tapestry100's 75 (or more?) in 2010 - Part the Third

tapestry100's 75 (or more?) in 2010 - Part the First
tapestry100's 75 (or more?) in 2010 - Part the Second

Stop by my book blog at from my bookshelf and say Hi sometime!

100 Books
81 / 100 books.

1010 Challenge
Category 1: Fiction, General
-- #5 A Single Man by Christopher Yost (audiobook)
-- #7 The 13 Clocks by James Thurber
-- #10 The Life Before Her Eyes by Laura Kasischke
-- #11 Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire
-- #12 Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Ultimate Guide by Rick Riordan
-- #14 The Impulsive Imp by Howard O'Brien
-- #15 The Fur Person by May Sarton
-- #20 Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
-- #21 Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro
-- #24 How to Train Your Dragon, Book 1 by Cressida Cowell
-- #25 The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
-- #29 The Heart is Not a Size by Beth Kephart
-- #30 The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
-- #32 Old Chicago: The Fort, When Chicago was the Wilderness by Mary Hastings Bradley
-- #33 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
-- #35 Tinkers by Paul Harding
-- #38 Psycho by Robert Bloch
-- #39 A Boy Born from Mold and other Delectable Morsels by Lorin Mordan Richards
-- #42 Under the Dome by Stephen King
-- #52 A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
-- #64 Blockade Billy by Stephen King
-- #66 The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed by Patrick Rothfuss
-- #67 Fair Weather by Richard Peck
-- #70 Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
-- #74 Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
-- #76. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
-- #80. Room by Emma Donoghue
-- #81 The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman
Category 2: Mystery
Category 3: Classic, 1800s
Category 4: Classic, early 1900s
-- #28 The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Category 5: Poetry
Category 6: Non-Fiction, General (no specific type)
-- #41 Strange Maine: True Tales from the Pine Tree State by Michelle Souliere
-- #65 Dear Fatty by Dawn French
Category 7: Fairy Tale/Folklore
-- #19 Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde
Category 8: Graphic Novel
-- #1 Hatter M, The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor & Liz Cavalier, art by Ben Templesmith
-- #2 Hatter M, Mad with Wonder by Frank Beddor & Liz Cavalier, art by Sami Makkonen
-- #3 Princess Alyss of Wonderland
-- #4 X-Men: Emperor Vulcan by Christopher Yost, art by Paco Diaz Lucque
-- #8 X-Men: Mutant Massacre by Chris Claremont, et al.
-- #9 Bloom County, Vol 1 by Berkeley Breathed
-- #13 Bone: Tall Tales by Jeff Smith, with Tom Sniegoski
-- #16 Bone Handbook by Jeff Smith
-- #18 Amphigorey Also by Edward Gorey
-- #22 The Unwritten, Volume 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey, art by Peter Gross
-- #31 The Eternals by Neil Gaiman, art by John Romita Jr
-- #34 Road to War of Kings by Christopher Yost, et al.
-- #36 Goodnight Opus by Berkeley Breathed
-- #37 The Stuff of Legend, Book 1: the Dark by Mike Raicht and Brian Smith, illustrated by Charles Paul Wilson III
-- #40 X-Men vs Fantastic Four by Chris Claremont, Stan Lee, et al.
-- #43 X-Men: Messiah Complex
-- #44 X-Force: Angels & Demons
-- #45 Uncanny X-Men: Divided We Stand
-- #46 X-Men: Divided We Stand
-- #47 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
-- #48 X-Men Legacy: Divided He Stands
-- #49 X-Men Legacy: Sins of the Father
-- #50 Cable Vol 1: Messiah War by Duane Swierczynski & illustrated by Ariel Olivetti
-- #51 Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny by Matt Fraction & Ed Brubaker, illustrated by Greg Land & Terry Dodson
-- #53 X-Men: Manifest Destiny
-- #54 Uncanny X-Men: Lovelorn
-- #55 X-Men: Original Sin
-- #56 Uncanny X-Men: Sisterhood
-- #57 X-Men Legacy: Salvage
-- #58 Avengers/X-Men: Utopia
-- #60 Dark X-Men
-- #61 Uncanny X-Men: Nation X
-- #62 X-Men Legacy: Emplate
-- #63 X-Factor: The Longest Night
-- #69 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century: 1910
-- #72 X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont & John Byrne
-- #73 X-Force, Vol 2: Old Ghosts
Category 9: SciFi
-- #17 The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-- #68 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
-- #77 D.A. by Connie Willis
-- #78 The Kragen by Jack Vance
Category 10: Steampunk/Urban Fantasy/Fantasy
-- #6 Soulless by Gail Carriger
-- #23 The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
-- #26 His Majesty's Dragon, Temeraire Book 1 by Naomi Novik
-- #27 Changeless by Gail Carriger
-- #59 Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor
-- #71 Metamorphosis by James Blaylock, et al.
-- #75 Dick and Jane and Vampires
-- #82. Blameless by Gail Carriger

TIOLI Challenge
JAN. Soulless by Gail Carriger (Author's debut book), The Impulsive Imp by Howard O'Brien (Author's debut book)
FEB. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie (Red Spine Challenge)
MAR. His Majesty's Dragon, Temeraire Book 1 by Naomi Novik (LT Author Challenge)
APR. Old Chicago: the Fort, When Chicago was the Frontier by Mary Hastings Bradley (City Name Challenge), 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (Short Story Challenge)
MAY. Tinkers by Paul Harding (1 word title - unfinished), Psycho by Robert Bloch (1 word title)
JUN. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (Book with a problem in the title), Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (Book about Africa)
JUL. Blockade Billy by Stephen King (Walla Walla challenge)
AUG. Didn't participate this month =(
SEPT. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (3 Letter LibraryThing challenge)
OCT.
NOV.
DEC.

Favorites of 2010
JAN. Soulless by Gail Carriger
FEB. The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde by Oscar Wilde
MAR. His Majesty's Dragon, Temeraire Book 1 by Naomi Novik
APR. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
MAY. Under the Dome by Stephen King
JUN. A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
JUL. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
AUG. Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
SEPT. Room by Emma Donoghue
OCT.
NOV.
DEC.

So, I thought, new quarter, new thread!

Reading stats so far:

1st Quarter
JAN - Books read: 15 - Pages read: 2696
FEB - Books read: 5 - Pages read: 843
MAR - Books read: 7 - Pages read: 1923

2nd Quarter
APR - Books read: 6 - Pages read: 1513
MAY - Books read: 10 - Pages read: 2188
JUN - Books read: 16 - Pages read: 3276

Total Year-to-Date
Books read: 59
Pages read: 12,439

#60



Title: Dark X-Men
Related Series: X-Men
Author(s): Paul Cornell, illustrated by Leonard Kirk
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 120
Publisher: Marvel
Website: marvel.com
Rating: 3/5 stars
Finished: 7-1-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel challenge)

Dark X-Men isn't necessarily a bad story, just not all that engaging. We learn that Norman Osborn may be a little more crazy than he's been letting on. Mystique REALLY wants to be free of his influence. Dark Beast is creepy, no question now, but all in the name of science! And Nate Grey is back, he's pissed, but maybe he is a little overconfident these days. Again, this is one of those volumes that may not seem so important now, but may be laying some necessary groundwork for later.

