The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente

The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M.Valente,  248 pages Catherynne Valente’s third novel in the Fairyland series brings the reader back to the vivid magical world she created in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making and The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There. While the second book added on to the world below Fairyland, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two adds on the sky above fairyland as September explores its crescent moon. Returning to September’s Nebraska prairie, we find her fervently preparing to be whisked back to Fairyland and to her wyverary and marid friends. 14 year old September is determined to wait with the patience of adulthood as she tries her heart at the being grown up. However, she wonders if maybe she will be too grown up for the Winds to bring her back to Fairyland as her birthday passes her by. But the Blue Wind whisks her away, although reluctantly and unexpectedly. September’s journey isn’t into fairyland proper this time but to the mysterious moon above it, full of new creatures and wonders to discover, and maybe an old friend or two as she finds a way to save Fairyland’s moon from being split in two by a vengeful Yeti. As Valente again expands upon the whimsical and sometimes dangerous world outside of Nebraska, she explores childhood, and what growing up means and what it doesn’t have to mean. Just as she explored 13 year old September’s new heart in The Girl Who Fell Beneath…, in The Girl Who Soared…, she explores the implications of growing up, defying your “fate”, and looking past appearances to name yourself, rather than letting others decide who you should be. In a way that permeates the writing style for this entire series, Valente teaches these lessons with a conspiratory tone to the reader through her self-aware narrator that does not preach, but rather uncovers for the reader and September what feels like a realization of truth rather than a lecture. Though the prose is often overly flowery and occasionally wordy to a fault, the effect is an otherworldly whimsy. However, as a book for children, the structure can get overly complicated. It would be easy for even an adult to get lost in Valente’s twists and turns in prose. When this book gets it right, it is spot on; however, when it loses focus it seems trite and the whimsy overdone. Thankfully, The Girl Who Soared… gets it right 85% of the time, but it is the weakest book in the series. The moon just does not capture the same wonder that Fairyland and Fairyland Below do in the first two books of the series. It is more of a series of encounters with the fanciful world rather than a whirlwind tour. Maybe that is the consequence of growing up for September and her reader, that what seemed so wonderful lacks a little luster now. However, the book does make its comebacks throughout to just enough hold onto the wonderful world built by Valente. Children will especially identify with September’s struggle to find out who she is and how to determine that as she starts to grow up. And with a striking cliffhanger ending, it is worth reading as a prelude to September’s next journey. That may be the function of this book; it is a long exposition for what Valente has set up to be an exciting journey in the next chapter of the Fairyland saga.

For Your Eyes Only

For Your Eyes Only by Ian Fleming, 252 pages

For Your Eyes Only is a collection of short stories or cases involving James Bond. The short stories are odd to read as they tend to leave you wanting more of what happened and the details of everything that fill the novels by Fleming. The five short stories are “From a View to Kill”, “For Your Eyes Only”, “Quantum of Solace”, “Risico”, and “The Hildebrand Rarity”.

According to an online chronology the stories as presented in the book are out of order and should be read `4, 3, 5, 1, 2. Having no real opinion either way I took that advice. I can’t say there were any references or clues that indicate one should come before the other, and I would likely have been fine reading them as presented.

“Risico” involves a heroin smuggling ring that Bond is sent to investigate. This is my favorite short story of the collection as it has some of the best dialogue, and likeable characters. It also has a golf course that has a minefield hazard for the out of bounds which seems like a great way to make golfing more interesting.

“Quantum of Solace” is nothing like the movie based off of it and is quite dull. It is nothing more than the governor or Jamaica telling Bond a story.

With “Hildebrand Rarity” I am split between liking the story about an abusive husband and overall jerk getting his comeuppance and dislike for the needless and wasteful killing of a small section of an ocean reef. I know that the use of poisons like that to collect fish and animal specimens was used in those days but it just seems so wrong and evil.

“From a View to Kill” is a well written short involving a missing dispatch rider. It is quite short for everything that happens in it and is fun to read. It also shows more of the political side of things then previous novels do.

Finally “For Your Eyes Only” is basically M using Bond to get revenge on a couple of murders that killed some friends of his. He justifies it with some legalese but the concept is the same.

