leahbird try, tries again to read 75 in 2014 (2)

My name is Leah and I live in Tennessee. Until 5 years ago, I was a Cultural Anthropologist. Now I am doing a little bit of everything whenever it strikes my fancy. I farm, I doula (come check me out at Foothills Birth Services), I plan weddings (Something Old Weddings), I spend as much time as possible with my niece Addy, who is the coolest person ever!

As for my reading tastes, I read a lot of children's classics, myths and fairy tales (especially really good retellings), dystopian fiction, light fantasy (more urban/modern than Lord of the Rings and the like), dark humor, books about books, young adult novels (NOT Twilight), British humorists like Evelyn Waugh and P.G. Wodehouse, and non-fiction books about food, sustainability, organic/natural farming, and homemade/DIY ways of doing things.

“She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.”― Louisa May Alcott
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."― Cicero

*Note: Descriptions are not mine, but culled from LT or other sources. Thoughts are all me.

Read This Year
1. The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
3. The Dead in their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
4. Viva Jacquelina! by L.A. Meyer
5. Fables 19: Snow White by Bill Willingham
6. Saga, Vol. 1 by Brian K Vaughn
7. Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K Vaughn
8. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
9. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling
10. Boston Jacky by L.A. Meyer
11. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
12. Saga, Vol. 3 by Brian K Vaughn
13. Fire by Kristin Cashore
14. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
16. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore
17. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
18. Half Way Home by Hugh Howey
19. Fairest, Vol 3: The Return of the Maharaja by Sean E. Williams
20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
21. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
22. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger
23. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
24. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik
25. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik
26. Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik
27. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
28. Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
29. Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik
30. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik
31. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling
32. The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't, The Mummy that Was, and the Cat in the Jar by Gail Carriger
33. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
34. The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holmberg
35. Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas
36. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
37. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
38. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman
39. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

9. Boston Jacky by LA Meyer (read by Katherine Kellgren)



Description: Jacky Faber makes waves, even when docked in her adopted city of Boston to attend to the business of Faber Shipping Worldwide. With big dreams and perhaps too much exuberance for the Puritan populace, she quickly finds herself at odds with the Women’s Temperance Union and a town roiling over the arrival of hundreds of Irish laborers, brought in on Jacky’s Lorelei Lee. Thwarted at every turn by her enemies, Jacky is forced to acknowledge her shortcomings—and possibly lose her beloved Jaimy Fletcher. In this new installment in the ever-popular Bloody Jack Adventures, will the impulsive Jacky Faber finally get her comeuppance?

Thoughts: Typically I haven't enjoyed Jacky's adventures on dry land, but her stays in Boston are the exception. She always manages to get up to hilarious no good and the supporting characters are pretty interesting in their own right. While this installment wasn't the strongest in the series, it was still pretty enjoyable.

My biggest disappoinment: That Higgins was hardly even worth mentioning. Why bother bringing him to Boston to give him almost zero contribution, not even a decent scolding?

The Clarissa factor was quite entertaining for the most part and the epilogue was FANTASTIC. I'm excited to see what comes next in the supposed final installment of the series Wild Rover No More. What ever will happen between Jacky and Jaimy?

Rating: 3.58

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3.5
Audio: 4

10. Saga, Vol. 3 by Brian K Vaughan



Description: Winner of the 2013 Hugo award for Best Graphic Story! When two soldiers from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe. From New York Times bestselling writer Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina) and critically acclaimed artist Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40), Saga is the sweeping tale of one young family fighting to find their place in the worlds. Fantasy and science fiction are wed like never before in this sexy, subversive drama for adults. In volume 3, as new parents Marko and Alana travel to an alien world to visit their hero, the family's pursuers finally close in on their targets.

Thoughts: A pretty decent addition to the Saga story but a bit slow. I am holding out hope that future volumes will return to the real promise of the first, but these are in no way bad.

Rating: 3.5

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3.5

Sounds like you liked Boston Jacky a little better than I did. I didn't hate it, but it still is not comparable to the first few books in the series. Looking forward to the final book, though!

Hi there, Leah! :)

I'm showing broken links to your book jackets above, but I'm checking in on your new thread.

Yeah, they are broken. Posting from my phone is not the best option ever. Will fix once I'm at an actual computer again.

ETA: Fixed now.

Happy New Thread, Leah!

Hi Leah, happy new thread!

Clarissa Worthington-Howe has definitely become my favorite character in the series. Besides Jacky and Higgins of course.

Thanks scaifea and wilkiec!

Nora, I agree. She's a devil and it's so entertaining.

Great day with Addy at the Tennessee Aquarium. It's my favorite aquarium even if it doesn't have the big ticket animals like the Atlanta one. The whale sharks in Atlanta are amazing to see but it just makes me sad that such huge, majestic creatures spend their lives swimming in circles in a (albeit huge) tank. The Tennessee Aquarium has the best set up I've seen so far with a lot of attention paid, especially in the freshwater building, to recreating natural environments. It seems like such a better existence for the fish and turtles and alligators and it's very cool to see the world as they see it, from the floor of rivers and lakes and ocean reefs. The butterfly room on top of the saltwater building was a huge hit. Addy walked in, stopped dead in her tracks in this room full of butterflies, and exclaiming "It's like a DREAM COME TRUE!" I was soooo happy.

The hotel stay over the weekend was great for my reading. I finished my audiobook on the way down, read the graphic novel, got half way through an actual book, and am now almost done with my Chamber of Secrets audiobook. I was listening to it in the car on the way back from Chattanooga while I thought Addy was asleep. From the back, a small, groggy voice said "Lelah, is this story about Harry Potter?" I love that, at 4 years old, Addy can recognize Harry Potter from a few half-heard lines. I think Dumbledore tipped her off!

Alas, it's back to work tomorrow.

>11 leahbird: The Tennessee Aquarium sounds awesome. I know the Atlanta Aquarium is supposed to be The Business, but I was completely unimpressed with it.

It really is. Love it so much.

Atlanta has big ticket animals but the setup is juvenile and theme parkish. The fact that it was sponsored by Home Depot and they use "Deepo" as their mascot really bugs the crap out of me.

Have you been to the Baltimore Aquarium? It's pretty big too, and I *love* the way the displays are set up.

The Atlanta Aquarium is very theme-parkish. I couldn't put my finger on why I didn't like it but you nailed it. They just put a bunch of fish in some big tanks, there's nothing educational or conservationist about it at all.

I've never been to Baltimore but I will add it on my list of things to do. I am a sucker for a good aquarium and they are getting harder to find these days as more and more of them turn in tourist traps and not a magical experience.

Here is a pic of my favorite exhibit in the TN Aquarium, the Delta Room. I only wish it was bigger, but it's sooooo cool. The "tank" area is actually 2 stories tall with those fake trees going up into the glass top of the building and creating a really special, authentic space. Amazing.

So, Amazon has come out with Fire TV, their answer to Apple TV and Roku. I have said for a while that I would buy whatever system figure out an easy and good way to play Amazon Prime videos on my tv (the Wii does it but it's a bit messy and it's not HD) and it's only $99. The issue is, do I want to buy into ANOTHER Amazon product? They are up in my business quite a lot more than I would like- ideally I wouldn't have anything to do with them but I'm weak and they are cheap and convenient- and this seems like a big step towards just drinking the kool-aid.

But damn, it looks cool. Voice search!

I second Nora's recommendation of the Baltimore Aquarium! It's one of the best I've seen.

Look what hopped into my life today! Easter came early I guess. A fourth is more active so it wasn't in a cuddling mood but these 3 are so content snuggled on my chest.

Awwww!

Bunnies are so cute!! :)

Ohmygoodness! So sweet!

>16 leahbird: You can get a Roku which will stream from Amazon Prime Instant. You could also get a Chromecast which can stream anything from a Chrome browser window on a computer or smart phone, but the quality of the streaming from Chrome is not great.

Here's a whole article on why Roku is the best streaming device because it's the only one not self-interested, because they don't sell content for streaming like Amazon, Apple, and Google.

http://gizmodo.com/why-roku-matters-more-than-ever-1558433873

(I know I sound like a pusher, so let me mention that I use Chromecast.) (But this article is kind of convincing me to switch.)

>18 leahbird: I had a bunny hopping right next to my house the other day as I pulled up into the driveway. Unfortunately the bunny was too close to the garage, and when I hit the remote, it spooked the bunny who ran off to the yard behind mine. I'm sure he'll be back though.

We're pretty sure these bunnies belonged to the unfortunate rabbit who was smooshed on the road day before yesterday. So far so good and these bunnies are on their way to getting strong and big and going back out into the world.

Nora, Roku may be the way I go. For some reason I thought Netflix owned Roku, but it's cool to find they are independent. Maybe I can find a way to test drive them both and then decide.b

Who do you choose?

My heart says Lennon, my gut says Cash, but my soul.... my soul goes for Freddy Mercury and puts up an epic fight.

My brain tells the others to shut up because where there is one magical ticket there are more magical tickets and we can totally figure out how to make this work to our advantage.

I'd go with Elvis, even though that's the easiest choice because he's not really dead. ;-)

I think I'd go with Elvis too.

Elvis, Janis, and Jim are high my list but it seemed greedy to want all six. ;)

I'd go with Lennon, I think. But I have to admit that I don't know who some of them are...

If Karen Carpenter had been on the photo, I probably would have picked her over Elvis. She died far too young.

>31 thornton37814: Ditto.

>30 foggidawn: Top Left to Bottom Right
Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain, Freddie Mercury, Bob Marley
Janis Joplin, Jimmy Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, (dude I can't identify)
Whitney Houston, Elvis, Beethoven I believe, Jim Morrison
Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Tupac

I'm actually mega impressed with myself. I'm not even that much of a music fan... I guess I pay better attention than I thought.

Anybody know who that last guy is?

I believe that is Cliff Burton, from Metallica.

>31 thornton37814: Me too, but it would be close. Elvis put on a better show.

Michael Jackson, because I grew up obsessed with his music and never got to see him live.
But also Freddie, because, well, it's Freddie, so the music is amazing and the crowd-watching would be awesome.

Glad to see so many Karen Carpenter fans!

11. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling (read by Stephen Fry)


Description: The Dursleys were so mean that hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockheart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny.

But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone--or something--starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects...Harry Potter himself?

Thoughts: Very enjoyable, more so that I remember but I always think its rubbish and then find that it's not.

More thoughts posted in the group read thread here.

Rating: 3.83

Liked: 4
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 4
Audio: 4

I finished a book days ago and completely forgot I hadn't reviewed it. I've been so distracted and only thought of it today, when a headache kept me home from work and in bed. The break was what I needed after 10 straight days of grinding away but I would have rather spent my precious time off doing something other than half listening to an audiobook in a dark room.

12. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs


Description: This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerizing) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

Thoughts: I was quite enamored with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children when I read it in 2011 and was excited for this sequel but it fell a bit short of my hopes, as so many sequels do. I think many of the things that were new and interesting and compelling in the first felt more forced this time around and the story lacked a certain magical quality I was expecting. It seemed to drag the reader along from one weird but not terribly interesting happening to the next, wandering a bit too much without really solidify the story.

I will probably read the next book in the series, but I will await it with much less anticipation than I did this one.

Rating: 3.1

Liked: 3
Plot: 3
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3

13. Fire by Kristin Cashore (read by Xanthe Elbrick)


Description: She is the last of her kind...

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don't need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven't, you'll be dying to read it next.

Thoughts: I'm not sure what compelled me to revisit this book now, but I loved it when I read it in 2011. Maybe thinking about Miss Peregrine's reminded me of other books I read that year and enjoyed which subconsciously made me want to return to this one. I still enjoyed the story quite a bit but the narration was a bit off and kept me from really loving it again.

It's not that Xanthe doesn't have a pleasant voice, but she's one of those narrators who is a bit too calmly melodic and breathy and makes everything everyone says a bit too... dramatic and needy? Katherine Kellgren has spoiled me for other readers because she truly understands that not everyone speaks with such urgency all the time, that voices that are speaking of dramatic things can still have different deliveries. Conversations between breathy, nearly indistinguishable characters can easily drag a plot down.

