

Hi Lori, am looking forward to seeing what you read this year!

Hi Lori, I starred your thread. It looks both beautiful and interesting!

Hey there Lori, happy challenge reading in 2013! I have a suggestion to throw at you: Howl: A Graphic Novel, which I read and reviewed...it got a 4.5-star rating out of someone who dislikes the genre intensely. --?!--

Happy New Year Lori and happy reading! Starred.

Happy New Year Lori!! See you in 2013!!

Hi Lori - I've starred you! I'm looking forward to seeing all your interesting reads for 2013. I have got some great ideas from your 2012 thread :-)

Looking forward to see what you read for your graphic novels, fairy tales, and epistolary categories. Although I didn't create a category for them, I love letters, both non-fiction and fictional.

Hi Lori, I love your opening picture with the snowdrops. I am also someone who loves kaleidoscopes and I am very much looking forward to your reading this year. Your 13 category challenges are great and I will follow you there as well.

Wish you a very Happy and magical New Year!

WOW - Turn my back to make some coffee and work my way through some threads and visitors come knocking!

> 5 - Hi Paws - Me too!

> 6 - Hi Diana - Thanks and thanks for stopping by!

> 7 - Hi Cushla - Nice to see you here! I was a shameful lurker on your thread last year. I will be a more active participant this year..... once I locate your thread!

> 8 - Hi Monica! *waves* I don't think I have made it over to your thread yet. If not, I will get there......!

> 9 - Hi Richard, great to see you here and suggestions are always welcome! Adding Howl: a Graphic Novel to the reading list!

> 10 - Hi Peg! Happy New Year to you as well!

> 11 - Hi Monica! Happy New Year! I am looking forward to 2013 and following everyone's reading..... I just have one more book to finish - hopefully today - to end off my 2012 reading. I think it will take me until the new year to make my way through all the threads already here! ;-)

> 12 - Hi Susan! **double wave** Great to see you here! I still have to find your thread. Hope you have a Happy New Year, but I am pretty sure I will track your thread down before Tuesday!

> 13 - Hi Michelle - I am a newbie to graphic novels so I am looking forward to checking the genre out! I like how epistolary novels have really branched out - some of my favorite reads so far have been Where Rainbows End which is a fun, chicklit piece; 84 Charing Cross Road which is a classic, IMO; Ella Minnow Pea and The Incident Report which provides a great librarian perspective of some of the patron at a fictional downtown library in the form of, well, incident reports.

> 14 - Hi Bianca! Great to see you here! Thank you for the holiday wishes. 2013 is going to be a magical year for reading.... I can just feel it!

pretty picture! good luck with your challenge. I'll be lurking...

Glad to see you back with us again, Lori!

Happy New Year Lori!

Welcome back!

Hi Lori! Happy New Year! I've starred your thread and look forward to following your reading, particularly the graphic novel and Europa Editions categories.

Hi Jean, Stasia, Chelle, Jim and Kerri, Thanks for stopping by! I am literally bouncing with giddiness that the new year is almost here! I have decided that 2013 will be the year of "no New Years resolution" resolution..... I am just going to tackle 2013 as it happens and go with the flow of things.

I tend to be a bit of an early to bed individual so for the last three nights I have deliberately kept myself up past midnight just so that I am not yawning and making a total embarrassment of myself at 11:00 pm! My other half is more nocturnal in nature so staying awake for the festivities tonight will be no problem for him!

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy New Years eve!

Hi Lori! I'm the same way about being an early bird, but I'm also prone to bah-humbuggery so I'll be in bed at 9pm and not caring if I'm not awake during a specific second that really has no meaning or remote importance whatsoever. Bah! :P

HAPPY NEW YEAR LORI!

Happy New Year, Lori!

Ah! I see you! Your thread is now starred, and your last thread from 2012, too. I hope to catch up with you soon.

I too go to bed at an ungodly early hour, and resultingly, I get up before the birds. It gives me a good bit of time before the day really begins to catch up on many things LT.

Well, here we go: may you have all you wish to have, do all you wish to do, and be all you wish to be in 2013! Happy New Year.

> 23 - Stephen, so happy to see you here and why doesn't it surprise me that you are prone to bah-humbuggery. I am still working my way through all the various threads, which means I haven't come to your yet, but I will get there.... even if it is to scare you out of bed with noisemakers to bring in the New Year!

> 24 - Thanks Rachel! I haven't come across your thread yet but I am sure I will soon enough! In the meantime, I hope you have a Happy New Years!

> 25 - Hi Katie! Happy News Years to you and yours! This is going to be such a fun year! I am pretty sure I haven't found your thread yet, either..... the hunt is on!

> 26 - Hi Karen, you found me. Excellent! I think I need a nap before tonight, just to be on the safe side..... ;-) Thank you for the Happy New Years wishes!

Happy NY, Lori. Here's to 2013's literary adventures! Did you ever get to Vanderhaeghe's A Good Man?

Hi, Lori - found you! Happy reading in 2013!

Lori - so happy to see you back with us again. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!! Gorgeous kaleidoscope!

Happy New Year, Lori! Love your snowdrop kaleidoscope!

Happy New Year, Lori!

Bright blessings for a new year!

Happy New Year Lori - I look forward to following your reading for another year:)

Happy New Year Lori! Love your kaleidoscope picture.

> 23 Hi Lori, sorry I had to laugh at that. I am the excact opposite. After 20+ years of mainly doing night shifts I have become an exceptional night owl *grin*.
When I am in Germany and I have to get up Mon-Fri at 6.30 am, I feel seriously tortured. Usually, I don't sleep well because I am scared that I will not hear my alarm clock and my mom has to wake me at least once a week - because I INDEED didn't hear the alarm *blush*.
Although, this doesn't mean that I would sleep all day. The best time for me to get up in the morning is between 8.00 and 9.00 am.

Happy New Year, everyone! I am too tired to try and find a pretty gif so it is the sentiment alone that you get this morning. I hope everyone had an enjoyable New Years eve. Ours was fun - a few friends, music, munchies and bubbly - to bring in 2013. No fireworks - the city hasn't had a new years eve fireworks display for a number of years now - but overall, a very enjoyable evening.

We were planning on attending the Lieutenant Governor's levee at Government House this morning, but my other half is still comfortably sleeping and I am in the mood to spend the day lounging around in my jammies - I don't get along with champagne so my head is a bit fuzzy this morning - so I will probably roam my book shelves to see what I should start the year off reading.

I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice on my iPod touch and probably will be reading it off and on for most of January as my 'emergency stuck in a line-up' reading material. I have a couple of ER books from last year that I really need to get to - Clay by Melissa Harrison and the Gothic short story collection Enter at Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices edited by Alex Scully. I also have the first Sandman GN out from the library - The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes - so today will probably shape up to be a quiet day of LT and reading...... and it is back to work tomorrow.

----------------------
Now for some individual responses:

> 28 - Thank you Nancy, and a warm Happy New Years wish back to you! No, I haven't gotten around to reading A Good Man yet. Maybe this year.

> 29 - Hi Liz, Thanks! Happy reading to you as well! I am really lookng forward to following your reading again this year!

> 30 - Paul, Thank You! I am happy to be back for another fun year! I will find your thread.... or have you already sped onto thread #2?

> 31 - Monica, Thank you for the fireworks! This replaces the fireworks we didn't have last night, and beautifully!

> 32 - Hi Katie! *Big Wave* Happy New Years to you and thanks, I will be posting kaleidoscope pictures over the course of the year. The theme, if you haven't guessed it already, is to create monthly kaleidoscope pictures from pictures of flowers that are considered the flower for the month. For January I had a choice between carnations or snowdrops.

> 33 - Hi Anne! Happy New Years to you! As I mentioned above, there will be more coming over the year!

> 34 - Thank you for the Happy New Year wishes, Diana! I wish you great New Year!

> 35 - Hi Morphy! Sending you the warmest wishes for a bright, happy and healthy year for you and Mr. Morphy!

> 36 - Happy New Year, calm! I am looking forward to being a frequent visitor to your threads for all the great books that you read!

> 37 - Thanks! Happy New Year to you as well, Rhian!

> 38 - Bianca, I can totally see how working night shifts would, over time turn someone into an exceptional night owl! I am a morning bird and my favorite time of day is the first two hours after I wake up. On the weekends that translates into a couple of hours of 'me' time as my other half continues to sleep! I do love having 'me' time like that..... very relaxing way to start the day!

Hi Lori! Just checking in on the new thread. Happy New Year! :)

Happy New Year, Lori! Starring your thread so that I can find my way back again!

> 40 - Hi Mickey.... You're here, you're here! I seriously need to track down your thread. In the meantime, Happy New Year!

> 41 - Hi Mamie, it is so great to see you stopping by! I have started to rabbit hop through the threads to find everyone, and I am happy to report that I have found your thread! The dust should settle in a couple of weeks - fingers crossed - so that I am not always on page 3 of my Talk trying to catch up with everything!

Hi Lori - looks like your New Year has gotten off to a good start.

Found you! I've starred the thread, so expect to see me around. I'll also be seeing you on RTT and ROOT.

Happy New Year, Lori! Another star-er here.

Hi Lori,
I'm late to the party but Happy New Year and I look forward to reading about your reading.

Dropping a star and wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Whew - why is it that the first day back to work after a break always seem so loooong! It was unusually quiet heading into work this morning, which I thought was rather odd until I was reminded that the schools here don't go back until next week. The usual morning traffic will probably resume next week. For now I will be thankful there was no line up on my morning coffee stop en route to the office!

The Christmas tree is now down and all of the holiday ornaments are now boxed away until December. I am looking forward to settling in for an hour of quiet reading time and then off to bed.

But before I do that, I have visitors to respond to!

> 43 - Kerry, great to see you here! Happy New Year! my 2013 is off to a fine start! I need to find your thread.... for some reason it is not showing up in my starred listing. Threadbook, here I come!

> 44 - Hi Samantha! Thanks for the visit and the star. I am sure we will bump into one another over the various groups and on each other's thread.

> 45 - Hello Joe, I feel honored by your visit, knowing just how busy your cafe thread is!

> 46 - Hi Stephen, no one is ever late to the party. At some point, late to the party transitions into being early to the next party! ;-) Nice to see you here!

> 47 - Hi Deb, Hope you also had some of the sunshine we had today! I am looking forward to see you adding books to my Can Lit reading this year. I will see if I can add to yours. Thanks for the star!

Happy New Year Lori. I could probably copy and paste your opening message to my thread we are so similar in the groups we are partcipating in and the no time to post a lot etc. I'm on holiday so have spent many hours on LT today catching up with people. Sadly I won't be able to keep it up when I am back at work.

#48: Lori, aren't the school holidays lovely for commuting?! My bus has been nearly empty, and so quiet...I think the kids here go back next week, though, so I only have one more day to enjoy it.

Lori - busy busy busy over here and pleased to see so. Hope you have got your year's reading off to a good start.

Hi Lori! Just here returning your visit to my thread. I love your thead opening picture and your categories sound right up my alley. Looking forward to following along with your reads.

Hi Lori!

thank you for visiting my thread :)

I have you starred now and looking forward to following your reads especially since you have a graphic novel category (have never read a graphic novel) and I have some Frank Beddor on my wish list!

Happy New Year Lori.

I look forward to visiting here often.

Day two in the new year of ..... SUNSHINE! For those not in the know, two days of sunshine in a row at this time of year over here on the island is a bit of an anomaly. Usual weather patterns are grey overcast skies, rain with the occasional sleet thrown in (if the temp drops low enough), high winds when Mother Nature really wants her presence to be known and overall 'blah'.

On the reading front, I am current 54 pages into The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes , which I started last night. Reading it as part of the Sandman Group and I have to say, the first 20 pages had me slightly pensive as to what I was taking on by reading this one but I am really starting to warm up the story and the graphics. Looking forward to reading more this evening.

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Before I bid adieu for the evening, I have individual responses for all of my recent visitors:

> 50 - Hi Lisa! I hear you.... the return to work means a huge drop in LT time for me as well. I had to giggle tonight....because there is no other response to the fact that my Talk is now 4 pages deep in unread messages... and my active group membership is not all that big! I am sure we will bump into each other fairly often on the various groups as we travel through this reading yea.

> 51 - Commuting is a pleasure during the school holidays! I am dreading next week and the return to buses full of passengers with dripping umbrellas and ginormous backpacks packed in like sardines on rainy days - which is the weather prediction for the next 7 days. Unless we have a wind warning along with the rain, there are days when I will walk the 3 km home to avoid the packed bus.

