Weight of Blood

Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh, 306 pages

This book came to me both highly recommended and from the best seller shelf so it had a lot to live up to. Not only was it able to live up to the hype but it is one of those books that sticks in your mind.

Weight of Blood takes place in the rural Ozark mountains here in Missouri. It is about a girl name Lucy and her mother Lila growing up a generation apart.

It is hard to go into any detail without giving anything away but this is a very intense novel. I would also highly recommend it.

Girl who Played with Fire Graphic Novel

Girl who Played with Fire by Denise Mina, 270 pages


This was another table top find, though I would have read it eventually anyways. While this graphic novel is not lacking for illustrated zest the story can be trying at times.


The Girl who Played with Fire continues following the life of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. Mikael is continuing his bold hard-hitting journalism that got him in trouble in the first book, by going after a sex trafficking ring. Lisbeth on the other hand is being sought after by her legal guardian, a crime boss, and the police.


If you have not read the books I don't recommend reading this graphic novel. There are times where it is hard to understand exactly who the characters are. This is mainly due to nearly every male figure in the novel having blond hair and a similar looking face. This graphic novel also only skims the deeper story line that is in the actual novel.

20th Century Ghosts

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill, 316 pages

When I first picked up this book I was expecting a collection much like Haunted by Palahniuk but sadly this did not deliver. There were some good stories (The Black Phone and Best New Horror) but the majority were mediocre at best. I did not find any of them particularly horrifying and certainly none that stayed with me for any length of time.

Despite my love for everything else Hill has wrote, I can't recommend reading this book. 

Alex + Ada

Alex + Ada Volume 1 by Sarah Vaughn, 120 pages

Alex + Ada was another table top find. I am not sure which patron has such good taste in graphic novels but I thank them.

The story is about a man name Alex who is depressed with his life. His girl friend left him and he is just drifting along. That is until his very rich grandmother decides what he needs is an advanced android he calls Ada. Most androids are perfectly fine and get along well with humanity as long as they aren't sentient.
Despite having Ada in his life Alex feels like he is talking to a toaster. So he looks into how to make her more alive.

Alex + Ada has a nice storyline too it, though it is simplistically illustrated. If movies are any indication, trying to make an android realer is a bad idea, so it will be interesting to see where this story will go.

Warriors

Warriors by Cecelia Holland, Joe Haldeman, Robin Hobb, Lawrence Block, Tad Williams, Joe R. Lansdale, Peter S. Beagle, Diana Gabaldon, Naomi Novik, Steven Saylor, James Rollins, David Weber, Carrie Vaughn, S.M. Stirling, Howard Waldrop, Gardner Dozois, David Morrell, Robert Silverberg, David Bell, and George R.R. Martin, 736 pages

The main reason I read these books, and the others like them, are for the tastes of various authors writings. With most of the novellas only hitting 30 pages you don't have to worry about struggling through any one author for too long. The fact that it has another novella about/from the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin helps as well.

All of the novellas follow the theme of having warriors of various types in them. Among my favorites were Out of the Dark by David Weber, The Eagle and the Rabbit by Steven Saylor and Defenders of the Frontier by Robert Silverberg.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld                              599 pages

This is Westerfeld’s newest book.  For people familiar with his previous books, this book is very different.  This is the story of Darcy, who, during her senior year of high school wrote a novel, which has been purchased and will be published in another year.  Darcy was paid a large advance and her plan is to defer college for at least a year and spend the next year in New York doing the rewrites for her book and writing the sequel, which has also been purchased.  Her parents, although not thrilled, agree, and Darcy is off to New York.  The story is told in alternating chapters between Darcy’s story of moving to New York, writing, finding love, and learning about life, and the story she is writing, about a girl who has a near death experience when terrorists attack the airport and then finds that she can see ghosts and travel to their world.  It’s possible to just read Darcy’s story or her book, if one of the stories doesn’t appeal, but both stories are awesome and there are some parallels that are fun to see, like when Darcy learns a new word, the word finds its way into the story she’s writing.  I think that a lot of teens would like this book, including fans of Westerfeld, but they should be prepared for the differences between this and his previous books.

Ogres Wife

Ogre's Wife by Ron Koertge, 79 pages

Once again I was lured into reading poetry, this time it was the covers fault. How can you not read a book that has a pipe smoking jellyfish on it?

Ogre's Wife is a collection of short and quite often humorous poems concerning just about everything. There is a poem about Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk, another about poking a dead crow, and also about an ogre's wife. Of course there are others, but some of them I am not sure what they are about.

Since so many of the poems were silly in at least one degree, I can't say that I found any poems that were truly bad or that I would say I disliked. But there was also only a couple I would call good.


As a side note I would really like to have this cover art as a poster or painting.