Of course every single one of these short novels has an attractive woman that Bond falls in love with, but it wouldn’t be a Bond story if there wasn’t.

Attachments, Rainbow Rowell

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, 323 pages

After reading Rowell’s popular Young Adult stories Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, I was eager to read more from her so I checked out her first novel – Attachments. Attachments is an adult fiction novel revolving around a computer security technician, Lincoln, and two newspaper employees, Jennifer and Beth. 

Basically, Lincoln’s job is to monitor the emails of the Courier Newspaper staff, which involves him reading any email messages that are flagged as suspicious in content. Jennifer and Beth are best friends and are constantly communicating with one another through their work email. They discuss their relationship issues, family problems, and basically everything unrelated to work. Thus, their emails are constantly flagged for Lincoln to review.  After reading their emails practically every day, he ends up truly caring for both women and falling in love with Beth, even though he has never met either Jennifer or Beth in real life. He doesn’t report their emails to his manager because of his feelings for the women, and because he enjoys reading about their lives and wants to know more.

Throughout the story, Lincoln struggles with the nature of his job and becomes increasingly uncomfortable essentially spying on the employees. He is in his late twenties, still living at home with his mother (who treats him like a child) and is really unsure of who he is and where he should be at in this point of his life. The emails between Jennifer and Beth show a similar uncertainty with the path their own lives are taking as Jennifer is not eager to start a family, despite her husband who desperately wants a child. Beth is stuck in a relationship with a man who seems to care deeply for her, but she is confused whether or not he is actually the one she is meant to be with.

For me, Attachments was not as much as a page turner as the other two Rowell novels that I absolutely loved, but it was still a touching and relatable story nonetheless.

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho  197 pages

         I picked up a copy of The Alchemist at the suggestion of one of my coworkers here at the library, and I was really pleased to do so.  The book felt shorter than its 197 pages, but not rushed.  The story is a simple one, one that I felt I should resist (the story is SO optimistic)- but won me over because of the prose.  It is a lyrical fable of a boy searching for treasure, and the things he learns along the way.
          The tale is one that tells us to follow our dreams- and laments their loss when we choose to give up on them. Various characters are stuck in the lives they have settled for because they got in their own way.  It felt like a "spiritual" book, or a self help book, but wasn't forceful/preachy enough for me to put it down.  I feel like it should be in the same group as Siddhartha, or The Prophet- timeless, and worth revisiting.

The Pillars of The Earth, Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 973 pages

      I have spent a considerable portion of this last month obsessively getting through this epic novel- I picked it up because I watched the mini- series awhile ago and remembered it as being a show that I binge watched as well. (thank you, Netflix.) I thought the book was great, considering that Follett gives us a medieval story centered around the construction of a cathedral.  He effortlessly weaves in descriptions of the construction, design, and architecture of European cathedrals with the drama of his protagonists.  His cast of characters begins with Tom Builder, a master builder who is struggling to find steady work, who dreams of designing a cathedral of his own someday.  From there the reader is introduced to a group of people (and a couple of  tremendous villains,)  who live in a world that can only be described as alien to the contemporary person today.  The Pillars of the Earth read like Game of Thrones without the magic, which was fairly refreshing for me- Follett gave me a glimpse of what life might have been like for people of several different classes, and what the world was like when there was no such thing as a secular society.  The power struggles between the English monarchs and the church trickle down to many of the characters, who must deal with the consequences in creative ways if they wish to continue building their cathedral.  Entertaining. I have already put the sequel, A World Without End, on hold.
    
     

7 Miles A Second

7 Miles a Second- text: David Wojnarowicz, art: James Romberger, color: Marguerite VanCook, 67 pages.
2012, originally published in 1996

      I love Fantagraphics Books.  They consistently publish high quality graphic novels and comics, along with other fine art/illustration books.  I do not think I have come across anything they have put out that fall short of the mark.  I wanted to talk about this graphic novel because to read it is to challenge yourself to appreciate something that can be at times rewarding to look at but whose subject matter can be hard to take in.
  