> 52 - Hi Paul, This is a busy time of year for threads here in the group! I think I am going to start examining 'rabbit hopping' strategies through the group just so I can stay on top of the threads of all of my friends and visitors. Good news is that means I will most likely manage more than one visit per thread to your active threads!

> 53 - Nice to see you here, Cobscook!

> 54 - Hi Kara! Thanks for stopping by!

> 55 - Happy News Year, Linda!

Hi Lori, great to hear that you are warming up to the Sandman series. I read them when they initially came out and started last year again. However, so far I only re-read volume 1 which I enjoyed pretty much.

That is truly bizarre weather, Lori. We're having weird weather here too. It's been oddly warm for January. Which probably means February will be freezing. Crazy global warming.

Glad you're warming up to the Gaiman. Hope it continues to work for you. :)

Hmmm, I'm one of the few people out here who isn't totally thrilled with Gaiman. Too cynical for me. Which surprises me, because I can often take and even dish out big helpings of cynical. Is that what you were reacting to?

Preludes and Noctures is on my list of graphic novels I want to read this year, so I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

I just signed Preludes and Nocturnes out of the library too. :)

HI, Lori! I have this thread starred now!

Hi Lori, I'm dropping a star so I can visit you here or on your 2013 Challenge thread. I have read the first Sandman so I ordered Volume 2 from the library and should be starting it early next week.

Happy first weekend of 2013 everyone!

So far my reading has been on the slow side - I am now halfway through The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes. I have now completely warmed up to the story and even some of the characters. I am also now 10 chapters into Pride and Prejudice - wow, talk about some catty, conniving and snobbish characters! P&P is my 'stuck in a lineup' reading so it will take me some time to get through it.

I many not have any completed books to report on, but I do have my first two acquisitions for 2013, purchased this morning at one of the used bookstores I frequent:


We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
The City & The City by China Mieville

I have set myself a goal to read 30 books off my TBR bookcase this year over on the ROOTs Group, so of course I am curious to see if my acquisitions exceed my reading.... which it probably will.

-----------------------

And now for some individual responses:

> 57 - Hi Bianca, This is one of the first GNs for me so it has taken a little bit of time for me to adjust to reading both the text and the graphics to understand the story. It wasn't until Imperfect Hosts - which I am going to call "chapter two" that I even started to get an inkling of the story Gaiman was presenting here. I am looking forward to finishing it this weekend.

> 58 - Hi Micky, crazy weather and I don't get along unless I get to stay indoors under a blanket with a stack of books. I always hate the Alberta winter cold snaps after a warm spell. I remember flying back to visit family one Febrary and the week I was there was the week that the temps never rose above -25C (-45C with windchill). I am just not built for those kinds of temps anymore, I am an island wuss now.

> 59 - Hi Katie, Gaiman does present a bleak, negative, brooding picture in Sandman. What would this be classifed as - a fantasy dystopian? My initial problem with volume 1 was more in the way the story tends to zing around from one character/scenario to another without a lot of connectivity for the reader to grab onto. I am far enough in now that it doesn't come across so random in nature but it is not reading material that I can sit down and plow through in one sitting.

> 60 - Hi Morphy, it is going to be an interesting book to write a review of... so far I have more questions than answers reading volume 1, so I am hoping participation in the Sandman Group will generate some good discussion and answer some of my questions.

> 61 - Yay Rachel! I am so looking forward to be able to discuss this one with other members of the group!

> 62 - Hi Terri! Thanks for stopping by!

> 63 - Hi Judy, That is great! I think the Sandman group is warming up for the year of Sandman reading ahead.

64. I loved The City & The City (once I got into it and understood what on earth I was getting myself into) and hope you'll enjoy it too.

>64 lkernagh: Oh P&P. I never can manage a slow read of that one. Is this your first time reading it, Lori?

Oh you island wusses. You realize us tough Albertans make fun you all the time? ;)

@64 Fantasy, Celtic-based. I suppose it's dystopian, but it predates the latest dystopia craze and it's no bleaker than the original Celtic lore is. The Victorians brightened up the typical Irish and Scottish Fey. The old lot contained a bunch of soul-suckers, tricksters and demon lovers with a special appetite for preying on the drunk and consuming the humans when they were done.

I haven't read enough Sandman to be sure I'm on solid ground, but I'd say it's different from a typical dystopia because it isn't set in a world so different from ours. For example, in the average dystopia there is a specific government that is corrupt or it's the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster. V is for Vendetta would be set in a dystopia because the government has become corrupt. Sandman seems like it's the underbelly of our own world, but with magic. Underbellies are more Noir than dystopian. Just a thought.

Hi from " across the pond" that being Georgia Strait" :) or is it Juan de Fuca? Would you believe that despite it having rained most of the day - there is a break in the rain and my husband has rushed out to the park to fly his stunt kites. I think you would have seen those sorts of Kites in Victoria. My husband belongs to stunt kite flying club and I know that there is a particular place in Victoria that is favoured -can't remember the name.

Congratulations on the first acquisitions of the year, Lori!

Great acquisitions Lori! I loved We Need to Talk About Kevin!

Ooh, acquisitions! I have been holding out, but I think I will have to get one thing from the UK 12 Days of Kindle sale.

I'll be rereading Preludes and Nocturnes this week for the Sandman GR. Looking forward to it, just wish I could find more time to read at present. Are you still enjoying it?
I listened to an audiobook of The City & the City last year and it was quite a treat.

> 66 - Yes, Micky, this is my first time reading P&P. It is also my first time reading Austen, shocking, I know! If the rainy weather for next week occurs as predicted, I will probably make more headway on P&P as my transit reading material.

I know, this island of wusses that I am a part of is the joke of the entire country whenever the threat of snow is raised, leading everyone here to scamper home with a stockpile of essentials to last a month. ;-) From my perspective, I like my co-islanders to lock themselves indoors and to stay off the roads when the snow does come... too many of them are scary drivers under ideal weather conditions, so I would rather they were not on the roads when snow/slush makes an appearance, for my personal safety and the safety of everyone else that does know what to do when the snow falls!

> 67 - I haven't read any original Celtic lore but what you said makes sense, Katie. Thanks! Sandman as being the underbelly of our own world is a good way to describe it. I am hoping to make more headway on the story this afternoon.

> 68 - If we are going based on the direct route a bird would fly between us, then you are right with the Strait of Georgia as the main body of water separating us! Stunt kite flying sounds like a great hobby, especially out here on the coast with the winds we get! Clover Point is one of the kite flying locations that I am aware on the island - a big grass/parking lot along the Dallas road waterfront. At this time of year, I guess it makes sense to head out when the chance presents itself!

> 69 - Thanks, Stasia! Hope all is well with you.

> 70 - Thanks Chelle! I am looking forward to it, even though I understand it is an emotionally charged read!

> 71- Considering we are still in single digits for the days in the new year, I obviously have no will power, whatsoever! :-) a 12 Days of Kindle sale sounds very difficult to pass up!

> 72 - Hi Kerry, I am enjoying Sandman the more I get into it. Looking forward to you joining in discussions over on the Sandman Group!

------------------------

Surprise, surprise..... I have finished my first book of 2013 (no, it's not the Sandman book). This was a quick read I decided to start yesterday afternoon and finished this morning. Review coming shortly.

Book #1 - The Twitter Diaries by Georgie Thompson and Imogen Lloyd Webber

Tuesday (@TuesdayFields), a British sports reporter, and Stella (@StellaCavill), a New York-based men's shoe designer, are introduced in New York City on New Year's Eve by a mutual friend, a notorious transatlantic TV host. The two thirtysomethings strike up an instant bond. Over the next 365 days, (@TuesdayFields) and (@StellaCavill) put the world to rights, one tweet at a time. From Melbourne to Monaco to Manhattan, the girls flirt and fall out with athletes, movie stars, and TV hosts. And then there's their mothers...

Yes, I was interested enough to find out how a story written in tweets would present itself to check this one out from my local library. Overall, it could have been a lot worse. The authors do provide a written prologue and epilogue to put context around the story of tweets as well as character bios at the start of the book for the various fictitious twitter handles used in the book. As it is not an overly large cast of characters, the bios seem to be there to provide a sense of background so the reader understands the context of the tweets. I was hoping to see more of a twitter conversation with multiple parties chiming in than just the two-way conversation between Tuesday and Stella, but that might have proven unwieldy to turn into a readable story. I don't know, just guessing. So long as you can accept a story written only in short sentences/sentence fragments that comes across more like a series of instant messenger conversations between two people, it's is very readable.

Sadly, outside of the writing style, there is almost little to no originally to the story itself - its is your basic tried and true chicklit with all the formula requirements of boyfriend, career and mother/family troubles, with a wardrobe malfunction or two thrown into the mix. The authors - Thompson lives in London as a TV presenter for a sports network, and Webber lives in New York City where she is a writer and on-air contributor for a network - appear to have stuck close to home in writing about what they know, right down to how the first meeting of their respective characters mirrors how the two authors met and became friends in real life. The story does have some good lines and the overall 'I am there for you if you need me' relationship but the climatic "OMG" moments tend to come off a bit flat.

Overall, this was an entertaining and very quick weekend bit of fluff reading, but not ground-breaking by any means.

Decimal Rating: 2.97
2.75 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
2.75 - Imagery/Visualization
1.50 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 400 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female (X2)

400 pages of Twitter... no way I would have been brave enough to read this book. I bet your review's much better than the book.

75> Ditto! There's no way I'm picking that book up - ever!

Hope you enjoy The City and the City Lori - it's one of my favourite books of the last five years.

Good for you for trying the Sandman series, Lori. If you keep liking it all the way through, you have a lot of wonderful reading ahead of you in the series.

I'm another one who loved The City and the City. It's become my favorite Mieville. Hope you enjoy it.

We Need To Talk About Kevin is a book that has stayed with me for a long time. The subject matter is tough but it is such a compelling read. I'm really glad I didn't read it before I had kids though!

Hi Lori! I only recently read Jane Austen for the first time, and now I'm completely mad for her! I mostly listened to audios, and am now starting to listen to them again. They make a long commute much more pleasant. Enjoy!

Woha Lori, and a Mieville. I loved The City and The City as well, but then I liked everything by him so far. One of my fave's by him was Embassytown where the main protagonist is not a person, but language. :)
Glad to hear that you enjoy the Sandman GN's.

Hi Lori, I'm,delurking to say how much I admire your system to come up with your decimal ratings. Very precise! I hope you enjoy We Need to Talk About Kevin. Seriously creepy and memorable.

Love your catch-all category #13. I didn't keep up with my 12-in-12 Challenge thread very well last year so I decided to just have my thread here in the 75 group. Glad you are with us!

>73 lkernagh: Oh I envy you that first encounter with Austen. Re-reading is a great pleasure it's just such a delight to encounter her writing style for the first time.

Hi, Lori, I'm down here, western Washington State, waving hello! All the weather discussion between you and Vancouverdeb could just include me, too. We've been having pretty steady rain: either the down pour that is tough to drive through on the freeways or the vague misty damp stuff that isn't really rain, but nonetheless you become soaking wet while on a short dog walk. Bleak. I do like it for settling in for a good Do Nothing But Read Day.

I'm reading Anna Karénina with the GR, and Howl in graphic novel format, and The Last Unicorn with a GR in The Green Dragon Group. What a weird combination. I'll be more of a lurker this year than I was last but I'll be back to see you from time to time.

I have been a little busy for the past two days and have been very neglectful of my threads in the process. It warms the heart to settle in after a damp commute home this evening to see all the wonderful posts everyone has left!

> 75 - Hi Monica, Thanks! I have to say that 400 pages of Twitter does looks excessive! There is a fair bit of white space on the pages,based on the way they spaced out the tweets. Written in a more conventional manner or just removing the extra line break between each tweet, the book probably would be similar to a 200 page novel.

> 76 - Hahaha, Samantha, it is a good thing we have so many other books that we can choose from!

> 77 - Hi Rhian, I am looking forward to it! So far all I have read by Mieville is Perdido Street Station and his short story collection Looking for Jake. Both were great.

> 78 - Hi Joe, I finished Preludes and Nocturnes last night. Quite the story to read and I am looking forward to reading volume 2 of the The Sandman, probably some time next month.

> 79 - Hi Cobstock, compelling works for me, and I will keep the idea of the tough subject matter in mind when I get around to reading it.

> 80 - Hi Anne, nice to see I am not the only one to recently start reading Austen!