One Plus One

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes, 368 pages

Ed had it pretty good with a successful tech business and money rolling in...until he inadvertently participated in insider trading. Jess never had it good: she's a single mom working two jobs (house cleaner and waitress at a dive bar), trying to support her math-genius daughter and mascara-wearing stepson in a rough part of town. As you might suspect, Ed and Jess are thrown together when Ed inexplicably volunteers to drive Jess's family (and their huge dog, Norman) to a math tournament in Scotland.

Let's address the big hurdle with this book: this would NEVER happen in real life. Insider trading? Yes. Overworked mom with two not-quite-normal kids? Absolutely. The whole wacky car trip that throws them together? Not a chance. That said, this was quite a charming book. Moyes does a wonderful job of creating very real, three-dimensional, relatable characters, and in this book, she also does a great job of illustrating the financial differences between the main characters. It wasn't as good as Me Before You, but it was definitely good. I'll certainly be picking up her other books.

Sandman

Sandman Omnibus Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman, 1034 pages

Having seen Kara blogging about this and hearing it hyped from multiple other sources I decided to try this series out. It might seem strange to try a series with an omnibus but I felt I could trust their recommendation.

The Sandman series is about Dream, the ruler of the dream world. It follows him on various adventures and stories that take place in hell, dreams and here on Earth. Along the way we meet various figures from mythology, gods, angels and demons. We also meet Dream's brothers and sisters Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair and Delirium.

There is a lot of chronological jumping around as some stories take place back in ancient times while others are present day. Gaiman also seems to play around with different art styles at times. The majority of the comics are like a modern day graphic novel, but then he will throw in one with a realistic or more abstract style. As a whole the series is very good and I enjoyed reading it.

Notes From Underground

Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky, 153 pages

The nameless narrator of Notes from Underground, Doestyevsky's first mature work and shortest novel, is an entirely pathetic figure, alienated from the world and himself, sick unto death.  There is a very little plot - a meeting with some old schoolmates and a trip to a brothel adequately convey the brokenness of the narrator, after which there is nothing of importance left to relate.  Notes from Underground fits snugly into the genre of confessional literature - if Rousseau felt pride for sins for which St Augustine felt shame, the Underground Man is proud of his shame, since that is the very sign of his consciousness.  He feels nothing but contempt for the modern world, but he has no escape from it, only himself and his books, and neither suffices.

Painfully true to life, this is not a book I enjoyed, but one that I admire greatly.

Dexter's Final Cut

Dexter's Final Cut by Jeff Lindsay, 352 pages



Many people don't realize that the very popular TV show Dexter is based on a character from a novel series. I've been reading the series from the beginning, and there are some very drastic differences between the books and the TV show. The last few Dexter novels have progressively gone downhill, and this was the grand finale. The series ended in such a way that I'm quite sure the author was just ready to be done writing and hurriedly crafted a finish, leaving many things unresolved and ultimately ruining the Dexter character and everything he stood for.
The premise behind this installment is that a popular crime TV show wants to film its pilot at the Miami Police Dept. and the main actor and actress are to shadow Dexter and his sister, Deborah, to develop their roles. The main actress has a stalker who has been following her from city to city, killing blond women who resemble her to send her a message.
Dexter is assigned to be the actress's live-in bodyguard and ultimately becomes her lover as well, deciding he no longer wants or needs the family he is a part of as part of his illusion of being a normal member of society.
In case you can't tell, I was utterly disappointed in this book. To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with how they ended the TV series either. Hmm.

Important post-script: The word 'dithering' was used so many times in this book, I lost count. I'm not sure I had EVER read a book with that word in it prior. :0

The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, 191 pages

Jerry Renault is high school student whose mother just recently died, and whose father seems lost even in his own home. When his school starts its annual fundraiser selling chocolates Jerry is the only student to refuse to participate. Meanwhile Archie Costello the leader of the secret school society the Vigils finds himself being coerced by the ambitious acting headmaster into making the Vigils responsible for the success of the sale.

I read this book for banned book week because I thought the reasons for the ban were hilariously trivial compared to other banned books. Overall I thought the story was rather good, I enjoyed intensity of the emotions. My only problem with this book was the ending, which I don't want spoil. My problem as not how it ended but because I felt it ended abruptly and that there should have been a more to it.

Fables: Camelot

Fables [vol. 20]: Camelot by Bill Willingham, 256 pages

Yay, I'm finally caught up on Fables! This 20th volume focuses on Rose Red, and her decision to create a new Camelot, complete with quests, chivalry, and a big ol' round table. This incarnation of Camelot also has a focus on second chances and redemption, and, in a bit of a gender bend, a woman in the King Arthur role. I'm curious to see how this Camelot will shake out, as nothing founded in good intentions will last long (as we learned from the original Camelot). Morgan Le Fay is still around, and we, the readers, are probably already familiar with characters who will inhabit the Mordred, Guinevere, and Lancelot roles. 

Speaking of Fables in general, it's obvious that there aren't many more issues/volumes left in Willingham. So far he's done a good job of winding these stories down; here's hoping he keeps up the good work.