Rating: 3.5

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 4
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3.5
Audio: 3

My work complaints mean nothing anymore as a work friend just lost his wife, she at 34 and he at 30. She leaves behind a shattered husband, a 2 year old daughter, and a 2 month old son. It's just the most unimaginable thing. To go from thinking you are getting a stomach bug to life support and then losing the fight in the span of just over a week... It seems like something impossible.

Oh my, that's horrible. Would he mind if I add him and his family to my prayers?

I'm sure he'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you for keeping them in your heart.

>41 leahbird: That is truly tragic. My heart goes out to them.

>41 leahbird: Oh, that's so very sad. I'll be keeping them in my thoughts, as well.

>41 leahbird: how immeasurably sad and distessing. Many thoughts and prayers for your colleague and his family. What a reminder as to how precious life truly is.

Thanks everyone. It's such a terrible thing that I still don't quite believe it.

My grandfather, Robert Bailes (pictured here in blue hat and brown jacket with his second son in front of him), served our county with honor in WWII, along with 4 of his brothers.

When he lost his sight many years ago, he lost a lot of his independence and never thought he would visit the memorial in DC. HonorAir Knoxville made it possible for him to travel, surrounded by other honored veterans, and finally lay his hands upon the memorial that bears the name of his brother, HL Bailes, who did not make the journey home from war.

We are so proud of our soldier, for his service and for the example he continues to set in our lives. Tonight he was welcomed home by his wife, his four sons, his daughter, his daughters-in law & son-in-law, many grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and hundreds of other well wishers. It was an amazing sight. And an experience I know Bob, and us, will cherish forever.

I can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate HonorAir (and US Airways for the ride) for this service they provide for veterans. If you have a veteran in your life, please consider putting their name forward for this amazing privilege. It is truly awe inspiring.

In other rollercoaster emotion news, the funeral for my friend's wife was tonight as well and it was heartbreaking. Walking through the receiving line and seeing him constantly glancing at her with a wistful smile just broke my heart into a million pieces. The little ones weren't there which was a blessing really as I don't think he could have held up, even for them.

To go from that to the Welcome Back for the HonorAir flight was such an emotional change that it hurt my stomach. The range of human emotion is mind boggling.

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. She was far too young to die. Your friend will continue to need support as he adjusts to a new reality.

I've known a couple of veterans who have been on HonorAir trips to the memorials. It was an emotional experience for them and for their families, and I'm so glad they were able to go with people who were perhaps strangers at the beginning of the day, but had shared the experience of wartime military service.

An aunt of mine volunteers with an Honor flight group. She always says it is an honor for her to work with such a wonderful group of people. The logistics of the whole thing is astounding

>48 leahbird: I saw that story in the local news the other day. What a wonderful personal connection.

14. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (read by John Lee)


Description: Welcome to Chromatacia, where the societal hierarchy is strictly regulated by one's limited color perception. And Eddie Russet wants to move up. But his plans to leverage his better-than-average red perception and marry into a powerful family are quickly upended. Juggling inviolable rules, sneaky Yellows, and a risky friendship with an intriguing Grey named Jane who shows Eddie that the apparent peace of his world is as much an illusion as color itself, Eddie finds he must reckon with the cruel regime behind this gaily painted façade.

Thoughts: I seriously loved this when I read it in 2010 and, since I seem to be revisiting books lately, was excited to explore Chromatacia again with Eddie. I wasn't disappointed.

John Lee is not the best reader I've encountered but he was perfectly acceptable and didn't detract from the story. I actually think I picked up many more references this time around, although I would attribute that to 4 more years of brain betterment through reading than to listening to Mr. Lee's narration.

My only regret is that I choose to listen to this now. I've stoked the fires of my love for this story just in time to sit and wait and wait and wait for the next in the series to come out. It's killing me!

Rating: 4

Liked: 4
Plot: 4
Characterization: 4.5
Writing: 4
Audio: 3.5

Very excited that The Serpent of Venice just arrived! Especially since it allowed me to type the words "Pocket of Dog Snogging (2)" and totally NOT be making crap up just because it sounds funny. ;)

Talked about birth and doulas to a room full of mostly 60somethings today. It was not the kind of crowd I'm used to having this conversation with but it went really well and they were all very interested. As usual, the US's bad birth statistics shocked all.

Many, men and women, came up afterwards to share their experiences with birth which was awesome. Several had been born at home, not surprising for this area, and then experienced the really non-mother friendly birth atmosphere of the 1950s-70s.

One day I'm just going to take a year off and do nothing but record birth stories from my grandmothers' generation. The book I could write, it would just be the coolest thing.

I'd love to read THAT book, Leah! It was because of those birth statistics that I chose home birth whenever possible. My grandmother, though, was appalled. She almost died birthing her first child, my father, because the bleeding wouldn't stop, and the doctor wouldn't come. A midwife finally came to help her. All the straw of her mattress was soaked through, and they had to completely empty it, wash and dry the ticking and refill it with fresh straw before she could even rest from her ordeal. Things were so different then. For myself, home births were the best. My son, now a doctor, always says, "It's a wonder I even lived through it." Doesn't matter how often you cite the statistics; people are brainwashed.

PS: What a neat story about your grandfather and HonorAir!

Statistically speaking, the safest place to birth is a birth center within 30 mins of a fully equipped labor and delivery unit. The risk of infection is slightly (very slightly) higher at home but the risk from complications due to unnecessary procedures is exponentially higher in a non-evidenced based hospital setting, which is most of them now unfortunately.

Once you know that the US is #in health expenditures but 55th in infant mortality and 50th in maternal mortality with the 3rd highest c-section rate it's clear that something is wrong.

In my case, I was pre-registered at a hospital two minutes away with my first home birth, and at a hospital ten minutes away with my 2nd and 3rd home births. My hospital births were so stressful, because, first of all, it wasn't a peaceful environ, even in the new "birthing center" suites. And worse, we had to keep insisting on what we wanted throughout the whole time, even though we'd previously gone over everything with our doctor and it was all in our papers. Instead of just concentrating on the birth, we had to keep doctors and nurses from intervening with their own agendas. Oh dear, zip it granny, or I could go on and on!

You're just preaching to the choir, nothing wrong with that. ;)

I may have.... gotten a tiny bit............ stuck in a bunny cage tonight. Yes, it's as weird as it sounds.

The terrifying part though is that my family left me stuck in there for minutes longer than they needed to so my sister could take pictures. Which she hasn't posted on FB yet. When your sister has somewhat embarrassing pictures of you and doesn't use them to shame you on social media, there is no sense of relief.

Instead, there is a sense of growing paranoia that she's planning something worse. I may have to kill her.

Oh dear! If I hadn't already sworn to never set foot on FB, the possibility of those pictures might almost be enough to make me change my mind! May there be restraint and life all around!

Oh dear. Trying really hard not to imagine how that looked. Poor you!

*runs off to search FB for "stuck in bunny cage" pictures*

Who knows, maybe you'll be the next big meme! ;)

Apparently she showed restraint and isn't posting them. But if I ever get married, I can guarantee it'll end up in the slide show.

So, the story. The pen we put the bunnies in is one of my chicken tractors, a bottomless box frame wrapped in chicken wire. It's about 2 ft x 2 ft x 4 ft with an opening the length of one end but not particularly wide, just a smidge wider than my chest.

When we first put the bunnies in there, 2 of them went straight in their house but two just froze in the middle. When I went back to check on them they were still sitting there not moving. I was worried that they wouldn't get in the house and would get cold and sick so I needed to rescue them.

Somehow I managed to just barely get into the cage. I had just enough clearance to crawl to them and put them in the house. Then I tried to get out. Which is where it all went wrong. I couldn'tget my torso into the opening while managing to get my legs under me aand I couldn't get my arms in the right position topush myself up.

Luckily I had my phone in my pocket. When they came down to help, I was sitting on my knees with half my upper body out of the opening unable to go back or stand up and with my shirt stuck in the barbed end of the chicken wire. Once I had a hand to grab I could kinda snake/hop up and step out. But it was not graceful inthe least.

The things I do for orphaned animals.

I'm sure it wasn't fun at the time, but it makes a funny story for your LT followers to read about your Winnie the Pooh moment!

Well I got in there again last night, to rescue the bunnies from a severe storm and tornado warning. I thought ahead though and took someone with me to get me out. I was inside a metal box in the middle of an insane lightening storm though, so I don't think it was any smarter.

I'm glad both you and your bunnies are safe! I was prepared to grab Adrian from his crate and take shelter in the bathroom, but the storm didn't get close enough to me to make it necessary.

I've done some reading and will post reviews but right now life sucks and I doubt I'll have much to contribute around here for a bit (not that I've been all that present lately anyway).

15. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (read by Stephen Fry)


Description: For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort, and might even have assisted in the deaths of James and Lily Potter—Harry Potter’s parents.

Now Black has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkaban guards heard him muttering in his sleep, "He’s at Hogwarts... he’s at Hogwarts."

Of course, Harry already had plenty to worry about. After inflating his nasty aunt and running away on the magical Knight Bus, he finds he’s being pursued by death omens at every turn. He receives two wonderful gifts: a top-of-the-line Firebolt broomstick, and the Marauder’s Map, a magical diagram of Hogwarts made by the mysterious “Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.” Hermione disappears frequently, burdened down by a seemingly impossible course schedule. And the soulless Dementors have come to guard Hogwarts—supposedly to protect Harry from Sirius Black, but they terrify Harry more than the fugitive ever could.

To strengthen himself against them, Harry reaches out to Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who was once a friend of his father’s. Lupin teaches Harry about the Patronus Charm, a defensive measure well above the level of magic generally mastered by wizards Harry’s age. But even with his broom, his map, his magic, and his loyal friends, Harry isn't safe.

Because on top of everything else, there’s a traitor hidden at Hogwarts...

Thoughts: This has always been my favorite Harry Potter book. I remember reading it when it came out and being blown away. I had loved the first two books but this was the one that really solidified the overarching story for me. Harry's parents (and their deaths) went from being shadowy supporting characters that simply set the stage for current events to being something compelling and real and tragic.

They were so young. Their friends would have been just as young and they were fighting this epic war. This is the thing the movies have never been able to get right. They were forced to cast older actors as Harry's parents so that they wouldn't appear to age, but in the story they are only 21 when they are killed. Married and pregnant at 19, fighting the most powerful dark wizard of the time (all time?), and dead at 21. Which means that, at the time of the action in Prisoner of Azkaban, Remus and Sirius and Peter (and even Snape) are only about 34. I think for so much of the series, especially the movies, we forget that Harry and friends were NOT the first children to face Voldemort.

I also find it very interesting that my two favorite books in the series are POA and Half-Blood Prince, the two books in the series where it is not particularly about the current events but more about the past and childhood itself and how and why things go terrible wrong for some. These books are so much more about finding out who you really are, growing up and taking sides, and the choices that define us. It's just fascinating reading.

But really, none of the books would be good without characters you care for and root for and no book brings that out in me more than this one. I love Remus and Sirius and CROOKSHANKS! What a cat. Can you imagine having a teacher like Remus, even outside of magic? He makes you want to learn and shows how interesting and exciting learning and the wider world are. And Sirius is a nut but he's the most loyal person in probably all the books. He is almost single minded in his devotion to his friends where even the great Dumbledore can be a smidge shady in using people he cares about to do what he thinks in right.

And even batty Trelawney is fascinating. I adore Emma Thompson and her version of Trelawney is one of my favorite things about HP movies.

Never a disappointment reading this one.

Rating: 4.25

Liked: 4.5
Plot: 4
Characterization: 4.5
Writing: 4
Audio: 4

16. The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore


Description: Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy from the Queen of Britain: the rascal-Fool Pocket.

This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of sprits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio's beautiful daughter, Portia.

