Friends

Singing the Dogstar Blues (1998)
Written by: Alison Goodman
Genre: YA/Science Fiction
Pages: 261 (Mass Market Paperback)

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Seventeen-year-old Joss is a rebel, and a student of time travel at the prestigious Centre for Neo-Historical Studies. This year, for the first time, the Centre has an alien student— Mavkel, from the planet Choria. And Mavkel has chosen Joss, of all people, as his roommate and study partner. Then Mavkel gets sick. Joss quickly realizes that his will to live is draining away. The only way she can help Mavkel is by breaking the Centre's strictest rules . . . and that means going back in time to change history.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: but close to a must-have. The only reason it's not is because it does take a little while for the plot to get moving, and once it does, the book reads at warp speed instead of its previously fast pace. Still, it's a fun read with characters you can really sympathize with. I enjoyed the world-building of near-future Australia, and the time travel parts of the story misled me at first, and then once I settled into them, I found myself having lots of fun at guessing what would happen next and how it would affect CURRENT TIME and being right. It's a fun read, and one I'm really glad I sank my teeth into. I wish music had played a bigger role, especially given the fantastic title, but that's more of a personal preference than anything. At any rate, this book is highly recommended to fans of 1) time travel stories and/or 2) readers looking for science fiction in the YA genre. This was very enjoyable, and I can easily see myself picking up more from this author in the future.

Review style: definite spoilers. It's a short book, and simple for what it is (I mean that in a good way), but I want to be able to talk about specific plot points, and I can't do that without spoiling this thing. If you want to be surprised (and trust me, if you're interested in this book, you'll WANT to be surprised), skip to the "My Rating" section at the end of the review.

If spoilers don't bother you, or if you've read the book, then feel free to click the link below, which goes to my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!

REVIEW: Alison Goodman's SINGING THE DOGSTAR BLUES

Happy Reading!

Book club selections @ calico_reaction. Hop on over! We'd love to have you!

December: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
February: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

I know I am very behind-my mom was in hospital,and have just been able to do my reviews.

#105
Title: Nightmare Academy-The Veritas Project #2
Author: Frank Peretti
Genre: YA Fiction
Pages: 311 (HB)
Length of time to read: 1 Day

Synopsis:
He was once a normal fifteen-year-old-boy. He had a name, a family, a school, and a life -- and he thought he knew something. But that boy, and that time, and that life have become ... nothing. His whole mind seems to have been erased. There's no boy here anymore. No knowledge, no thought, no reason. Nothing but terror, endlessly repeating cycles of it, layer upon layer of it, in swirling sounds, images, and sensations. Now he only stares into nothingness and whispers two ominous words ...

Recommended By:
I used to read stuff by this author when I was a teenager & discovered this series a few months ago at the library.

Review:
I liked this book better than than the first in the series,but it still wasn't as good as it could be. The series is written for young adults and it obvious that it is. The book was a little too juvenile for my taste. And it also felt somewhat disjointed. Just like this review ;) I really wasn't impressed by either this one or the previous one. If he writes another, I probably won't read it.

#106
Title: Certain Girls
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Fiction
Pages:
Length of time to read: 2 days

Synopsis:
Readers fell in love with Cannie Shapiro, the smart, sharp-tongued, bighearted heroine of Good in Bed who found her happy ending after her mother came out of the closet, her father fell out of her life, and her ex-boyfriend started chronicling their ex-sex life in the pages of a national magazine.
Now Cannie's back. After her debut novel -- a fictionalized (and highly sexualized) version of her life -- became an overnight bestseller, she dropped out of the public eye and turned to writing science fiction under a pseudonym. She's happily married to the tall, charming diet doctor Peter Krushelevansky and has settled into a life that she finds wonderfully predictable -- knitting in the front row of her daughter Joy's drama rehearsals, volunteering at the library, and taking over-forty yoga classes with her best friend Samantha.