(As a side note, if you're reading The Unwritten and get to the Fables/Unwritten crossover, read the first 2/3 of this book before you read The Unwritten Fables. It's much less confusing that way.)

Buddha, volumes 1-8

Buddha volumes 1 through 8 by Osamu Tezuka, 2,986 pages

Buddha is a manga drawn by Osamu Tezuka and is an interpretation of the life of Gautama Buddha. The story takes place predictably in ancient India, and follows the intertwined lives of several characters as they face the challenges of everyday life such as warfare, famine, drought, and the injustices of the caste system they are born into. From slaves to princes, and even bandits these people are all brought together by the birth of prince Sidhartha, who upset with life sets off on a life changing journey. During his travels he becomes enlightened and attempts to end peoples suffering through his teachings which are still widely practiced today.

I first saw this series while I was shelving graphic novels and thought it looked kind of interesting. After reading it I can say that I definitely enjoyed this series. Tezuka's interpretation of Buddha is great, he takes a serious subject and balances it with his own broad sense of humor from visual jokes to cultural references, and even going so far as to provide character commentary on himself and his books.      

If He Had Been With Me

If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin, 330 pages

Have you ever just... gone into the bathroom and punched yourself in the chest 330 times? No? Well... me either, but I'm pretty sure I know what that feels like now. But this is a positive review! And I promise I'm not a masochist!

Almost from the title alone, you can tell where this book is headed. I feel like I can only diminish it by going into too much detail. Instead, I'll say this: while the story is simple, the writing is superb. Being able to sneak incredible insight (almost unnoticed) into scenes that feel perfectly real is a rare skill, and Nowlin does it flawlessly on many occasions here.

There's a four-page chapter almost squarely in the middle of the book that perfectly encapsulates not only what the book is about, but also why it's great. As much as I'd like to block quote all four pages, I'll just say "sometimes sad things are beautiful." This story is an experience that is often difficult to push through - for the most part, I read it in small pieces - but is worth the struggle.

It should be stated that this book fails the Bechdel test about as badly as it is possible to fail. But in a story about obsessive unrequited introvert love, it's understandable.

This would never be a novel I could recommend to everyone. But if you're wearing a breastplate, then you might be okay.

The Sacrifice

The Sacrifice by Charlie Higson                   484 pages

This is the fourth book in the Enemy series, better read in order, but not impossible to figure out otherwise.  In this story Sam and the Kid have just arrived at the Tower of London but are eager to move on to try to find Sam’s sister, who they think is at Buckingham Palace.  Their guide at the Tower, Ed, doesn’t want to let them leave right away.  A scouting group set out recently from the Tower, going towards the Palace and Ed wants them to wait until the group returns so they have a better idea what they’re up against.  When another girl, Tish, shows up, she convinces them to leave with her.  They end up at St. Paul’s however, where the leader, Matt, is convinced that they are the Lamb and the Goat, and their situation could be more perilous than outside.  Outside, the zombie-like grown-ups are changing.  They seem to be getting smarter, able to organize and use weapons.  Shadowman has been following one group for days trying to figure out what’s going on with them.  Clearly not the final book in the series, this is an exciting and creepy continuation of the story.  Teens who like zombie stories will enjoy this series.

Somebody Up There Hates You

Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon             238 pages

Richie and Sylvia are both in hospice.  They are 17 and 15, respectively, and the youngest people on the floor, by a lot.  They are pretty much instantly attracted to each other but Sylvie’s father despises Richie and has been actively trying to keep them apart.  Told from Richie’s perspective, we get a close look of what could be going on in the head of a dying teen, and of course, the thoughts aren’t very different from that of any other teen.  Richie is excited when his uncle Phil shows up and sneaks him out for a few hours on Halloween, although he is ill and exhausted that night and the next day.  This book has a lot of humor and excitement, despite the dark subject and a lot of teens who like snarky true-life stories about difficult life situations will want to read this book.

The Year Of Luminous Love

The Year Of Luminous Love by Lurlene McDaniel                               363 pages

This is the story of three friends, Arie, Ciana, and Eden and what happens to them the year after they graduate high school.  Arie has been battling cancer most of her life and has just received the good news that she is in remission but since she has been in remission before and had the cancer return, she is cautiously optimistic.  Ciana has been worried about her grandmother who has been ill for many weeks.  She isn’t really expected to recover, and since her mother is an alcoholic, the responsibility of the family farm falls almost entirely on Ciana’s shoulders.   Ciana loves the farm but feels a little overwhelmed.  Eden has a mother with a mental illness that she only occasionally tries to control and a boyfriend who is bad news.  Eden’s boyfriend has started to control almost every aspect of her life.  Eden isn’t sure she even loves him anymore but isn’t sure how to break free of him.  This is a touching story about friendship and loss.  Teens who like realistic but inspirational type stories will probably like this book.