#61



Title: Uncanny X-Men: Nation X
Related Series: X-Men
Author(s): Matt Fraction, illustrated by Greg Land, Terry Dodson, Alan Davis, et al.
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 344
Publisher: Marvel
Website: marvel.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
Finished: 7-3-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel category)

Cyclops has successfully built a new mutant sanctuary off the coast of California from the remains of Magneto's first Asteroid M, or has he? In the midst of an attack by a pack of Predator X's, the X-Club discovers that they don't have enough power to keep the island floating. Magneto arrives, and wants to help Cyclops, realizing that his and Professor X's time as the leaders of the mutant race has passed. He strikes a deal with Namor; the Atlanteans will build a pillar from the ocean floor to the the underside of the island to keep it afloat, and they can rebuild Atlantis at the base of the pillar, giving both races a new home.

Meanwhile, no one is really sure of Magneto's true reason for coming, and in wanting to prove his intentions are good, he secures the one thing that has been missing in all the X-Men's lives.

I really like where the X-Men stories are going lately. It's not necessarily all about the villain-du-jour, but there is some real character growth going on here, especially with Cyclops and his relationship with Professor X and as his new role of leader of the entire mutant race. I'm anxious to see where things will be going after Second Coming, the next story line that should finally resolve the issue of mutant child that Cable took into the future.

Hi David -- I'm ba-ack!

Really interesting review of Who Fears Death back on your last thread.

Hi Anne! Thanks for stopping by. =)

#62



Title: X-Men Legacy: Emplate
Related Series: X-Men
Author(s): Mike Carey, illustrated by Daniel Acuna
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 112
Publisher: Marvel
Website: marvel.com
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-4-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel category)

A return of an old X-Men foe, Emplate. Rogue figures out that her role with the X-Men has changed, again. And that's about all that really happens in this volume. Honestly, what's going on over in Uncanny is so much better than what is happening in Legacy right now. It's not bad, there's just lots of room for improvement.

New thread! w00t... *starred*

Going back to your old thread, Who fears death sounds very good. Thanks for the recommendation on that one, David. I already checked and the local library has it.

#8 - Thanks for stopping by, Faith!

#9 - Hope you like it, Stasia.

#63



Title: X-Factor: The Longest Night
Related Series: X-Men
Author(s): Peter David, illustrated by Ryan Sook, Dennis Calero & Jose Villarrubia
Copyright: 2006
Pages: 144
Publisher: Marvel
Website: marvel.com
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-10-2010
Challenge: 10 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel category)

A pretty solid introduction to the characters for new readers, and a pretty good start for the series as a whole, X-Factor is written in a film-noir style with an art style to match. The team, based out of District X, the former "mutant town" until the events of House of M negated the X-gene in almost every mutant on Earth, wants to know what happened and why. And who is Layla Miller, and how/why does she she "know stuff" and why doesn't she want X-Factor to learn the truth about the Decimation? Who is Singularity Investigations? So many questions in such a short time for a new series, and yet I was OK with that and want to go back for more.

#64



Title: Blockade Billy
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Stephen King
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 132
Publisher: Scribner
Website: stephenking.com
Rating: 3/5 stars
Finished: 7-10-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category), TIOLI (Walla Walla challenge)

Stephen King's love song to his favorite pastime, baseball, Blockade Billy tells the story of William "Blockade Billy" Blakely, the only player to have his existence wiped from the sports books. Why would such a gifted and talented ball player be erased from the games records? I had a hard time getting through all the baseball-speak at the beginning of the story, and when the reveal finally happened, quite frankly, the ultimate answer left me a little underwhelmed. I think you really have to be both a diehard baseball and Stephen King fan to truly appreciate this story.

The short, "Morality", that was included was King's version of Indecent Proposal, and while I didn't exactly know what the "proposal" was going to be at first, I knew how the story was going to end, so again felt a little underwhelmed.

Neither story is all that bad, but I didn't feel that either was up to King's usual standards.

Found it!

Simply checking in to say hi and to say I hope you are well.

#14 - Hi Linda! Thanks for stopping by. I've been doing good lately! I'm planning a vacation to sunny Florida and Walt Disney World in a couple of weeks, so that's definitely giving me something to look forward to. Now, just to plan on what to read while I'm down there!

#65



Title: Dear Fatty
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Dawn French
Copyright: 2008
Pages: 366
Publisher: Arrow Books (UK)
Website: N/A
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-13-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Non-fiction challenge)

Dawn French (one half of the British comedy duo, French and Saunders) may be one of the funniest women alive today. The other funniest woman alive today is Jennifer Saunders, the other half of French and Saunders. For those not familiar with either, they have had a successful run at BBC with their variety show, French and Saunders; Dawn French may be best known for her role in The Vicar of Dibley; Jennifer Saunders is probably best know for her role as Edina in Absolutely Fabulous; both have also starred in shows too numerous to list here. And every single show that I have seen them in has been top notch.

Dear Fatty is Dawn French's memoir. Like anything that French does, her memoir is frequently laugh-out-loud funny. What surprised me most about her memoir is how unflinchingly honest she is throughout. She relates her life, both its ups and downs, as best she remembers it. Written in the form of letters to her friends and loved ones, Dear Fatty touches on the funny and the sad in French's life. For instance, one letter is to her father, who committed suicide when she was 19, and in one paragraph that goes on for almost two pages, she asks him questions. Why he did what he did; why didn't he ask for help; etc. By the end of this particular letter, I'm not ashamed to say that I had tears in my eyes. Her frustration of 30 years of unanswered questions is so evident, and she does nothing to hide that. Of course, not wanting to keep her readers in too serious a mood, she immediately segues into far more lighthearted material, but that honesty is there and it can be raw and emotional, and I respect her all the more for it.

I never doubted her ability to write; watch any of her sketches or shows, and it's obvious she has a talent, and she excels at proving that over and over again in her book. One of my favorite lines from the book is:
‎

"It's a process of having faith in the self you don't quite know you are yet... Believing that you will find the strength, the means somehow, and trusting in that..."

Words that speak volumes to me in my life right now.

I don't that many people would rush out to buy this book. First off, I'm not even sure it's available in the US yet, and secondly, I don't know that anyone who isn't a fan of Dawn French would really care all that much. But for those of us who are fans, this is a gem of a book, and even if you aren't a fan of Dawn French, I still think you'd find this a funny and revealing look into the life of one of the funniest ladies out there right now.

Highly recommended.

And for a little self-promotion, I just updated the look of my blog, and was wondering what everybody thinks?

Looks good! It's clean and appealing, and easy to read. Love the random sampling of covers from your LT library

eek! I liked your blog so much I posted twice!

#17: Very nice, David!

#18, 19 - Thanks for stopping be and the comments! =)

#66



Title: The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Patrick Rothfuss, illustrated by Nate Taylor
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 72
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Website: N/A
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-16-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fantasy cateogry)

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed is a perfectly deceptive little book. At first glance, it looks like your typical children's picture book. It's the size of a picture book. It has an image of the young Princess playing with her teddy bear, Mr. Whiffle, on the cover and they are adorable. As you read through, you discover a typical tale of a little girl and her teddy bear best friend. Yet, there seems something slightly dark and sinister about the entire thing.

There are three endings in the book. If you stop at the first, you are left with a sweet little story. If you continue on to the second ending, you are left with something slightly more sinister. And if you continue on to the final ending of the book, the sticker that came with the book which resembles your typical book award sticker and reads, "This shit is not for kids. Seriously." becomes fairly obvious. Yes, the final ending is what really makes this book something not for children. I think older kids will find it amusing, but probably definitely not for the younger crowd.

Would I pick up a sequel to the book? Possibly. There really isn't much to the story itself, but the black and white illustrations by Nate Taylor are fantastic. You really need to look at each one, because while they seem all sweet and innocent, there are dark and creepy nuances scattered throughout. I think fans of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton would really enjoy this bizarre, creepy little book.

#22: I think I will give that one a pass, David, although I do like Gorey's work. Nice review!