As preparations for Joy's bat mitzvah begin, everything seems right in Cannie's world. Then Joy discovers the novel Cannie wrote years before and suddenly finds herself faced with what she thinks is the truth about her own conception -- the story her mother hid from her all her life. When Peter surprises his wife by saying he wants to have a baby, the family is forced to reconsider its history, its future, and what it means to be truly happy.

Radiantly funny and disarmingly tender, with Weiner's whip-smart dialogue and sharp observations of modern life, Certain Girls is an unforgettable story about love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family.

Recommended By:
I have read a few other books by this author.

Review:
The book was ok,it was not great. I haven't liked many of the books this author has written...maybe it's my fault. Maybe I should stop reading her work. The writing was fine,but the story just didn't interest me too much and I didn't care for any of the characters.

#107
Title: Bridget Jones' Diary
Author: Helen Fielding
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 269 (Softcover)
Length of time to read: 1 day

Synopsis:
Bridget Jones wants to have it all - and once she's given up smoking and got down to 8st 7lbs, she will. This book is about a year in the life of a single girl on an optimistic but doomed quest for self-improvement.

Recommended By:
This is a reread, I am not sure when I first discovered Bridget Jones,but I loved her instantly :)

Review:
As I said, this is a reread. I fell in love with the characters in the book, the synopsis does not capture the greatness of the book. I like the style the book is written in and I am always very happy when I read this book. I love Bridget-she and MarkDarcy need to always be together & have many silly little girls and awkward little boys :-)

#108
Title: My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 500 (PB)
Length of time to read: 6 Days

Synopsis:
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

Recommended By:
My mother was going into surgery and she gave it to me before we headed to the hospital.

Review:
I have heard that books by this author are sappy,I didn't find this book to be too bad. I liked the story ok,and the writing was well done. The story was moving and did touch me a lot. I connected with the characters and basically enjoyed my time reading this book.

Hi All,

Today, I am happy to be hosting Karen Olson as part of Hartford Books Examiner's Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza. Karen is the author of two series--the Annie Seymour Mysteries and the new Tattoo Shop Mysteries--and I am giving away SIGNED COPIES of one book from each! (Karen is also sharing her memories of a Christmas spent in Sweden...)

The first in the Tattoo Shop Mysteries, The Missing Ink, was released in July. Set in Las Vegas, the book introduces protagonist Brett Kavanaugh, tattoo artist and owner of the Painted Lady. When one of her clients goes missing, Brett finds herself in the middle of a mystery that involves an inked stalker, a suave Englishman, and an Elvis karaoke bar. And things go from bad to worse with her discovery of a dead body. Publishers Weekly called the book “pleasantly jargon-free” and continued, “Readers need not be conversant with street flash or other industry terms to enjoy the setting and follow Brett down a trail of needles and gloves to the dramatic finale.”

Check it out: http://www.examiner.com/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~y2009m12d22-Day-12.

John

Title: Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Author: Jeff Lindsay
Page Number: 288
Summary on the Back/Flap: Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He's handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He's a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood spatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened--of himself or some other fiend.


( For the review, click here )

The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown
Fiction; Thriller

One probably shouldn’t expect Dan Brown to ever top the The Da Vinci Code, but even with unhindered expectations this 3rd Langdon / Symbology mystery-thriller is a bit of a snooze, although that’s not due to a lack of setting and premise. Those elements are as appealing as ever, more so since instead of the usual far-off locations and ancient history presented in both Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, here we have a locale and era much closer to home for Americans: none other than our own Washington D.C., and the theory that America’s history and her founding fathers are steeped in Masonic lore and mystical secrets.

When Langdon is summoned by old friend Peter Solomon, a powerful Washington figure as well as a modern-day Mason, he thinks he’s simply being called on to do one of the things he does best – lecture to a rapturous audience about symbology, which I find a fascinating subject all by itself. Soon after arriving in D.C., however, Langdon is yanked into the midst of a bizarre and sinister plot that threatens the security of the country and even the world, yadda yadda yadda.