Four: A Divergent Collection

Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth                    285 pages

This book has four stories, told from the perspective of Four from the Divergent series.  The first three take place before Divergent and the last story coincides with Divergent, but we get to see what’s happening from Four’s perspective instead of Tris.  We get an in-depth look at some of the trauma that Four faced as a child and what led to his choice to join Dauntless.  We also get to see what led to his discovery of the Divergent, how he ends up training new faction members and why he becomes interested in the rebellion.  In some ways, I liked this better than the other books in the series, maybe because of the novella style of the book, which has always appealed to me.  In any case, fans of the series will like this book.  This book could be read at any time.  It explains enough of the world that teens who have not read the series will understand what’s going on and since most of it happens before Divergent chronologically, it doesn’t give much away.  Teens who like dystopian books will like this story.

Anatomy, Stretching & Training for Yoga

Anatomy, Stretching & Training for Yoga, A step-by-step guide to getting the most from your yoga practice.

Amy Auman and Lisa Purcell
160 Pages


This book covers the various poses of yoga practice, categorized by difficulty.  It shows the muscles that are used/exercised and the stages of the pose.  However, some of the poses categorized as easy are anything but to the novice starting to explore yoga and I'd write more but my leg is still stuck behind my head.

Origins of Totalitarianism

The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt, 510 pages

In this classic work of political philosophy, Arendt traces the roots of the totalitarian regimes of the early twentieth century (the book was originally published in 1951, I read an expanded edition published in 1962), primarily Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.   The use of the plural is significant - the author does not oversimplify, but relates the evolution of totalitarian tendencies through bureaucratization, imperialism, pan-racial movements, anti-semitism, and other factors.  This is not an analysis of the development of Marxist or fascist ideologies, but rather the trends that made those ideologies acceptable and even attractive to twentieth century Europeans.  The specifics of ideology, in Arendt's estimation, are merely cover for individualistic alienation and the nihilistic will to power of the masses.

 

The scope and variety of the ideas Arendt is dealing with command admiration.  This is a subtle social analysis which demands close reading and rewards rereading. 

Blindsight

Blindsight by Peter Watts
75 of 383 pages read

In the near future, humanity is visited by aliens in this first contact novel.  When thousand of alien devices encircle the planet Earth, the questions are many.  What is their purpose? Who sent them? Are they friendly?   Remote satellites  pick up on a larger alien artifact moving on the outskirts of the solar system and a crew of misfits is sent to establish contact and figure out what is going on.  The misifts are humans who have been genetically modified and subsequently exhibited strange abilities/personalities as a result. 

I wanted to like the book and it had high ratings but the narration was being done by the character whose main drawback was his inability to connect to other humans.  Thus the language was stilted and veiled by that characters perceptions which made it difficult for me as a reader to connect to the plot.  As a result I stopped reading after 75 pages, as I have other books to move onto.

The Hundred-Year House

The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai
338 Pages

The book is set in four time periods, 1999, 1950's, 1920's and 1900.  One reviewer called it a generational saga in reverse.  The central character however is the house Laurelfield which was built in 1900 and served as an art colony in the 20s, 30s and 40s until the Devohr family took control of it again.  In 1999, the daughter Zee is living with her husband in the coach house of Laurelfield while her mother Gracie and step-father Bruce are living in the main house.  Zee is a professor at the local college and her husband Doug is unemployed, but supposedly working on a thesis about a forgotten poet Edwin Parfitt who stayed at Laurelfield in the past.   When Bruce's son Case and wife Miriam come to cohabit the coach house, Zee begins to get jealous of an imagined relationship between Doug and Miriam.  Doug is anxious to get into the attic at the main house, hoping to find long forgotten papers about the artist colony and hopefully about Edwin Parfitt but is blocked repeatedly by Gracie who is hiding something. 

After everything comes to a head at New Years's the book proceeds to move backwards in time to reveal long forgotten and hidden truths in the house's past. Makkai's coverage of the past grows briefer and more fragmented, the further from the present we get, much like history.   We find out the answers to clues that were uncovered in 1999 and by the end all is revealed.

The characters in the book are largely unsympathetic and unlikeable.  However, Makkai's plot drives the reader to continue on to find out what happened in the past.  I originally choose the book because it talked about the house being haunted by a ghost but that isn't the complete truth.  I found that the house was more haunted by its past and the echoes of people who had lived there.

The Mesh

The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing by Lisa Gansky, 242 pages

Netflix, Airbnb, Zipcar... all of these businesses are based on the idea of people sharing or renting resources instead of purchasing them. And that's what The Mesh is all about. Gansky discusses the many ways in which our world is changing to be more suited to rentals and sharing rather than purchasing: the economy in the recent years, the collapse of big businesses, the continuing strain on the environment... according to Gansky, these have all primed us for Mesh businesses, which are transparent, feature goods that are built to last (or be upgraded), and are shareable.

