Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book

I thought this might be too much of a children's book for me, but I was wrong. It's one of those classic books which creates a world of its own and can entertain both kids and adults equally. Gaiman tells the story of Nobody Owens, 'Bod', a little boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard after he crawls off the night the rest of his family are murdered by the man Jack. The ghostly community are a friendly if otherworldly lot, so they hide Bod as best they can, but Jack is a professional and keen to finish off the job. However, Bod has learnt a few tricks of his own in the graveyard...

One of the best books I've read in years, and I loved the gothic illustrations by Dave McKean too. I won't ever look at graveyards the same way again.


Nick Hornby - Juliet, Naked

Hornby's latest is about Annie, a 39 year old woman stuck in Gooleness, a northern seaside resort on the east coast of England. I don't think Gooleness exists in real life, but it sounds like Hull or Scarborough, only smaller. Tacky arcades and pound shops enhanced by chips and a biting wind, that sort of place. Annie has been with safe, humourless Duncan for fifteen years. Unfortunately she comes second best in Duncan's life to his obsession with Tucker Crowe, an ageing rock star who created a classic, critically acclaimed album - 'Juliet' - before unexpectedly vanishing several years ago. After Duncan sheepishly admits to sleeping with his work colleague, Annie realises she has little to show for fifteen years of Gooleness - no children, her efforts working in Gooleness' only museum unappreciated, no knowledge of music other than Tucker Crowe. Luckily she has a new distraction - Tucker Crowe himself unexpectedly contacts her after she writes a critical review of a new release of Juliet, the unproduced acoustic demos - 'Juliet, Naked', and soon she is finding out about Tucker's own dysfunctional, emotionally stilted life.

I think many women (and men) will relate to having partners lost to an unhealthy, all-consuming obsession with something or other - in my boyfriend's case, the iphone! It's also easy to relate to the theme of wondering if we have done enough in life, if we have enough to show for our years of adulthood. It's a warning not to take the easy options and let the years slide. Not many of us get to be friends with an ex-rock star, so that part's less realistic. But then if the book was just about Annie and Duncan splitting up, it wouldn't be much of a story. However, while I enjoyed the bits in Annie's mind, I found Tucker himself a bit of a predictable and also unlikeable character. Has anyone else read this yet?

"Kristin Bjornsen wondered if summer on the planet Barveri could possibly be the only season"

( The Catteni Sequence is not without issues ) I do really enjoy the Catteni sequence. It rollicks along at a good pace. It's littered with pop-culture references but not enough to irritate. It's fun. But it's even more junkfood than most of McCaffery's work. I can't figure out why I like it, except habit? Kris is highly likable, even if she is a Sue. The adventures of the colonists are exciting, between learning to hunt and avoiding the dangers of the planet. The mysteries intriguing; who are the Farmers, who have clearly been on Botany for centuries? It's what Anne McCaffery does best: sci-fi space opera adventure romance tales, with a side of WTF were you thinking?

#91: Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert:

"Sure, come on over," shae said, when I reminded her that our morning conversation had been interrupted. "In fact, come for supper. I made potato salad and marinated some chicken. Clyde's gonna put it on the grill so's I can take a load off my tired feet. We won't have a thing in the world to do but sit in the yard and criticize his cooking."

Synopsis: Breezy, sassy culinary mystery featuring the unsinkable China Bayles, this time helping her shot-in-the-line-of-duty boyfriend get out of his depression by assisting when he judges a chili cookoff. Which totally would have worked had someone not dropped dead in the middle of the contest.

( Yeah, I'm just going to read them in the order the library flings them at me. )

 Book: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Pages: 182 (Paperback)
Genre: Fantasy

Review: What an epic book. While it does have that epic feel going for it, A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA didn't seem to have enough of the not-epic elements that also make fantasy great, and comfortable for the reader, something they can relate to. What I'm talking about is more personal scenes, even small ones, that tweak the book's dimension into something beyond "epic." Without this softer approach to the story, the character development was either too far under the surface of the character that the average reader can't really find it, or too stark. Also, the end was somewhat of a let-down. Nevertheless, the epic qualities and here-and-there unique settings (not to mention a fantastically mysterious magic system) DID even out the playing field, more or less.
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Salem Falls- Jodi Picoult

Love can redeem a man...but secrets and lies can condemn him.

A handsome stranger comes to the sleepy New England town of Salem Falls in hopes of burying his past: Once a teacher at a girls'' prep school, Jack St. Bride was destroyed when a student''s crush sparked a powder keg of accusation. Now, washing dishes for Addie Peabody at the Do-Or-Diner, he slips quietly into his new routine, and Addie finds this unassuming man fitting easily inside her heart. But amid the rustic calm of Salem Falls, a quartet of teenage girls harbor dark secrets -- and they maliciously target Jack with a shattering allegation. Now, at the center of a modern-day witch hunt, Jack is forced once again to proclaim his innocence: to a town searching for answers, to a justice system where truth becomes a slippery concept written in shades of gray, and to the woman who has come to love him. (Taken from book jacket)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Length: 464 pages
 

( Reviwe below cut- SPOILER ALERT )

Before I write my review, I want to make one thing clear. Homecoming is not the fifth Mercy Thompson novel. It's a stand alone graphic novel that takes place before Moon Called. This is something that Briggs has been upfront about from the start. She is not trying to trick anyone into spending any more money on her product. Homecoming is not required reading to understand the series, so if you don't like comics, you don't need to read it. It's simply a quick, but fun story that shows us how Mercy first arrived in the Tri-Cities, while presenting characters we know and love in a different medium. Please remember this before you write your mega-offended review on amazon, okay?