       David Wojnarowicz was an artist and AIDS activist who passed away in 1992 from complications from AIDS.  7 Miles A Second is a gritty depiction of his life as a hustler in New York, his reflections on living with a terminal disease, and his anger at the health care system and a largely indifferent government.  The illustration of the book is wonderfully horrific and dream-like, offering the viewer a world of highly saturated color, with beautiful watercolor in place of today's all too common computer generated illustration.  The book reads like a poetic hallucination masquerading as a comic book, which asks the reader to respond differently. 7 Miles A Second invites us to respond emotionally to a period of time that is fading from our cultural memory.  It is a work of art, a manifesto, something wholly personal, and still relevant today. Wojnarowicz refused to be silent about his homosexuality, his history, and his status as someone living with AIDS, and used his gifts as an artist to leave something behind. 
    

Robert Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg by Catherine Craft, 145 pages 2013

      One of the things I love about being a floater on the second floor is that I get to spend a lot of time in the fine arts room, and get to check out new art books as they come in.  This slim new book on Rauschenberg is an elegant introduction to an important American modern artist.  The writing is clear, and to the point; Craft does not complicate the text by littering it with art jargon.  The page where she describes Rauschenberg's famous piece Erased de Kooning  is one the best examples of writing I have ever seen concerning that specific project. She follows the different phases of his prolific career, summarizing each phase with relative ease.   The photographic reproductions of his work rivals that of more expensive, expansive fine art monographs. Usually when the book is cheaper and shorter, the reader is offered a mediocre viewing experience, here, Phaidon does not disappoint.

Year of Wonders

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, 308 pages.


Based on the plague infection of the village Eyam in 1666, this historical novel offers a horrific telling of life without modern medicine. Told from the perspective of the town rector's housemaid Anna, a vivid picture is painted of how quickly plague demolished the human body, and how desperate people became to try to rid the town of the disease. Everything from witchcraft to flagellation is tried as a means to ward off the plague. If you got it, you had two options: a barber-surgeon, or the local Gowdie family, with their herbs and concoctions. Typically, neither option worked. Every week at church, it is obvious how many have fallen, as the occupied seats keep dwindling. The rector has a revelation that God wants them to suffer so that others will not have to. So, the town quarantines itself and becomes cut off from the rest of society. No one goes in, no one goes out. This decision isn't necessarily the best idea, however.
Historical fiction is a favorite of mine, as I love history but hate reading dry, boring facts and memorizing dates, so it's a good compromise. This book not only gives you a look into the living conditions of the time, it gives you a look at the life of a housemaid and servantry.
This book is an interesting read, just be sure to have a dictionary close by, as she uses much terminology relevant to the time, which involves many words well outdated. Unless, of course, you've got a broad 15th century vocabulary.
P.S. the ending is CRAZY!!!

Ultra Violet: Ten Years of Violet Days

Ultra Violet: Ten Years of Violet Days by Chris Monroe, 169 pages.



     This collection of daily strips by Duluth artist Chris Monroe had me scouring the internet for other goods she might have written.  While the strips cover a variety of topics, she returns to squirrels, skeletons, and the musings of Violet with frequency.  Mostly hilarious with the occasional melancholic strip, her approach never feels contrived. Ultra Violet is a comic book for the kind of person who loves to go camping but brings along a blender so they can make their friends delicious margaritas. It's great.

Bourne Legacy

Bourne Legacy by Eric Van Lustbader, 453 pages

After reading Bourne Legacy I am concerned with where the series is headed. Not only does Lustbader kill of two main characters in the first chapter, he also introduces one by the name of Khan. Khan is an assassin that wants to kill Bourne for abandoning him in Cambodia. He also claims to be his son Joshua who Bourne was led to believe was killed along with his wife and daughter. This leads to all kinds of flashbacks that help fill in some of the back story in Jason’s life. The rest of the plot, terrorist trying to kill everyone at an antiterrorist summit seems rushed and secondary to the Jason and Khan fight.