I read Dear Fatty last year, and really enjoyed it. I agree with you about the humour and the honesty in it. It's a very good read for anyone who likes her work.

I don't know what the blog looked like before the revamp, but it looks very nice now!

#16 I had been wondering whether to try that one and you've turned that into a definitely should!

#22 And that one sounds intriguing but probably one I would try to get from the library rather than buying. Have you read anything else by Rothfuss? He's an author I've heard lots about recently.

Re. your blog -- I am impressed!

Have fun in Disneyworld! I was there in April and had a blast. I highly recommend the steak at the Canadian restaurant in Epcot. Plus, Nancywhite told me about their excellent beer/cheese soup! Oh yummy, yummy, yummy!

Stay cool. Florida in July-August is scorching.

Sorry I'm behind in my posts! It's been a busy week.

#23 - Stasia, it doesn't strike me as being something that you'd enjoy all that much, so it's probably a safe skip for you!

#24 - Thanks for stopping by the blog!

#25 - Dear Fatty is such a great book. I'd highly recommend it! And I haven't read anything by Rothfuss, but my roomie has read his The Name of the Wind and loved it!

#26 - Thanks for the compliment on my blog! =) I'll have to check out the restaurant at Epcot, especially for the soup. I love cheese soup of any kind!

And I'm planning on running from air conditioned building to air conditioned building. I actually grew up in Florida, but it is definitely so much hotter there these days.

A BIG thank you to Linda for pointing me in the direction of Richard Peck!!

#67



Title: Fair Weather
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Richard Peck
Copyright: 2003
Pages: 146
Publisher: Puffin
Website: N/A
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-20-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category)

Richard Peck's story of Rosie Beckett's adventure to the 1893 World's Columbian Expo is, in a word, enchanting. This was my first time reading anything by Peck, and I'm sure to find more by him.

Rosie, her mother, sister and brother are invited by their Aunt Euterpe to travel to Chicago to see the World's Fair. Their mother decides not to go, but thinks it might be a good idea to send the children. Never having traveled farther from home than their horse could travel, Chicago might as well have been an entirely different country for the children. Upon arriving in Chicago, through several accidents of fate, the children and their Aunt's lives are never going to be quite the same. Sprinkled throughout with historical names and places from Chicago's past, Peck deftly recreates that White City and the people that made it happen.

I love the city of Chicago. I visit there all the time, and someday would like to live there. When I can't make it to the city, I love to read about it, and one of my favorite subjects is the World's Fair. I would have loved to have been there, to have seen it firsthand and feel that rush of the possibility of tomorrow that it brought to so many people and Peck's book delivers that thrill through the eyes of his characters.

Recommended.

#28: I have enjoyed several of Peck's books but have not made it to that one yet. I am glad you enjoyed it, David.

#68



Title: Ender's Game
Related Series: Ender's Game
Author(s): Orson Scott Card
Copyright: 1985 (1994)
Pages: 384
Publisher: Tor
Website: N/A
Rating: 5/5 stars
Finished: 7-26-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Scifi category)

Holy wow, but did I love this book! My friend Kristin has been after me for years to read it, and for one reason or another, I've never gotten around to it, and for that I am sorry. The book is compelling, touching, riveting, exciting, thrilling... well, I could just go on.

Maybe I'm a little too excited as I just finished listening to the audiobook (which is exceptionally produced), but I couldn't get over how much the story pulled me in. I found that I was genuinely concerned for Ender's well-being and the outcome of his story.

The Earth has been at war with the Bugger's (an insectoid alien race who have attempted two previous invasions) and in preparation of a third invasion, the world's governments have been training the smartest children they have to become commanders in the army. Sent off at an early age to Battle School, these children live and breathe the battle games that they play to learn the techniques necessary for battle. Ender Wiggin is possibly the brightest student that Battle School has ever seen, and will be the final answer to the Bugger invasion. If he can't defeat the impending invasion, the Earth may not have a chance. It is Ender's growth, however, that truly makes this story so unforgettable.

I really don't want to give too much away about the story and ruin what Ender has to go through at Battle School, but needless to say, you may not be able to step away from this story once started.

Highly recommended.

#30: That one is a goodie, isn't it? I loved it too when I read it a couple years back.

Ack ack ack... my friends were after me for years to read this and recently my husband has been bugging me to read it too... okay, okay! I'll do it! Gaaah!!!

*runs off to find book and shut out the nagging*

You know how to recommend a book, David! Not many reviews start with "Holy wow". I'll add that one to my wishlist!

Wait, I stumbled upon this thread at the start of an Ender's Game conversation?!? Sweet! I always seem to stumble upon discussions I'm interested in way after they've wrapped up and everyone's moved on to something else.

Anyway, after being similarly cajoled by many many friends to read it, my reaction to Ender's Game was pretty much identical to your "Holy Wow." Great book.

#31 - Yes it is!

#32 - Faith, if you don't want to read it and you enjoy audiobooks, I'd recommend the audiobook version. It is actually read by a cast instead of just one reader and I loved it.

#33 - I hope you like it as much as I do, Anne!

#34 - kangaroo, please feel free to join in on the conversation whenever you want, even on a previously discussed book!

And for those that have read Ender's Game, have any of you read any of the other Ender books? Are they worth following through with the story, or is it best to stop at the first one?

>35 tapestry100:: I think you'll find that the opinions on the sequels vary hugely!

My opinion is that:

* Ender's Game was fabulous
* Speaker for the Dead was OK. I don't recommend it but I don't discourage it.
* I really didn't care for Xenocide.

At that point, I gave up. It was becoming too much like the Dune experience. I hate it when a phenomenal first book gets tarnished by sequels. If I were to resume with the books (unlikely), I might try the "Shadow" line of parallel books, but I'm done with the main story line.

So...personally...I wish I had stopped at #1. However, a lot of people like #2 and I've met some who love the entire series.

I actually liked all the first four, way back when. Can't guarantee I would still like them all at this stage of my life. I remember that I kept expecting to be disappointed, and wasn't. I can't recommend any of the later extensions, however, except Ender's Shadow, which is basically a retell of Ender's Game from Bean's point of view.

>35 tapestry100:: Now that sounds interesting! If I see it at the library I might give the audiobook version a try. And it's not that I don't want to read it... I just don't tend to place sci-fi novels at the top of my reading list (tv shows are another story). But I enjoy Card's writing in other genres, so I have no doubt I'll love Ender's Game. I just worry a bit that it's been too hyped by others, and that I'll expect too much going in.

FWIW, my husband told me to just read the first one and stop there. He's read almost all the other Ender books and has said he wishes he hadn't... not that they weren't decent (more or less) but the mediocrity of them diminished the shine of the first one.

I read Ender's Game on the suggestion of my son, who said it is the book that made him a reader, and I really liked it, even though it's not my style. But his copy had the first chapter of the next book (Speaker of the Dead, I think) at the end, and I read it and decided that it needed to end exactly where it was, so I never read any further.

OK, well it seems to be pretty much a unanimous vote on not going forward any more in the Ender series. I've got Ender's Shadow so I'm going to read that, but I think I may just let this one sit and be fabulous just the way it is. Thanks for the input everyone!

#69



Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Century: 1910
Related Series: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Author(s): Alan Moore, illustrated by Kevin O'Neill
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 80
Publisher: Knockabout Comics
Website: N/A
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-29-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel category)

To be honest, I was not nearly as impressed with this volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as I was with the first two volumes. This is only the first part of a larger story, so hopefully it will improve as the story progresses.