Gansky does a great job of presenting her arguments, using real-life examples to back up her claims. Are some of her ideas a little dubious? Yes. (Especially the one that suggests that Walmart create a share club that will let people turn in their used goods for a discount on an upgrade; the used goods would then be sold to others. Somehow I don't see the Walton family going for that.) But that doesn't mean the overlying theory isn't solid. I mean, look at the library. This is the original Mesh business, albeit one that's not based on making money. So really, this book could be summed up as taking a library mentality and applying it to money-making businesses. A pretty cool concept if you ask me.

Note: the last 60 pages or so of this book are a Mesh directory, with sections on different types of industries, and information about Mesh businesses that fit into those categories. It's really cool, and I definitely plan on investigating some of these businesses in the future.

Through the woods

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, 200 pages

This was another tabletop find for me. Again it was the cover imagery that made me take a closer look. Through the Woods is a collection of five short graphic novel horror stories centered around the theme of being in the woods.

The first story is about three sisters who meet a man wearing a wide brimmed hat after their father has disappeared. While the story line is simple the building dread as you predict the coming outcome is well done.

The second story is about a widower and his new wife. After she moves in to his house a strange song is being heard from the walls, and the steps, and the floor. This story is one of the best illustrated but I can't say liked the story itself.

In the third story a man meets his brother. Which is only odd because he knows his brother is dead. This was my favorite story of the batch though not the best drawn.

The fourth story is about a median who is scamming people out of money. There is some interesting karma going on but it was a dull, flat story.

The final story is about a woman who goes to visit with her brother and his wife. Obviously by now this is not as innocent as it seems and neither is the wife. The artwork on this story is almost comical but the overall story is good. I think this one would make a decent movie.

Through the Woods had its highs and lows but was a fairly decent graphic novel. I think this would be quite scary for its intended young adult audience.

Fairest: In All The Land

Fairest: In All The Land written by Bill Willingham, illustrated by "a wonderland of artists," 157 pages

Ah, now this is Fairest at its best! This standalone graphic novel takes place in the Fables universe and focuses on international super-spy Cinderella (you shouldn't be surprised by this) as she seeks to track down a murderer intent on taking out all the loveliest fables, from Snow White and Rose Red to Morgan Le Fay and the Blue Fairy. What's even more fantastic about this book is the fact that the narrator is the Magic Mirror of Snow White fame, using his magical properties to see into various places in the universe and tell us the whole story. Really, I don't know why the Magic Mirror isn't the narrator for all of the Fables/Fairest stories...

Anyway, you would think that a single story illustrated by thirty-odd artists would be jarring to read. It's not. Each artist presents a "chapter" of the story as written by Willingham. True, the look of specific characters (especially Cinderella and her plethora of fabulous shoes) changes from artist to artist, but it isn't hard to tell who's who. And everyone did a fantastic job. You can't say that about most multi-artist graphic novels.

As I mentioned earlier, this is probably the best thing to come out of the Fairest brand. That said, it's not something you want to read if you're not caught up with Fables (at least through the 17th or 18th book). So read those, then read this. You won't regret it.

Fairest: Return of the Maharaja

Fairest [vol. 3]: Return of the Maharaja by Sean Williams, 144 pages

Volume three of the Fables spin-off, Fairest, marks a turning point for this series. It's the first one without Bill Willingham getting a writing credit (more about that in a minute) and it's the first one that doesn't feature a female fable that is well-known in the Fables universe. This volume takes place in an Indian world and centers on Nalayani, a figure from Indian mythology, and Prince Charming, that rakish man who wooed Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (but is getting nowhere with Nalayani).

It's an interesting story, but Williams' writing isn't quite up to par. There's a lot more onomatopoeia and action sequences, and less storytelling, which is sad. I am curious to see where this goes next though.

Empires and Barbarians

Empires and Barbarians: The Fall of Rome and the Birth of Europe by Peter Heather, 618 pages

 

The period from roughly the fourth century to the ninth is traditionally regarded as the age of the Volkerwanderung, the mass migration of entire peoples which reshaped the ethnic, cultural, and linguistic maps of Europe and set the stage for the second millennium.  This narrative has been attacked by many scholars in the last half century, who have utilized anthropological insights and archeological discoveries to support a theory that the number of people actually migrating were limited to small warbands that became the new elites in the areas where they settled, overlaying without substantially replacing the native population.  Heather's book is meant as a corrective to both views, proposing that while large scale population transfers did take place, the former conception tended to exaggerate the size and homogeneity of these migrations.

 

Heather demonstrates the strength of his thesis in extended detail, drawing upon a combination of textual, archeological, and anthropological evidence.  No doubt debate over the nature and extent of first millenium migrations will continue, but this is a solid analysis of the evidence currently available.