There is also a distinctive loss of David Webb, Jason Bourne’s true identity. While all of the Ludlum books have his mind in a battle between the two, David’s presence is absent throughout most of the novel. This is especially odd given the fact that so many of the memories he is rediscovering are from when he was David Webb. It also makes the character seem more one dimensional as now he is only a super-agent, and not the professor he pretends to be. Sort of like Indian Jones, boring professor by day, awesome kick-ass guy who saves the world by night.

Bourne Identity also only mentions David's wife in passing until the end. There is no concern for her thoughout the novel, not even a passing thought about what she might be going through when he is "killed" and none of her trying to help him. This trying to help was also a main part of the Ludlum series. Marie was always there for David, and was trying to make sure that the part that made him David was not lost to Jason Bourne. I know that Lustbader wrote her off to a safe house somewhere, but with Ludlum that wouldn't have stopped her.

While it seems that Lustbader is missing some of the key elements that made the Bourne novels a step above the rest, Bourne Legacy was still a good book. It will be interesting to see if this continues into just another spy novel series, or if the next book can bring back some of the qualities that elevated it above the rest.

Goldfinger

Goldfinger by Ian Fleming, 318 pages

Goldfinger is one of my favorite Bond movies so I was really looking forward to reading this novel. The reason I liked it so much was because of the villain’s henchman Oddjob. In the movie Oddjob is played by a dwarf but the book has him somewhere around five feet. He is a master at karate and can chop through boards like toothpicks. But what makes him unique is his hat. The hats rim has a metal blade so when he throws it he can cut off people’s heads, at least in the movie. In the book the hat is not so razor sharp, and only knocks out the one person it is thrown at.

The plot is basically Goldfinger wants to rob Fort Knox and will kill the entire town and army base there to do it. While the movie does follow the book quite nicely, there are some minor changes. I can’t tell you what they are due to the fact we can’t post any spoilers on here. If you want to know you will just have to read the book.

Fleming does seem to be going to extraordinary lengths to tell the readers what the villain is planning. In Goldfinger Bond is captured, and instead of being killed is actually taken on by Goldfinger to work as a secretary. Bond is then allowed to attend the meeting where Goldfinger explains how they are going to rob Fort Knox. While this is better than the villain giving a monolog to the hero tied to a chair it makes you wonder why don’t these extraordinary villains would be foolish enough to tell their plan to anyone they captured.

The Selection

When picking up a young adult dystopian novel my first thought usually isn't, 'Let's get ready for some serious romance!' But what Kiera Cass does in The Selection is blend two genres of young adult literature seamlessly. As the main character, America Singer finds her way into a competition to become the future queen of Illea, maintains her self-posession and strength while still remaining relatable to the reader. Though fraught with dangers from rebels, glimpses of the hallmark inequality of dThe SeThe Selection by Kiera Cass, 327 pages

When picking up a young adult dystopian novel my first thought usually isn't, 'Let's get ready for some serious romance!' But what Kiera Cass does in The Selection is blend two genres of young adult literature seamlessly. As the main character, America Singer, finds her way into a competition to become the future queen of Illea she maintains her self-possession and strength while still remaining relatable to the reader. Though fraught with dangers from rebels and glimpses of the hallmark inequality of dystopian young adult literature, the romance throughout is compelling. Some parts with over-do the "remain true to yourself" lesson, but the story does continuously engage the reader in both romance and a future fraught with problems. Cass does an excellent job of portraying even minor characters as multidimensional. However, the plot tends to be predictable and sometimes sprouts little plot holes that don't quite add up, which can be attributed by a tendency towards shaky world-building. Despite that the book is definitely worth a quick read, and with the sequels, The Elite already released, and the third, The One, to be release in 2014 there is much more to look forward to!

The House of Silk

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz, 294 pages

I was highly intrigued by this book because (according to the inside cover jacket) this is the first novel authorized by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate since it began over 125 years ago. Since I am basically a lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan, I knew I had to give this book a shot.

Within the first five chapters, I was convinced that I was going to hate it. To me, the character of Sherlock Holmes was extremely developed at this point in the book, whereas Doyle took basically the entire canon to reveal various quirks to the character's personality. I also didn't feel like the Sherlockian deductions were close to the solidity that Doyle had established. I knew I had to finish the book for the sake of being a Holmes fan, but I was prepared to experience a disappointment.