> 81 - Hi Bianca, looks like The City & The City is a winner for visitors to my thread! Very happy to see that and that Embassytown is a fave. The idea of language as the main protagonist has caught my attention!

> 82 - Hi Donna, thanks for delurking! I started using a slightly scaled down version of the rating system last year and fine tuned it for this year. It comes in handy at the end of the year to create a year end summary too! I am still working my way through all the threads so at some point I will track yours down.

> 83 - Hi Micky! LOL, I will admit her writing style is very easy for a reader like me.... there seems to be a bit of an enthusiastic bounce to it, if I can give a writing style an emotional expression!

> 84 - Hi Karen, makes sense you are experiencing similar weather to Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland of BC. Misty rain - that was what I experienced for the past two morning on my commute into work. Good thing I prefer skirts over pants for work wear - nylons/tights dry a lot faster then wet pant legs, and there is nothing worse than arriving to work damp and feeling damp all day!

----------------

On the reading front, I have finished volume 1 of Sandman but need to wrap my head around it a bit before writing a review. Its early to bed tonight as I have an usually early start to my work day tomorrow.

My next reading book is Clay: a novel by Melissa Harrison, an LTER book that I am long over due in reading and reviewing!

The first book of the Sandman series is...interesting. It had the best art in the main series in my opinion, but the story was a bit scatterbrained. It gets more cohesive after the first collection. :)

> 86 - come now Stephen, "interesting" is such an ambiguous term........ it can mean sooooo many different things! You do realize that I am very intrigued by your comment and that I will just have to investigate further myself. ;-)

Review of Sandman vol. 1 is now written. I am looking forward to continuing the series. Review coming.....

Book #2 - The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
Sandman Group



This is my first foray into graphic novels and quite the experience this was! On top of that, my only prior Gaiman reading experience was his book Coraline, and I don't think that comes even close to preparing me for what I was in for when I started the Sandman series, a cult comic book series that swirls around the concept of the personification of dreams.

Originally published in the late 1980's in single magazine format, the eight 'episodes' contained in this volume set the stage for what is to come - or at least I think it does - and helps to display the creative story telling mind of Gaiman. Sadly, it also shows the growing pains of a project when you bring together a team that has never worked together before and task them with producing a monthly serial.

This is not so much a review, it is more a rambling of my thoughts. While some of the literary allusions and pop culture inclusions worked for me, others didn't - Thank you, Neil, but I really didn't need the song "Sweet Dreams" running through my head again. I still don't get the purpose of the inclusion of the whole Cain and Abel angle in Imperfect Hosts but I did like how the three witches - sorry Fates.... I mean witches... whatever - were presented.

Dream a Little Dream of Me is my favorite episode in this volume. I like the gritty, sarcastic 'take the world head on' John Constantine character. I also liked how we start to see behind the facade of Morpheus, the Sandman as we glimpse inside his more complex soul here. I also started to notice a somewhat cleaner presentation to the artwork.

I have mixed feelings about A Hope in Hell. I loved the story - absolutely loved it - and completely hated the artwork. This was one of the times where they either just got too experimental with the whole idea or the team wasn't working as a team. Overall effect dampened my enthusiasm for what could have been a perfect story.

Passengers was alright, but nothing to write home about. I found the whole Justice League angle somewhat cheesy and not well done, given the wealth of material they could have borrowed from. Again, back to the weird, experimental artwork that didn't work for me.

24 Hours was too much of a hard core horror for my tastes for me to really want to spend anymore time then I had to to read it. No stellar artwork to make me want to linger over it longer, either.

Sound and Fury was another example, after A Hope in Hell, that trades on a version of the classic theme, good versus evil. For the record, I seriously do not get the dude at the asylum - obviously one of the literary allusions that is lost on me.

The Sound of Her Wings is my second favorite episode in this volume. By this point, I am fascinated with Sandman and the human qualities that Gaiman has given this other than human being. The introduction of Death is well done and a good balance to the Sandman. The artwork is clean and 'uncluttered' compared to the other episodes. The story does feel like the epilogue Gaiman classifies it as and more philosophical in nature.

Overall, Gaiman has created a very interesting character to represent the 'good guy' in this battle and a story that cast a spell over me the farther I got into it. I am not sure if it is something that I will ever consider re-reading at some point in the future, but it is an experience worth undertaking.

Decimal Rating: 3.89
3.50 - Plot Development
3.75 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
4.00 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
3.00 - Artistry (GN)
4.75 - Originality
5.00 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 240 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Haha, sorry, what I meant to say was that the first collection is...intriguing.

Okay I guess that isn't better, is it? :P

I really liked the art throughout that book, but I agree with what you alluded to in the Sound of Wings paragraph that it seemed a bit cluttered, especially the first one. I really liked the art of the first story, but it was kind of hard to 'read' the art at times.

After the first book, Gaiman really hits is stride with the story-telling aspect of his writing and it becomes better. :)

Lori, I remember when the early books written in emails came out, so I suppose Twitter is the next progression of that...Maybe kids in 20 years' time will ask what on earth emails were.

I've read precisely one graphic novel, which was Persepolis, but the format didn't grab me. Maybe I should try another one, to reinforce my prejudices :-)

Lori - I already had your 13 in 13 thread starred, but somehow I discovered that I'd yet to discover this one. I've fixed that now!

Lori- I finally stumbled my way over here. Good luck on another great reading year. I loved We Need to Talk About Kevin. It is completely seared into my brain. I also really liked The City & The City. My first Mieville.

Happy weekend, Lori!

It is now the WEEKEND!!!!!! *Toots party horn and throws confetti*

I am looking forward to a jam-packed weekend of: Reading - sleeping - Reading - eating - Reading - napping and ..... oh yes, Reading! Okay, I might tackle some laundry and a little bit of cooking, but other than that, my activities calendar is fully booked as stated.... and yes, the pun was intended! ;-P

Happy weekend, everyone!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

> 89 - Stephen, "Intriguing" does sound a little more descriptive over "interesting". Some of the art did work for me and you are right, it was hard to 'read' the art at times. YAY, for the stories improving, not to mean that volume one was a stinker or anything like, it was still a good read. I admit it might get a little challenging to pace myself to spread the reading out over the year. I wasn't expecting the second volume to be available when I placed the hold with my library on Wednesday!

> 90 - I agree, Susan. Technological advances have an interesting habit of changing things, including expectations.... makes me think that some of the books I have set aside for my epistolary category may appear "quaintly old-fashioned" because they take the form of letter correspondence to be mailed between the characters. Waiting days, weeks or even months for a reply letter to arrive even strikes me as something I can no longer relate to...... I am still trying to fathom the idea that some people would play a game of long distance chess that way now that we have email, twitter and even instant messaging a options for those that don't want to play online! Persepolis is on my candidates list of GNs for this year. Based on that list and the GNs that I have sitting on my reading table right now, you will be seeing what I hope will be a good variety of GNs posted here this year, maybe even one or two that might catch your interest. ;-)

> 91 - Hi Lori, I am still trying to work my way through the various 75er threads dropping stars so I would say you have made good progress in locating me here!

> 92 - Hi Mark, great to see you stopping by! Any book that can be seared into a reader's brain must be one powerful book! Thanks for the warning, I think, and for the rec for The City & The City. That one is getting a lot of recommendations so it may just become the next Mieville I read.

> 93 - Thanks Diana! I hope you have a great weekend, too!

I just started Preludes and Nocturnes an hour ago. I'm liking it so far. I'm not a huge graphic novel reader, so I needed to get used to the style...but after a while I really got into the story. :)

Hope all your weekend wishes come true Lori, even the ones you repeated severally. x

Hi Lori - I hope all that reading is going well! I've had a day of reading too, apart from an hour I unaccountably lost in the middle of the afternoon...

I'll look out for more of your reviews of graphic novels and I'll be interested to see what you think of Persepolis.

Hi, Lori--thanks for delurking on my thread so I could find you! I am still way behind in the threads on this group.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend READING, Lori!

HI Lori, that sounds like an absolutely fantastic weekend :) I hope you managed to get some lovely reading done....hope you didn't forget to eat over your reading.

Happy remaining Sunday!

The end of a weekend is always such a sad time..... *sighs*

> 95 - Hi Rachel, I agree. Like you, I am not a huge GN reader - although I think 2013 may change that - and it did take a while for me to get into Preludes and Nocturnes. Glad to see you are liking it so far! I am curious to see how Gaiman expands on the story in the further volumes.

> 96 - Thanks Paul. I hope yours was lovely!

> 97 - Reading was good, just not as much as I had hoped, but that is the tradeoff when you live someone and there is an expectation of a certain level of interaction! ;-) Overall it was a good weekend.... just way too short!

> 98- Hi Roni, Thanks for stopping by! I will be visiting your thread on a regular basis know that I have discovered you post amazing pictures of the jewelry you create, along with book reviews and pottery!

> 99 - Thanks Terri! I hope you had a great weekend, as well!

> 100 - Hi Bianca, Thanks! One thing I never have to worry about is forgetting to eat! I tend to be a bit of a day-long grazer when I am at home, having little 'mini meals' throughout the day. I have read somewhere that eating multiple smalls meals throughout the day is better for the body that eating three big meals. Anyways, it does work for me. I hope you have had a good weekend and that Alex is on the mend!

---------

True to form, the weekend wasn't quite as scheduled, but that's okay. Saturday was a great day to be outdoors - crisp air, blue skies and not a cloud in sight - so my plans did derail slightly.

We - meaning my other half and I - watched the movie Constantine Saturday night. A great movie to see a bit more of John Constantine's story... keeping in mind that all I knew about the John Constantine character going into the movie was gleaned from Sandman's Dream a Little Dream of Me. Tilda Swinton was perfect cast to play the role of the angel Gabriel. I am now on the hunt for all of the John Contantine related stuff and luckily, my local library has a fair number of books listed in the catalogue.

My other half is a little surprised and a bit bemused that I appear to be turning into a bit of a comic/GN junkie. He probably never saw that one coming! ;-)

On the reading front I did finish two books this weekend - one ER book and one GN - and I also made further progress on my on-going reading of Austen's Pride and Prejudice - I am now at Chapter 17 in that book. Reviews coming.

Next Up: Marina Lewychka's A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian.

Book #3 - Clay: A Novel by Melissa Harrison



Harrison's debut novel is a beautiful story of innocence and an awakening awareness of the natural world around us. TC is a young boy from a broken home who lives with his mom in a housing scheme in an unidentified UK town near a city park and commons. The green spaces are a refuge for TC, away from home and school. Others also take comfort in the green space: 78 year old Sophia Adams continues to live in a ground floor flat of Plestor Estates near the park, where her daughter Linda and son Michael were raised and where she is trying to develop an interest in nature in her granddaughter Daisy; and Josef, is a recent Polish immigrant in his 40's from a small farming community.

Told over the course of 12 months, the story follows nature's path through the seasons and slowly unfolds the stories of the various characters - TC's troubles at home and school; Josef's struggles to understand the concrete city he now lives in and its inhabitants, at times so alien from the life he knew in his native Poland; and Sophia's observations from her kitchen window of the park and the interactions she has with her daughter and granddaughter.

he main focal point of the story is the park, and it is the park that draws the characters together. As beautiful as Harrison's prose is, and as well drawn as the characters are, I found the overall story of our characters and the plot overshadowed by her lyrical descriptions of the natural world. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but may prove to be a bit of a slog for a reader more interested in the characters than the scenery. Overall, an insight-fully written story of the challenges of our modern lives and the resilience of nature to continue its own life-cycle rhythm around us.

This book was courtesy of Librarything's Early Review Program.

Decimal Rating: 3.72
3.00 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
3.75 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
3.50 - Premise
4.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.00 - Originality
3.75 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 259 pages
Source: LTER
Male/Female Author: Female

Book #4 - A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina Illustrated by Antonio Fuso
Category: - all things GRAPHIC

Meet the Ushers. The parents, Ted and Biddy. Grandma Martha. The three kids, William, Amy and Sam. Just a normal, middle-class family gathered around the table on Christmas Day. Until they start dying. Violent deaths. One by one. Is there a curse on their house, as a recently unearthed history of witchcraft in the area would suggest? Or has one member of the Usher clan declared open season on the rest? As secrets and resentments boil to the surface, it becomes clear that more than one Usher has a motive for killing off the others. But in the end, the truth turns out to be far more shocking than anyone in this ill-fated family could have imagined.