I think part of the problem is that Alan Moore was a little too literarily vague. I mean, I don't mind researching a character to find out more about them and to understand their place in the story, but when well more than half of the cast of the story needs to be researched, that becomes too much of a chore for me. Maybe I'm just not as well-read as I think I am, but it rather struck me that Moore is trying to show us how much smarter he is than the rest of us by using such vague characters.

The current version of the League (Mina Murray, Quartermain "Jr", Orlando, Raffles & Carnacki - if you don't know who they all are, look them up like I had to do) are trying to stop an apocalyptic premonition that Carnacki has. By the end of the volume, I'm still not sure if they know what the premonition is all about or not. Again, it all seems rather vague. Hopefully the story will improve, but if the next volume isn't any better, I can honestly say that I'm not sure that I will care to read the final volume.

Overall, a real "meh" feeling with this one.

#41: Sorry that one was such a disappointment for you, David. I hope your next read is much better!

#41 I knew who the characters were, but I'm not familiar with Brecht's Threepenny Opera, which spoiled it a bit for me. I also hadn't read The black Dossier, which apparently introduces the new characters. I'll buy and reads the follow-on parts, but I agree that the first two were better reads.

#42 - They can't all be winners, right?

#43 - I haven't read The Black Dossier yet. Maybe if I pick that up, this one will make more sense to me.

#44: I wish they could all be winners!

Hi kids! I'm back from a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious vacation to Walt Disney World with some friends from my Disney Store days and their 3 year old daughter (who was a perfect angel the entire time - no joke). We had a marvelous time! I'm going to get some pics up in my member gallery as soon as I get them off the camera.

That said, I didn't read a thing for the last week. I took 5 books with me, and didn't touch a one! =D We were just having way too much fun.

However, I did come home to a large box of books from Subterranean Press. They are a local press here in Michigan who specialize in limited runs of fantasy/scifi books by the likes of Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Peter Beagle and Naomi Novik, just to name a very small few. They had a grab bag special about a month back, and this is what I received:

Metamorphosis by James Blaylock with Adriana Campoy, Brittany Cox, Alex Haniford and Tim Powers - a limited edition volume signed by all 5 authors!
Ubik: the Screenplay by Phillip K. Dick
The Other in the Mirror by Philip José Farmer
Necroscope: the Plague-Bearer by Brian Lumley
D.A. by Connie Willis
Vacancy by Lucius Shepard
The Kragen by Jack Vance
The Book of Dreams edited by Nick Gevers
This is Me, Jack Vance! by Jack Vance
Rude Mechanicals by Kage Baker
Mister Slaughter by Robert McCammon
Collected Stories by Lewis Shiner
The Dark Volume by Gordon Dahlquist - signed by the author
The Best of Robert E. Howard: Crimson Shadows illustrated by Jim Keegan and Ruth Keegan - a limited edition slipcased edition signed by the illustrators

The price for the grab bag was $100 and the retail for all the books was $620!! I'm not entirely sure that I'll be keeping everything that I received, but I couldn't pass up on the deal. =)

Great haul! Bas Bleu (book catalogue) has a similar surprise box -- $100 worth of books for $40. I treated myself for my birthday last spring. I'm so glad you had such a great vacation. Welcome back!

Welcome back, David! I am glad you had a great time on your vacation.

Congrats on the haul. Wow!

Thanks, Anne & Stasia!! I had a great time, but it is good to be back. =)

#70



Title: Montana 1948
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Larry Watson
Copyright: 1993
Pages: 169
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Website: larry-watson.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Finished: 7-31-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category), TIOLI (ISBN ending in 4)

Montana 1948 is a quietly powerful story, one that doesn't need a lot of bravado to tell its tale, but one that still packs a mighty punch that will leave you setting the book aside and taking a moment to think about it and what it means. It is a coming of age story, but not only for the narrator David Hayden, but also for his mother, his father, his family as a whole. David discovers that life is not always quite black and white, his mother proves her strength, his father finally stands on his own, learning the difference between the loyalty of family and his loyalty to the law.

The Hayden's housekeeper, Marie, falls ill and when David's uncle, Frank, is called in to check on her, it is discovered that Frank has been molesting his female Indian patients. A war hero and member of the respected Hayden family, it is hard to believe that Frank has done these things, and his brother, David's father, the sheriff, has a harder time deciding what to do: be loyal to his brother and try to keep the secret quiet or uphold the law and take his brother into custody. David's grandfather, the previous sheriff of Mercer County, doesn't make things easier, thinking his clout in town will be enough to keep his son safe. What follows tests and proves the strength of every member of the Hayden family.

Montana 1948 is not a very long book, but tells a story that fills its pages to brimming. It won't take you long to read it, but I'm pretty sure you'll be thinking about it far after you've moved on to other books. I'll be on the lookout for more by Larry Watson in the future.

#71



Title: Metamorphosis
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): James Blaylock with Adriana Campoy, Brittany Cox, Alex Haniford and illustrated by Tim Powers
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 63
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Website: N/A
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 8-16-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category)

This was a volume that I received in a grab bag of books from Subterranean Press, and since it was the smallest volume I received in the box, I decided to read it first off. The premise is interesting: the three stories included in the volume are collaborations by Blaylock with three of his students from a creative writing class that he teaches. Each story deals with a man who finds his perception of reality slightly shifted for just a moment, where he is able to perceive a world that may or may not be associated with our own. All the stories are well told, but the problem I have with the stories is that they may be too well told to be from the minds of high school students, and it's hard to determine where their ideas and writing would be distinguished from that of Blaylock. I'm not trying to disparage the writing of the three high school students in any way; I just wonder exactly how much influence Blaylock had over their writing.

Overall, a handsomely produced little volume and the added autographs from all five writers made for a nice surprise!

#51: Overall, a handsomely produced little volume and the added autographs from all five writers made for a nice surprise!

Don't you just love surprises like that! Congratulations, David.

Title: Shatterboy
Author: Scott William Carter

I'm not actually counting this towards my reading goal for the year, but I did want to make mention of it. I don't know where it can be found to read other than through Apple's iBook app, where it is being offered as a free download right now.

It's a short story that revolves around Rebecca, who discovers a boy made of glass at the recycling center the day her husband is filing for divorce. At first, she thinks he is nothing more than a doll, until he moves, and she realizes that he is, in fact, alive.

What follows is a quick but eerie story of her growing obsession with the glass boy's safety (she's afraid that he may break) and her need to keep him close to her, so that she can love him.

It's only about 20-ish pages on my iBook and it only took me a few minutes to read, but it was a creepy little story all the same and just thought it worth mentioning.

#53: There are a couple of Carter's books available for free on the Nook, but unfortunately that is not one of them. A pity, as it does sound interesting.

#54 Hopefully it will turn up on some of the other readers soon so that you can download it.

Sorry for being MIA for awhile, I've had some health issues to be working through (nothing really drastic, just distracting!) but I'm feeling better now and feeling like getting back to posting!

So, without further ado...

#72



Title: X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga
Related Series: X-Men
Author(s): Chris Claremont & John Byrne
Copyright: 2010 (1980)
Pages: 352
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Author Website: N/A
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5/5 stars
Finished: 8-21-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel category)

I'm going to admit to a small love affair with this story. It may be completely dated, but to me it remains one of the most defining X-Men stories. Ever.