Much to my chagrin, the novel grew on me. The deductions still felt a bit shaky, and the Sherlock Holmes character was completely developed by the end of this 290 page novel, but the book had its own unique qualities that ultimately turned me from a skeptic to a lukewarm fan. The author also was able to take seemingly endless story lines and tie them all into one neat little knot by the end.

I will highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get to know Doyle's Sherlock Holmes without reading the entire canon. I can see why the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate authorized this novel: it clearly adheres to the essence that is Sherlock Holmes and his time period. Reader be warned, however: there is some adult content.

The Stand graphic novels

The Stand graphic novels by Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa, 872 pages

The Stand graphic novels are a reproduction of The Stand by Stephen King. There are six parts; Captain Trips, American Nightmares, Soul Survivors, Hardcases, No Man’s Land, and The Night has Come.

The first novel introduces a plague called Captain Trips, or superplague that is killing 99.4% of the human population. It is also 99.4% transferrable so it spreads very fast. The people that end up being immune to it are the ones that the rest of the graphic novels will be about. I foolishly began reading this during flu season and when it is describing all the symptoms of the outbreak, I was noticing how many staff members and patrons also had the same symptoms. I also don’t recommend reading this after breakfast unless you have a strong stomach. The graphic detail of people’s deaths and some of the gory imagery could be too much for some.

By the second book most of the people that the flu is going to kill are dead or dying. Next comes an explosion of murders, suicides and accidents that lead to more of the population dying. The second book also has the survivors seeking for answers to not only what happened, but to the weird dreams they have all been having. Some of the dream sequences are quite vivid and are made to prey on people’s fears. While I found them to confusing at times, they are some of the best drawn imagery in the series.

Throughout the next four books they are able to place a name on the horror in their dreams; Randall Flagg. There is also a genuine good presence that people can dream about named mother Abigail. Flagg and Abigail are reaching out through the dreams and trying to get people to come to their side. Flagg represents greed and hate. Abigail stands for freedom and faith. Eventually everyone either goes to Las Vegas to join up with Flagg, or to Boulder to join up with Abigail. This leads to a massive buildup and confrontation between the two forces in a classic good vs. evil showdown.

The entire graphic novel set is very well illustrated and well written. Like all the Stephen king rewrites they were released in comic form first and the combined into collections. So each graphic novel contains around five comics, or thirty or so comics for the series. At the end of each collection is the cover art from the comics, along with rejected cover and comic sketches and even some examples of recoloring since the comic. Each collection also gives a brief introduction that explains what happened previously in case you forgot. There are also maps and story timelines to further the readers understanding. If you like Stephen King's work, and can handle the gore, The Stand is worth a read.

 

Jane, The Fox & Me

Jane, The Fox & Me by Fanny Britt, illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault, Translated by Christine Morelli and Susan Ouriou, 101 pages

Jane, The Fox & Me’s slim size belies its hefty visual and emotional impact.  Author Fanny Britt and illustrator Isabelle Arsenault quietly present the subject of bullying in a more realistic and empathetic way than any juvenile “issue” book.  Hélène’s circle of friends has suddenly and inexplicably dumped her and now writes rude messages about her on the bathroom walls.  Hélène feels like an outsider and only finds color in her gray realm by immersing herself in the world of Jane Eyre.

Hélène imagines the world of Jane Eyre

Upon reading Jane…, I was immediately reminded of Smile by Raina Telgemeier (the holy grail of middle grade graphic novels for girls), and though Britt does not address bullying with the same humor and personal flair as Telgemeier, I can’t wait to recommend it to fans of Smile. This quieter, artsier take on feeling alone and ostracized is sure to resonate with young and old readers alike.  Isabelle Arsenault’s illustrations are beautiful; they capture the quiet solitude of Hélène’s world and the extent to which she immerses herself in her reading.