But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn't even in the city limits. Desperate to rid themselves once and for all of the man who has consistently foiled their grand quest for power and wealth, they have lured him to his death. (How can such a small man, be such a huge obstacle?). But this Fool is no fool . . . and he's got more than a few tricks (and hand gestures) up his sleeve.

Greed, revenge, deception, lust, and a giant (but lovable) sea monster combine to create another hilarious and bawdy tale from modern comic genius, Christopher Moore.

Note: The book, too, is a veritable work of art. Rich creamy stock is enhanced by two-color printing, featuring part/chapter titles, running heads, and folios printed in red ink. The text block has blue-stained edges. The book opens to reveal two-page spread endpapers decorated with a sepia-toned antique map of Venice; an antique map of Italy graces the book’s front matter, printed in red. The jacket sports a matte finish with embossed author and title type; gold foil embellishes the title and illustration detail.

Thoughts: As usual, Christopher Moore makes me laugh. Often out loud. Sometimes in public places. It's a great opportunity when people look at you strangely, laughing at a book, to spread the good word of Mr. Moore's wit and naughty humor.

I did not love Fool, Moore's retelling of King Lear featuring The Fool Pocket of Dog Snogging, but it was mostly because I don't love the source material. Moore's take on it was as funny and interesting as I could probably find a story based on a play I don't care for, so I was excited to get my hands on the next of Pocket's stories and see what he could get up to in Venice.

This one is a smashup featuring characters and events from The Cask of Amontillado by Poe, The Merchant of Venice and Othello by Shakespeare, The Travels of Marco Polo, and some nice carry over from Fool/King Lear. It sounds like a mess but it all weaves together rather impressively. Probably best if you are like me and have a good working knowledge of all the source material but are a bit fuzzy on details. I've read most of these but it was back in high school so what I remembered was just the bones. That way, when Moore goes and throws a sea monster sized wrench into the plots, you won't be too bothered. ;)

I don't think Pocket's stories will ever be my favorite of Moore's series but I will happily continue to read them if there are more.

PS: The book is really pretty. The blue used on the page edges is gorgeous and the red blockset lines are great to break up the page (and those bits are always good for a laugh).

Rating: 3.8

Liked: 4
Plot: 4
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3.5

This was a perfect find this week. I think David posted it on Pinterest (I always steal his Pinterest stuff because it's great). This perfectly captures my mood and what I've been doing the past few days.

Well, I hope that you've been reading enough to feel better! I didn't have a chance to read much last week, but I did have a great time!

Lovely reviews, and love the thought in >71 leahbird:! Hoping for better days for you.

17. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (read by Stephen Fry)


Description: Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. And in his case, different can be deadly.

Thoughts: This has never been my favorite Harry Potter, a lot because I do actually adore the depictions of the day to day Hogwarts life that the other books detail (and QUIDDITCH!) but mostly because this one raises so many nagging questions that continue to irk me.

I am very glad that I revisited it for this reread project, though. It's been many years since I read it last and I had forgotten so many of the little details that the movie leaves out. This was definitely a good thing and made listening it it a lot more enjoyable that I thought it would be.

More thoughts posted on the reread thread.

Rating: 3.75

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4
Audio: 4

18. Half Way Home by Hugh Howey


Description: Less than sixty kids awaken on a distant planet. The colony ship they arrived on is aflame. The rest of their contingent is dead. They've only received half their training, and they are being asked to conquer an entire planet. Before they can, however, they must first survive each other. In this gritty tale of youths struggling to survive, Hugh Howey fuses the best of young adult fantasy with the piercing social commentary of speculative fiction. The result is a book that begs to be read in a single sitting. An adventurous romp that will leave readers exhausted and begging for more.

Thoughts: I'm telling you, there isn't anyone like Hugh Howey to suck me in completely. I mean, this man manages to hook me with a tiny number of sentences. And I believe him. I am always right there, completely willing to go wherever he wants to take me. He's a total bastard at endings, simply because I never want his stories to end, but I seem infinity willing to forgive him for that so long as there is another story.

This is another, like Wool, that is not one thing. It is set in a future that is very different from our own but exceedingly acceptable as something that grows out of our own. It deals with clones and AI and empire-driven space exploration. It deals with an alien planet that is, of course, more than it seems.

But, mostly, it deals with what is it to be human and whether programming can ever really determine what a human, even a cloned, bioengineered one, will turn out to be. It is at times a depressing look at human nature but it is also a brilliant and life affirming statement of what is possibly when people strive to be better.

I love it. I didn't always see where it was going or why something was important but it all came together. It reminds me very strongly of The Sparrow but gets to the point in a fraction of the time while delivering a similar impact. I wish it was a bit longer on the tail end. I want to explore with these people and see how they make it work. I want to hear more stories! But that's an acceptable complaint when the rest is so great.

Rating: 4.3

Liked: 4.5
Plot: 4.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4

So, my first gen Kindle Fire is kaput. It just won't charge worth a crap and then dies in no time. I contacted Amazon about options and their opinion is that I need a replacement. And, naturally, I'm out of warranty. There are replacement batteries from third party sellers but Amazon thinks it's the actual charging port so a replacement battery won't help.

Their replacement deal is basically $40 off a new or refurbished Kindle. Not great but better than nothing I guess. So, now I need to decide if I'm going to replace it and, if so, with what Kindle. I used to use my Kindle as a tablet all the time until I got a smartphone and now I use it or the desktop. I shoo like being able to watch my Amazon vids on the Kindle when traveling but itwouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't have it.

So, who has a Kindle they'd recommend over another? I think the PaperWhite seems cool for a strict e-reader. And the battery longevity sounds great. On the other hand, is the Fire HD really noticeably better than just the Fire? Can anyone explain the HDX?

So sorry for the passing of Mr. Kindle. No experience with kindles, but feel your pain. We've become so dependent on our devices, haven't we?

>76 leahbird: I had a 2nd-generation Kindle (not the Fire, just the basic ereader) and I liked it for that purpose. It died after a couple of years, and I didn't replace it because I now have an iPad Mini that I can use for ebooks. The long battery life of the Kindle was a real perk, especially while traveling. If I read mostly ebooks, I would probably buy a PaperWhite to augment the iPad, for both the sake of the long battery life and because it's easier on the eyes. However, I still mostly read paper books, so the versatility of the iPad suits me better right now.

My reading is much more digital these days than in the past. Between audiobooks (majority) and library ebooks, my physical book reading is getting rarer. But I still buy a lot of physical books. I'm just a bit slower at reading them than I used to be. I think the thing that gets me is that, since I can borrow or buy books on the fly with the phone or the Kindle, I am much more likely to start reading something in a random moment of downtime whereas picking a physical book takes time to think about what I might want to read next and then managing to have it with me at the right time.

I think I might decide to kill two birds with two, connected stones. I think I'm going to go with the PaperWhite (although I'm probably going to just make a new purchase since the 2nd gen PaperWhite isn't part of the replacement deal) and then go ahead a buy the Roku Streaming Stick that I've been thinking about for a while. That way, I get a nice ereader, I get the Roku for home that I wanted anyway, and the Roku is so small and portable (and controllable by smartphone) that I can just throw it in my bag while traveling so I at least can watch movies in hotel rooms. I'm going to end up spending just a few dollars more for this package than I would if I bought a new Fire with the replacement deal. Not so bad.

Also, I can then give my Fire to my niece to play her learning games on. It won't matter so much to her if it takes days to charge because she'd only use it when her mom is reading on theirs.

Have you guys heard of Wool: The Graphic Novel? It's coming out as a Kindle Serial again and starts arriving on June 3. I think it's going to be an interesting look at Wool from a visual perspective and I'm happy to be in when it's happening this time. The whole thing is going to be $4.99 upfront and the individual installments will just be sent out on their release date, so I suggest getting a preview sent before you commit. I just ordered mine so I'll let you know what I think when I have a minute to sit down and check it out.

Saw Maleficient tonight with my sister. It was really good. I think it would have tipped over into amazing had it been longer and fleshed the whole story out a bit more, but it was still totally worth seeing in the theater. The CGI is impressive and beautiful. I like how they reimagined things and only would have made a tweak here or there.

The end credits had this hauntingly beautiful cover of "Once Upon a Dream" that totally struck my soul. And then I found out it was Lana Del Rey and it totally made since. Some of her lyrics are crap and crude, but her sound and her voice NEVER fail to give me goosebumps and she does a fantastic version of this much loved song.

"Once Upon a Dream" 2014

I saw Maleficent yesterday and I agree. There was a lot of meat to the story that was kind of glossed over. But still, so good!

19. Fairest: The Return of the Maharaja by Sean E. Williams


Description: When Nalayani seeks the help of the Maharaja to save her village from the Dhole, she uncovers a secret that could change the Fables Universe forever: the still alive and long-thought dead Prince Charming!

Thoughts: This was a big disappointment. Firstly, Fairest purports to be about the ladies of FABLETOWN not any random Fable girl who happens across Charming's (albeit awesomely still alive) self.

This story is basically: Charming isn't dead, yay! But he does manage to make a giant mess of things for everyone around him just by being himself. As usual. Poor defenseless village pays the price. Sets in motion a chain of events that are about almost NOTHING but showing Charming learning about love because a poor jungle girl from India isn't freaked out when he is less than handsome. Oh, and because she won't sleep with him because apparently that's never happened before.

BORING.

Nalayani could have been an interesting character. She's determined and strong and does the right thing. But her possibly interesting story is buried in making her Charming's new victim d'amour. Which is decidedly NOT the point of a whole series about Fables' badass women. Seriously, they could have found a way to tell this story in the Fables mainstory and I probably wouldn't have been bothered by it, but don't do this crap in Fairest and call it a celebration of female fables. I mean, even the main male characters are hot for Charming in this! It's Charming-palooza. Ick.

Rating: 2.8

Liked: 3
Plot: 2.5
Characterization: 2.5
Writing: 3

20. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (read by Stephen Fry)


Description: In his fifth year at Hogwart's, Harry faces challenges at every turn, from the dark threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and the unreliability of the government of the magical world to the rise of Ron Weasley as the keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Along the way he learns about the strength of his friends, the fierceness of his enemies, and the meaning of it all.

Thoughts: I don't love moody, irritable, snappy Harry. I understand moody, irritable, snappy Harry, especially in the context of everything he's been through AND he's 15. But I do love most of the other things about this book.

I mean, two words: Dolores Umbridge. That woman is EVIL. And so fascinating to read. I love every little disgusting detail, right down to the kitten plates. I love how the students come together and learn anyway right under her nose. I love how she's finally dealt with (although I wish it had stuck).

I love Neville. I love his story and his relationship with his mother. I love the confidence he finds in himself and how, totally out magicked, he stands with his friends against evil.

I love Luna. I just do.

There is so much to like about this book and so often it's overlooked because of the teenage angst. But they are teenagers! With things to be angsty about!

The only thing I hate it the obvious. The loss. I HATE it. I'm pretty sure I threw my book across the room the first time I read this. I still don't agree with it's necessity here. I just needed more time!!!

Rating: 4

Liked: 4
Plot: 4
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4

21. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (read by Wil Wheaton)


Description: At once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.

Thoughts: I'm still a little unsure how I feel about this book. I thought sleeping on it might help me put my thoughts into coherent phrases but I don't think it helped much.

On the one hand, I devoured this, listening to it in just over 2 days. That has NEVER happened before. Audiobooks are usually for those in-between moments like driving or lying in bed before sleep. I actually sat on my couch for the better part of two days and just listened to this book. It was weird.

On the other, there were countless times while I was listening that I thought to myself, "This is ridiculous. Why am I listening to these characters ramble on and on about 70s and 80s computer and gaming technology that I couldn't care less about?"

I think, when I get down to the heart of it, I appreciate a story that is very different than most of those available today. I also enjoy an underdog story, a story of some nobody pitting their self against a huge conglomerate entity. In the first chapters I was wholeheartedly on Wade's side.