Back in the day, the Chris Claremont and John Byrne run on X-Men was one of the most exciting eras in the comic's history. Quite a bit of what we see happening in the X-Men stories of today are direct results of what these two men did with the characters back then, and nothing seemed to be bigger during that time than the Dark Phoenix Saga. Jean Grey had been reborn as Phoenix after saving her teammates at the apparent cost of her own life. It quickly became clear that her powers had grown tremendously, and seemed to continue growing exponentially. Eventually, through the manipulations of Mastermind, the true overwhelming potential of her power became evident and Dark Phoenix was born, a being with powers of a cosmic proportion. To sate her hunger, she consumed a star, causing it to go supernova and destroying an inhabited world. Upon arriving back to Earth, the X-Men attacked Jean and tried to diffuse her power. When they were unable to accomplish this, Professor X took matters in his own hands and challenged Dark Phoenix on the psychic level, and won, supposedly locking Dark Phoenix back away in Jean's mind. However at that moment, in order to pay for her transgressions, Lilandra kidnapped the X-Men and sentenced Phoenix to death. Professor X challenged his X-Men against Lilandra's Imperial Guard for the life of Jean Grey, and both teams were sent to the Blue Area of the moon to battle. During the course of the battle, Jean began to feel Dark Phoenix taking control, and instead of allowing that to happen and to have more blood on her hands, she decides to take her own life, thus ending the battle.

There were so many other great moments in this storyline: the introduction of Emma Frost, the Hellfire Club, Kitty Pryde, Dazzler. All of this was paving the road for some great stories through the rest of the 80s. Like I said before, it it definitely dated. The need to re-introduce a characters name and their power and/or weakness, ever single issue, becomes even more tiring when you're reading a collected edition like this, but even so, I still love to pull this off the shelf every couple of years to give it a reread. This new 30th Anniversary Edition is gorgeous, and the coloring is nice and crisp.

Now, for the only complaint about the collection: charging $75 for this edition is ridiculous. The two Inferno collections cost $75 each, and they each collect roughly 600 pages of story each, where The Dark Phoenix Saga is only 350 pages. To me, this is something of a ripoff. This new edition does collect a short story from Classic X-Men and Bizarre Adventures, the Phoenix: The Untold Story one-shot (which is the original version of the story where Jean Grey lives) and a What If? story about what would have happened if Jean Grey lived, but still, $75 is a steep price for this collection. It is so nicely presented that I can almost forgive them the price, but just barely; obviously, it didn't stop me from buying the edition.

I would highly recommend this edition to any X-Men fans, but for somebody who is just looking for a quick read and is not as interested in all the extras with this edition, spend the lesser money and get the trade paperback edition. This edition is really only for the hard-core fans.

#73



Title: X-Force Vol 2: Old Ghosts
Related Series: X-Men
Author(s): Christopher Yost & Craig Kyle, illustrated by Mike Choi & Sonia Oback
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 120
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Author Website: N/A
Format: Paperback
Rating: 3/5 stars
Finished: 8-24-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Graphic novel category)

This current version of X-Force is far more deadlier than any incarnation in the past, and this second volume does nothing to disprove that fact. After the less than successful events of their first mission, X-Force is sent off after a villain from the X-Men's past, who seems to have gotten his hands on a strain of the Legacy Virus. Domino finds herself in the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time, and gets involved with the mission, as well. To top it all off, Wolfsbane is still brainwashed and Archangel is still psychotic and Cyclops is beginning to think that the problems that X-Force is having may be more than they can handle internally, and he feels the need to call in some help from the students. And what does Selene have to do with the story? New plot threads leading up to Necrosha-X! Overall, not a bad second volume to this new series, but definitely not for little kids!

#74



Title: Dangerous Neighbors
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Beth Kephart
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 192
Publisher: EgmontUSA
Author Website: Beth Kephart Books
Format: Paperback
Rating: 4/5 stars
Finished: 8-26-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category)

Beth Kephart continues to impress me more and more with her young adult novels. Her ability to pull so much nuance into a story with such ease of language is beautiful. I'd love to spend a day in her head, just to see the world through her eyes; it must be an amazing place to behold. She can create such vivid images and emotions, with the simplest language possible, and every page is filled with more and more. If you haven't had the privilege of reading anything by Beth Kephart, might I recommend Dangerous Neighbors?

The year is 1876, and Philadelphia is celebrating the Centennial with an Exposition. Katherine has also just lost her twin sister, Anna, and is trying to determine how best to leave this world and be with her sister. It is a decision that doesn't seem to have come to her easily, but one that seems unavoidable. After spending her whole life being Anna's protector, she feels that she is responsible for Anna's death.

However, do to a series of circumstances that seem beyond her control as she is thrust into situations with people around her who seem to want to distract her from her goal, she begins to realize that maybe there is more still to look forward to in this life. These people, the "dangerous neighbors" who float on the sidelines of her life, some who she knows, some who are strangers to her, help to draw her back to her herself.

I believe that everyone who reads Beth Kephart's books will each walk away with something different. This can be said with any book, really, but there seems to be an ethereal element to her books that really lend themselves to individual interpretation and understanding. She doesn't challenge her readers directly but subtly, to think about each story and the implications of that story. Do yourself a favor. Read Dangerous Neighbors. You won't be sorry.

Ahh.... I've reached the golden goal for all of us here in the Group. 75 books! And still 4 months to go in the year. I knew that I was going to need something special for that 75th book, something unique and extraordinary to celebrate such a lofty achievement...

#75



Title: Dick and Jane and Vampires
Related Series: N/A
Author(s): Laura Marchesani, illustrated by Tommy Hunt
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 144
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Author Website: N/A
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 8-27-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fantasy (?) category)

Looking for your next great dose of the supernatural? Thinking Twilight? Forget it. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Nope. No, what you need is a good, old-fashioned selection. Something like Dick and Jane and Vampires.

...Wait, what?

Yeah, that was my first thought, too, when I saw the solicit for this book on ShelfAwareness. I also knew at that moment that this was a book that I was just going to have to own. And I was right. It reads exactly like a Dick and Jane, but it's not. It's one of the more clever literary mash-ups that I've seen recently.

Dick and Jane discover a bat one day. The bat never stays around for very long, but starts to become bolder and bolder in its attempts to interact with the children, and eventually reveals itself to be a vampire! Dick and Jane and family and the vampire grow more and more comfortable with each other, and even become friends. While this was not the ending that I was expecting (to be honest, I really was anticipating something more malicious with the children becoming vampires themselves), I still found the story quite funny. The writing is spot-on for a Dick and Jane, and you would have thought the illustrations were actual originals from the time, if not for the inclusion of the vampire. All around, a very clever and totally tongue in cheek little volume that is perfectly presented and doesn't take itself too seriously.

Congratulations on reaching 75 books! And with such a fun book, too. Hope the rest of your reading year is as enjoyable.

Congrats!

Congratulations on hitting the 75 book mark!

Congratulations, of course, my dear, on finishing your 75th book.

But -- and you may not have noticed this because I was just a teensy-tiny trifle behind in my postings -- I have read 80.

I am naturally too refined to mock or jibe at your current second-place standing in our two-horse race. I would never rub it in regarding my surpassing total.

*rub, rub, rub, rub, rub*

Smooches! :)

Thank you to everyone (beserene included)! Here's to a great rest of the year and books!

#65 And on that note, darling, at least I don't procrastinate to excess with my job in order to get my reading done. I do have my priorities, after all. ;)

I know, dearest -- you are a shining beacon of balance in a topsy-turvy world. Although, the fact is that if I did not procrastinate about my job, I would do nothing but my job, because there is always something more to do. So, books here I come!

Well, on that note, what are you doing on September 20, around 7pm? Emma Donoghue, who was just shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for her book Room, will be at Schuler's signing that evening...

#Project:procrastination under way!