 

Dr. No

Dr. No by Ian Fleming, 256 pages

When reading Bond novels I found that the villains tend to break into two groups; crooks that want to kill people for revenge or ones that want a lot of money. The first group of villain I can understand. They feel like they have been wronged in some way and have blown it way out of proportion and now want to destroy entire cities to get even. Crazy? Yes, but who hasn’t done something stupid or crazy when angry. Examples of Bond books with these villains are Moonraker and From Russia With Love.

Next are the villains that are trying to make millions. These are obviously motivated by greed and tend to be more violent the other group. They want money and will break the law to get it. Diamonds are Forever and Casino Royale are good examples. Again can see where they are coming from. In some cases they are still breaking the law, but at least they aren’t killing people. At least not until someone interferes with their plans.

Finally there is a third side group. This is the group of villains that are trying to make money but are killing animals to do it. The books with those villains are Live and Let Die and Dr. No. These are the villains that I cannot understand and find to be the worse. In both cases the killing of the animals was not necessary. In Live and Let Die they were smuggling gold bars and coins in the bottom of fish tanks and killing the fish at the other end. With Dr. No it involved a certain species of bird called the roseate spoonbill. Maybe it’s just my love for those birds but as soon as I read that Dr. No was adversely affecting their population I was hoping for his demise. It didn’t matter that he had killed fisherman and trespassers, but when he picks on the birds then it’s time for him to go. In both of these cases they never had to hurt the animals but didn’t care they just wanted their money.   

Once I got past my anger at Fleming for targeting one of my favorite birds to be the victim in the novel I started to enjoy it. Fleming knows how to get your attention and keep it. In Dr. No he does this in two ways. The first is his vivid descriptions of the wildlife that Bond comes across. From describing a sea snail climbing up a glass wall to the giant squid his attention to detail is astounding. His second method is the time proven method of adding an attractive naked woman. Of course the woman instantly falls for Bond and comes with him on the journey. This makes for an interesting novel that makes the pages fly by. If you have enjoyed any of the other Bond books this one is worth the read.

Hyperbole and a Half

Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh, 369 pages

Allie Brosh is not a good artist. She'll likely never win a drawing contest with any of the better-known (or even lesser-known) artists. But once you get used to her blob-with-stick-arms people and her vaguely flat-looking dogs, her artwork is endearing and awesome.

Hyperbole and a Half isn't graphic novel or comic book, though. Nor is it exactly a prose piece. Rather, this book is a highly-illustrated, very funny memoir, created journal-style and generously peppered with Brosh's quirky drawings (much like Brosh's blog of the same name). It's filled with memories like the time the goose attacked her and the time that she ate her grandfather's entire birthday cake, but it's also got some surprisingly soul-searching entries as well. I particularly enjoyed Brosh's realistic, matter-of-fact, but also unexpectedly funny take on depression; this section should be required reading for anyone who is trying to deal with a friend or family member who is depressed.

Actually, strike that. This book should simply be required reading. For everyone. It's that great.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre, 355 pages

I am ashamed to admit that I didn't realize this was a book until I saw the movie, and the book was mentioned in the credits. I know, I know. I am a disgrace to bookworms everywhere!

All shame aside, I really enjoyed this novel. I found it a tad difficult to understand and follow, but my perseverance did not disappoint me in the end. First off, it is written by a British author (John Le Carre, who also wrote The Spy Who Came in From the Cold), and I've always found British English to be a bit difficult to follow despite being a nearly lifelong Sherlock Holmes fan. There was also a lot of "spy jargon" used in the book, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I did a little research on the jargon just so I could understand it better!

Despite the somewhat laborious reading, this book really offers an alternate viewpoint to the world of espionage. I know for me (and maybe for a lot of other people as well), I think of James Bond when the topic arises of fictional spies. The main character in this book, George Smiley, is anything but a James Bond. He has domestic problems with his wife, he describes himself as "fat" and "aged," and only at one point in the book does he ever carry a gun. Even though the character is not as sensational as James Bond, I almost found the difference to be invigorating. George Smiley brought down a mole with logic, research, and help from allies. James Bond would probably have brought down a mole with explosives, three chase scenes, and a girl on each arm. No disrespect to Fleming or Bond intended.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, 320 pages