I think had the story stayed more in the vein of the first chapters, I would have been a huge fan. There was this interesting and impressive balance between the real world and how hard it was for Wade (and millions of others) and the beauty and benefit of the OASIS. That Wade was a creature of both at the same time was very compelling. But when the story took a turn decidedly INTO the OASIS and all it's inherent "perks" I was almost completely turned off by the story. I couldn't relate. I couldn't see how this bit of story about owning a digital asteroid and going to the best parties and turning into FUCKING MERMAID RAVERS had anything to do with saving the digital world from bad guys or being an authentic person in cyber space or felt based in the reality/surreality that Cline had been creating, the one that had me hooked.

Ultimately, I think the thing that really bothered me the most was that this is almost my worst nightmare. As much as my life is online now, as removed from the real world as I can be at times, at no point have I ever wanted to live inside the net. Places like SecondLife and MMORPGs have never held any allure for me. What I really want is for the social world I have found inside the net to be manifest somewhere in the real world. I want all of you and all my other internet friends to live in some nice little town somewhere that we've made perfect. But the idea of abandoning this world for some world in cyberspace... it just does not sit well with me.

Especially a world that lives almost entirely in the past. The kids in this story are arguably brilliant and fascinating. The fact, however, that they spend their lives memorizing stupid 80s trivia and researching every single Rush song ever written is just the most depressing thing ever. Where is their capacity for creativity? Why couldn't the competition be about pushing boundaries and finding solutions to problems? Why mire these beautiful minds and the energies of millions of people all over the world in the muck of whether or not Ladyhawke was a good movie? It was so so so so so depressing.

So. How do I balance the weird compulsion I had to listen listen listen until it was done with the disgust I felt for the world itself and the asinine 80s shit? I don't know. Part of me really appreciates what Cline was doing. But a large part of me just doesn't get it. Or want to all that much.

I'm so very confused.

Rating: 3.41

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3
Audio: 4

Wow. Looking back over my reading this year, out of 21 books read, only 2 of them were not from series. I didn't even realize how bad my series reading had gotten! Sheesh! I need some new authors.

Of my 33 books year this year, only 5 were not in series (and one of those was a guide book). I, however, am fine with that ;-)

Op, I lied. It's 3 books. But, I'm pretty fine with it too. I would like to have a bit more diverse reading this year but I'm pretty happy with what I've been reading so far.

OASIS is amazing and I'm totally going to live in it when it becomes real. :P

I know I'm in the minority with my opinions on the book. I'm ok with that. I don't hate the idea of the OASIS, especially it's immersive educational opportunities and the thought of experiencing books the way Wade and the others experience movies. It's just the idea of a world where everyone abandons the real world and let's it rot so they can pretend to be ogres in cyber space that makes me cringe.

>90 leahbird: I think there's a bit of ambiguity about whether their world was rotting before or after OASIS began.

Oh dear Lord! I just discovered Captain Jack hosting a terrible "celebrity" competition show. John, I love you so much and want you to have lots of work, but please, you are so much better than this. Someone bring Torchwood back please please please!

I mentioned this already on your Facebook, but he's on the tv show Arrow which is an excellent show, and he's been upgraded to season regular for next season. You should watch it if you're not already!

I'm in a decided funk. Reading/listening has all but ground to a halt and there isn't much decent tv at the moment. I need something to really jump start me again...

Any suggestions of something quick and energizing?

Daughter of Smoke and Bone?
Have you read Curtsies & Conspiracies yet?
The Diviners
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
Fangirl
Leviathan
. . . .

You might try rereading something you really love. That sometimes helps me.

Hi Leah! I'm sorry to hear about the book funk. Maybe it's the weather. I hope you get out of it soon!

I always like mysteries/thrillers when I'm in a funk. They are awful, but they are really fast, so it feels like I'm reading a lot, and then my next book is always amazing by comparison.

>95 norabelle414: I just downloaded Curtsies & Conspiracies so I'll give that a try. I had actually forgotten about that one.

Fangirl would be nice but none of my Overdrive libraries have it in ebook, just audio, and I think I'd rather read right now. I'll have to keep looking.

Thanks!

>96 foggidawn: I've been doing the Harry Potter rereads but they haven't really encouraged me to pick up other things so far. I might have to give my shelves a good once over. Maybe The Secret Garden can fix me.

>97 cbl_tn: Thanks!

>98 Ape: I really don't like mysteries or thrillers in general. Something about the way they are typically structured is I think what doesn't work for me. I do like the Amelia Peabody mystery series, but that series is sooooooo long and I gave up on a reread/listen of it a year or so ago.

Are there any you recommend that I might check out?

I watched The Monuments Men a week or so ago which encouraged me to download The Rape of Europa and The Monuments Men but they are a bit of a slug and the complete opposite of something light to get the bookish juices flowing.

In other news, my local library's Overdrive just starting offering streaming video which was so very exciting. For exactly 2 minutes until I checked out the selection. It's terrible. Almost all historical documentaries, cooking shows, and fishing. Bad bad bad.

I don't like mysteries or thrillers either, but oddly, they always work for me when I'm in a book funk.

It's hard for me to make a recommendation. You can close your eyes and pick one at random, since they're all the same anyway. :P

We spent our afternoon swimming and fishing. Well, I watched Addy and dad fish. And took lots of pictures. This child sure does love fishing and then eating her catch. These will be dinner tomorrow night!



ETA: To be fair, the fish in the bottom left 3 pics is the same fish. She's not quite a fishing savant yet. Still, three fish isn't bad for a four year old.

22. Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger


Description: Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

In this bestselling sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.

Thoughts: Much as with the first in this series, Etiquette & Espionage, there is just something a tad off for me about Curtsies & Conspiracies. I like the characters and the setting and the concept and the prose. I rather enjoy the world that Carriger has created between this series and the Parasol Protectorate. But something about this YA series just doesn't work for me.

I think it's that's there is almost zero page space given to anything that isn't directly related to the plot. Yes, Carriger may spend some time on fashion and manners and social graces, but only because they are pieces in the game she's casting. Those things being part of the plot aren't bad things, they are actually rather lovely touches in a time when heroines are getting more and more masculine and serious, but it would be nice if Carriger would step back just a tad and let her fabulous girls breath a little. Can't we see them in lessons that aren't perfectly foreshadowing events to come? Can't they take an adventurous detour that actually develops their skills and tests their friendships that doesn't actually fit into some overarching adult conspiracy? Couldn't there be a single enemy who was just an enemy because of something more simplistic than vampire or werewolf or Pickleman and government supremacy? Just a little?!?!

I want to love these. And I'm nitpicking because I know they could be really spectacular. They just seem too brief and rushed. And Sophronia and friends deserve better.

Rating: 3.4

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3.5

PS: Thanks to Nora for reminding me this needed reading. I did devour it. Here's to hoping that it's jump starting the reading mojo again!

You're very welcome. I recommend the Leviathan trilogy next if you still need something to get you going.

Hi Leah! Just dropping in to say hello. The little girl is brave to hold the fish. I would never do that because they had fins, and I was always afraid of them. Needless to say, I'm not much of a "fisherwoman."

>105 thornton37814: It's a work in progress. She just to be afraid of every crawly or buzzy or slimy thing imaginable, even ladybugs. Like, bloodcurdling screaming afraid of ladybugs. But we've been discussing the important jobs all these critters do and it's getting her past it and now she wants to examine everything. When she was digging in the cup for worms to play with, I figured we were in good shape. She was surprisingly quick to hold the fish, even the big one that flipped out of her hands. Very proud of her.

>104 norabelle414: I got a preview of Leviathan but it didn't really draw me in right away so I'm holding off. It did, however, remind me of another series you've been reading and I downloaded His Majesty's Dragon at about midnight last night.

Which brings me to....

23. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik


Description: Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors rise to Britain’s defense by taking to the skies . . . not aboard aircraft but atop the mighty backs of fighting dragons.

When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes its precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Capt. Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future–and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.

Thoughts: I have to be totally honest. When I saw all the buzz around this series I thought they sounded very stupid. I really couldn't be bothered to even think of reading books that were repeatedly compared to Patrick O'Brian's boring naval stories. Yawn. Ok, so I like dragons sometimes but dragons in the Napoleonic Wars? Probably the most boring dragons ever. Even Jacky Faber couldn't make battles with Napoleon very interesting.

But hey, a book funk needed breaking and Nora got the ball rolling with Curtsies & Conspiracies so maybe I could trust her good taste a bit further.

Like I said above, I downloaded this about midnight last night. I then had to force myself to go to sleep at about 6 this morning. I was completely and TOTALLY enchanted. Laurence is a fine man, even if a little less fleshed out of a main character as would have been nice, but Temeraire is such an engrossing character! I didn't even care that not all that much really goes on in the book, I was just wholly captivated by Temeraire and the other dragons. Even the battle scenes held my attention.

I'm not sure how the series will hold up in the long run but I'm plowing right ahead. For now, all signs of reading funk have been erased!

Rating: 4

Liked: 4
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4.5
Writing: 4

Glad you liked it Leah. I've been wanting to read that one!

>107 leahbird: Yes! I just love Temeraire.

Hello Leah -- so taken with the idea of streaming video on Overdrive. Sorry it was a dud. I like streaming video from PBS.

24. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik


Description: When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo–an unhatched dragon’s egg–Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

Thoughts: I would like to extend some advice to writers of historical fiction set around sailing in the early 19th century: please please please think long and hard about whether you are going to make your sailors travel to the Far East or Australia in your novels. If they must, please be prepared to really make it interesting and take up the entire book OR spend very little detail on the trip itself and move on with the story. Too often the middle path is chosen and and boring 1/2 of a book is wasted on the same ole perils of long sea voyage and then an entire foreign plot is wedged into insufficient space and left full of lost potential.

Unfortunately, Throne of Jade falls into this trap. And it's just not all that interesting. There are a few moments of action that weren't boring and the philosophizing that Temeraire gets up to out of pretty much boredom were interesting, but the trip is overlong and only made the time spent in China feel rushed and flat.

There was great opportunity here for Novik to really let us into the world of Chinese dragons but they more or less get a hat tip, some flowery description, and serve as almost nothing more than a plot device to further Temeraire's peculiar notions (for a Western dragon at least).

The low point was a pretty pointless and almost completely unsupported battle scene that went on for pages and pages with lots of description. It was totally unnecessary and the plot would have better been served by spending time ON SOME DRAGON INFORMATION.

It's not terrible. Really. It was just boring. Reading about 8 months at sea just never seems to actually be interesting.

Rating: 3.3

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3

I checked out the first book in that series once but never got around to reading it, and then never got around to re-checking it out. It's still on my radar, though!

Do it! The second one is a fluke so far in the boring department.

25. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik


Description: Naomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the adventures of Cpt Laurence and his dragon Temeraire as they travel from the shores of Britain to China and Africa. Before Captain Will Laurence can prepare his crew for the slow voyage home from China, new orders arrive for him and his dragon, Temeraire: they must fly home immediately, stopping only in Istanbul to collect three priceless dragon eggs, purchased by the British government from the Ottoman Empire. But the cross-continental journey is fraught with danger; not only will they have to scale mountains and traverse vast hostile deserts, but a Machiavellian herald precedes them, spreading political menace in her wake and attempting to destroy everything and everyone Temeraire loves.

Thoughts: Yay, not boring! I much prefer to read overland long journeys than sea voyages because so much more can happen!

This installment may be my favorite so far. There is lots of lovely and interesting country to cover. Many fascinating characters and cultures to interact with. And, most compelling for me, so many different views on dragons!

Let me tell you this without being spoilery: Iskierka. When you get to Iskierka you will understand. Iskierka is flipping wonderful.

The last section in Prussia was a bit overlong for my tastes but it was still interesting and fit very well given we are talking about the Napoleonic Wars here.

Rating: 4.1

Liked: 4
Plot: 4
Characterization: 4.5
Writing: 4

Edited because the only adjective I seem to have used in my first attempt was "interesting." I mean, it was all very interesting but that's just terrible writing!

I feel like Jacky and Temeraire would be BFFs. Someone needs to write that fanfic.