If twisted, creepy family tales intrigue you, this one is a bit of a gem. A bit outside of my usual reading as it is more of a crime GN - and a dark one at that - but still one that made for a great quick read. The story has the bite and hold of a Edgar Allen Poe story, and yes, it did make me think of 'The Fall of the House of Usher' a bit as I was reading this one. If you decide to read it, the story takes some time to build and it is mainly due to the great ending that I was able to give it the rating that I have. Fuso's artwork is devoid of colour - all black, white and shades of grey - in keeping with the dark story Mina has written. I really like the attention to detail of shadow, facial expressions and body language in the illustrations. The story was the perfect length, once I realized how important the mundane details at the start of the story really were. The lightweight, off-colour recycled paper the story is printed on was a perfect complement to the story. This type of story doesn't need and in fact works against the idea of a story that is anything but black and white being produced on high gloss paper using sharp black ink.

I recommend this one for readers of dark, crime novels that focus on the inner workings of a family and for GN enthusiasts.

Decimal Rating: 3.97
3.75 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
4.75 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
4.50 - Artistry (GN)
3.75 - Originality
5.00 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hard cover
# of Pages: 180 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

I think I'll pass on your most recent book, Lori!

Hmm A Sickness in the Family sounds intriguing! My library does not have many graphic books at all, and I usually feel I cannot justify purchasing a graphic, but I may need to look into that one!

Right now I'm in the midst of the wonderful Speaking from Among the Bones.... wonderful Flavia and Bishops Lacey - such treat of a book, Lori!

Well, A Sickness in the Family just made my reserve list at the library... :)

Great review of A Sickness in the Family! I've also heard great things about Tractors -- enjoy!

I just ordered Preludes and Nocturnes from the library. We'll see how it goes!

Really liked that review of Preludes and Nocturnes, Lori. Can't wait to hear your reactions as you get further into the series.

I think I already commented on Mieville and The City and the City, which was really well done. I agree that Embassytown is another top one of his, and the angle on language is fascinating. Challenging, too.

May I de-lurk for a moment to say how very in awe I am of your rating system? And more than that, you write lovely reviews, too!

Happy Monday!

Clay: A Novel sounds like a fascinating story. My wish list keeps expanding at a rate faster than I can read!

> 104 - I completely understand, Roni! It's not a book for everyone, that is for sure!

> 105 - Oh, Deb, I think you will like A Sickness in the Family and agree, I cannot justify purchasing a GN either! I know it was a new book for my library - I think they got it in just this past Nov/Dec so your library may get in a copy. Yay, for Falvia... that is such a good one, too!

> 106 - *Big Smile!* Enjoy, Jim.... it is a good, quick read!

> 107 - Thanks Anne! A Short History of Tractors in the Ukrainian is already proving to be a bit of a surprising read and I am only on page 19 - not what I was expecting, and in a good way!

> 108 - Yay, Morphy! I am so looking forward to your comments on Gaiman's Sandman!

> 109 - Thanks Joe! Sandman is going to be an interesting year of reading, I can see that already! Mieville has an amazing way with world builds and characters. Part of me is wondering if there are any limitations to his writing.... further examination is required! ;-)

> 110 - It is great to see you stopping by and de-lurking, Dejah, and thank you! I am blushing at your compliments!

> 111 - Hi Lori, Clay is well written and hits life from a slightly different lens, which made it a pleasure to read. Wishlists and Librarything are such a dangerous combination to try and keep under control! ;-)

I generally have no interest in graphic novels -- I'm not really a visual person -- but A Sickness in the Family sounds intriguing.

I am also not into graphic novels but you seem to be turning up some interesting ones Lori.

Have a lovely weekend.

I really enjoyed Tractors, Lori. It wasn't what I was expecting either. Two Caravans is also very good.

I am sooooo behind on LT and don't see any light at the end of the tunnel so I have decided to restrict my on-line LT time, which means less visits to everyone else's threads. That is my short term solution to balancing LT and RL for the next few weeks. Hopefully by mid Feb the explosion of threads and overall activity on LT will had leveled off and things will be more manageable. *fingers crossed*. In the meantime, I am overdue with some responses!

> 113 - Hi Terri, GN are different and I am trying to be a bit selective of the GN's I read. My local library has a good collection of them so I have been spending some time coming home with the ones that I thought looked interesting while skimming the online catalogue. About 50% of them don't make the cut to actual reading and I think as I progress through this year I will continue to refine the GN's that I even place holds on as potential reads.

> 114 - Hi Paul, my GN reading is still on a bit of a learning curve so it is handy that LT has a wealth of reviews to help me narrow my GN reading choices down a bit! Happy weekend to you and your wonderful family.

> 115 - Hi Susan, I am nearing the finish line for Tractors. I hope to finish it this evening and then post my review. Sadly, it's not shaping up to be the book I was expecting..... you might want to by-pass my review when it gets posted, as it is pretty much written unless the book has an amazing ending. I hope you are having a good weekend, weather-wise and reading-wise.

Book #5 - A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

When an elderly and newly widowed Ukrainian immigrant declares his intention to remarry, his intended turns out to be a voluptuous gold digger from the old country with a proclivity for green satin underwear and an insatiable appetite for the good life of the West. And so his children Vera and Nadezhda must set aside years of bitter rivalry to rescue their annoyingly frisky father who (when he is not pursuing Valentina) is busily writing a grand history of the tractor and its role in human progress.

What can I say about this one beyond the fact that I am glad to have finished it and can now remove it from my future reading list. I am not a fan of this one. There are some cute, funny bits and while the story does provide a somewhat insightful glimpse into UK immigration and the age old story of marriage of convenience to obtain a passport, a lot of this book left me frustrated and ticked off with the story.

I had a very difficult time connecting with the characters. For the most part they were one dimensional figures and tended to exhibit extreme behavior with "roll your eyes" situations. The sibling rivalry - more like on-going bickering - between Vera and Nadia was a bit much to endure for the sake of the story. Nadia's naivety is my biggest bone of contention with this one. The following dialogue excerpt between the sisters says it all:

"Obviously, his wife has been having an affair while he has had an affair with ________."
"How do you know these things, Vera?"
"How do you not know them, Nadia?"

The revelations of family history towards the end doesn't have the strength I think it should carry. Instead, the story of Nadia's search for answers to her family's history - the story that I thought had some potential - is overshadowed by the main story of the May-December marriage drama. There is little to no common sense in this one. Start of Rant: Seriously, who the heck gets someone evicted from a premises by court order and then fails to change the locks on the doors???? And my personal pet peeve: Nadia's fixation that women who wear rubber gloves when washing dishes by hand are tarts and sluts.....I have just one thing to say to that: WTF. I am still not getting this portable photocopier angle, mainly because that just seems too far fetched, IMO, even for this story. End of Rant

Overall, I just could not connect with this story, and I am still trying to figure out how this one managed to get shortlisted for the Orange prize and nominated for the Booker. It's not that great. It's a bit of fluff struggling to tell a big story about the effects of Stalin, Lenin, the world wars and beyond have had on Eastern Europe with attempted themes of East meets West, immigration, ethnicity, family history and personal struggle thrown in. The attempt is there.... and the inclusion of the grand history of tractors was interesting reading but the overall effect falls short on delivery and left me frustrated by the whole story.

Other readers will probably be able to enjoy and get more meaning out of the story than I did.

Decimal Rating: 3.03
2.75 - Plot Development
2.50 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.25 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
2.75 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.00 - Originality
4.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 294 pages
Source: TBR Bookcase
Male/Female Author: Female

Why don't you just let us know how you REALLy feel, Lori? ;-)

I don't think I'm going to read this one, based on your review.

Lori, superb reviews! I'm in awe of your thorough decimal and rating system; woot! Chuckled aloud at your perfect weekend plans jam-packed weekend of: Reading - sleeping - Reading - eating - Reading - napping and ..... oh yes, Reading!. I'll all with you, and I'll pass on the laundry and cooking, LOL.

Lori - I think your review of A Short History of Tractors pretty much coincided with my own thoughts. Good premise but poorly executed. She is from Sheffield and I really wanted to like it but I didn't overly much.

About rationing your time? Sensible perhaps as the group can be all-consuming but you'll be missed especially over at my pad. Hope you are still able to pop over once a whiile. x

Oh I'm sorry A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian was such a disappointment! Hope your next read is better.

A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian definately not for me, Lori. However, just wanting to wish you a wonderful remaining Sunday!

I checked out A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian from the library sometime in the last year or so (I love the title), but I never could bring myself to read it. Now I won't feel so badly about that....

I woke up this morning with a stuffed nose and a sore throat.... not happy about that! My other half has fighting a cold for the past couple of days and it looks like the bug is a follower of the 'misery loves company' motto.

>118 ronincats: - But if I did, Roni, I would have to censor it.... ;-) I see there is a broad range of ratings on the book page so it is safe to say the book has different effects on different readers.

>119 lit_chick: - Thanks Nancy! Laundry, cooking and cleaning - the cycle that never ends! ;-)

>120 PaulCranswick: - Hi Paul, it is sometimes hard for me to slam prize nominees, because I feel they have - or should have - already gone through some kind of rigorous examination to even make it onto the longlist. Makes me question the process and curious to see what books get rejected at the onset. As for threads, I will continue to make a visit to your thread and the ones that I have starred.... I will just be pacing myself. No more suddenly discovering that I have been on LT for 3 hours on a week night!

>121 AMQS: - Well Anne, it is to be expected that some books out there will not be to my liking. My next one will hopefully be an improvement - I picked up A Death in Small Hours from the library late last week. I have enjoyed the first 5 books in the series and I am looking forward to getting back to detecting in Victorian England!

>122 drachenbraut23: - Thanks for the weekend wishes, Bianca!

>123 Dejah_Thoris: - I have done that with books that I find mentioned here on LT, Dejah and I for the most part, I don't feel bad when I don't get around to reading them.

Sorry to see you are feeling sick!
I hear a good remedy for colds is to relax and read! Let me know if it works ;-)

Great review of A Sickness in the Family and I'm adding that to my obese wish list. I've been looking for some different GNs and this sounds intriguing.

I applaud you for finishing A Short History of Tractors. I tried reading it a few years ago and had to apply the Pearl Rule and toss it before I was even a third of the way through. I couldn't get into it, and the characters were too annoying. I appear to be in the minority though because most reviews I've read have been full of praise for this book. But that's the beauty of reviews ... I get to understand other people's point of view.

Thanks for taking the hit for all of us who have not yet read A Short History of Tractors! Now we won't have to waste time better spent on other books! Very nicely written review.

> 125 - Hi Chelle, it got both of us pretty good. Still not sure if it is flu or a cold but it has kept me home sick from work for the past two days. I hate being sick! Spent most of the time sleeping. Little reading has been accomplished and no LT time until now. I have been checking my work emails and haven't had to try to deal with anything while I have been off and won't be returning to a landslide of work, so that is a good thing!

> 126 - Hi Caroline, I understand Pearl Ruling Tractors. Annoying characters make it hard to enjoy any book! Rhian (SandDune) made a good comment over on the 2013 Category Challenge that maybe the book doesn't travel well; i.e., might not appeal to a wide audience outside of the UK, given the focus of the story and how it might appeal to readers interested more with the immigrant situation in the UK. Book reviews are great for seeing how others view a book!

> 127 - Always happy to take on for the team, Cobscook. I have managed to avoid a number of books because other readers here on LT made the effort to finish and report on a book that didn't appeal to them. Explanations as to why a book failed really helps me in deciding if it is something I might still want to read - for example, I am more forgiving of historical inaccuracies and willing to overlook those when I read a book.

Lori, I'm sorry to hear you are sick as well. Thanks for dropping by my thread. I hope you feel better quickly!

> 129 - Hi Roni, Yes I am on the mend now, which is a relief!

Happy weekend everyone! I am looking forward to a quiet weekend, easy to do as it was another wet day this morning - currently dry now but on the cold side here - and I don't want to venture outdoors any more than I have to.

I have been reading three four different books at the same time for the past 7 days, and have now happily finished two of them. Reviews written and now ready for posting....

Book #6 - A Death in the Small Hours by Charles Finch

Charles Lenox is at the pinnacle of his political career and is a delighted new father. His days of regularly investigating the crimes of Victorian London now some years behind him, he plans a trip to his uncle's estate in Somerset in the expectation of a few calm weeks to write an important speech. When he arrives in the quiet village of Plumbley, however, what greets him is a series of strange vandalism upon local shops: broken windows, minor thefts, and threatening scrawls. Only when a far more serious crime is committed does he begin to understand the great stakes of those events, and the complex and sinister mind that is wrecking fear and suspicion in Plumbley.