Stolen from Stasia's thread (which was in turn stolen from Charlotte's thread):

1. The last book you gave five-stars to. - Ender's Game - I think my first thoughts about this book were, "Holy wow!"

2. The last book you were unable to finish. - Life of Pi - will probably catch some crap from some people about this one, but this story just did nothing for me and I gave up on it

3. The last book you bought. - Troll's-Eye View - a collection of short stories that I'm working my way through right now, slowly but surely, one story at a time

4. The last book that made you cry. - The Art of Racing in the Rain - seriously, if you're a dog person, best you have tissues at hand while reading

5. The last book you borrowed. - The Red Pyramid - from the roomie

6. The last book you received as a gift. - The Replacement - from Irisheyz

7. The last book you found disturbing. - The Strain - it takes quite a bit to creep me out when reading a book, and this one managed that quite nicely

8. The last book you read that made you laugh. - Dear Fatty - Dawn French's memoir is both hysterical and touching, all at the same time

9. The last book you really felt you got lost in (the good kind of lost): - Under the Dome - Believe it or not, and the abrupt ending notwithstanding, I was totally sucked into Stephen King's latest epic

10. The last book you reread - The Fur Person - one of my favorites, and one I pull off the shelf every now and again

I am glad you enjoyed the quiz, David!

Have you read The Red Pyramid yet? I loved that one.

Not yet. It's in my ever-shifting TBR pile, working it's way to the top. I've heard good things about it, though, so I'm going to try to get to it sooner than later.

I hope you enjoy it!

Re: #65: Alas! The 20th is a Monday, so I will be in class that night in Jackson. It kills me that, after admiring Donoghue for all these years, I am going to miss her one trip to freakin' Lansing. Wait, if it kills me, does that mean I can call in dead and then go to the reading? ;)

#72 - I'm hoping to! =)

#73 - Well, would the ultimate in procrastination be calling off class that night? Of course, I'm sure I can always be persuaded to pick up a copy for you if you're going to insist on being responsible that night and actually teach your students.

Re.#69: did you know that we are reading the same book at the same time -- Troll's Eye View? That hasn't happened in a while.

#74: I am not sure if cancelling class that night would qualify as procrastination. More like acknowledging my real priorities. Now if only I could get paid to just go to readings and read books!

#7: Now if only I could get paid to just go to readings and read books!

Hands off my dream job, woman!

Darlin' if I could find a way to do it, I promise I'd share. Tragically, teaching literature is as close as I've gotten and even that comes with tedious, time-consuming tasks like grading. What I wouldn't give for some rich gentleman to sweep me off to his country manse where there is nothing to do but read! Though said gentleman would probably want me to darn his socks -- it's always something -- and that would be the end of it. Alas. We must carry on, I suppose.

#77: We must carry on, I suppose.

Unfortunately, yes.

Well, darlings, I've figured it out. We just need to figure out a way to rig the lottery (but only when it's big!) so that we win boat loads of money, and then we can read and stalk our favorite authors to our heart's content. Me, I'm going to be looking at a beach somewhere that I can read all day long!

Now if only I could get paid to just go to readings and read books!

Wait, I have this job! It's called grad school. Unfortunately, though, it won't last forever.

#76



Title: Mockingjay
Related Series: The Hunger Games
Author(s): Suzanne Collins
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 391
Publisher: Scholastic
Author Website: suzannecollinsbooks.com
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finished: 9-9-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category)

OK, so I'm not going to go inot a bunch of detail about the actual story, because I don't think I could really talk about anything that wouldn't require huge spoiler tags throughout the entire post, so I'm just going to stick with talking about my general impressions of the book. Keep in mind, however, that there could still be what could be considered spoilers.

Like everybody who has been reading The Hunger Games, I'm sure I wasn't alone in the excitement of the release of the final installment in the story. I even waited until I had an entire day where I could sit down and devote all the time I needed to read the book in one sitting. I got myself all psyched to reenter the world of Katniss Everdeen. Would it be Peeta? Would it be Gale? Would the Capital fall?

Well...

So, I may or may not catch crap from the rest of the reading world over this, but I found the book to only be mildly engaging. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely couldn't wait to see how the story was going to end, but the book was not unputdownable. I was easily able to set the book aside and come back to it later. Some portions of the story seemed to be far too overplayed (3 pages to explain a song that Katniss's father used to sing to her?) and other portions far too underplayed (1 dismissive paragraph about Katniss's new bow, which seems to be alive, yet no further explanation is ever given). And ending every single chapter with a shocking last sentence got a little tedious by the end of the book.

Speaking of the ending of the book. A good indicator for me about the lack of investment in the story was when I got down to about 20-30 pages left of the book, and I was tired the night I was finishing it, and I didn't even really care to try to stay awake to see what happened. And what did happen? All the action seems to take place while Katniss is in a delirium (I don't think I'm actually giving an important plot point away here) and we, the audience, find out what happened in the background through piecemeal flashbacks. Honestly, it felt like the book could have ended earlier and a fourth novella been released as the ending (Suzanne Collins probably would have loved this idea - the ultimate cliffhanger ending that she seems all too eager to write) since I don't think a fourth full length book could have supported the ending, or Mockingjay could have been longer. I got the impression that she needed to end the book under so many pages, so beasically just wrote off what happened in the end like she did just to make it fit in the space her editors gave her. Who knows, but the ending of the book was something of a letdown to me. Too easily dismissive (not only in the storytelling but also in how some characters were dealt with) and too anticlimactic for my liking.

Don't get me wrong. Mockingjay is good. It finishes the story and leaves no plot points dangling, but compared to the previous two books (especially Catching Fire), it doesn't quite live up to it's predecessors. If you're a fan of the the Hunger Games and Catching Fire, you'll definitely want to read Mockingjay. Just don't go in with too high expectations.

#77



Title: D.A.
Author(s): Connie Willis
Copyright: 2007
Pages: 76
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Author Website: www.conniewillis.net
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 3/5 stars
Finished: 9-11-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (SciFi Category)

This is another book that I received in my Subterranean Press grabbag from a couple weeks back, and while is something that I would never have picked up on my own, it was a fun, quick little read. Theodora Baumgarten is accepted to the IASA, the Academy that teaches new cadets to become astronauts. The only problem is, she never wanted to go to the IASA and never applied. So, how did she get in? Some clever hacking from her friend Kimkim finally reveals the answer and Theodora is left to make some big decisions about her life.

This is my first experience reading Connie Willis and it wasn't bad, but I certainly need to find something a little longer that I can really sink my teeth into. I really can't recommend or not recommend this book. It just is.

This is a Willis I've been looking for and can't find. I enjoy her longer work quite a bit.

#78



Title: The Kragen
Author(s): Jack Vance
Copyright: 1969 (2007)
Pages: 107
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 3/5 stars
Finished: 9-12-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (SciFi Category)

Yet another find from the Subterranean Press grab bag. The Kragen is a novella written in 1964 which Jack Vance eventually expanded into The Blue World and published in 1966. The kragen are squid-like nautical beasts that roam the oceans and terrorize the populace of the Floats (a village built on large lily pad-like vegetation), humans who were brought to this new world after they escaped from their original world. Even though it is never explicitly stated, I'm fairly certain the ship that the original colonists used to get to the new world was a prison ship, and that the ancestors of the current populace were criminals; the reasoning behind this is the caste system that is used for the new population with names such as Bezzlers, Hoodwinks and Counterfeiters. After several generations on this new world which has no land and is nothing but one large ocean, the populace has created a rather strict system of governing themselves. They have also developed something of a religion based around King Kragen, the largest kragen, who protects the Floats from other smaller kragen.

After one kragen attack too many, Sklar Hast, a Hoodwink of some repute, has decided that they have lived under the tyranny of the kragen, and especially King Kragen, long enough, and decides to kill a smaller kragen, which has never been done before. After King Kragen exacts revenge on the Float and the governing body of the Floats wants to punish those responsible, Sklar Hast and his fellow sympathizers decide to set out to find new Floats and to set up a new life for themselves and to discover a way to kill King Kragen and take back their own lives.