OMG!!! I would read that a million times over. Can you imagine Jacky and Iskierka? Or Arkady! Those two could get up to some mischief. It would be insane and stupendous!

These books are bringing up one of the things that worries at my soul as a book lover. The dreaded cover art fetish. I love beautiful cover art. I research all available editions of a book before I buy it to know I'm getting the one I like the most. It's insane and frustrating but they bring such joy when you get them in your hands.

But I have a problem on the occasions where the cover art I really love are on... paperback. In general I do not buy paperback books any longer. Hardcover are longer lasting in good condition, look beautiful on my shelves, and don't wrinkle when I shove them in a bag to lug around with me. But, a lot of really beautiful cover art is done on paperbacks. I don't know why that must be the case but it is.

Example: The US hardcover of the Temeraire books versus the Harper Voyager paperbacks. (click on pic for bigger image)



The Harper Voyager ones are BEAUTIFUL! I want them all! But do I want a section of going on 9 paperbacks in the midst of all my lovely hardcovers? I don't know. It's not that the US versions are ugly. They aren't really. But they come no where near the beauty of the HV covers, which fit the period of the story so much better as well.

I yearn for the day that books are on demand printed with easily customizable options. You'd go and flip through the cover art options and paper quality and your lovely bookseller would whip it together for you tout de suite.

>115 norabelle414: / >116 leahbird: Oh, how perfect would that be?

26. Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik


Description: Tragedy has struck His Majesty’s Aerial Corps, whose magnificent fleet of fighting dragons and their human captains valiantly defend England’s shores against the encroaching armies of Napoleon Bonaparte. An epidemic of unknown origin and no known cure is decimating the noble dragons’ ranks–forcing the hopelessly stricken into quarantine. Now only Temeraire and a pack of newly recruited dragons remain uninfected–and stand as the only means of an airborne defense against France’s ever bolder sorties.

Bonaparte’s dragons are already harrowing Britain’s ships at sea. Only one recourse remains: Temeraire and his captain, Will Laurence, must take wing to Africa, whose shores may hold the cure to the mysterious and deadly contagion. On this mission there is no time to waste, and no telling what lies in store beyond the horizon or for those left behind to wait, hope, and hold the line.

Thoughts: I'm winging through these books at an insane pace! Awesome!

Another rather solid installment in the ongoing adventures of Temeraire and Capt Laurence. Luckily this time Novik decided to skip over much of the sea voyage since it's been covered before and got straight back into the story. I really enjoyed how she contrived to get her characters into the situations that drove the plot as it was unexpected and surprising in places but ultimately mostly satisfying.

This book is the first to really change from historical fiction with fantasy elements to more direct alternative history. In the previous books, Novik was content to change small facts and details, saving some historical characters or tweaking a time line, but her she really goes for it and razes a good deal of historical fact. It's a very interesting turn which would have significant implications for the world she's created, so I'm intrigued to see how it plays out. Having read some Wikipedia synopses a while back I know at least a little of where it's leading but not much.

My only real complaint, and it's a general one about Empire stories in Africa, is really only seeing native Africans portrayed as slaves, ignorant children, or aggressive warlords. There is much historical evidence that contradicts that these are the only ways native peoples reacted to white settlers and foreign armies. Where are the African traders who had regular contact with settlers? Where are the noble villagers who aren't terrified and superstitious or ready to kill at the sign of white skin? It's not that those things are false, they just aren't a full picture and it's a rather tired stereotype. Novik has the decency to give her African tribesmen a great deal of social complexity and ingenuity but she also makes use of the reliable stereotypes to drive a convenient, albeit interesting, plot.

At least the Chinese had the benefit of being noble and cultivated AND violent, plotting madmen.

Rating: 3.9

Liked: 4
Plot: 4
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 4

Another word about this series: At the end of each book, Novik includes a few pages of a text from within the world. They might be from a natural history of dragon breeds or a tract from a pastor about the misplaced ideas that dragons are intelligent beings worthy of elevation or some other writing that sheds light on some part of the story contained in that particular volume. They are usually quite engaging and I often find myself wishing there were more of them or that they were found throughout the text. They somewhat bring to mind the footnotes from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell which I completely adore. I love this kind of touch in alternative fiction since it really rounds out the entire world so nicely.

Yeah, I'm the same way with covers. If I'm buying on Amazon I'll click through all the editions first, just so I can make sure I get the one with the cover I like the best (within reason, sometimes I'll just go with the cheapest.)

I even do that when I'm checking otu books from the library. Even though I'm only borrowing them, I'm obsessed with having the proper edition in my LT library, so I'll pull out all the editions and pick the one with the cover I like the best.

27. Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik


Description: For Britain, conditions are grim: Napoleon’s resurgent forces have breached the Channel and successfully invaded English soil. Napoleon’s prime objective is the occupation of London. Unfortunately, the dragon Temeraire has been removed from military service–and his captain, Will Laurence, has been condemned to death for treason. Separated by their own government and threatened at every turn by Napoleon’s forces, Laurence and Temeraire must struggle to find each other amid the turmoil of war. If only they can be reunited, master and dragon might rally Britain’s scattered resistance forces and take the fight to the enemy as never before–for king and country, and for their own liberty.

Thoughts: Another new aspect of these books: now the POV shifts from third person narration with Laurence as the center to dual third person POVs with Laurence and Temeraire given equal precedence. I rather enjoyed this new aspect since it gives so much more access and insight into the dragons themselves and not just Laurence's observations of the dragons.

Plotwise, this one was interesting but not all that engaging. Again, I'm just not the perfect audience for war stories, battles mostly bore me and the savages of war really depress me, even from the distance of a couple hundred years and some factual liberties. The only really redeeming part of the battles and strategies were the dragons themselves and their contributions. That was rather wonderful.

Again, Iskierka! So troublesome and yet hilarious, the little pirate. But also now, Perscitia! That is one smart dragon and a personality that just doesn't stop. I love her interactions with just about everyone, but most especially with Wellsley/Wellington.

Rating: 3.7

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4

You are zipping through these at an amazing pace. Hate to bring it up, but what will you do when you'ver read them all?

It's a great question that I have no answer for. Maybe A Natural History of Dragons? Or one of the many poor ignored books on my shelves!

You are a reading machine right now, Leah! I'm glad you've found some books that are working for you. :)

>124 Ape: I'm so relieved that I'm reading. It's nice to have a distraction from life at the moment. But now I'm scared to slow down and there are only two of the Temeraire series left published and the last one doesn't come out until next year! AHHH!

28. Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik


Description: Naomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the global adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars. Convicted of treason and stripped of rank and standing, Temeraire and Lawrence are transported to the prison colony at New South Wales. With them travel three dragon eggs destined to be handed over to second-rate officers willing to accept so remote an assignment - including one former acquaintance, Captain Rankin, whose cruelty once cost a dragon its life. They arrive at a young Australian colony in turmoil after the overthrow of the military governor, William Bligh - formerly Captain Bligh, late of HMS Bounty. Eager to escape the political quagmire, Laurence and Temeraire accept a mission to pioneer a route through the forbidding Blue Mountains and into the interior of Australia. But when one of the dragon eggs is stolen, the surveying expedition becomes a desperate race to recover it before the dragonet hatches - a race that leads to a shocking discovery and a dangerous new obstacle in the global war between Britain and France.

Thoughts: This is the most jumbled and meandering of the series so far, much less tightly plotted and seemingly thought out than any of the others. I guess I almost expected as much since it's set in the young Australian colony and, really, how much of interest could Temeraire and friends get up to in a dusty, boozy, convict town?

The overly long outback journey was barely worth the chapters and chapters devoted to it since almost nothing of real interest or consequence happens (kind of like a previous sea voyage I yawned over). The culmination of that journey was disappointing and felt cobbled together to salvage the point of all that traveling.

I would have been much happier seeing Laurence and Temeraire settled on some land and just farming for the majority of the book. At least it would have been fresh.

Oh well. There was at least one nice storyline involving a new dragon of interest and I'm hoping it continues to flesh out nicely.

Rating: 3

Liked: 3
Plot: 2.5
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3

29. Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik


Description: Former Aerial Corps captain Will Laurence and his faithful dragon, Temeraire, have been put out to pasture in Australia—and it seems their part in the war has ended just when they are needed most. The French have invaded Spain, forged an alliance with Africa’s powerful Tswana empire, and brought revolution to Brazil. With Britain’s last desperate hope of defeating Napoleon in peril, the government that sidelined Laurence swiftly offers to reinstate him, convinced that he’s the best man to enter the fray and negotiate peace. So the pair embark for Brazil, only to meet with a string of unmitigated disasters that forces them to make an unexpected landing in the hostile territory of the Incan empire. With the success of the mission balanced on a razor’s edge, an old enemy appears and threatens to tip the scales toward ruin. Yet even in the midst of disaster, opportunity may lurk—for one bold enough to grasp it.

Thoughts: Eh, this one was weird. Very unbalanced. The whole point of the book was supposedly to go save Rio and the rest of Brazil and make alliance with the Portuguese. Instead, most of the book is spent floundering around the Pacific or navigating the Incan Empire. When they finally get to Brazil, it's all wrapped up too easily and too quickly and I was left wondering, again, what the point was other than sending The Scooby Gang to the New World for another passport stamp.

There are, however, many moments of interest along the way. There is shock and political intrigue and fascinating new dragons and dragon/human culture to learn more about. There are many, many hilarious moments while Iskierka attempts to marry Granby off to the Empress of the Inca.

The problem is that it's all a bit of a jumble and NOT THE PURPORTED POINT OF THE VOYAGE. It just doesn't seem like good plot planning to say you are sending characters to the other side of the world for a particular reason and then ignore that reason for the vast majority of the story and then just kind of throw it a little bone at the end.

The biggest WTF moment: There seems to me to be almost no actual reason to believe that Napoleon would up and leave France and the war for months and months on end on the chance that the Empress of the Inca might marry him and help defeat the Portuguese in Brazil. What strategic advantage does defeating Brazil really bring him? If he sent the Tswana to Brazil to mostly get them out of the way in his own hemisphere, it doesn't stand to reason that he would risk himself on such a trip and leave the war in others' hands to help speed up the process. I just don't see what the point was. There could have been any number of other ways to get Temeraire et al chased out of the Inca Empire. I'm sure Iskierka would have gladly done something offensive. It was especially stupid and annoying given that he flies in, has a dinner, and then we're off. If you're going for it, freaking commit and give us some real intrigue and cloak and dagger. Have Laurence and Temeraire battling it out with wits and charm against Napoleon and Lien, show us the hilarious political dance that would ensue between Hammond and de Guignes! I want to see poor, mistreated Granby actually having to court the Empress! SELL IT TO ME NOVIK!

But no. We don't get that. So what was the point?

Rating: 3.3

Liked: 3
Plot: 3
Characterization: 4
Writing: 3.5

I'm now only about 8.5 books off where I should be at the half way point of the year! That's so much better than I was doing. THANK YOU Temeraire!

Can anyone check to see if their OverDrive library has the ebook edition of A Natural History of Dragons? I have checked all 4 that I have access to and they only have it as audio when the ebook version is definitely available for sale. I just thought it was strange that none would have it...

https://www.overdrive.com/media/998455/a-natural-history-of-dragons/libraries

Looks like, for some unfathomable reason, the ebook is only available from the Denver Public Library.

Super weird. I guess I'll have to go to the ACTUAL library instead. Gah!

>131 leahbird: Surely the actual library can't be that bad! ;-)

It's not. It's beautiful. They just almost never have what I want and they are seriously stuck in the pre-internet days. I so miss being able to reserve things online without paying for every book they hold for me.

They do actually have A Natural History of Dragons though so I won't complain. Too much.

Actual libraries are the best! :)

They can be the best. But it's not always true.

thanks for this

http://www.justnulled.com

It's hard to convince me that a building full of books isn't the best. But I'm weird that way. :P

You don't think a huge, very beautiful building full of romance novels would put a damper on your enthusiasm? That's kind of what it feels like when you go to the library and leave empty handed every time. It always just made me feel like more of a weirdo in my town because they didn't stock things I wanted to read.