Blood Trinity

Blood Trinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon, 519 pages

This book, and I suspect this series is quite similar to the Dark Hunter series also by Kenyon. The similarities include a semisecret paranormal organization composed of supernatural beings are trying to prevent other supernatural beings from overly interfering with regular human life. Like her other books this one also follows a strong female lead character that hasn't found love and suspects she never. That is until she meets someone she classifies as a big jerk that saves her and she falls in love.

Despite the multiple love stories happening in the subplot Blood Trinity still is less of a romance than the books I have read in the Dark Hunter series. I am interested to see if the rest of the series will continue in this line, or slip into the romance section.

Graylight

Graylight by Naomi Nowak, 138 pages

Graylight is a graphic novel that was left on one of our tables. What really caught my eye was the coloring and art not just on the cover, but inside as well. The coloring throughout has that muted tone, as if it was being seen though a gray light. This makes the book look like the memory it is suppose to be.

Graylight is about a woman who looks back to a certain event in her past as the cause of her condition today. It has a plot that jumps around a bit and can be hard to decipher namely due to lack of explanation. But while some may find this detracts from the overall readability, I actually enjoy it. It really conveys that this is a memory with all of the gaps and disjointedness that we experience when trying to recall events.

The Parasol Protectorate 4 and 5

Heartless and Timeless by Gail Carriger, 385 and 402 pages

While this series is still quite good, it seems to be slipping away from Carriger. There are a couple of important plot points that seem rushed or only half thought out. It almost seems as if she had the general points she wanted to cover but didn't know how to transition the story along them. This leads to some choppy and unlikely events. The only thing that holds the story together are the exceptionally designed characters and the interlaced humor.

Heartless, despite an assassination attempt, starts off slower than the rest of the series and almost seems to stall out in the first half. Luckily the action and excitement really ramp up to an explosive finish.

The highlight of Timeless is the baby Prudence. She, like her mother, is very talented at being a bother and causing mayhem wherever she goes. As this is the final book of the series I was disappointed with it. There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered and it seems like Carriger was really building up to another book that would wrap everything up.

Overall the series was worth the read and was entertaining, but like any series had its highs and lows.

Fairest: The Hidden Kingdom

Fairest [vol. 2]: The Hidden Kingdom by Bill Willingham and Lauren Beukes, 160 pages

This is the second volume in Willingham's Fables spin-off, Fairest. This series focuses on the women of Fables, giving some of their background (not the original stories, mind you; these stories all happen after "happily ever after"). This volume in particular centers on Rapunzel, who fled the Adversary and ended up in the Hidden Kingdom, a mystical world filled with Japanese fables. A mysterious origami message finds Rapunzel in Fabletown, drawing her back to Tokyo and into a world she'd left behind hundreds of years earlier.

I won't lie: this was a weird book. The appearance of Japanese fables was both intriguing and a bit disconcerting, as I'm not familiar with them at all (well, at least not outside of the occasional Miyazaki movie). I liked the change of scenery, and I'd love to hear more stories of some of these fables. My one complaint was the appearance of animate bezoars, which was a bit stomach-churning for my taste, and seemed like an odd way to spin Rapunzel's story; there are so many ways this could have gone, most of which would be less gross. Aside from that, however, this was a good volume, and a great way to bring in some fables that aren't well-known in Western culture.

Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar

Everything Is Perfect When You're a Liar by Kelly Oxford, 317 pages

Kelly Oxford has had an imperfect life, full of embarrassing mishaps and crazy stories. But then, so have we all. However, Oxford's anecdotes seem just a little crazier and a little funnier than most of the stories a lot of people would come up with. Who else would be able to spin out a yarn about flying from Edmonton to Los Angeles for a long, pot-fueled weekend for the sole purpose of tracking down a Titanic-era Leonardo DiCaprio? (Spoiler alert: she never finds him.) And while I'm sure all of us had fantasies of directing backyard versions of Star Wars when we were kids (no? Just me then.), I doubt any of us stood up in front of the whole elementary school to announce an open casting call for Chewbacca, to be held in our own dining room after school. But Kelly Oxford did, to hilarious and somewhat cringe-inducing results.

This is a funny book. There were several times when I chuckled out loud. However, there were also several times when I thought, "Geez, Kelly, TMI!" Cuz really, I would have been perfectly fine not hearing about the time she had to give herself an enema at the hospital. Also would have been fine with fewer stories about puke. It's because of those TMI stories that I can't really give this book a solid recommendation. If tales of bodily fluids are totally your thing, go for it. Otherwise, steer clear.

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery, 277 pages

In this sequel to Anne of Green Gables, Anne Shirley has grown up a bit, and is now a 16-year-old schoolteacher in a one-room schoolhouse on Prince Edward Island. This book is every bit as idyllic and squeaky-clean as its predecessor, filled with picnics, daydreams, and mischievous children getting into relatively harmless situations.