This is a fairly quick read, a little slow to get into, but once the action starts it's fairly consistent. Fairly. It does seem to drag a little in parts, and the ending just seems so non-committal, I couldn't believe that was it. My first impression was that the story definitely needed to be longer, and upon discovering that it was, in fact, expanded into a longer novel makes me want to go pick that up to see how Vance grew the story, hopefully with a more fulfilling ending.

You have to love antique shops. I found a first American edition of Animal Farm this weekend for $7!

Hi, just read you thread and love your book reads and reviews. You have great taste. And congrats on the Animal Farm find, it's a thrill to find such an amazing bargain.

Thanks for stopping by, KiwiNyx! =)

I am skipping the review of Mockingjay since I still have not read it. I think I will skip the Willis and Vance books though.

Congratulations on the Animal Farm acquisition!

I don't blame you for skipping my review, Stasia. I avoided everything I could until I read the book.

And I just thought I'd pass this on to anybody who might be interested. I just went to Amazon's website and on the homepage there was a link to join audible.com for a 1 month free trial membership, and they gave you 2 download credits towards audiobooks. I just downloaded the complete unabridged The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson for free, and still have a credit towards another download!

>85 tapestry100: Nice! Congrats!

#89: Thanks for the heads up about the audible.com trial membership, David. I will check it out!

#91 - Started listening to The Way of Kings this morning on my iPhone on the morning commute, and the sound quality is great, so I'd say it's worth checking into if you like audiobooks. =)

#79



Title: Insults and Comebacks for All Occasions
Related Series: Lines for All Occasions
Copyright: 2008
Pages: 112
Publisher: Knock Knock Books
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 3/5 stars
Finished: 9-15-2010
Challenge: 100 Books 10

OK, I'm going to admit that this book was simply purchased on a whim with no other basis than the silliness of it. The book is put together very attractively (it looks like an older book, with no dust jacket and the name foil stamped directly onto the front board in a retro font) but, really, the matter is very subjective. It is exactly what the title says it is, a collection of insults to use in everyday conversation and some are funny and some are not, and the whole thing written entirely tongue in cheek. I can't really recommend this to anybody, except people who like some good sarcasm, and even then only thinly recommended.

>84 tapestry100:: The Blue World wasn't my favorite Jack Vance book, but it wasn't bad. I don't remember thinking it should be longer or shorter...which is probably good.

Love the styling of the Insults book but will give it a miss I think. Will definitely look into the audio books thing though - thanks.

#93: I think I will skip that one, David.

Wow, I really fell behind on this thread... great review for The Dark Phoenix Saga, very thorough!!! I'll come back and read your Mockingjay review once I've read the book.

Also, Dick and Jane and Vampires -- I've *got* to find a copy of this...

#94 - I think I'm going to add The Blue World to Mt TBR ans see how he expanded The Kragen.

#95, #96 - I don't blame either of you for wanting to pass on Insults and Comebacks. It really doesn't have much going for it other than the actual book design.

#97 - Thanks! And I passed on all Mockingjay reviews until I read it too. And Dick and Jane and Vampires is hysterical!

#80



Title: Room
Author(s): Emma Donoghue
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 321
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Author Website: www.emmadonoghue.com
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 5/5 stars
Finished: 9-19-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction Category)
Awards: Man Booker Prize Shortlist 2010

For five year old Jack, there has never been anything other than Room and Ma. He was born in Room, he's lived his entire life in Room, he has never left Room. Ever. It is his home. However, for Ma, it has been a prison for the last seven years, a place where she has been held captive by Old Nick. It is also where she keeps Jack safe, but even she knows they'll have to escape eventually. It is going to have to be a daring plan, one that requires all of Jack's bravery to deal with the Outside, a place that he has never ventured into. But if they actually get to the Outside, how will Jack deal with discovering that there truly is another outside world that he has never known about.

Told entirely from Jack's point of view, Room is unlike anything that I have read. To look at life through the eyes of a child who has never experienced anything beyond the 11 x 11 foot dimension of his confines is amazing. Things that we would take utterly for granted are utterly new and strange to him. It is a sometimes refreshing and frightening perspective, and one that is entirely unique.

Sometimes I found Jack to be a little too intelligent for never having experienced anything outside of Room and Ma (we never discover her real name) seems to have a little bit too much insight on how to care for Jack and the things that he needs to stay healthy for someone who was kidnapped at 19 and no contact with the outside world or guidance on how to raise a child. For instance, knowing that they need time to sunbathe from the light coming through the skylight so that they have a tolerance for sunlight or having Jack focus on things close and then far away (the roof) to help strengthen his eyes seem, at least to me, a little too far fetched for someone in Ma's situation to inherently understand.

These technicalities aside, Room is still an astounding book and one that I couldn't put down. Ma's love for Jack, even when she is at her wit's end with him, and Jack's returned love for Ma, even when he is angry with her and doesn't always understand her reasons for what she does, is evident on every page. Emma Donoghue balances just the right amounts of hope, pathos, suspense and relief to make Room an engaging story without taking any of these elements too far.

Highly Recommended.

#99: Between your review and Darryl's, Room sounds like a must read. I am definitely going to have to track down a copy!

Room definitely sounds like something I'll have to read, especially since I've enjoyed other books by Emma Donoghue in the past.

#100 - I think you'd enjoy this book, Stasia!

#101 - This was my first experience with Emma Donoghue, but I know I want to look out for more by her now!

This is just something that I thought I'd pass on to everybody here, in case you're interested. =)

I admit it. I stole this right off the email that SubPress emailed me this morning, but my mom suffers from Lupus, and I think it's going to an excellent cause!

Wil Wheaton, John Scalzi and Subterranean Press are proud to announce the publication of CLASH OF THE GEEKS, a special and fantastical electronic chapbook. It features stories by Wheaton, Scalzi, New York Times bestseller Patrick Rothfuss, Norton Award winner and Hugo Best Novel nominee Catherynne M. Valente, Hugo and Nebula Award nominee Rachel Swirsky, and others, and is for the benefit of the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America.

The chapbook is available in multiple DRM-free electronic formats at unicornpegasuskitten.com. It is free to download, but voluntary payment is strongly encouraged, via Paypal or by tax-deductible donation, with links to both provided at the unicornpegasuskitten.com Web site. All proceeds from this chapbook will go to the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America.

#103: I have no earthly idea what a DRM-free electronic format is, David. Sounds like a wonderful cause, I just do not know if I can download the book or not. Off to check it out!

From Wikipedia:

Digital rights management (DRM) is a generic term for access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to limit the usage of digital content and devices.

Basically, DRM-free means that it is just a normal file that the publisher is not trying to control in anyway.

>102 tapestry100: The other books I've read by her were all very different from Room and not as highly rated, but I'd recommend giving them a try anyway. I thought The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits was particularly interesting.

Meanwhile, I made an impulse Amazon purchase and should have Room in hand in a couple of days....

Thanks for the recommendation! I'm actually meeting Emma Donoghue tonight, so I'll see if they have a copy of that book to pick up at the signing.

Emma Donoghue is freaking adorable. If you ever have a chance to meet her, I'd highly recommend it.

And apparently, when it comes to book acquisitions, the role of Sarah will be played by David today. Here's what I picked up, received by UPS or got in the mail today:

Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (signed)
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with illustrations by Gustave Doré
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells with illustrations by Edward Gorey
The Complete Nemesis the Warlock Book 1 by Pat Mills
The Painted Darkness by Brian James Freeman (LTER)
Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner (ARC)
X-Force/Cable: Messiah War

And I got my copy of Room signed by Emma Donoghue as well. Overall, I'd say this was a pretty good day! =)

That's definitely how I define a good day. Nice job playing the role of me. :)

Oh, and I second your recommendation for seeing Emma Donoghue in person - such a.great author and personality!