It’s vintage Dan Brown with its lightning-fast pacing and cliffhanger chapter endings, chock full of interesting tidbits along the way to keep us interested, and we’re much like the doomed children of Hamelin as we follow Brown’s Pied Piper out of the village and into oblivion. Where the story falters is in the characterization. It’s never been Brown’s strength to begin with, and I don’t know that his characters – including Langdon, although he’s more compelling – are meant to be much more than tools to move the storyline along. Still, we need something to sink our teeth into with these characters. Brown’s formula usually includes a bizarre, almost Bond-esque villain who either wants something only Langdon can deliver, be it knowledge or an actual object, or wants Langdon out of the way so the criminal’s evil deed can be fulfilled. The villain here, a physically and mentally freakish man we know only as Mal’akh, is so two-dimensional and unrealistic that he struck me as a comic book character, and I thought he detracted from the value of the story rather than enhanced it.

Still not a bad book, and certainly an entertainer for the beach or other casual reading. Where Brown lacks in depth he makes up for with master craftsmanship in creativity and story structure, and his patent on the esoteric thriller is rock solid.

i_hope_that
For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support.

diygifts
Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process.

cooking_club
A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges.

Title: Dragon Lovers
Editor: None is listed, which frustrates me. Someone chose these stories, and moreover, they did quite a good job doing so. I would like to find more stories this editor has chosen but I have no way of doing so.
Genre: Fantasy romance.
Setting: We have the mystical kingdom of Saragonda, New Mexico in the present day, medieval England, and colonial Japan.
Reason for Reading: Sometimes you want to read something fluffy.
Pages: 375
Copyright Date: 2007
Cover: A woman in a fur-lined gown stares off the cover. If it really is cold out, her shoulders and bosom are going to catch a chill. There is a stone castle in the distance behind her.
First line: "'Being the Sacrifical Virgin Princess of Saragond stinks.'"
Best part: I liked all four of the stories in the book!
Worst part: Some of the dragons were a bit more, er, involved in the lovemaking than I really wanted them to be.
Imaginary Theme Song: Dragon by Tori Amos
Grade: B-
Recommended for: People that love dragons. Anyone who likes the combination of fantasy and romance.
Related Reads: The Marriage Spell by Mary Jo Putney, To Weave a Web of Magic by Claire Delacroix, Lynn Kurland, Patricia A. McKillip, and Sharon Shinn, His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik.

Title: Italian for Beginners
Author: Kristin Harmel
Genre: Chick lit
Setting: The US of A and Italy, present day.
Reason for Reading: I was greedily perusing a newly renovated library branch and took everything that appealed to me.
Pages: 372
Copyright Date: 2009
Cover: A woman who looks like Audrey Hepburn in the back of a Vespa. Her arms are around a guy. Due to unfortunate placement of the library barcode I couldn't see his face, but I'm guessing he's an Italian hunk.
First line: “It all began with a wedding.”
Best part: You know how sometimes you want to read about Somebody Else's Problems? Problems that you are pretty sure you're not going to have?
Worst part: I felt the book relied too heavily upon the movie Roman Holiday, which I had never seen. My second least favorite thing is my usual complaint with chicklit: it was hard to respect the protagonist due to her many dumb choices.
Imaginary Theme Song: “Breakfast at Tiffany's.” Please note I don't actually like that song.
Grade: C-.
Recommended for: Those who have already seen the movie Roman Holiday and thus will not be spoiled by it.
Related Reads: “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. “Fear of Flying” by Erica Jong.

Hi All!

Today, Emmy-award winning investigative journalist and Agatha-award winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan joins Hartford Books Examiner for Day 11 of the Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza. She will be giving away copies of all three of her Charlotte McNally mystery titles--and all in a cool tote bag!