Mercy Thompson moved to the Tri-Cities with hopes of picking up a teaching job. Instead she arrives smack in the middle of a turf war between two werewolf packs. Mercy is a walker, a shapeshifter with the power to turn into a coyote. After being raised by the Marrock (the alpha of alpha werewolves) the last thing she wants to do is get involved with werewolves again. Unfortunately, she happens to be a magnet for the supernatural. Her first job as a mechanic results in her working on a vampire's car alongside a pint sized half-fae. Before she knows it, she's hanging out in fae bars with vampires, getting visits from the local alpha werewolf, and not living that normal life she planned.

Homecoming is a nice treat for Mercy Thompson fans who want to know what happened to Mercy before Moon Called. Here we get to see a young Mercy (I would suspect around twenty-two) meeting the alpha Adam, the vampire Stefan, as well as moving into the trailer she still inhabits during the series. We also get to see smaller moments that impact the series, such as how Mercy got her cat, and how the sheep necklace made it to the Tri-cities. As a result, the story is a lot of fun to read. At times Briggs lack of experience with the comic medium does end up showing through. The story is basically solid, although somewhat disjointed. I saw ways that the author could have ordered scenes or presented information that was a little more clear. The artwork is pretty good, although the fact that the artist changes half-way through the series is somewhat jarring. One thing I didn't expect is how watching certain events take place is a lot different than reading them. For example, in the first scene, Mercy shifts from coyote to human form, which results in her running away from a pack of werewolves while stark naked. This is a much different experience actually watching the chase than if you were just to read about it.

Originally a collection of four comics, Homecoming may feel a little short for those used to a 300 page novel, but the story itself is quite fun, and the artwork is nice. Homecoming is a nice supplement for existing fans of the Mercy Thompson series who don't mind seeing the series told in a different medium.

Rating: four stars
Length: 112 pages
Source: Christmas Gift
Similar Books: elley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld Series (my reviews), and Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville Series (my reviews)
Other books I've read by this author: Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed (my review), Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground (my review), and The Hob’s Bargain (my review). I’ve also read the novella Alpha and Omega from On the Prowl.

Yay! 100 books! I did it :)

xposted to bookish  and temporaryworlds 

What did you watch this week?
InuYasha was good, could have been better but satisfying. Miroku's seiyu has been delivering some really good performances and I'm really impressed with him. FMAB was better than a lot of the episodes have been because the silly humor didn't feel out of place or forced.
Christmas stuff! The Christmas episode of Buffy, one of the Roswell Christmas episodes, the one in 2nd season, How the Ghosts Stole Christmas, which is a Christmas episode of the X-Flies, and Love Actually.
Merry Christmas! Happy Yule! Have a kick ass Hanukkah!
I'm a little drunk right now, but it's okay, I drank because I was having a good time, not to forget the fact that I was with my family, because I actually like my family.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

To those of you that plan on setting a goal for books to read in '10, do you care to share what the said goal is?

Mine is fifty.

Also, feel free to recommend books here!

Guys.

Does anyone know of any good book webring sharing thing sites that are safe and everything? I'd appreciate any info greatly. : )

Title: Fancy White Trash
Author: Marjetta Geerling
Year of Publication: 2008
Genre: YA
Pages: 257
First Line: "There are five rules for falling in love."

Summary: Rule #1: Find someone new.

Abby Savage created her One True Love Plan based on two things: the soap operas she loves to watch and the family she can't believe she's a part of. Living in a house of five girls, one guy, a baby or three on the way, and one bathroom has taught Abby a lot about life, love, and how not to be fancy white trash like her mother and sisters.

When Jackson, Abby's first love--and first heartbreak--reappears in her life, he threatens to turn her plan on its head. But the only thing Abby wants more than true love is to be different from the other Savage girls, even if that means walking away from the possible love of her life.

(Source: Back of book)



Review: This book wasn't written fantastically or anything but it was cute. Somewhat predictable, but not terribly so. I read the book in one day and that was mostly due to the epic fluffiness of the plot and the awesomeness that is Jackson.

That being said, I'm not sure I morally agree with the whole book, but don't let that stop you from giving it a read. It's worth the short amount of time that it takes and the plot is fairly original.

Also, I just picked this book up because the main character and I share a first name.

Worst part: Some of the characters were really flat. It was clear they only existed to aid the plot of Abby. Good characters, even sub-characters, should be the star of their own story. Not just sub-characters to the main plot.

Best part: I'm a sucker for fluffy writing. Geerling achieves it pretty well.