Wow! Great haul, David!

I'd love to meet Emma Donoghue, no further encouragement needed! I hope you like Slammerkin. I have fond memories of reading it over the Christmas holidays one year, with a fire going in the fireplace beside me and a cat on my lap. Both the cat and the fireplace were courtesy of my boyfriend's parents, since I have neither of those at home.

#110 - Thanks, Stasia!

#111 - I'm looking forward to Slammerkin, Zoe. =)

And what's this? *MORE* books acquired? The madness must stop! (And apparently, I need to give Sarah a break and not give her a hard time about her book purchases for awhile...)

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
X-Men Forever: Picking Up Where We Left Off by Chris Claremont

Aha! I saw that and will remind you of it should your good intentions regarding giving me a hard time slip.

BTW, I read Room and wow. Just wow. Astonishing.

Also just now figured out how to do touchstones on my phone. Woo!

*smooches*

Room has automatically jumped onto my wishlist, great review, can't wait to read it.

I hope you like it, Kiwi!

#81



Title: The Painted Darkness
Author(s): Brian James Freeman
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 173
Publisher: Cemetery Dance Publications
Author Website: www.brianjamesfreeman.com
Format: ARC Paperback
Available: November 9, 2010
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Finished: 9-26-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Fiction category)

The Painted Darkness is a fairly quick read, and one that did a reasonably good job of keeping my attention. Alternating between events of twenty years ago and today, The Painted Darkness slowly unfolds the events of an event that shaped the entire course of Henry's life, while simultaneously telling the events of Henry's eventual confrontation with the demons from his childhood.

The fact is, there seems to be a probability that the demons from Henry's childhood may, in fact, be real. Or they may not; they may be the result of Henry's extraordinarily vivid imagination. This is one of those books where I really think every person will take a little something different away from it, depending on how they want to perceive the events of the story. Personally, I think the story is about ultimately coming to terms with your own personal demons and finally putting them to rest, be it through your creativity (Henry is a painter, and he paints to get the dark images out of his mind) or some other means.

Like I said before, the story is a fairly quick read, and the flipping back and forth between Henry's childhood and his adulthood does a nice job of opening up the secrets of his past at the same time showing how he deals with them in his present. This was a nice touch, that I didn't feel really overplayed the back and forth too much at all. The inclusion of what I'm assuming are supposed to be some of Henry's paintings was nice, but seemed lacking in some way. Maybe because they are in black and white (and maybe the finished copy will have them in color) or because they didn't always seems to match exactly what was going on in the story, but I felt that these could probably have been left out, and nothing would have been missed from the story. Overall, a nice, creepy little book that would probably be good to read on a dark and stormy night.

I do not care for creepy books. If I did, I would probably read that one though!

How did you end up with an ARC from Cemetary Dance Publications, David? Is that a small press, like Subterranean, or an affiliated press? I've never heard of them before.

>118 alcottacre:: Stasia, I don't blame you. Every time I read a really good, creepy book, I end up having to go to bed with a flashlight. And yet, I keep trying them. David recently lent me The Strain, which will be one of my Halloween reads. I think I may need more than one flashlight after that one.

#119: I think I may need more than one flashlight after that one.

I think I would be using a large spotlight!

Yeah, if you're not a fan of creepy books, Stasia, then The Strain is definitely not for you!'

#119 - Sarah, darling, I thought the large LTER banner atop my review of The Painted Darkness was a good enough clue as to where I received the book from, but alas... I received The Painted Darkness through LT's Early Reviewer program. ;) smooches

And I think Stasia may have the right idea for you with the large spotlight after reading The Strain. If it creeped me out, I'm sure it'll do the same to you! (Now, just to know the nights that you are reading it, so I can come along and knock on your window in the middle of the night... #evillaughter)

Ah, big banner, right.*cough* Must have missed that. Because, you know, OCCASIONALLY I miss things.

It's part of your charm!

#82



Title: Blameless
Series: The Parasol Protectorate, Book 3
Author: Gail Carriger
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 374
Publisher: Orbit Books
Author Website: www.gailcarriger.com
Twitter: @gailcarriger, @orbitbooks
Format:: Paperback
Rating: 5/5 stars
Finished: 9-30-10
Challenge: 100 Books 10, 1010 Challenge (Steampunk challenge)

Gail Carriger, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways: La Diva Tarabotti. Lord Akeldama. Pesto. Formaldehyde. Templars. Biffy. Floote. Lord Maccon. "Parassault." Killer ladybugs. Vampires. Werewolves. Seriously, I could just go on and on and on about how I love Gail Carriger. And what do all of these tidbits (and more!) add up to? The latest, delicious volume in the Parasol Protectorate series.

Spoilers Ahead!

Blameless, the latest offering from Gail Carriger in her Parasol Protectorate series, finds our soulless heroine, Alexia Maccon (neé Tarabotti) is on the run. After the shocking revelations at the end of Changeless, she has been cast out by her brute of a werewolf husband, Lord Maccon, and has since discovered that for an as yet discovered reason, the vampires have set out to kill her, by any means possible (including killer mechanical ladybugs). Add to that the decision by the Queen to remove her status as muhjah of the Shadow Council, and Alexia is not having the best of times right now. Deciding that she needs some answers to her current condition, delicate as it is, Alexia travels abroad, in search of the Templars and some possible information regarding her, her father and her position as a preternatural.

Meanwhile back in London, there is intrigue and suspense galore as Lord Akeldama swarms from his home after a mysterious possession of his is stolen. How is this tied to the government? How do the werewolves play into all of this? And when will the formaldehyde run out?

And where exactly has Woolsey's Gamma run off to?

Gail Carriger has outdone herself with Blameless. I'll admit that I was a little concerned with the direction that Alexia and Co. were taking at the end of Changeless (I thought the situation seemed to come about a little too early), but I should never have doubted Ms. Carriger's ability, me the lowly reader that I am. She has taken a delicate state of affairs, and has made it into an integral, key plot point that helped move Blameless along with all the clever and witty pacing that I've come to love from her books. Having Alexia not attached to Lord Maccon was a refreshing treat. I think the characters are most interesting when they are apart, and Alexia is at odds with Connall. Of course, this situation won't always be that way, and of course they work well together, but I particularly loved the agitation felt throughout the book. The only other addition that I would have liked to see this time around? More Lord Akeldama. He has continually grown on me and may very well be my favorite character of the cast. He's just so over the top and divine.

The level of intrigue and the mystery behind the preternaturals was handled so well this time around. Ms. Carriger is developing a most engaging mythology and history for her characters, and I can't wait to find out more! There was just enough dangling plot lines left over to completely whet my appetite for more!

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the Parasol Protectorate series, do yourself a favor, quit reading this humble blog and dash off to your nearest bookseller and acquire copies of all three books. Immediately. Posthaste. You won't be sorry. Gail Carriger may be one of the funniest authors that I've come across in awhile, and her books and characters are among the most charming and scintillating that I've read this year. My only regret now is that we've had the pleasure of three books released with the last year, that now we have to wait until the spring of next year to see what happens next!

Highly, highly recommended.

#124: I will have to ignore the review - nothing personal, David. I still have not gotten book one read yet though and do not want to chance any spoilers.

#125 - No offense taken at all! I wouldn't want to read anything too spoilerific either. =)

New thread for a new quarter staring here.