I will give then some credit though, they are slowly getting better.

Somehow it has completely slipped my notice that Lev Grossman is releasing the last book in The Magicians trilogy next month. I only discovered that The Magician's Land is coming out because I read that SyFy have ordered a pilot for an adaptation! I will be very interested to see how they handle this story and tone down some of the extreme bits. I would have more expected someone like HBO to tackle it, but they can't be expected to do everything I guess.

Happy Saturday, Leah!

I, too, am a big fan of the Library.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend of reading.

Whoa... I hadn't realized how many books were in the Temeraire series these days! I've only read the first one, and I have the next two books in a little "trilogy" box set somewhere. I knew there was a fourth book, but where did all those other ones come from?! Sneaksy authoress!!!

>140 michigantrumpet: Thanks! You too.

>141 dk_phoenix: There are 8 out so far and the last is due out next year sometime. I think she would have done better to curtail the number of books a bit and not send the cast scurrying all over the planet, but I still find they are worth reading even now. Mostly. ;)

30. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik


Description: Shipwrecked and cast ashore in Japan with no memory of Temeraire or his own experiences as an English aviator, Laurence finds himself tangled in deadly political intrigues that threaten not only his own life but England’s already precarious position in the Far East. Age-old enmities and suspicions have turned the entire region into a powder keg ready to erupt at the slightest spark—a spark that Laurence and Temeraire may unwittingly provide, leaving Britain faced with new enemies just when they most desperately need allies instead.

For to the west, another, wider conflagration looms. Napoleon has turned on his former ally, the emperor Alexander of Russia, and is even now leading the largest army the world has ever seen to add that country to his list of conquests. It is there, outside the gates of Moscow, that a reunited Laurence and Temeraire—along with some unexpected allies and old friends—will face their ultimate challenge . . . and learn whether or not there are stronger ties than memory.

Thoughts: It took me much longer to finish this installment of the Temeraire series than any other, partly because I was/am sick and partly because I wasn't really engaging with the material.

Since it's right there in the first sentence of the description and happens on the first pages of the book, it's not a spoiler that this book could have been called The Time Laurence Got Amnesia. Go figure. There have been enough situations in the series now where Temeraire and Laurence get separated for one reason or another and there isn't any tension or suspense in these situations any more since we all KNOW WITHOUT A DOUBT that they will be reunited (there are more books in the series, are there not?) so I guess Novik decided to throw in some good ole amnesia to up the stakes? It didn't work. The amnesia wasn't interesting just irritating, Temeraire worrying about where Laurence was and Laurence trying to make it across Japan to a ship he doesn't even remember felt rather pointless and anticlimactic, and we're basically given a drive by of Japan and Japanese dragon culture.

And then there are some escapades, quickly resolved, in China that do nothing but show us that China does have a frak load of dragons and they aren't all honorable.

FINALLY, we make it to Russia. I mean, isn't it obvious we're heading to Russia? Napoleon has to be defeated by Russian Winter after all! But Russia turns out to be a lot more of the same, some battles that aren't all that well developed or engaging and then some commentary on Russian dragon handling.

And then the book ends in the middle of the action. And I'm left waiting a year to finish a boring battle. Hopefully the last book in the series will be a return to form for Novik and she will find something interesting and fresh for Temeraire et al to get up to.

Rating: 2.8

Liked: 2.5
Plot: 2.5
Characterization: 3
Writing: 3

>143 leahbird: Books with amnesia as a plot device make me roll my eyes. Fforde needs to write an "Amnesia Sufferers Support Group" scene in the Bookworld in one of the Thursday Next books.

I love and fully support this idea!!

I really try to forget all those books about amnesia.

>146 Ape: *rolls eyes*

Don't worry, I can't remember a single time it has worked. :P

31. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (read by Stephen Fry)


Description:The war against Voldemort is not going well; even the Muggles have been affected. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses.

And yet . . . as with all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to Apparate. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Harry receives some extraordinary help in Potions from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince. And with Dumbledore's guidance, he seeks out the full, complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort -- and thus finds what may be his only hope of defeating the Dark Lord.

Thoughts: I love this book. Really love it. I love Slughorn and the increased detail in Potions lessons. I love Ron's completely ridiculous amorous escapades. I love love love love Harry's lessons with Dumbledore and all the spectacular information we learn about Voldemort.

I am really drawn to Draco's story in this one. I like seeing him come to the terrible realization that the world his father has drawn him into is not the glamorous thing he imagined but dark and dirty and isolating and personally destructive. I love seeing the flawed and conflicted man he is growing into.

I HATE the loss in the end, but I respect it and why Rowling felt it had to happen. It's just so terribly gut wrenching that I gets me every time, even after all these years.

I appreciate this movie adaptation, but I think this one is the hardest for me to watch in context with the books because SO VERY MUCH of the meat of this story is removed. Voldemort's history is so glossed over that it's nearly laughable that, based solely on what is present in the film, Harry and Dumbledore would reach the correct conclusions about the Horcruxes.

Also, Ginny in the last three films is a joke. Bonnie Wright is gorgeous and I think very capable but they either just straight up gave her nothing to work with in the script or edited it so that she comes across as nothing but a creepy, needy girl willing to do anything to be with Harry (Romilda Vane anyone?). Ginny is none of those things and it's so disappointing to see her come across that way. And to feel like that's the girl that Harry would fall for.

Rating: 4.25

Liked: 4.5
Plot: 4.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4
Audio: 4

Hi stranger....

Hi there! Thanks for checking in on me. I wish I had some books to report on, but I don't. I guess I could tell you about how you were all talking about Veronica Mars and I figured I would check it out since I didn't see it when it was on and then I ended up watching the entire oeuvre in about 5 days... (I was sick and Netflix/Amazon Instant Streaming makes me a worthless human occasionally.)

I am listening to Deathly Hallows right now so at least theresis that. And I read a short story by Gail Carriger today... I'm avidly awaiting the ebook arrival of The Magician's Land at one of my libraries.

>151 leahbird: That's not nothing! You know, there's a Veronica Mars novel you could read....

Do you watch Hart of Dixie? That's what we're fangirling over now, and I think you would like it a lot.

I saw somewhere that Gail Carriger had written a short story about Alexia's father. I haven't located it yet though. I assume it's ebook only? Is it on OverDrive somewhere?

I'm intrigued by the Veronica Mars novel but a little worried because detective novels usually bore me.

Hart of Dixie isn't my thing. Being from a small town in the South, I'm unusually critical of shows set in small towns in the South and this one doesn't pass the test.

Yeah, Allesandro's story is only ebook at the moment. I got it for $.99 on Amazon but I don't know if it was really worth it... it's quite short and doesn't really give up much. It's worth a free read when you can find it I guess.

>153 leahbird: I don't like detective novels, but I also don't like detective TV shows. So we'll see.

Doesn't look like it's available for free anywhere, yet. I'll keep an eye out. At least we only have to wait 3 more months for the next Finishing School book!

I can give you my Amazon login if you want to read it online. It's only about 25 pages I believe.

So Robin Williams is gone and I'm heart sick. So sad. He was such a beautiful and crazy spirit. Some of the characters he has given life to are seared into my heart. It's just too soon.

I know -- so sad. And I keep thinking of lines like, "To live will be an awfully big adventure," and "What will your verse be?" And then I am sadder.

>156 leahbird: I commented that Mork had gone back to Ork when I heard the news. It is tragic. "Dead Poets Society" will always be one of my favorite movies, I think.

Between posting my favorite verse from "Oh Captain, My Captain" and my sister posting "Fly high, second star top the right, and straight on till morning" I was blubbering last night.

32. The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar by Gail Carriger


Description: A short tale of mummies, werewolves, and well preserved felines set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate.

Alessandro Tarabotti and his valet, Floote, are on a mission in Egypt when they encounter visiting tourists and things go all pie shaped. What is his real mission and will his Aunt Archangelica approve of his treatment of her cat?

In this short story, New York Times Bestselling Author Gail Carriger uses her comedic voice to delve into the history of one of her most beloved characters. If you have ever wondered about Alexia's father, this will give you a glimpse into his adventures and character. This story was first published in The Book of the Dead, a Jurassic London anthology.

Thoughts: Honestly, there wasn't a whole lot to this short story about Alexia's father. It seems to only really have been a way to shoehorn in a possible plot point for the future Parasol Protectorate Abroad series. Alessandro comes off as rather snotty although obviously good at what he does.

Floote was almost a footnote here but what was there was interesting as always.

Rating: 3

Liked: 3
Plot: 3
Characterization: 3
Writing: 3

33. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (read by Stephen Fry)


Description: In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the epic tale of Harry Potter, Harry and Lord Voldemort each prepare for their ultimate encounter.

Voldemort takes control of the Ministry of Magic, installs Severus Snape as headmaster at Hogwarts, and sends his Death Eaters across the country to wreak havoc and find Harry. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione embark on a desperate quest the length and breadth of Britain, trying to locate and destroy Voldemort’s four remaining Horcruxes, the magical objects in which he has hidden parts of his broken soul. They visit the Burrow, Grimmauld Place, the Ministry, Godric’s Hollow, Malfoy Manor, Diagon Alley...

But every time they solve one mystery, three more evolve—and not just about Voldemort, but about Dumbledore, and Harry’s own past, and three mysterious objects called the Deathly Hallows. The Hallows are literally things out of a children’s tale, which, if real, promise to make their possessor the “Master of Death;” and they ensnare Harry with their tantalizing claim of invulnerability.

It is only after a nigh-unbearable loss that he is brought back to his true purpose, and the trio returns to Hogwarts for the final breathtaking battle between the forces of good and evil. They fight the Death Eaters alongside members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore’s Army, the Weasley clan, and the full array of Hogwarts teachers and students.

Yet everything turns upon the moment the entire series has been building up to, the same meeting with which our story began: the moment when Harry and Voldemort face each other at last.

Thoughts: I remember very clearly reading this book for the first time. I picked it up at a midnight release party and sped home to start reading. I think I read clear through until about 7am at which point I napped and then started reading again immediately. I was completely engrossed and couldn't bear to put the book down. I finished it that day and immediately started it again for a second, more measured reading.

While there have been plenty of people who complained that this book wasn't set at Hogwarts or that all the tramping about was boring and pointless, I loved the tone of this and how Rowling repeatedly reinforced this idea of growing up and setting aside childhood things to make really hard decisions. Harry's split with Ginny, deciding not to return to Hogwarts, loosing Hedwig, relying on only Hermione, Ron, and his own skill and intelligence to solve these problems, these were all things that signaled that the trio had grown up, that they were willing and capable of making the right choices. I love how their relationships and character are tested and how they put themselves back together.

The battle of Hogwarts still makes me cry. Listening to it in the car on a two hour drive yesterday still had the tears flowing. The terrible losses and the beautiful redemptions. The trip into Snape's memories makes my throat clench up just thinking about it. The Resurrection Stone scene... constant gut punches.

I don't LOVE the long conversation at Platform 9 3/4 where Dumbledore conveniently lays it all out or the drawn out speech Harry gives Voldemort to explain some more. These were the worst excesses of telling rather than showing that Rowling falls into. I wish the information could have been imparted some other way that breaking the action to give an oration. But it's forgivable.

Like many others thought, I'm not a fan of the epilogue. I appreciate that Rowling let us know who ended up with who and that they are happy and safe and that all is well. I just hate that we don't get to see any of the happiness and healing. I desperately want to know what happened in the days after the battle, I need the closure of some funerals. I want to see Harry and Ginny getting to know each other without loaming disaster. I want to see Ron and Hermione exploring each other in a new way (get your minds out of the gutter). I want to meet Teddy Lupin and see Harry's relationship with him. I WANT WEDDINGS! I also want to see the mundane of the Potters and Weasleys just being the best of friends in a world that isn't full of menace anymore. Do they have dinner parties? Do they go for drinks after work? Do they drift apart like high school friends do so often but never completely because they are family now? I WANT TO KNOW. I NEED TO KNOW. A scene on the train platform could never satisfy that.