Hank has personally wired herself with hidden cameras, exposed corrupt politicians, and chased down crooks in the street. And it’s that insider knowledge that she uses it to color the fictitious world that Charlotte (“Charlie”) McNally inhabits. Charlie is a TV reporter of a certain age who covers Boston’s crime beat. Whether it be exposing a deadly multi-million dollar fraud ring (Prime Time), uncovering new evidence in a cold case that has the potential to exonerate an accused murderess (Face Time), or going undercover to illuminate the world of high-stakes fashion (Air Time), Charlie is more than game—even as she faces the challenges of aging in an industry that values youth and appearances above all else.

Check it out: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner~y2009m12d21-Day-11.

Have a good one!

John

Title: The Princess Bride
Author: William Goldman
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy
Pages: 308 (HB)
My Rating: 5/5

Premise: The Princess Bride is a true fantasy classic. William Goldman describes it as a "good parts version" of "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure." Morgenstern's original was filled with details of Florinese history, court etiquette, and Mrs. Morgenstern's mostly complimentary views of the text. Much admired by academics, the "Classic Tale" nonetheless obscured what Mr. Goldman feels is a story that has everything: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles." (Thank you, Amazon.com!)

My Review: Since I (like most normal people) loved the movie, I wanted to read this book. And, as much as I love movies, I love books so much more. There is so much that is missed "in translation." This book was written as though William Goldman is writing an abridged version of a classic book from S. Morgenstern, so occasionally through the book, we see Goldman's comments and the reason for taking out twenty-five pages of packing or description. It comes out so witty and enjoyable, and we learn so much more about the characters in the book than we do in the movie. Also, I'm sad they took the Zoo of Death out of the movie; it is pretty awesome.

Skin Game (2009)
Written by: Ava Gray
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 307 (Mass Market Paperback)

The premise: taken from the author's website: A beautiful fugitive—wanted dead or alive.
Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target’s strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist—anything she wants… for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father’s murder; with deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerard Serrano’s inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

A hit man who never misses the mark.
Reyes has nothing but his work. Pity for Kyra, he’s the best and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He’s been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash—and bring her back to face Serrano’s “justice.” Dead will do, if he can’t locate the loot. He’s never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce heat and her outlaw heart. So Reyes has a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: another tricky rating, because by all rights, the book is very solid with an engaging premise and interesting characters. I liked all the details surrounding Kyra's ability, how those details made her more human than super-human, and Reyes was the type of character you could sympathize with (even though he's a hit man). But whether it was because I read this book during an EXTREMELY busy week or I was turned off by Kyra and Reyes's initial meeting, but I wasn't engaged by this book like I expected. Maybe it's because I know the author, under her real name Ann Aguirre, does a fantastic job with angst, and there was very little angst in this book until the end, and then, of course, Gray had my full attention. Perhaps I prefer my romances to be slightly more subtle or more in the background, but that's not fair to say either, because I've read books that are straight up romance that I connected with better. So maybe my reaction is more of a "I had a horribly busy week while reading this" kind of a thing. I'm certainly interested in the sequel, Skin Tight, which focuses on two secondary characters that appear in this book, as Gray does introduce larger plot elements that don't get resolved (no worries, the immediate story is DEFINITELY resolved), so I'm curious to see what she's going to do with the four-book cycle. Plus, even though I wasn't fully engaged, I like this author a lot, and have faith that the next installment will work better for me. If it doesn't, no skin (ha ha) off my back. :) At any rate, if you're a fan of Ann Aguirre, you of course have to pick this up. If you've never heard of Ann Aguirre, but you're a romance reader, know this book includes rough sex and characters who are certainly darker than your traditional hero/heroine. If you can handle that, you'll be just fine.

Review style: no spoilers, which surprises me, since I thought there would be. But if you're paranoid, then there's no need to click the link below, which leads to the full review. However, if you're interested, comments and discussion are most welcome!

REVIEW: Ava Gray's SKIN GAME

Happy Reading!