With book six in this series, Finch has returned with a story more in keeping with the first couple of books in the series - a formula that makes this such an enjoyable series to read - and in the process produced a story that is an improvement over the last two books in the series, IMO.

Finch has done a great job crafting a puzzler of a mystery and conveying the setting of Victorian England. Finch weaves interesting historical facts around the history of policing, investigative developments, parliamentary process and the manners and customs of both high society and village life into the story. He even throws in a cricket match, and makes it all work seamlessly together. His lead character, Charles Lenox, continues to develop into a fulsome character with personal doubts, concerns and opinions. The writing is relaxed, companionable in style. Yes, I do wish he had given more coverage in this story to some of my favorite characters from previous books - McConnell and Graham - but they do get a nod and room had to be made for some new characters. I do hope they will be back in future stories. This story does have its slow periods but I enjoyed it too much to let the slow bits bother me. While I understand family practices where a cousin may be fondly called "Uncle" by family members, Finch flips between the two terms "uncle" and "cousin" a bit much, which I found to be a minor annoyance.

Overall, another delightful mystery read and I can only hope that another one is already in the works.

Decimal Rating: 3.81
4.00 - Plot Development
3.75 - Character Development
3.50 - Writing Style
3.50 - Readability
4.00 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.50 - Originality
4.50 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hardcover
# of Pages: 320 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

Book #7 - The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
Sandman Group



Following my review process for vol 1 Preludes and Nocturnes, this is a continued rambling of my thoughts. I enjoyed the intro by Clive Barker, although I do have to say the font style of the text was a bit of a bugger to read. Loved, loved, loved the recap of vol. 1 at the start of this collection.... that was so handy as a quick refresher for me and kudos to Gaiman (and the publishers) for including it.

Prologue: Tales in the Sand - Told as the re-telling of a great tribal folk story handed down verbally from generation to generation. The concept works well here for me and sets the ground work for what is to come. Not sure I like Gaiman's teaser that there is another version to this tale (yes, I am calling it a teaser) but, hey, I am open to been teased..... a bit.

Part One: The Doll's House - Here we meet some new characters: Desire and Despair (twins, I think) as well as Rose Walker, along with fleeting references to Brute, Glob, Fiddler's Green and the Corinthian as Dream (Morpheus) conducts a census of his world. The plot is easier to follow here and the story caught my interest.

Part Two: Moving In - Rose encounters some 'interesting' individuals when she embarks on a search for her kid brother, Jed. The In the Land of Marvelous Dreams sequences really came across as somewhat juvenile - not realizing the literary allusion it was meant to represent. Personally, I really enjoyed the scene where Rose writes a letter to her Mom..... that was good! Now, I have to say, so far I prefer the artistic rendition of Dream in vol. 1 as opposed to vol. 2.... here Dream just looks like some over the hill *cough* Rolling *cough* Stones *cough* rocker. For one of the Endless, that just doesn't work well for me. Just sayn'! Very intrigued by Gilbert.... looking forward to seeing what he is all about! oh, and before I forget.... what is up with the 'verbal gerbils'? Is that a nod to Star Trek and the Trouble with Tribbles? 'cause that this what came to my mind.

Part Three: Playing House - Definitely a nod to superhero comics in general, although I have to say Hector is a bit much as the macho, always smiling 'save the world' superhero persona... just need the light flash off his sparkling perfect teeth and we are set! Talk about cheesy/corny.....and a lot of fun, LOL! 'Cereal' convention..... enough said. Again, another interesting little teaser provided via Dream. Very curious to see where that goes, if it goes anywhere.

Part Four: Men of Good Fortune - This is my favorite part in this volume! This was excellent!!!! Loved the cameo by Death and thoroughly enjoyed the walk through history as Dream and Robert Gadling meet in the same pub every 100 hundred years since 1389, and all of the interesting historical literary figures that pop up here. Favorite quote:

"Piers Plowman. That's what people want. Not filthy tales in rhyme about pilgrims."

Take that, Geoffry Chaucer.....;-) Interesting mix of cameos/characters on this time travel journey.... and it is making me research some of the minor points like Kit Marlowe's broken leg.

Part Five: Collectors - The "Cereal" convention is a goody, even with the numerous puns, but not to die for, if you get my drift.... sorry, I couldn't resist! This one does a great job capturing the details of a convention setup and giving it a good spin. I did like the panel discussions bit. Oh, and thanks Neil, for the reminder of just how dark and gruesome some of the original fables and fairy tales are....

Part Six: Into The Night - I had trouble with this one. Usually shifting viewpoints of view and multiple things happening at the same time don't confuse me but there is just a little too much going on here for me to make sense of it all. I am sure I missed a lot here with the various dream sequences, but Dream's encounter with the vortex was really neat and graphically well done.

Part Seven: Lost Hearts - My second favorite part in the volume. Great climatic approach to the story and I loved how Gaiman brought the various bits together with closure on a couple of the characters and a very interesting connection back to 24 Hours from Preludes and Nocturnes.... very nicely done, along with the name-dropping of Dream's other family relations.... The "D" connection is very apt!

Overall, I am still not a big fan of the artwork or the colours, but it is an improvement over vol. 1. the story is building speed nicely and it is a lot of fun to discover little nuggets of literary and pop culture allusions worked into the story. I wasn't sold on all of the new characters - still don't understand the Corinthian - but the plot was easier to follow this time. Yes, I am very curious to find out what happens next but I will contain myself and not place my hold for volume 3 Dream Country until the second half of February.

Decimal Rating: 3.89
3.75 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.75 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
3.25 - Artistry (GN)
4.25 - Originality
5.00 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 256 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

As for my current reading and whats next, I am a bit overdue with providing an update on my Pride and Prejudice reading. P & P is ticking away nicely. It started out rather slowly and I had visions of it being a bit of a slog read. I am now at Chapter 51 and putting aside my quibbles with the way Austen has the sisters Elizabeth and Jane engaging in a dialogue where each refers to "my mother", "my uncle", etc - rather weird, self centered dialogue, IMO - I am finding the story has caught my interest, more so than I thought it would.

Currently I am working my way through the short story collection - an ER book that I am long in reading and reviewing - Enter at Your Own Risk. Interesting mix of gothic/horror-based stories from the old masters - read a Lovecraft, my first Lovecraft! - and from new budding authors. Hope to finish this later this month to fit it into the 'read a short story collection each month' idea of Richard's.

Next up is Rosie Alison's The Very Thought of You, because I have discovered that it qualifies as a CAT Trick if I finish it this month over on the 2013 Category Challenge group, as well as getting another book off my TBR bookcase (and a fit for my ROOT challenge).

The Charles Lenox series sounds very nice. I love Victorian detectives. Such an interesting time of transitions from old to new things, and it makes for great story-lines. On the TBR list it goes!

Interesting mix of gothic/horror-based stories from the old masters - read a Lovecraft, my first Lovecraft! - and from new budding authors.

I'm not one for gothic/horror stories, but I do like the concept of an anthology with old and new authors - it gives the new authors a chance to reach readers while the reader is almost certainly going to have some stories that are worth it. Win-win for everyone involved :D.

Stopping by to say hi! Great review of A Short History of Tractors. That has been in my sights, but thanks to you, I can safely skip it. Your decimal rating system is so sophisticated!I've just finished How It All Began, which I loved, and have started on what I believe is a psychogical thriller that might interest you, though sadly it is on my kindle. Alys, Always is the title and it seems to be somewhat of a sly read so far.

Hi! Glad to hear that you're on the mend. Great reviews of the Lenox series book and the Gaiman.

Glad to hear you are feeling better. I also had that flu and missed three days of work...just felt terrible. Its been a bad year already for the flu.

I loved Pride and Prejudice but you are right, the characters had a weird way of referring to close relatives in conversation. I just assumed that was how people talked in that era and read over it for the most part.

Good grief, I have been AWOL from my own thread for almost a week. I have nothing new to report but want to respond to everyone while I am here:

> 134 - The Charles Lenox series is a nice blend of fact-based Victorian England, landed gentry amateur detective sleuthing, Parliamentary proceedings and a nice smidge of romance. The anthology is working out really well, when I find time to read it! - and I agree, I like how this one is a mix of old favorites with new stories by new budding authors. I love anthologies as a way to find new authors to tap into and this one has already brought some names to my attention.

> 135 - Hi Deb, I think you can freely ignore Tractors and not feel as though you have missed out on a great reading experience. Alys, Always does intrigue me... in fact I think I had a copy out from the library when it first came out, I just didn't have the time to get around to it. Adding it back to my library list! Thanks for stopping by!

> 136 - Hi Terri, I am fully recovered now and hopefully have a built up immune system to carry me through the rest of the cold/flu season. I cannot remember if you have read any of the Charles Lennox series. It is one I do enjoy. As for Gaiman and the Sandman series, I am hooked now and will continue with the series for the remainder of the year.

> 137 - Thanks Cobscook! This year has been a bad year for flue. I hope you are fully over it. I understand some have been down with it for weeks! As for P&P, you are probably right and that was probably how they talked in that era. I have been away from P&P for most of the week. I hope to get back to it soon!

-----------------

On the reading front, I was hoping to get at least one more book finished for the month of January but that hasn't happened. The status of my current reading, as of this evening, is:

- 45% finished the gothic/horror short story collection Enter at Your Own Risk: Old Masters New Voices
- 89% finished Pride & Prejudice
- 67% finished The Very Thought of You

I am enjoying all my current reads, when I find time for them, that is. Hope to find time this weekend to make the rounds of a number of threads and get some reading in. One more day to go and then its.... the weekend!

Hi Lori,
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one having trouble keeping up this month, but I'm also glad to have had a few minutes to stop by and see what you've been reading. Fascinating! Glad to know you're feeling better, too.

>>#133

To add my two cents, it was not correct at the time to say "our father" even when talking to a sibling, as "our father" was taken as referring to God; "my father" was correct. "Our" could be used to refer to other relatives, but often the convention of "my" was followed instead.

As it now February, time for a new kaleidoscope picture:


February Kaleidoscope Picture: Primrose

> 139 - Hi Stephen! January was a busy month for me and for the threads. I am super behind on a lot of the threads with no hope of catching up. Last time I was by you thread you had some interesting reading posted... Time I mossied on over to see what is new with you and Mrs. Kitten!

> 140 - Hi Liz, thanks for stopping by. What you say makes a lot of sense. I completely forgot about how 'our father' would have had a more religious than familial context. I wasn't thinking of it in that manner.

------------------

While out shopping yesterday I came home with a book acquisition - Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty. I have seen great reviews for the book here on LT so when I saw a 'good as new' trade paperback going for $3.50 in one of my used book haunts, I had to snatch it up.



On the reading front, I finished P&P this morning. I need some time to get around to writing the review, but hope to have one up in the next couple of days.

I hope everyone has been having a great weekend!

Just stopping by to say hi! I love the new kaleidoscope picture. It really does look like a photo of flowers.

Congrats on finishing P&P, Lori. Looking forward to your thoughts. :)

Hi Lori! I'm finally stopping in to say hi here in 2013. It's been a busy one so far. I LOVE your kaleidoscopic snowdrops! I'm sorry you didn't enjoy A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian as I have that one on my list for February--and I'll probably read it anyway, but I appreciate the review, though I skimmed it only.

Larry McMurtry is the favorite author of a good friend. I haven't read anything of his. I anxiously await your review.

Woot! Can't wait for you to get into Lonesome Dove, Lori, to see what you think : ).

#141: I love that kaleidoscope picture, Lori!

As I am not a SuperBowl viewer, I have enjoyed the afternoon re-organizing the books on my bookcase. I got tired of struggling to find books I was looking for - everything was shelved rather haphazardly - so I caved and two hours later, all of the books are now organized alphabetically by author then title. Very happy about that!

I did manage to cobble together a review of sorts for P&P, but first, some responses for my visitors....

> 142 - Hi Michelle! Thanks! I find playing around with the software program to make kaleidoscope pictures as addicting as reading posts on LT..... I am still working on balancing that out with my actual book reading time!

> 143 - Hi Micky, Thanks! I wasn't sure what I was in for, having never read Austen before. My overall impression was a positive one so I will be reading more Austen in the future!

> 144 - Hi Anne, great to see you here! I am with you and the business of 2013 so far.... I hope things will start to slow down a little bit. I understand there are a number of readers that have enjoyed Tractors so maybe if you approach it as a bit of fluff reading material, you probably won't be as put off with it as I was.