But it's a tall order and she'd be writing forever to make us all happy. I accept that. I don't like it, but I accept it. I've grown up too.

Rating: 4.33

Liked: 4.5
Plot: 4.5
Characterization: 4.5
Writing: 4
Audio: 4

34. The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg


Description: Ceony Twill arrives at the cottage of Magician Emery Thane with a broken heart. Having graduated at the top of her class from the Tagis Praff School for the Magically Inclined, Ceony is assigned an apprenticeship in paper magic despite her dreams of bespelling metal. And once she’s bonded to paper, that will be her only magic…forever.

Yet the spells Ceony learns under the strange yet kind Thane turn out to be more marvelous than she could have ever imagined—animating paper creatures, bringing stories to life via ghostly images, even reading fortunes. But as she discovers these wonders, Ceony also learns of the extraordinary dangers of forbidden magic.

An Excisioner—a practitioner of dark, flesh magic—invades the cottage and rips Thane’s heart from his chest. To save her teacher’s life, Ceony must face the evil magician and embark on an unbelievable adventure that will take her into the chambers of Thane’s still-beating heart—and reveal the very soul of the man.

From the imaginative mind of debut author Charlie N. Holmberg, The Paper Magician is an extraordinary adventure both dark and whimsical that will delight readers of all ages.

Thoughts: I stumbled upon this book completely by accident. I was searching my libraries and Amazon Prime benefits for a way to read a few different recent releases- for free because I'm cheap being responsible with my money. I just happened to notice on the Store page on my Kindle called Kindle First. Since I almost never buy ebooks I don't spend a lot of time on that page so I don't know how new this is but it's pretty cool. As a Prime member I can acquire, FOR FREE, one book from their Kindle First choices each month, before the official release date of the book. It's like LTER but I don't have to hope I win, I just pick the one I want. SO EXCITING. There might not ever be another book I'm interested in, but it's awesome to think I might get a free book every month if I choose! (I know Amazon is buying my soul in free shipping and books, but I'm caring less and less. Probably because my soul is gone.)

Anyway, about the book. First thing you should know about The Paper Magician, and by extent Charlie Holmberg, is that it's surprisingly brilliant. Like, flipping a switch in a dark room brilliant. It's not that it goes where no other story has before but that it takes something I've only seen in a couple of places and hooks you with it and makes it all shimmery and special and new somehow.

But that comes with a really big caveat. This book would have probably been astoundingly spectacular had it had a really astute editor. Because there are some serious holes that should have been filled. What is there, on the page, is wonderful and beautiful and creative and engrossing.... but what ISN'T there is anything that might have grounded it to a universe we might understand or the breathing room to let some important developments gain their own natural speed.

Major Issue No. 1: There is absolutely NO explanation of magic in this world. You get the feeling it must be acceptable and somewhat important but what role does it really play? Is is integral to this society or is it just some accepted fringe element? We meet no non-magical characters but it's implied that becoming a magician is difficult and that they are somewhat set apart.

Major Issue No. 2: Excision is completely unexplained or explored yet it is the driving force of the action of the story. This goes back to the first issue in that we're told it's forbidden magic and that's about it. It's gruesome and clearly not something to embrace, but again, HOW DOES IT WORK? What is it's frame of reference in this magical universe? It's just thrown at us.

Major Issue No. 3: This happens soooooo many times. To good authors and bad. So this is a general plea. PLEASE LET YOUR CHARACTERS DEVELOP A BIT SLOWLY AND GIVE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS REALISTIC BREATHING SPACE. Again, the bits that are here are really really good but they are NOT enough to build to the action and conclusion of this story. Not only does Ceony not have enough time to be a student of Folding before "it" happens but Ceony and the reader have almost no time at all to make a connection with Magician Thane as a teacher or as a man. The journey that Ceony must go on is extremely dangerous and demanding but I didn't feel like what came before it was sufficient to a) make her choose to do it and b) have the skills to actually be successful. That's a big problem. It robs this story of so much of it's power. It makes Ceony feel a bit too much like a naive little girl.

The beginning is just too abrupt. It's charming and lovely but it needed an outside hand, a reader who would have said to Holmberg "Can you explain this more? Can you give more detail here? Can you give this lovely set up some space to grow into the really wonderful thing it clearly has the potential of being?" The second half is more solid and gruesomely inventive but it needed steadier legs beneath it.

Even after saying all that, I am highly recommending this book. It is the first in a planned series that I'm hoping will grow into something amazing. The next one is called The Glass Magician so I don't know if the series will continue to feature Ceony and Mg. Thane or move on to another protagonist that bespells glass, but hopefully the mistakes of this book won't be repeated while all that is lovely about it will be. Personally, I do really hope that Ceony and Mg. Thane are the main series protagonists and that the Glass Magician is just a new character. Mostly because I want Fennel. I won't ruin it by telling you who Fennel is, but I will say that I ADORE Fennel and want him to be in every story.

Rating: 4

Liked: 4
Plot: 4.5
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 4

Oooh, that looks good.

Nora, it is just so close to perfect that it breaks my heart that it isn't. I want to find that editor and slap them. SO CLOSE and they let it go to print without reaching it's potential!

Read it anyway. It comes out next month.

I'm really looking forward to Fables Vol 20: Camelot, which is coming out next month, but I'm particularly impressed with this lovely cover art. I kinda want to blow it up and hang it on my wall.

My neck of the woods is featured on Book Riot's Literary Tourism page today. And it's written by a native Maryvillian. Cool!

Literary Tourism: Upper East Tennessee

AND we have a title for the next Flavia de Luca installment, coming out March 10. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust doesn't have a synopsis posted yet but I'm excited already!

So this wonderful little person arrived today (8/19), making me a very happy godmother to a boy and now A GIRL!!!!! We didn't know what they were having (didn't last time either) so when she was born her mommy turned to me and yelled "We got our girl! We can go shopping now!" I just can't stop kissing her beautiful little head.

WooHoo!! Congrats on the new goddaughter!

A new baby! How sweet! As cute as little boys are, it's so much more fun to shop for girly clothes and accessories.

>169 scaifea: Thanks, we're all smitten. Except for brother who, at 14 months, is not impressed with this interloper. ;-)

>170 cbl_tn: There are some really spectacularly adorable boys clothes now but they are all boutique brands and completely insanely priced. Affordable girls stuff that's cute is just so much easier to find.

I didn't give them a gift at the baby shower I threw them because I said "I think you are having a girl and you have no girl things (which are fun to buy) but if I buy you girl things now, you will have a boy." I've guessed right with both baby's genders now.

I'm keeping my godson at night until everyone is home from the hospital and last night I was still listening to The Mysterious Howling read by the spectacular Katherine Kellgren when he woke up in the middle of the night. I put him in bed with me to fallback asleep and we laid there listening to the Incorrigibles story and he was mesmerized. He even howled a tiny little howl at one point. It was great!

>172 leahbird: Oh man, that's great! I wonder if I can steal someone's small child and try that.

Congratulations, Leah!

I promise if anyone wants to lay me down in their bed and listen to books with them I'll howl delightedly as well. :P

That sounds great, so long as I don't have to change your diaper and you don't wake me at 6 am.

WAAAAAAKE UUUUUP LEAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seeing as how I got about 3 hrs of sleep last night, I would have ripped your face off for that.

Everyone is home now and baby girl finally has a name. Lucia (pronounced Lu-thea, the Spanish way) Elizabeth, called Lucy. I'm secretly hoping she one day decides to go by Cia (Thea) and only partly because it sounds like Leah. ;)

Baby + Kindle = The best multitasking ever! I could do this all day.

What a sweet bundle of joy!

35. Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas


Description: Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She’s traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it’s spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is no simple missing person’s case; the house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica’s past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.

In Veronica Mars, Rob Thomas has created a groundbreaking female detective who’s part Phillip Marlowe, part Nancy Drew, and all snark. With its sharp plot and clever twists, The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Thoughts: I really didn't have high expectations for this mystery novel based on a canceled tv show, but I was intrigued enough to give it a shot. It was better than I expected. I think the hardest part is translating the witty, quick reparte between the main characters from the show onto the page. It doesn't always work very well here but the characters do manage to feel pretty true to form. My only character complaints are that two of the main show characters are given only token walk-ons in this installment and it was pretty weak. Also, rather like the movie, every character except Veronica is kind of shuffled off to the side a bit. I miss Wallace and Mac and Keith being much more integral to the show stories. That is missing in the movie and here.

The plot isn't bad but it is far from difficult to crack. There are a couple of decent red herrings but about half way through the basic gist became pretty clear. There are a couple of nice surprises for fans of the series, but this is probably only really of interest to those people anyway.

Rating: 3

Liked: 3
Plot: 3
Characterization: 3
Writing: 3

>179 leahbird: Awww... Love this.

And --- Flavia de Luce is coming!

36. The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani


Description: At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are...?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.

Thoughts: This book was recommended to me by one of my Overdrive libraries based on other things I've checked out. I almost never pay attention to those things, but this cover instantly caught my eye and then the description hooked me. I can seldom resist a book that flips fairy tales all around!

The recommended age range for this is 8-12 but I'm struggling to decide if that's where it belongs. As an adult reader, I didn't have much trouble guessing where the plot was heading but that didn't tarnish my enjoyment of it. The thing that would make me hesitate to age it so young is that there are some seriously dark moments, classic fairy tale perfect but not what today's 8 year olds are probably accustomed to reading in a "fairy tale" story. Whatever, they are all ruined by video games and violence on tv now anyway, right? ;)

The theme here reminds me most of the movie Frozen and maybe a bit of Brave. It is very much a story about girls and stereotypes and friendship. There are some delightful scenes when the girls are trying to prove they are one thing or another and maybe realizing that they've been listening to the wrong inner voice.

My only complaint really is that the conclusion feels a bit drawn out. There are several times that I thought would be the climax and then weren't. It started to get a little tiring and I think the book would have had more emotional impact if Chainani had jettisoned some of the last plot twists. Agatha takes the brunt of this as she starts to look too naive to keep falling for the same abuse over and over, but I guess that is the point of "Good," that pure Good doesn't give up or loose faith. But being Good shouldn't make you a sucker. Also, the "love plot" with the School Master was creepy in a bad way and REALLY unnecessary. There had to be a less creepy old man/beautiful young girl way to get the same result.

Also, this book has a seriously good book trailer! Watch it and then tell me how much this should be a video game! I'm not even really a gamer and I want someone to design this so I can play it. (The trailer for book two is even better.)

The School for Good and Evil book trailer

Rating: 3.8

Liked: 4
Plot: 4
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 3.5

37. The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (read by Katherine Kellgren)


Description: Found running wild in the forest of Ashton Place, the Incorrigibles are no ordinary children: Alexander, age ten or thereabouts, keeps his siblings in line with gentle nips; Cassiopeia, perhaps four or five, has a bark that is (usually) worse than her bite; and Beowulf, age somewhere-in-the-middle, is alarmingly adept at chasing squirrels.

Luckily, Miss Penelope Lumley is no ordinary governess. Only fifteen years old and a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, Penelope embraces the challenge of her new position. Though she is eager to instruct the children in Latin verbs and the proper use of globes, first she must help them overcome their canine tendencies.

But mysteries abound at Ashton Place: Who are these three wild creatures, and how did they come to live in the vast forests of the estate? Why does Old Timothy, the coachman, lurk around every corner? Will Penelope be able to teach the Incorrigibles table manners and socially useful phrases in time for Lady Constance's holiday ball? And what on earth is a schottische?

Thoughts: I read this as an ebook the first time round because I didn't know it was read by Katherine Kellgren at the time. Since that sad state of affairs was remedied in time to listen to books 3 & 4, I was happy to revisit this in audio as I drove to Chattanooga to attend Lucia's birth. I was much less critical of it this time around because 1) Katherine Kellgren! and 2) the nitpicky things that bothered me the first time have been superseded by my enjoyment of the stories and characters and willingness to suspend disbelief more to enjoy them.