Oryx and Crake (2003)
Written by: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Fiction/Literary SF
Pages: 376 (Trade Paperback)

The premise: from Amazon.com: In Oryx and Crake, a science fiction novel that is more Swift than Heinlein, more cautionary tale than "fictional science" (no flying cars here), Margaret Atwood depicts a near-future world that turns from the merely horrible to the horrific, from a fool's paradise to a bio-wasteland. Snowman (a man once known as Jimmy) sleeps in a tree and just might be the only human left on our devastated planet. He is not entirely alone, however, as he considers himself the shepherd of a group of experimental, human-like creatures called the Children of Crake. As he scavenges and tends to his insect bites, Snowman recalls in flashbacks how the world fell apart.

My Rating

Give It Away: this is an odd rating, because in LibraryThing, I gave it four stars. I'm glad I've read the book, and I'll likely pick up the companion/sequel The Year of the Flood, but I'm so ambivalent about Oryx and Crake that I don't see myself picking it up again. In fact, it's the kind of book I'll probably forget I've read, because it never impacted me the way it probably would a reader who isn't as familiar with science fiction. I think fans of Atwood will enjoy this, and readers who aren't SF-literate in terms of tropes and conventions may find this book to be a diamond in the rough. Certainly, Atwood has a different take on the apocalypse than Cormac McCarthy's The Road, and it's interesting, though it lacks the direction and resolution that McCarthy's novel had. But hey, I'm glad I read it. I just wish I'd read it sooner than I did, before I was as familiar with SF tropes as I am now. If you're an SF fan, I'd only recommend this book to you if you don't mind reading the lit-fic takes on the genre, if you don't mind the fact you're not going to find something wholly original. I read this because I'm a sucker for lit-fic SF, and after The Handmaid's Tale, I wanted to see what else Atwood would do with the genre. The Handmaid's Tale is a much stronger book, but this one was interesting at least, even though it was a little unsatisfying.

Review style: spoilers ahead. Considering the pace and style of the book, the spoilers aren't exactly Earth-shattering, but here's the warning anyway. SPOILERS. :) If such things bother you, there's no need to click the link below, which takes you to my LJ. However, if you're interested, the more discussion the merrier! As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Margaret Atwood's ORYX AND CRAKE

Happy Reading!

Book club selections @ calico_reaction. Hop on over! We'd love to have you!

December: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
February: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Victorian society is one of those topics that never goes out of style in fiction.  For example, in these last couple of years there's been a hit YA series called The Luxe; in adult fantasy, the new book Soulless is garnering praise and good sales.  So I hope it's not out of place to post a non-fiction review here.

The De-Moralization of Society: From Victorian Virtues to Modern Values is basically the author, Gertrude Himmelfarb's, vehicle for complaining about modern-day morals.  She makes the outrageous and offensive claim in the conclusion that statistics on date rape and child abuse are "inflated" and made up by liberal social workers (with, of course, no data to back herself up), and unequivocally states that marriage makes the only good family type.  To a liberal like me, that part of the book is boring at best and insulting at worst.

However, that part of the book is thankfully only the introduction and conclusion.  She spends the rest of the book talking about life in Victorian England, from every-day life in different classes to the ideas of smaller subcultures.  It's a wonderful overview of the time, and an unusually positive one, since her thesis is that Victorian values were better than modern-day ones.  Given that so much writing about the time either romanticizes the upper classes (particularly in fiction) or villianizes the repressive laws and the treatment of the lower classes, this book was a very interesting, unique look at the Victorian era.

Thus, I heartily recommend this book to people interested in everything Victorian.  It's informative and well written, not dull or dry like so many non-fiction books.  If you're conservative, you might agree with her arguments as well, but even if you're not, there's a lot to enjoy.

Overall: 3 stars out of 5.

(By the way, I'm writing my own novel, Beau and the Beast, about a young man who falls into the lair of a dangerous beast only to find that he gets along with her quite well, at a page a day in my journal.  If you're interested in fantasy, come on over; I love comments, including critical ones!)