> 145 - Hi Linda, I planning on reading Lonesome Dove around the end of March. I will have the some time off then to really sink into the book. Thanks for stopping by!

> 146 - Hi Nancy, your review is one of the reasons I grabbed the book as soon as I saw it! I am looking forward to it.

> 147 - Thanks Stasia! Nice to see you here!

Book #8 - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen



I am going to start off by saying that the book I read was a free download from Project Gutenberg. The book cover above is my favorite of all of the covers posted on LT.

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said by someone else? Probably nothing. On the surface, this is a romantic comedy: girl meets boy; girl wants nothing to do with boy; girl continues to encounter boy; over time, girl changes her mind about boy, and vice versa.

Below that rather simplistic summary of the romance, the story is an interesting and complex examination of the patriarchal society of the time period, when it was expected that women would seek marriage as a means to obtain economic security. In fact, they were urged to do so. Ideas of matchmaking based on things like compatibility, mutual respect or even *shudder* love, were viewed as downright frivolous and not to be entertained. Austen's story also gains its substance from an interesting premise: can love occur between two people of different class positions when that relationship is hindered by the pride of one and the prejudices of the other?

One thing that I did find interesting was how the story's characters are connected through their relationships and various family members, giving the impression of a rather small society group that they are a part of. I really like the Wikipedia Spoiler Pride and Prejudice Character Map. I stumbled across this after finishing the book and I had a good giggle as the map makes it look a bit more complicated than I remembered from reading the story!

I am going to admit something here: I am not a big fan of Elizabeth or Darcy. Sorry if that shocks anyone. From a character perspective, I found them a tad trying while they grappled with their situations. Mom and Dad Bennet were comic relief of a sort, I hope, and every family needs a Lydia..... family life could get rather boring otherwise! The ending was a bit flat after all the effort that went into moving the story along and that surprised me a bit. Overall, while the genre in general is one that I only dip into occasionally, I am glad that Christina (christina_reads) suggested I start my Austen reading with P&P. There is a timeless message in Pride and Prejudice that still rings true today: Love, real enduring love - not the hot and heavy bodice ripper 'in the heat of the moment' stuff - takes effort in the form of self examination, reevaluation, respect and communication. Love isn't just about first impressions.

Decimal Rating: 3.84
3.25 - Plot Development
3.25 - Character Development
3.75 - Writing Style
4.25 - Readability
3.75 - Premise
4.00 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.50 - Originality
4.00 - Length

Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book download from Project Gutenberg
# of Pages: 234 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Lori I started Leviathan today! I loved your thoughts on Preludes and Nocturnes. I am right in the middle of it. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Lonesome Dove. It is an exceptional story.

Great review of Pride and Prejudice, Lori! I think maybe I am lucky that I read Jane Austen in my " girlhood" - late teens - early twenties? Fortunately though, I did not take the patriarchal bit to heart! :)

Enjoyed your review of Pride and Prejudice Lori.

> 150 - Leviathan is such a fun read. I hope you enjoy it, Roberta! With all of the great comments from everyone, I am looking forward to reading Lonesome Dove. Can't wait to see what you think of Preludes and Nocturnes.... it's a story that seemed to grow on me, and continues to grow on me. Gaiman really does pack a lot into it!

> 151 - Thanks, Deb. Could you imagine picking your husband for economic security and being willing to 'make do' with what ever incompatibility or lack of love and respect there might be in the marriage? I still cringe at the thought!

> 152 - Thanks, Peg!

---------

The good thing about ending January with three books all 'in progress' is it is easy to start February off with books read. I have only 28 pages to go in The Very Thought of You so that will be finished this evening. Since my other book in progress is a PDF I am reading on my computer, I will probably spend some time tonight looking at my stacks to see what to start next.

Hi Lori! I may have said this before, but I love your rating system. I developed one a little more basic, but I think I may steal some of your rating categories if that's ok.

#117 - I had a very similar reaction to A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian. I was expecting so much more due to the fact that it was nominated for the Booker and Orange prizes. I read it a few years ago and no longer own it, but I suspect that I would have given it 2.5 stars.

Hi Kerri, Feel free to steal away! Tractors felt a little like it was a an "oops" nomination..... not exactly prize worthy and kind of makes me wonder what books didn't make the cut that year for those prizes. Like your copy, mine has moved on to a new home, where it might be appreciated more. ;-)

Book #9 - The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison

England, 31st of August, 1939. The world is on the brink of war. As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, thousands of children are evacuated from London to escape the impending Blitz. Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated with other children to a large Yorkshire estate opened up to evacuees by Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, an enigmatic childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into their unravelling relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes - and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, a turn of events that will have unexpected repercussions through her later life.

Alison's debut novel was shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize, a great achievement for any new author. This story has some strong points - solid background research, well drawn flawed characters (not exactly three dimensional but there was some depth to them) and descriptive details that allowed me to visualize the time period and the sprawling stately home and grounds of fictional Ashton Park. The downside for me is that I came away feeling that the author tried too hard to pack too much into one book - too many characters, too many narrators, too many lovers, too many divergent plots - in her quest to write a story exploring various forms of love. The story of Anna that I thought I was going to read about became the story of Thomas, the story of Elizabeth, the story of Ruth and the story of Roberta. While each story on its own or a couple of them at a time did work, the mess of all of them jumbled together didn't work particularly well for me. For a first time author, I am willing to make some allowances. What I am not willing to make an allowance for is that Alison managed to give virtually all of her main adult characters the same 'flaw', for lack of a better word right now without going into spoilers to explain further. I am having a little difficulty seeing this as a story about love. It strikes me that it is more a story about longing and searching than about love.

Overall, an interesting story about World War II, child evacuees and the British spirit to carry on as the war pounded on around them.

Decimal Rating: 3.41
2.50 - Plot Development
2.75 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
4.25 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.50 - Originality
4.25 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 306 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Thanks for the great review of The Very Thought of You. We must have more similar reading tastes than I realized, because that is a book that I have considered, but for now I shall make sure that I get it from the library at some point, rather than rush out to purchase it. Don't you love finished a "TBR." I'm trying to read - don't laugh... 12 of my TBR this year. I'm only counting books that are have been sitting around for at least ??? 5 months or so. I'm also trying to lessen my TBR's by purchasing less, using the library more and also reading the TBR's..... Best of luck to me:)

Poor Tractors :-) I remember enjoying it, but I suppose it was a bit mad. I enjoyed your review, Lori. I hope you love Lonesome Dove!!

> 157 - Hi Deb, I hope you are enjoying your long weekend, I know I am! I managed to take Friday off and have Tuesday off as well..... 5 day weekend in the middle of February is just what the doctor ordered! I would definitely suggest you borrow a copy of The Very Thought of You from your local library.... it is a good story but I don't think it is 'purchase' worthy. It is a great feeling of accomplishment to finish a TBR book.... now if only I can do something about the 10/1 ratio of my purchases/books read....;-)

> 158 - I just don't think I was in the mind for Tractors when I read it.... or at least not what that particular type of story! I am looking forward to reading Lonesome Dove!

---------------------------------

Just realized that a number of you probably don't know that it is a wonderful long weekend here in BC, so thought I would mention that I am enjoying my extra long weekend and even the weather has been cooperating. Treated myself to a new purse yesterday - a nice red leather Franco Sarto bag that I absolutely love. It is large enough to even let me carry around large tomes like Lonesome Dove and still handle all of my other essentials. It's perfect! I thanked my other half for getting me the perfect Valentine's gift - hey, it's red and I do love it! - but I am pretty sure I am still in for a treat of some kind on the day itself.

On the reaing front, I have managed to finish some quick books so reviews coming.....

Book #10 - Black Butler, Vol. 1 by Yana Toboso
Book #11 - Black Butler, Vol. 2 by Yana Toboso



Series premise reproduced as posted on Wikipedia:

The series follows Sebastian Michaelis, a demonic butler who is bound by a supernatural contract to serve Ciel Phantomhive, the thirteen-year-old head of the Phantomhive noble family and the business-savvy owner of the Funtom company, a toy manufacturer. In return, when Sebastian has helped Ciel finish all of his tasks, including avenging his parents' deaths, Sebastian will be allowed to kill him and consume his soul.

This is my very first foray ever into reading manga, so I choose something that would catch my interest. Black Butler is set in an alternate reality of Victorian England - the same grounding in aristocracy, the same horse drawn carriages, the same London social "season" of balls and arranged marriages, sometimes when the individuals are still in their infancy - where young Ciel Phantomhive is Queen Victoria's guard dog that stands at the top of the British underworld.

Vol. 1 spends a great deal of time introducing the characters and establishing the background. As a correction to the series premise above, Ciel is only twelve-years-old in this volume. Here we meet the staff of the manor house - all nothing more than peripheral annoying characters who's role appears to be lame comic relief and to be the bane of Sebastian's existence - and Ciel's fiance, Elizabeth, the daughter of the Midford Marquessate. This volume was an okay read but left me wanting a bit more substance.

Vol. 2 was a great improvement and made me glad that I had placed a hold for both volumes and was able to read them back to back. In Vol. 2, London's high society season is preparing to draw to a close but Ciel, who hates the London scene, is summoned to clean up the mess created by whom the newspapers have dubbed, "Jack the Ripper". Focus is now on plot, new characters and further character development of our main characters Sebastien and Ciel from Vol. 1. This one was more my speed and I like the interesting twist they have taken with the Jack the Ripper story. Vol. 2 ends with a bit of a cliff hanger - not surprising as this was a serialized story in the manga magazine Monthly GFantasy.

Even though I am new to manga, it didn't take me long to adapt to the 'back to front' or 'right to left' reading style of the books. I was a little upset to discover that the artwork is grey-scale and not the beautiful full color of the front and inside cover pages, but that is possibly because the editions my library has purchased are the trade paperback versions.

I had a little difficulty adjusting to the manga approach of drawing characters in extreme anger expressions, so that was a bit of a downside as well. Overall, I find this series to be an amusing way to wile away an afternoon and to drool over the artwork, even if it is grey-scale. I have already placed holds with my local library for vol. 3 and 4, so expect more reviews to come on this series!


Decimal Rating: 3.17
2.50 - Plot Development
2.75 - Character Development
2.75 - Writing Style
3.00 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
3.50 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN)
3.50 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 192 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female


Decimal Rating: 3.64
3.25 - Plot Development
3.50 - Character Development
3.25 - Writing Style
3.75 - Readability
3.50 - Premise
3.75 - Imagery/Visualization
4.50 - Artistry (GN)
3.75 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 192 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Book #12 - Lady Susan by Jane Austen



Another ebook download from Project Gutenberg with my favorite cover depicted above. This was a great read and way better than Pride and Prejudice! I know, I seem to be bucking the Jane Austen trend here on LT, but I found the concise manner of a story written in a series of letters between some of the characters in the story to be a strong writing style for Austen, and one that I prefer. Okay, so the ending is not in epistolary format, it is in the form of a conclusion of the author, but she does admit to why the story ends in this manner and I will agree that carrying the epistolary format to the very end was a bit of a problem. There is some speculation that Lady Susan was written in 1794 but not published until 1871.

This is a rather brilliant epistolary novel focused on the recently widowed Lady Susan, who schemes her way - through flirtations and leveraging connections made - as she hunts for a husband for herself and one for her 16-year-old daughter, all the while continuing to maintain a relationship with a married man. From a character examination perspective, this story provides great insight into the Vernon family - Lady Susan's relations through her dead husband - and their thoughts and feelings, as well as those of Lady Susan's intimate friend and 'accomplice in crime' as it were, Alicia Johnson, Lady Susan and her daughter Frederica.

An excellent examination of a woman of the time period who will stoop to anything to get what she wants, within a narrow scope of reason and social moral virtues. This is the book where I can now appreciate why there are so many Jane Austen fans out there!

Decimal Rating: 4.22
3.75 - Plot Development
4.50 - Character Development
4.75 - Writing Style
4.50 - Readability
4.25 - Premise
4.25 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
4.00 - Originality
3.75 - Length

Star Rating: 4.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book download from Project Gutenberg
# of Pages: 92 pages
Source: Project Gutenberg
Male/Female Author: Female

I hope your long weekend is going well, Lori! I am envious as it is so cold and wet here and perfect for staying inside. I'd never heard of Lady Susan (but then I have hardly read any Jane Austen...This is my terrible literary secret :-))

Hope you are enjoying your long weekend! We don't get the Family Day holiday here in NS :(

*waving* at Lori

*lurking*

I found Black Butler a little dark for my taste, and didn't get past the second volume. Glad you seem to be enjoying them though - in my experience, there's always color cover art and black and white/greyscale inside (I'm certainly no expert on it, however...).