Rating: 4.08

Liked: 4
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4
Audio: 5

Hitting the half way mark in late August instead of midsummer is actually making me feel pretty good! Seeing as how I've NEVER managed to hit the goal of 75 I have just enjoyed competing with myself and sharing with all of you!

Yay 37 books!

I don't typically like to count rereads or relistens, but I have spent a decent amount of time on them this year and finally convinced myself it's silly to disregard them just because they aren't new.

Silly, indeed.

Halfway there! Yay You!

I was just thinking about how I rate books. Book ratings, especially my own, continue to frustrate me. It just doesn't sit well with me that I might rate something like Bloodsucking Fiends, even thought I really love it, the same as Jane Eyre. They are NOT the same. I know it empirically. But downgrading Bloodsucking Fiends for not being great, soul shaking literature seems unfair because I really do love it. So, what to do?

Then I found this. And I think it helps answer the question so beautifully.

"The best guide I know to readerly judgment is our old friend Auden, who graciously summed up a lifetime of thinking about these matters in a single incisive sentence: “For an adult reader, the possible verdicts are five: I can see this is good and I like it; I can see this is good but I don’t like it; I can see this is good, and, though at present I don’t like it, I believe with perseverance I shall come to like it; I can see that this is trash but I like it; I can see that this is trash and I don’t like it.”

source: The Pleasures of Reading in An Age of Distraction (from here)

While I might tweak "good" and "trash" to something more akin to "quality" and "fluff," I think this readily sums up how I do think about books. Now, can I assign them a point value to make it fit into my current rating scheme?

5= I can see this is quality and I like it
4= I can see this is quality, and, though at present I don't like it, I believe with perseverance I shall come to like it
3= I can see this is fluff but I like it
2= I can see this is quality but I don't like it
1= I can see this is fluff and I don't like it

I'm going back and forth on the positions for 3 and 4. I do think there is great merit on recognizing quality literature and accepting that you might not be sophisticated enough as a reader to appreciate it YET, but I don't know if I really value that more than just genuinely enjoying something. I don't care for snobbishness and reading things I think I should anymore... I think for now I will leave it as is and reevaluate.

What do you guys think? What else do you use as rating criteria?

Also, I went to the library to pick up a book today! I know, shocking! ;) My reservation for The Magician's Land had come in while I was out of town and I was finally able to go pick it up.

While I was there, I also snagged A Natural History of Dragons, The Tropic of Serpents (glad I perused the new arrivals shelves and nabbed this one), and I am Malala.

I'm thinking of reading A Natural History of Dragons to Addy since she proclaimed last night that she really loved dragons. It went like this:

Addy: I like dinosaurs. But they don't live here anymore. I like geese because they are like flying dinosaurs.

Me: That's right, they are like flying dinosaurs. Just like our chickens used to be T. Rexes.

Addy: But I REALLY love dragons.

Me: Oh, me too!

Addy: I love lots of dragons. Like 100. How many do you love?

Me: I don't know. A lot.

Addy: Well, probably not 100. You don't know as many as I do.

That child cracks me up.

A hundred dragons? That's a popular kid!

Love that conversation!

>190 leahbird: I like your new rating system! If I were using it I would flip #3 and #4 though. My rating system has no logic behind it at all, except that I end up rating almost everything 4 stars. Anything 2.5 or lower is very bad. 5 is ohmygodamazing. Everything else is in between and largely depends on my mood.

>191 leahbird: The Lady Trent memoirs are kind of dry, I dunno if Addy would like them. Does she have My Father's Dragon? That was my favorite dragon book when I was her age. (I loooooved dinosaurs and dragons.) Also Dealing with Dragons.

I'm only going to incorporate the Auden scale as another facet of my current system so it will look as follows:

Rating: 3.92

Liked: 4
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 4
Writing: 4
Auden scale: 3
Audio: 5

So, the new addition would drop The Mysterious Howling from 4.08 to 3.92 which I think does it justice.

I have read a preview chapter of A Natural History of Dragons and know it is likely wildly above a 4 years old's interest level, but I'd like to introduce her to "scholarly" classic works and thought dragons would be a good way to do that. Like baking zucchini into chocolate chip cookies. But I don't have great hopes that she will buy into it.

Thanks for the recommendations for kids dragon books. She has The Paper Bag Princess which is a favorite, but it's VERY short and the dragon isn't all that nice. My Father's Dragon looks pretty perfect for her! I didn't read these kinds of books as a kid, so I'm woefully uninformed on good fantasy for preschoolers.

Paper Bag Princess was my favorite too! Because I was a 4-year-old feminist.

On the dinosaur side, I also liked Dinotopia and What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs?. My brother learned to read with some book about dinosaurs but I can't remember what it was..... I'll keep looking.

>195 norabelle414: Are you familiar with A Mighty Girl? It's a great organization that recommends books and movies for girls that break gender stereotypes. For a while Addy has been princess obsessed. To be fair, her first favorite "princess" was Pocahontas, but then she fell into the whole Disney trap. I love Disney but it's not always the feminine example you want to encourage. So I turned to A Mighty Girl and they have pages and pages of girl positive princesses, including Paper Bag Princess. Thank god for resources like that! She also has Princesses on the Run and Princess Pigsty.

Believe me, her interest in dinosaurs and dragons is a great relief!

You know that moment when you are reading and an author is describing something and your brain makes another connection and then the very next sentience is the connection you made on your own? I love it! It makes me feel like the author and myself are perfectly aligned for a moment. It just happened while reading The Magician's Land.

>196 leahbird: What a great idea! I don't know if anyone was particularly guiding me toward books like that when I was little, (Actually, on second thought my mom probably was) but I sure did love them. Another favorite of mine was The Princess and the Lord of Night by the amazing Emma Bull. It has all the typical Princess and talking animals and 16th-birthday-curses and stuff, but no Handsome Prince to save the day.

You and Addy would definitely love reading the Dealing with Dragons series. They're not picture books, but it's funny and magical and clever. It's about a princess who wants to learn things instead of doing princessy stuff like embroidery. So she runs away from the castle to the caves where dragons live and asks to be the "designated princess" to one of the dragons. The dragon she meets ends up being really nice and they become friends and also the princess becomes kind of like her personal assistant/agent/manager. And there's a nice old witch who has ton of clever cats. And a forest with a mind of its own that changes all the time. It's awesome.

I think the dinosaur book my brother loved was either Danny and the Dinosaur or If the Dinosaurs Came Back. I know we had both of them but I don't remember which was the one he used to learn how to read.

I'm so irritated with DirecTV and/or BBCA right now. Last week recording Doctor Who was a nightmare but I thought it was because of all the specials and some weirdness with my box. But no, it happened again tonight! I had "Deep Breath" scheduled to record since it didn't last week and then the new episode was scheduled to record after that. I settle down to watch and THE Deep Breath recording starts AN HOUR INTO THE EPISODE! A whole hour! Luckily I could catch it on On Demand but if I hadn't been recording both episodes I would have also missed a hour of the new one (which I still don't get to watch yet). Not acceptable! I've had the reverse problem with things coming on after sports but how can things air earlier than scheduled?!?

38. The Magician's Land by Lev Grossman


Description: Quentin Coldwater has lost everything. He has been cast out of Fillory, the secret magical land of his childhood dreams that he once ruled. Everything he had fought so hard for, not to mention his closest friends, is sealed away in a land Quentin may never again visit. With nothing left to lose he returns to where his story began, the Brakebills Preparatory College of Magic. But he can’t hide from his past, and it’s not long before it comes looking for him. Meanwhile, the magical barriers that keep Fillory safe are failing, and barbarians from the north have invaded. Eliot and Janet, the rulers of Fillory, embark on a final quest to save their beloved world, only to discover a situation far more complex—and far more dire—than anyone had envisioned.

Along with Plum, a brilliant young magician with a dark secret of her own, Quentin sets out on a crooked path through a magical demimonde of gray magic and desperate characters. His new life takes him back to old haunts, like Antarctica and the Neitherlands, and old friends he thought were lost forever. He uncovers buried secrets and hidden evils and ultimately the key to a sorcerous masterwork, a spell that could create a magical utopia. But all roads lead back to Fillory, where Quentin must face his fears and put things right or die trying.

The Magician’s Land is an intricate and fantastical thriller, and an epic of love and redemption that brings the Magicians trilogy to a magnificent conclusion, confirming it as one of the great achievements in modern fantasy. It’s the story of a boy becoming a man, an apprentice becoming a master, and a broken land finally becoming whole.

Thoughts: I should have gone back and reread the first two books in this series before tackling the final book, but I didn't. I'm sure I missed some nuances and I had to really think to place a few references, but I got through ok.

I have had a hard time deciding how I feel about this series in the past. Grossman's highs are really glorious but he is fully prepared to drag his readers- and characters- through the muck and make everything really quite unpleasant. I definitely didn't appreciate that before. To a certain degree it still doesn't sit quite right with me, but I see the point now. Not only has the main character Quentin done a lot of maturing, I have matured as a reader a bit and it's good that we took this little journey together.

As for The Magician's Land itself, well, it was much more mature and even keeled. Gone were most of the horrific and deplorable antics of past, everyone has finally grown into themselves and realized that shit is just tedious. But that also means that this is a much quieter book, a book about being comfortable in who you are and seeing your path more clearly and acceptance, which doesn't make for as much adventure and excitement but also means a lower body count.

There were also a lot of missed opportunities here. In the first few chapters there is some groundwork laid that feels like it's developing into an interesting story at Brakebills and then those things are never mentioned again. Grossman glosses right over it, leaving this weird void and a sense that the story was going to come back around in a strange way, but it never did. Which left me quite disappointed. Why go into the detail and make the story feel like this is where it was going to be grounded and then do nothing with it?

The character of Plum is a bit like that as well. Her beginning in the story at Brakebills sets her up as a certain type of character that she then turns out not to be. I mean, there isn't particularly anything wrong with who she ends up being but why go to the trouble of making her seem like one thing and then just letting it drop? It leaves her more as a convenient tool in Quentin's tale than a real character.

And then there was all the time we didn't spend with Julia. The biggest outcry from readers from the time book 2 was published is that we need a book (or books) about Julia. Of all the characters in this series, she has probably the most interesting arch and yet we only know a tiny bit and almost all of it is from stories she tells. This story from her point of view would probably be insanely good.

The overall arch that Grossman has given us is wrapped up pretty nicely. There is a bit of "Well didn't that all come together handily in the end" but I felt like the characters and the world Grossman built kind of deserved it. I especially approve of the letting go Quentin does, because he's matured and isn't blaming everything and everyone for shutting him out. He's accepting his place in the universe and going forward stronger and creating his own path now. A nice way to wrap things up.

Rating: 3.83

Liked: 3.5
Plot: 3.5
Characterization: 3.5
Writing: 4
Auden scale: 5

Another rating criteria I'm toying around with is Concept, or maybe better phrased as Originality/Uniqueness. I don't want to just keep adding things until it's too unwieldy to be useful and I currently consider this one part of Plot so I'm unsure.

I also don't really know how I would quantify it. There would need to be room to make a delineation between something really unique, something that looks at a familiar theme in a unique way, and the opposites of those, but what really goes in the middle? A book about familiar things that deals with them familiarly but does a perfectly acceptable job?

So maybe...

5= Original theme done well
4= Familiar theme done in a unique way
3= Familiar theme done well
2= Original theme not done well
1= Familiar theme not done well

For example, take a book like World War Z. Very familiar theme, zombies. Done out the wazoo at this point. We're flipping tripping over zombies. But the approach was brilliant and something I, at least, had never seen, so it would get a 4.

Something like Ready Player One would get a 3 since it does the dystopian cyberpunk thing so well but doesn't particularly break new ground.

The only book I've read recently that I think might warrant a 5 would probably be Palimpsest. I certainly haven't read anything quite like it and Valente always impresses me.

Still kicking this one around...

moved to new thread!