My best friend recommended this book a year ago, and I finally got around to reading it. Actually, I listened to the first part of it, then read the rest. It is written in a way that is a little hard to follow: choppy, stream of consciousness sentence fragments throughout and no clear "he said she said" dialogue. Listening to the first part made it easier to follow since the person narrating it distinguished separate voices for the characters.
The book is set sometime in the future, 9 years after the flu and blood disease began to ravage humankind. Most everyone that's left is sick. Not Hig and Bangley. They've set up a camp near the mountains in Colorado. They have secured the perimeter. Hig flies his Cessna and patrols. Bangley mans the watchtower and is a good shot. A really good shot. Hig has a more sensitive side. He won't shoot unless it's absolutely necessary. Hig's wife was taken by the disease but not his faithful canine companion named Jasper. Dog really is Hig's copilot.
One day while Hig is out patrolling well outside the perimeter, he gets a communication from an airport. It sticks in his mind for years. Someone else might be out there that's still untouched. He has to find out. So he goes. Then the story really begins. And it's worth the confusing dialogue to read.

Gilead

Gilead, Marilynne Robinson, 247 pages, 2006


      I was recently on our Reader's Advisory database and found Gilead on a list of recent Pulitzer Prize winners. I read a whole lot, and for a time did not read as much fiction as I once did.  I have been actively making an effort to read more fiction in the hope that I find a creative work that will stay with me, a work I will want to re-visit in the future. 
    
      I have tried to come up with how I am to describe this book- and it is difficult because this is the type of book that is akin to having my first few sips of coffee in the morning. (i.e. sublime)  The narrative is simple: John Ames is an aging pastor who writes a letter to his seven year old son, who he knows he will never see grow up completely.  His letter attempts to tell him everything he should know about himself and his thoughts of the world, and advice for living.  Robinson's prose is some of the best I have read in quite ahwhile.  This is a book that I savored the entire way through, much as I have done when reading writers like Capote or McCullers.  Although there is a religious slant to the book, the reader need not be a believer to enjoy.  I have put her first book, Housekeeping on hold, and plan to read the companion novel Home soon after. Rich, affective, humorus, and worth the time.
       

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum, 611 pages.

It is hard for me to put into words how good this book was except maybe to give an example. In the last two days I have read over four hundred pages of it and have only grudgingly put it down.

The Bourne Ultimatum is probably my favorite of the trilogy as it continues the main story line of Jason’s hunt for Carlos the Jackal. This third book also introduces a “new” threat in the form of a modern day Medusa. With both of these shadowy organizations come webs of spies and informers, along with traps for Bourne and those helping him.

There are a lot of little things that Ludlum mentions that make the story easier to accept as believable. Where some novel series never show the character aging or showing signs of age, Ludlum does. This not only makes the characters believable but changes the super-agent story enough to make it something different. He also doesn’t make anyone near invincible or extremely lucky. Each person does what you expect they can do.

While this is the final book of the Bourne trilogy written by Ludlum it’s not the end of the Bourne series which still continues thanks to Eric Van Lustbader. Hopefully his writings will be of the same quality and detail that Ludlum put into all of his works.

A fellow blogger on here (Tiger Reed) has suggested reading all of Ludlum’s books. At first I was thinking my reading list was long enough as it is, but after seeing how Ludlum can spin a novel together I might just have to make room.  

P.S. The conch shell getting stabbed by a railroad spike was back on the cover. I noticed its disappearance with the second novel, maybe it only has something to do with the hunt for the Jackal?

Untold

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan, 370 pages

Untold survives almost exclusively on its charm and its humor.

In theory, Untold is half gothic action-adventure-mystery, and half paranormal romance, but by this point (ie. the second book in the Lynburn Legacy series), it's shed most of its pretense of mystery or adventure. There's still action peppered in, and the gothic setting is still present, but much of the mystery has been relegated to "... and then Kami researched the thing; by the way did you know about cute boys?" Which is fine, that was certainly a big part of the first book, but it makes the second entry feel less complex - like it's missing something. In fact, it feels a lot like a romance anime: Any time it's possible for there to be a lovers' quarrel or a romantic misunderstanding, you can bet that quarrel/misunderstanding is going to take place.