Nice review of Lady Susan. I've read all six of Austen's novels, but haven't gotten to that one yet... must move it up the TBR list!

Lori, appreciate your review of Lady Susan. A colleague was reading this one a while ago and also gave it a thumbs up! Another for the list.

>159 lkernagh: You guys get Family Day in BC? Here in AB, it's not until next weekend. :P

> 162 - Sorry to learn it is cold and wet where you are Susan! Your literary secret is safe with me.... I still rather sheepishly admit that I have only picked up Jane Austen for the very first time this year!

> 163 - Hi Chelle, I am shocked and dismayed to learn the NS does not have the Family Day holiday! The holiday became official for BC only last year.... this is the first year that we have had the holiday. Now we just need to work on the NS legislature to get you guys the holiday!

> 164 - Hi Stasia!!!!

> 165 - Lurkers always welcome, Katie!

> 166 - Hi Mary, I can see where Black Butler can be seen as dark. I see on the cover that the series is rated for older teens. I did some online research and what you say is true.... for the most part, only the covers are in full colour, the stories are in greyscale. I hope you enjoy Lady Susan! It is a quick read and works well in epistolary format!

> 167 - Hi Nancy, I hope you enjoy Lady Susan. It is quite a fun, quick read.

> 168 - Hi Micky, It's BC's first year for the Family Day holiday, so we are kind of late to the party.... maybe that is why ours is a week earlier on the calendar????? I find that rather confusing and think it would have made more sense to have BC's Family Day on the same weekend as Alberta and the other provinces that celebrate it, but what do I know. Now we need to band together and help Chelle with bringing the Family Day holiday to Nova Scotia!

-----------------------------

On the reading front, I have finally finished reading and reviewing the LTER book I won from the October 2012 batch: Enter at Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices edited by Alex Scully. I am about to start Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon as a February Award CAT read over on the 2013 Category Challenge (and a ROOT read) and I have started a re-read of The Count of Monte Cristo, in preparation for the group read that is scheduled to start next month. Monte Cristo is my purse read so I need the head start, even if it is a re-read!

Book #13 - Enter At Your Own Risk: Old Masters, New Voices edited by Alex Scully



This is an anthology of Gothic literature, comprising of 28 short stories. A number of these stories are oldies but goodies from the literature vault - stories by Guy de Maupassant, H.P. Lovecraft, William Butler Yeats, Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker. Other stories included are the works of newer, fresher authors, some already established in the writing world, some with a few publications already under their belts and some just starting out.

The stories contained in this anthology were compiled as a project to see if the works of modern Gothic writers continue to take their cue and set the atmosphere of their stories in a manner similar to the masters of old, imbuing their story with just the right amount of creepiness to tingle the senses and possibly raise the hairs on the back of a reader's neck. Stories of spirits of the dead, nightmares, monsters that inhabit closets and other ghoulish fiends that reach out to the physical world. Stories of mysterious houses and jilted lovers. Stories of souls reaching beyond the grave to correct/avenge a wrong.

While the stories did not raise the hair on the back of my neck, I did find them to be deliciously creepy and steeped in atmosphere. The first story The Ground Always Wins by B.E. Scully sets the tone for the stories that follow: an older style house with a dirt root cellar with an eerie presence. Some personal favorites for me are: The Cold Embrace by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - a relationship sealed by a statement that it is only the suicide whose unholy spirit haunts the footsteps of the living; The Specter Bride by William Harrison Ainsworth; Feast with a Few Strangers by E.P. Berglund - a writer encounters three homeless men in the cemetery and Riobatta by A.A. Garrison - festival day in Canterbury has a dark side to it.

Some readers may find the stories have a dated feel to them, and they are correct, they do, but that is what I really enjoyed about them. These stories make the reader's imagination drive the emotional reaction, not the blatant gruesome details of more modern fiction writing. While I am still too new to the Gothic genre to say whether or not this collection hits the mark, it hits what I look for when I am in the mood for a creepy style story - heavy on the atmosphere, light on the gruesome, gory details.

This book was courtesy of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program

Decimal Rating: 4.00
Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: e-book
# of Pages: 292 pages
Source: LTER/TBR
Male/Female Author: Both (various authors)

Dropping by to say hello.

*waves* at Lori!

>169 lkernagh: It would make more sense for the date to be the same. But when did holiday date selection make sense? ;)

Hi Lori, nothing to contribute on the reading front. Therefore, just stopping by to wish you a lovely week! *big smile*

Hi Lori, Roberta, Micky, and Bianca! Thanks for visiting!

> 173 - So true!

Another book finished..... review below:

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Book #14 - Riding the Bus With My Sister by Rachel Simon



Winner of the 2003 American Book Award, Riding the Bus With My Sister is a memoir that grew out of a request made by Beth, Rachel's sister. Beth is a woman in her late 30's, born with mental disabilities and spends her days - and schedules her life around - riding the buses in her Pennsylvania city. What started out as a one day adventure for Rachel to write an article for a newspaper about Beth's bus riding became, at Beth's request, a 12 month journey, a few days a month, where Rachel would put her busy -and empty - life schedule on hold to visit Beth and ride the buses with her.

Over the course of that year, Rachel gets to know: the bus drivers that come to represent Beth's life coaches; Beth's care workers/aides that are part of the system that supports Beth's independent living as a disabled individual; and Beth's boyfriend, Jesse. Seeing the world through Beth's eyes is a challenging and at times frustrating experience for Rachel who is also struggling to find meaning in her own life. Interspersed between the chapters of this year long journey are chapters written in italicizes - flashbacks to Rachel and Beth's childhood years.

For me, the flashbacks help provide context for the relationship Beth has with her family but I preferred the chapters of the conversations with the bus drivers and Rachel's own journey of self realization. The information Rachel gleans from her research on "mental age", mental disabilities and self-determination are basic backgrounders for anyone new to this information. Rachel's growing realization of Beth's life - that she has a network of friends and a community of support - serves a greater purpose: to try and draw attention to and remove some of the existing stereotypes of individuals with what are classified as 'mild' mental disabilities.

An interesting and different type of memoir containing some good life lessons that has been sitting on my TBR bookcase since September 2009, and would probably still be sitting there unread if it wasn't for the AwardCAT this month over on the 2013 Category Challenge.... this was the only book I had that would fit the sub-challenge!

Overall, I am glad I pulled this one off the shelf and finally got around to reading it.

Decimal Rating: 3.50
Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 296 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Footnote: I have taken a glance at the trailers for the movie adaptation starring Rosie O"Donnell as Beth and Andie MacDowell as Rachel that are posted on YouTube, and .... sadly,..... it just doesn't 'do it' for me like the book does.

--------------------

Currently Reading: I am at Chapter 6 of The Count of Monte Cristo in preparation for the group read and about to start Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai.

Superb review of Riding the Bus with My Sister, Lori. And The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my all-time favourite reads : ). Enjoy!

Nice review of Riding the Bus with My Sister ! I read it a few years ago, and had a similar reactions.

I've wishlisted Riding the Bus with my Sister. I work for an organisation that provides support to people with learning disabilities so it's not an area I'm unfamiliar with, but it sounds a great read.

Count of Monte Cristo is really good. I hope you're enjoying it. :)

Lori I love The Count of Monte Cristo. It is one of my all time favorites. I will be joining the group read but I will start in March as it is a reread for me.

Hi everyone, thanks for stopping by and keeping my thread warm for the past couple of days! My other half and I don't usually do any thing special to celebrate Valentine's Day but he surprised me this year with a baker's dozen of long stem yellow roses - my favorite flower and color - along with the usual card and chocolates. I won't go into how many flower shops he contacted before he found one with yellow roses - or roses of any kind other than white, pink and red - but I wil say that the effort has been rewarded!

We have been having a beautiful weekend weather wise with today starting off as another sunny one so I am racing through some laundry so that we can get out and about before the clouds return. In the meantime, I have another review and responses to my visitors to post:

> 176 - Thanks Nancy! I ma looking forward to my re-read of The Count of Monte Cristo as it has been a number of years since I last read it!

> 177 - Thanks Rhonda! I was surprised at how taken I was with RTBWMS. It made me think more closely about the passengers and the drivers on the buses I use in the city where I live.

> 178 - Hi Rhian, The work you do sounds fascinating and must have great rewarding moments! I hope you are able to track down a copy. It was quite an insightful read for me!

> 179 - Hi Micky, I am taking my time enjoying my re-read of the story as it has been a number of years since I last read it. It didn't take long fe me to find myself drawn back into the story!

> 180 - Hi Roberta, I am looking forward to the group read. At my current reading pace, I will at least have made a good dent in my reading of it to no play that annoying game of catch I tend to find myself doing when I commit to group reads!

Book #15 - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel



This is my second memoir read in the past two weeks which is a surprising realization for me as I don't read memoirs. I picked this one up because of all the great reviews I have seen on various threads in the past two months here on LT to check out for myself all the buzz and attention this one has been getting.

For a cartoonist to write a memoir in GN format isn't much of a surprise. Sticking to the medium you are used to writing in makes perfect sense to me, and it worked well here. In a manner that may have been therapeutic, Bechdel embarks on a reflective and investigative journey of her childhood and the years of her growing sexual awareness, looking for clues in her family background and relationships for insight and understanding. Bechdel's relationship with her father is one of the main anchors of this memoir. Coming to terms with and understanding the man beneath the 'front' he presented to his family would be a difficult journey for most. Bechdel makes use of her understanding of literature to act as a reference point to guide her through this maze. The literary allusions were difficult for me to grasp as I haven't read any of the books referred to either by Bechdel or the books displayed in the various graphic images as her father's reading material, except for The Taming of the Shrew. Not sure what that says about my literature background but I am not motivated to start reading some of the books mentioned to correct it!

The artwork is detailed, descriptive and a perfect accompaniment for Bechdel's story. The family at home and the sunset images are two of my favorites:



Bechdel bares some of her soul in this one, making me feel like an intruder to her thoughts and feelings as I read, trespassing where I shouldn't be. For readers that feel GN's lack the substance of a more conventional writing medium, they should pick this one up, if anything to see how a complex and though provoking read can be presented as, and benefit from, a GN format.

Decimal Rating: 4,00
Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hardcover
# of Pages: 232 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

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Currently Reading: I am at Chapter 8 of The Count of Monte Cristo in preparation for the group read and 90 pages into Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai as my February RandomCAT read, which so far isn't grabbing me as much as I had hoped it would.

Whoops! Forgot to mention that I went shopping yesterday and came home with two more books:


The Englishman's Boy by Guy Vanderhaeghe - Nancy (lit_chick) has been peaking my interest in Vanderhaeghe's works with her reviews and the copy I picked up was just too good of a deal to pass up!
The Beggar's Opera by Peggy Blair - This one has crossed my radar screen a number of times now courtesy of Mamie (Crazymamie) and Deb (Vancouverdeb) so the purchase was made.

So far this year I am not doing too bad on the 'managing the acquisitions' side of things for 2013:

Books purchased/acquired: 6
Books read from my pre-2013 acquisitions TBR pile: 6

= TBR pile is 'unchanged' by these acquisitions! That probably won't last long but I will bask in the balancing act while I can.

--------------------------

On the viewing front, I have been sucked into a 'new to me' TV series - Once Upon A Time. We watched the first four episodes back to back last night. I am treating this as background research for my FABLES and FAIRYTALES category for the 2013 Category Challenge and I am not ashamed to admit that I am addicted to this series!

Hi Lori!

#182 - Great review of Fun Home. I was going to read it last month, but never got around to it. Now you've convinced me that I should start it. Perhaps today, since I'm off?

Anyway, I've only read a few graphic novels so far, but they've all been substantive and thought-provoking, and I'm glad that I've added them to my reading repertoire.

Hi Lori,
Enjoyed your review of Fun Home!
S

Glad you enjoyed Fun Home. I'm planning on reading her latest book soon although I've heard it isn't quite as good.

Great purchases, Lori! Delighted you found The Englishman's Boy : ). And The Beggar's Opera has crossed my radar several times, too, so will be looking for your assessment on that one.

It's so nice to come home after a busy day at work and find new visitors have stopped by!

> 184 - Hi Kerri, Like you, I am pretty new to the GN genre since my carefree childhood years of reading Tintin, Asterix, Archie and Elf Quest comics, etc. It is quite fascinating the breadth of the genre for books of complexity and literary allusions! I hope you do find time to read Fun Home.... it can be read over an afternoon and still get alot out of it!