While this was a nice break from some of the more adult books I've read lately (A Song of Ice and Fire series, I'm talking to you), this was a bit TOO squeaky clean. A book where the most talked-about scandal is a town hall that's been painted the wrong color? Where we have no idea what the foul-mouthed parrot actually said, just that it was rude? Where a child gets reprimanded for saying "whopper" instead of "falsehood"? Yeah, this is quite possibly the least objectionable book in existence (I mean, unless "being a titch too pro-Canada" is objectionable), making it a poor choice for Banned Books Week.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and I'll definitely keep reading this series, whenever I need a good palate cleanser from a sex-gore-violence-filled novel. (So, whenever George R.R. Martin finally gets around to releasing Winds of Winter. Right after that.)

Collector of Dying Breaths by M. J. Rose
368 Pages

When Jac L'Etoile's brother dies of a mysterious poison, she attempts to finish off a project that he had started.  A group of glass vials that purport to hold the dying breaths of several 16th Century figures was found and if the formula of the perfume maker Rene Le Florentin can be recreated would mean that those individuals could live again with all their memories.  

Part historical novel, part romance novel, this book is a mess.  While there are interesting premises that could be investigated and great subject matter, Rose fails to make any of her characters connectable and there are several times where the plot drops a thread and never has any resolution for that plot line.  Supposedly the second book of the series I could not in good conscience recommend either book to anyone.

Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages

A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages by Walter Ullmann, 332 pages

 

Ullmann's book is not a history of the popes, but of the development of the idea of the Papacy, and the role of that idea, and that institution, as the midwife of Western civilization.  The universal claims of the bishop of Rome established the idea of a united Christendom, even as the development of a uniform code of canon law encouraged the transition to governments based on laws rather than custom.

 

Ullmann stresses the impact of the Byzantine imperial example during the period between Constantine and Charlemagne, a vitally important time for the papacy.  In his telling, the popes supported the growth of the Holy Roman Empire to counter the power of the Eastern emperors, then the assertion of national monarchies to undermine the power of the German emperors.  This new nationalism produced a centrifugal force that, combined with the new focus on the individual fostered by Renaissance humanism, pulled apart the medieval papacy.

 

If, as Macaulay famously claimed, "There is not, and there never was on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the [Papacy]", this is a good place to start that examination.

Lisette's List

Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland
414 Pages


Lisette and her husband move in 1937 from Paris to a village in the south of France to care for the husband's grandfather.  The grandfather has 7 paintings that he earned by making frames for famous impressionists such as Cezanne and Pissaro.  As Lisette adjusts to the slower pace of life, the grandfather tells her the stories behind the paintings and the painters that painted them.  This increases her admiration for art.  When war looms large, Andre, the husband, hides the paintings to keep them safe.  He doesn't tell his wife where they are so she won't accidentally give away the secret.  When he doesn't survive, one of her list items is to find the missing paintings.  The book details the struggle of the french woman Lisette learning to grow and adjust to changing situations.

Vreeland has written other novels that take place around a famous painting or artist.  This one is less confined and because it isn't shoehorned to fit a certain situation seems much better than her previous novel. 

Beyond the Grave

Beyond the Grave by Jeffrey L. Condon, Esq.
498 Pages


If I don't add the subtitle you might think this a new zombie novel but instead it is a book about how to will your money to your children and potential pitfalls to avoid.  The style is easy to read and their is a lot of good information in the book.  I personally didn't find the answer I was looking for but for people just beginning estate planning it brings up a lot of good points for consideration.

Pilgrim's Regress

The Pilgrim's Regress: An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason, and Romanticism by CS Lewis, 255 pages

 

This is the tale of John, a native of Puritania, raised in terror of the judgement of the Landlord of that country.  Leaving home to escape from the shadow of that tyrant, John journeys through the city of the Clevers and the land of Mammon, into the home of old Mr Halfways and his daughter Media as well as into the home shared by the bachelors Mr Angular, Mr Classical, and Mr Humanist, accompanied at times by the warrior maiden Reason and at times by the adventurer Vertue, chasing an Island he has seen only in dreams and visions.  His quest takes him to the ends of the earth, which turn out to be rather closer to home than he had imagined.

 

This is a remarkable book, full of Lewis' customary insight and wit, which always seems to cut through layers of obfuscation to the heart of the matter.  It is intimated at times that this is the landscape of The Pilgrim's Progress, transformed by the passage of years, but John's regress involves more progress than Christian's pilgrimage.  Unfortunately neglected, it will surely be appreciated by any fans of Lewis' theological fantasies (The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce) or the novels of Chesterton.

Visions

Visions by Kelley Armstrong
448 Pages


The second book of Armstrong's Cainsville series continues to develop this new fictional universe.   After Olivia has cleared her real parents of 2 of the murders they were charged with she plans to continue working with Gabriel on a new appeal for her mother.  However, past mistakes cause a rift between the two of them which leads to Olivia dating Ricky, the son of the leader of the local biker gang. 