Example: oh I just happened to walk in at the one time when you two look like you're kissing (even though you're not), I hope you two have fun *walk away and pout*

However! The single strongest point from the first book (Unspoken) - the thing that most notably set it apart from other books in the genre - is still present here: the humor. Despite their predilection for sulking and annoyingly fawning over each other, the characters here are exceptionally charming. The dialogue is practically guaranteed to make you smile. It keeps the story from feeling overly-dour, and it makes the main cast of characters stand out. Without its humor, this series would feel by-the-numbers and lifeless. With its humor, it's notable and endearing.

Also, it's refreshing to have a female character that cleanly falls on the spectrum between the emotionally-detached ass-kicker and the flip-switch emotional blubbering mess. Case in point:

"Here she was, lonely and miserable, and she was still going to go into the gym and do what needed to be done. She had wondered who she was ... stripped of all her supports and forced to stand on her own. She had worried that she would break if her heart broke, but she wasn't broken. She had lost everything, but she was not lost. It seemed a worthwhile thing to know."
-Untold, pg. 118

Yes, it's possible to have a strong female character that still cares about things. Yes, it's possible to have a character that is vulnerable enough to cry but is able to set that pain aside to get things done. Who knew?

The Dark Tower: Gunslinger graphic novels

Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, graphic novels by Peter David, 680 pages

 

This graphic novel set is an adaptation of the first book in Stephen King’s Dark Tower series with the same name. It follows the hero Roland as he continues his journey to kill Marten. Marten is a necromancer that had an affair with his mother, helped kill his father and led to the destruction of his home city Gilead. Roland believes that Marten seeks the Dark Tower to destroy Mid-World. The Dark Tower is a semi mythical tower that anchors Mid-World to the other worlds around it. Roland also believes the tower has the power to change the past and he wants to use it to restore the city of Gilead.  

On his hunt Roland comes across numerous oddities and people that seem bent on stopping him. Despite all of this, and by design he is slowly gaining on Marten. As the story progresses Roland is slowly losing himself. Marten is quick to taunt the same, he might catch him but the longer he pursues the more like Marten he becomes.

Again this graphic novel set is beautifully done in full color and is written in a way that makes you feel the unease that Roland is going through. You find yourself cheering for his victories but at the same time wondering if he is hero in the story or not.

I hope that Marvel publishing and Stephen King continue to adapt the rest of the books into graphic novels, not so I can avoid the novels themselves but so I can continue to see the world King has created. 

The Dark Tower graphic novel series

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series by Peter David, 928 pages

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is considered one of his best works but can be daunting to start reading. It currently sits at 8 books with over four thousand pages. Still it is a series I kept saying I would eventually read. Luckily for me it then started coming out in graphic novel form. But I couldn’t see picking up the first of five books and reading it only to have to wait for the next one to come out so again I skipped over it. Eventually it faded from memory until I saw it on a book truck waiting to be shelved. Some quick checking indicated that not only had all of the Dark Tower graphic novels made it out, but so had all the graphic novels for Dark Tower: Gunslinger. I could wait no more and finally took the plunge.

The Dark Tower graphic novels are actually a prequel to the Dark Tower novel series. They are based off various memories the lead character Roland has in the novels. I know this only be the various letters in the beginning of the books from the editor Ralph Macchio that not only give some information about the books but also character development and storyline placement.

The graphic novel series is written as if told by a storyteller providing us of the legend that is Roland. It starts off in Gilead where he was born and his training to be a gunslinger. Gunslingers are sort of like the nights of old, protecting people from the evil of the world. From there it quickly branches out into the challenges he must face to prove his worth. From love and loss to hardships, murder and death it has everything. Just giving the list of titles in the Dark Tower series tells the story; Gunslinger Born, Long Road Home, Treachery, Fall of Gilead, and finally Battle of Jericho Hill.

This set of graphic novels are wonderfully written and a thrill to read. Not just because of the story but the art that goes with them. The panels are in full color and have such powerful imagery they will stick with you long after you have stopped reading. I had initially wanted to read these to avoid the bigger novels but now I feel more compelled than ever to start reading them.