> 185 - Thanks Stephen!

> 186 - Hi Michelle, not sure if I am ready for more of Bechdel's works just yet but I will keep what you have mentioned in mind.

> 187 - Thanks Nancy. Not sure when I will get around to reading The Englishman's Boy but it will most likely be after I read Lonsome Dove this spring.

Hi Lori, I like yellow roses the most too. I think I need to remind my husband! I see you are planning to read Lonesome Dove. I hope you love it as much as I did.

That was a lovely review of Fun House. I liked the connection to literature angle. If I decide to try another GN, I will look for this one.

Hi Lori - Wow, you've written some great reviews lately. I was particularly struck by your review of RTBWMS - I doubt I would have ever picked it up on my own, but you've made it intensely appealing.

Thanks!

Happy Hump Day Lori!
Congrats on the pretty roses for Vday! Nate refuses to buy flowers on valentine's day because the flower stores around here jack up the prices. He cooked me dinner instead which was nice :)

Nice new book acquisitions! I've got The Beggar's Opera in my sites as well

Hi Lori, I see that you started reading The Count of Monte Christo one of my alltime faves, next to The Three Musketeers smile. I am still making my way through my re-read of Anna Karenina, so far I am still in book two and enjoy it.

Hi, Lori! Great reviews here! I don't do Jane Austen or Graphic Novels, but Enter at your Own Risk sounds interesting to me.

Good review of The Doll's House. Very thorough. :) I plan on starting that one some time very soon.

I also like your review of Pride and Prejudice...that's one of my all-time favorites. But I just read it recently and realized that I wasn't as big a fan of Elizabeth or Darcy as I used to be. I mean, I still love them, for old time's sake...but they both have a lot of flaws. They're both very judgmental. :) I've always sort of leaned towards Sense and Sensibility being my #1 favorite of Austen's, and I'm unashamed to admit it. (Those characters have flaws too, of course, but it's all a matter of what flaws I find the most endearing...)

Hi Everyone, it has been a busy week and weekend. I spent some time this weekend spring cleaning my wardrobe so I now have a bag of clothes to drop off as donations to the charity shops. We also sat down and tackled the yearly taxes - earlier than usual but when you have all the forms there is no point in putting off the inevitable! - so I can happily forget about taxes now until next year.

I did manage to get some reading done but first, VISITORS!

> 189 - Hi Donna, Yellow roses are the best!!!! Glad to see they are your favorites as well! I am looking forward to reading Lonesome Dove. Fun house does contain have a stronger than normal literature angle to it.... gave me some good food for thought about a number of books I have yet to read.

> 190 - Hi Dejah, Thanks! I tend to get hit by a number of reviews myself but I was really quite impressed with how much I got out of RTBWMS.

> 191 - Hi Chelle, Hump day ranks up there as one of the best days of the week! I don't blame Nate.... the prices of flowers these days are eye-popping! December to February is 'groan' time for my other half - having Christmas, New Years, my birthday and then Valentines Day in a two month period of time is a bit much for the poor guy. Good news for him is that after Feb 14th, he is off the hook until December! I wish my other would cook me dinner - his idea of cooking dinner is to ask me questions how to do something the entire time he is preparing it! It's usually easier for me to just regain control of the kitchen then explain what he needs to do.

> 192 - Hi Bianca, Three Musketeers is fun but I prefer the brooding darkness of The Count of Monte Cristo. One of these days years I will get around to reading Anna Karenina... the challenge is I have yet to make it through any Tolstoy War and Peace has been something I have attempted to read off and on for some 30 years now!

> 193 - Hi Terri, Great to see you here! Enter at Your Own Risk was better than I expected it to be and has now intrigued me to consider reading some Lovecraft!

> 194 - Hi Rachel, I look forward to seeing what you think of The Doll's House. I picked up Dream Country this week from the library so I will probably get around to that one soon. I never read Austen in my youth so I wonder if the flaws of the characters are more prominent for readers beyond the first bloom of youth? Sense & Sensibility seems to rank up there as a favorite for a number of readers so I might need to consider moving that one up the reading pile. Flaws do make the characters more human and easier to connect with, that is for sure!

Book #16 - Black Butler, Vol. 3 by Yana Toboso
Book #17 - Black Butler, Vol. 4 by Yana Toboso



Vol. 3: Continuing where Vol. 2 left off, Ciel and Sebastien discover Jack the Ripper's true identity and must eliminate this perpetrator in the name of the Queen and Phantomhive. In the process, we meet another 'nonhuman' for the Sebastien to deal with.

I have decided that fight scenes don't work very well for me in a manga context - or at least not in this series. I did enjoy the further development of Ciel's background and the history of some of his family members. The story has some good plot twists and some tongue in cheek moments. My personal favorite is when the corporately attired member from "the management division of the Grim Reaper Dispatch" makes an appearance. That was well done! As for the undertaker.... While one doesn't usually expect an undertaker to have a warm, bubbly personality, the undertaker in this series is quite the twisted individual, enough to give me the creeps.

Overall, not as good a read as Vol. 2 but good enough to make me want to pick up Vol. 4.

Vol. 4: Vol. 4 has Ciel and Sebastien still at the Phantomhive townhouse in London, much to the vexation of Ciel who prefers to remain at his country seat and only comes to London when he absolutely has to. This time, Ciel and Sebastien investigate at the Queen's request a series of attacks focused on British citizens recently returned from India - the "Indian Nabobs". This proves to be frustrating task with Prince Soma Asman Kadar, the twenty-six child of the Raja of Bengal in London on a quest of his own and leads to a rivalry between the two boys.

Okay, there is some rather childish behaviour in this one which I found surprising as the series appears to be targeted towards an older teen market, but that is okay since I wasn't expecting a philosophical read when I picked it up. I will be curious to see how the series evolves.

What I really like about this GN series, besides some really great artwork and interesting stories, is that Toboso includes interesting factual pieces of information for the reader. In Vol. 4, one learns about the requirements for a product to receive a Royal Warrant or Seal of Approval from the royal family.

Overall, the Black Butler series is a fun way to unwind when I am not in the mood to pick up my usual reading.


Decimal Rating: 3.17
3.00 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
2.75 - Writing Style
3.25 - Readability
3.00 - Premise
2.75 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN)
3.25 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 192 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female


Decimal Rating: 3.22
3.25 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.00 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
3.00 - Imagery/Visualization
4.00 - Artistry (GN)
3.00 - Originality
3.50 - Length

Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 192 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Female

Book #18 - Ice Song by Kirsten Imani Kasai

"Sorykah Minuit is a scholar, an engineer, and the sole woman aboard an ice-drilling submarine in the frozen land of the Sigue. What no one knows is that she is also a Trader: one who can switch genders suddenly, a rare corporeal deviance universally met with fascination and superstition and all too often punished by harassment or death. Sorykah's infant twins, Leander and Ayeda, have inherited their mother's Trader genes. When a wealthy, reclusive madman known as the Collector abducts the babies to use in his dreadful experiments, Sorykah and her male alter-ego, Soryk, must cross icy wastes and a primeval forest to get them back. Complicating the journey is the fact that Sorykah and Soryk do not share memories: each disorienting transformation is like awakening with a jolt from a deep and dreamless sleep.

For me, this is more of an interesting spin on an adult fairy tale, but not enough to slot it into that category. The frozen land of the Sigue is one that contains an Isle of Mourning, a Bay of Sorrows and even a Erun Forest - with a Wooded Beast that roams it - located at the base of the Glass Mountains. It is a world of somatics, outcasts that are part human, part creature in a world where genetic mutation has altered things and a world in which Sorykah is determined to "slay her dragon", the Collector. The story was very slow in the beginning - great detailed description but a bit too much description - to the point where, 100 pages in, I was starting to grow bored with it. I am glad I stuck with it. The story - meaning the plot - does improve. The sex orgy on the Isle of Mourning and the other various sexual innuendos could have been minimized, along with some repetition of the story, but that is just my opinion. lastly, I cannot picture Sorykah as the girl on the cover..... the cover art gives a very different impression of the story between the covers!

For a debut novel that fits into a genre I don't usually read, this ended up being an okay story for me.... a little on the long side at some 372 pages - could have easily cut 50-75 pages from it and I blame the editors for that - but overall okay and makes this another book now read and off my TBR Bookcase.

Decimal Rating: 3.13
2.75 - Plot Development
3.00 - Character Development
3.00 - Writing Style
3.25 - Readability
3.25 - Premise
2.50 - Imagery/Visualization
N/A - Artistry (GN)
3.25 - Originality
3.00 - Length

Star Rating: 3.00 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Trade Paperback
# of Pages: 372 pages
Source: TBR
Male/Female Author: Female

Book #19 - Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge - illustrated by Andrea Dezso
Category: - All things FABLES and FAIRY TALES

Do you want to sleep? Find another storyteller. Do you want to think about the world in a new way? Come closer. Closer, please. I want to whisper in your ear.

Koertge presents a new, modern take on the fairy tales most of us remember from our childhood. What happened to the stepsisters after Cinderella married her prince? Was Rapunzel really happy with her life or did she crave for what she couldn't have? What about the Little Match Girl? Seen a waif sitting on a street corner selling CD's lately? And, what really happens when you are the only one in the village to notice that the King's isn't wearing any clothes and voice it for all to hear and the reaction isn't quite what you expect it to be? What do you do then?

In sort, concise free verse format, Koertge' 23 vignettes are a refreshing if subversive viewpoint of a number of the fairy tales of old. If you aren't up to speed on your fairy tales, brush up before diving into this slim volume: some of these vignettes are written with an expectation that the reader is already versed in the stories that they refer to. The artwork by Dezso is a nice compliment. All the images as black cut paper silhouettes that are eye-catching with a subtle 3-D effect.

Overall, an enjoyable and quick read.

Decimal Rating: 3.50
Star Rating: 3.50 Stars
Book Stats:
Format: Hard Cover
# of Pages: 88 pages
Source: GVPL
Male/Female Author: Male

----------------
Reading List
Currently Reading: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
In Progress: I am at Chapter 10 of The Count of Monte Cristo - my ebook read.
About to Start: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson - a perfect book to read right now as this week is "Freedom to Read Week".

Lori please stop tempting me with books! Ha! :)

I just finished Season of Mists. You are going to love that one!!! I'm taking a break from Sandman now and will pick up in a couple of months.

> 199 - Hi Roberta, I would suggest scrolling through with your eyes closed but what would be the point of that! :-P

I am feeling that Sandman twitch again..... I haven't fallen too far behind the group read but after reading your post I am itching to move the Sandman: Dream Country up the reading queue just so that I can move on to Season of Mists.... darn it all!

Lori make sure when you get to Season of Mists you have time to enjoy it. Some loose threads were tied up. Some characters that had me scratching my head (Cain and Abel) make some sense now. That Gaiman is a genius!

No need to rush. We have the whole year. :)

Ok, Lori - you got me with Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses. It;s in the library system, so I've requested it....

Hi Lori! I read Riding the Bus With My Sister a few years ago and greatly enjoyed it as well. It was not my normal kind of read but I found it so eye-opening and thought-provoking. You wrote a fantastic review of it.

Lori- I'll be watching for your thoughts on RPO! It's a blast! I see you are starting Snow Falling on Cedars. It's excellent. I haven't read it in nearly 20 years. I should slot it in for a re-read.

Hi, Lori. Such interesting reading as you have been doing! Hope you enjoy RPO--it was one of my top reads last year!

> 201 - I will do as you suggest Roberta! Nice to see Gaiman is starting to tidy up some of the various plot lines he has running in The Sandman! Definitely something to look forward to!

> 202 - Hi Dejah, Lies, Knives and Girls in Red Dresses is a good library book.... I would have trouble recommending purchasing it given how short the book is!

> 203 - Thanks!

> 205 - Hi Mark, Thanks for venturing over this way! Ready Player One is a great book. It made me back burner my reading of Snow Falling on Cedars, which I need to get back to! I will be posting my review of Ready Player One once I get a new thread up and running. Snow Falling on Cedars has the same great narrative quality as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil so I am very happy to find another author with that writing style, keeping in mind that Berendt's book is narrative nonfiction!

> 206 - Hi Roni, Ready Player One was a great read and I can see why it was one of your top reads last year.... it is my top read so far this year!

My second thread is now up and open for business. Please join me over there by following the continuation thingee at the bottom of this thread.

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