Olivia finds a dead woman in her car dressed to look like her but when help arrives the body is gone.  It turns out the woman went missing days ago and is part of a mystery the revolves around Olivia and Cainsville.  As it turns out Olivia is in the center of several old and mysterious forces, all with their own secretive agendas. 

The development of the backstory of Cainsville is part of the reason I enjoyed this book and look forward to future releases.  Strong secondary characters  are part of a solid sophomore entry.

The Third Kingdom

The Third Kingdom by Terry Goodkind
527 Pages

 The sequel to the Omen Machine which is part of a new trilogy of the Sword of Truth series, this book was okay, but not great.  Having killed Jit the hedgewitch, Richard and Kahlan have been infected with death which, if they don't do something, will eventually kill them.  Separated from their friends, Richard must depend on a young sorceress Sammi to figure out a plan of action and determine what is occurring. 

Goodkind tends to be repetitive in this novel with a lot of narrating and plot devices that don't add anything to the book. 

The Mine

The Mine by John A Heldt
286 Pages

 Joel Smith is about to graduate from college and is on a road trip with his friend Adam, just a few days from graduation.  When a traffic jam causes him to make a detour, he stops at an abandoned mine and lets his curiosity take control.  He enters the mine and finds a strange glowing room.  When he emerges, his friend is gone and he soon discovers that he has traveled back in time to May 1941.

The book deals with Joel adjusting to this new era, with no hope of returning to his own time and how he debates using his knowledge of things to come to alter the lives of the friends he makes.

Set up as a Kindle series this first entry is middling and fails to develop or expand what could be a interesting premise.  For readers looking for good time travel books I wouldn't recommend this volume but instead direct them to Jack Finney's Time and Again, Connie WIllis Doomsday Book or Household Gods by Judith Tarr

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell, by Paul Dini, ill. by Joe Quinones, 144 pages


The story is thus: Black Canary went undercover to break up a heist, but things are getting scary now that everyone else involved is mysteriously dying.  She calls on the only person she can trust- her good friend Zatanna, who tries to use her powers of magic to figure out what dark powers are working and how to save her friend.  I'm not very well-versed in my caped superhero stories, but I'm always happy to see strong, female superheroes not depicted as sexual objects.  As usual, there is a fair amount of objectification, regardless, but at least these are two strong female characters who save each other instead of calling in the Avengers all of the time.

Radiant

Radiant by Karin Sumner-Smith
400 Pages

Xhea has no magic.   In a society that runs on magic Xhea is an outcast.  The only way she can make a living is using her ability to see ghosts and the tethers that bind them to the living world.  When a man comes by and asks to be free of his ghost for a few days, Xhea thinks it is just another job.  However, the ghost, Shai,  is a Radiant, one of a few rare individuals that generate so much magic they serve as the engines of the Towers.  Xhea gets caught up in the power struggle between towers concerning Shai and learns to use her strange magic that emerges.

 Coming out later this month, the book isn't bad.  It would appeal to readers who like strong woman protagonists and fantasy.

Just Call My Name

Just Call My Name by Holly Goldberg Sloan          328 pages

This is the sequel to I’ll Be There.  This book could be read as a stand-alone but will probably be better enjoyed after reading the first book.  Sam and Riddle have been taken in by the Bell family.  Sam and Emily have continued dating and although Sam has his own apartment, Riddle usually sleeps at the Bell’s house.  They plan to adopt him and to become Sam’s legal guardians.  Because he is almost 18, this seems the best solution to make him part of the family also.  Their evil father is out of the picture, in jail, awaiting trial.  But their father is full of plans for escape and revenge.  He doesn’t revenge just on his sons, but on the family who has been helping them, because they turned his boys against him, or so he believes.  Of course, Sam and Riddle were terrified of their father, who kidnapped them ten years previously and were glad to see him in prison.  Will he destroy the new life they have built?  An exciting, action-packed sequel that a lot of teens will enjoy reading.

Kingdom Keepers VII The Insider

Kingdom Keepers VII The Insider by Ridley Pearson         609 pages

This is the final installment of The Kingdom Keepers series.  Finn, Willa, Maybeck, Philby and Charlene have been called on again to help defend the Disney kingdom from the Overtakers.  This time they are sure that the battle will be worse and final.  Somehow what happens now will decide the outcome of Disney’s magic once and for all.  The trouble is centered in the park that began it all, Disneyland, and the kids have relocated to California physically to help deal with the menace.  With clues from Wayne and help from Amanda and Jess, the five try to come up with a plan that will allow them to defeat the Overtakers, who are being led by Tia Dalma and the Evil Queen from Snow White.  They appear to have released Chernobog and it seems that the only way to defeat them is to somehow recover Mickey Mouse, who apparently was destroyed by the Overtakers years ago.  An exciting finale to the series, fans will probably like this book.  The series should probably be read in order and fans of Disney, adventure, and fantasy will like the series.  I felt like the ending wasn’t wrapped up quite enough for a final book, but perhaps there are plans for a new series based on this one.