Grade: B-

Other Books by This Author: None.

Hi all, I've only posted a few times before, but I would like to compile a list of books to read in 2010.

I love mysteries, like the Cat Who... series. I love Sherlock holmes and Oscar Wilde. I also like some fantasy books, but not always. I like books that concern things from many many years ago, and I also have a recent interest in the 1920's and 30's. I also love adult takes on fairytales/teen versions of fairy tales. Oh! and I also love Southern things, like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

I'm not a big fan of foreign cultures. I do however like some British writing.

I'd like to aim for about 100 books, so if you would like to help me create my list, I would adore you forever and ever. THANKS!

In the current Sherlock Holmes ad/trailer... (around 1:25 here)

Watson: Holmes, does your depravity know no bounds?
Holmes: No.

So, wait... then it does know some bounds?

One company explains that it wishes to ensure the safety of its staff and customers by closing during "inclimate weather."

My sister read and loved Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him by Danielle Ganeck. She's hoping to find something else similar. In her words "books set in the art world that aren't pretentious or snobby." Any recs??

Nadia Stafford spends most of her time working as a nature lodge owner in Canada, but twice a year she moonlights as a hitwoman, taking down gang members for the Tomassinis. She manages to keep both parts of her life nice and separate until one of her employees, a teenage mother from a bad family, goes missing. After looking at the facts, Nadia knows that Sammi has been kidnapped, but the local police, giving the girl's background, refuse to take it seriously. Nadia, with the help of her mentor Jack, begin to investigate the kidnapping, only to find that it goes far beyond one missing girl. As Nadia goes deeper and deeper, her two separate lives become more intertwined with this very personal case.

In 2007 Kelley Armstrong broke her string of paranormal books by releasing a thriller called Exit Strategy, which starred a hitwoman named Nadia Stafford. The plot suffered a bit from unoriginality, but the book itself was an enjoyable read due to it's likeable characters, and fast-paced writing. Made to be Broken, the second Nadia book, possesses the same strengths of Exit Strategy, but improves on it's predecessor by presenting us with a more worthwhile plot. Nadia is a fantastic lead. Armstrong really has a talent for writing tough women. So many other writers fall into the habit of either writing overpowered superwoman who have to constantly show up the other characters, or “tough chicks” that are filled with snarky one liners but need other people (usually men) to save them all of the time. Nadia on the other hand is more realistic. She's damn good at what she does, but she's not perfect. Also, due to a tragedy from adolescence, she has some powerful ghosts to deal with. This makes her an interesting character to read about.

One thing I like about Made to be Broken was how much more personal it felt. In Exit Strategy we knew Nadia was a nature lodge owner, but we didn't get to see too much of her day job. Here we get to watch as she juggles customers between tracking down evidence. I really enjoyed the scenes where we watch as she deals with frustrating customers. I also liked the romantic subplots woven through out the novel. Made to be Broken is far from a love story, and romance plays a small role. Still, it was interesting to watch Nadia dwell over her confusing feelings over two men. Made to be Broken is not the last Nadia Stafford book, although according to Armstrong, it may be a little while before we see the next one (after all, she is currently writing two other series, both which are a lot more popular than Nadia's books). When the time is right, I look forward to another Nadia book. By the time Made to be Broken ends, the mystery is solved, but there are a few unanswered questions left dangling. I'd love to see what decisions Nadia makes, and where that brings her in future books.

Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 398 pages
Source: Mr Paperback
Similar Books: Richard Castle's Heat Wave, and of course, Exit Strategy
Other books I've read by this book: Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, Industrial Magic, Haunted, Broken, No Humans Involved, Personal Demon, Living with the Dead (my review), Men of the Otherworld (my review), The Summoning (my review), The Awakening (my review),  and Exit Strategy (my review). I've also read the novella "Chaotic' from Dates from Hell, and the short story "Kat" from The Eternal Kiss (my review)

One more book!

xposted to bookish  and temporaryworlds 

Merry Christmas, all! I have an odd request.

I got a Kindle for Christmas, but I'm not sure which books are available for it. What are the best books you know of that are available on the Kindle?

I love contemporary poetry (actually, any poetry really) and I'm interested in (but not limited to) reading new fiction. My favorite books include The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel, and Quicksand by Tanizaki Junichiro.

(also posted in hipsterbookclub)

Hello again!
I have a very dear friend who knows how much I loathe Twilight and she isn't too fond of it anymore. She hates all the attention its getting. Anyway, she got me the best present by buying me a dartboard.....

on which shes stuck pictures of SMEYER, EDWARD AND BELLA! XD!!!

SMEYER is smack bang in the middle so I'm gonna be a pro by new year! XD
I feel a little bad  for taking it out on RPattz but whatever!

OK, so I didn't read as many books as last year. I had a lot of false starts and started a bunch of books I didn't finish. C'est la vie. Without any further ado...THE LIST

1. Ha'pennty-Jo Walton ****
2. Rumors: A Luxe Novel- Anna Godbersen ***
3. Ten Cents a Dance- Christine Fletcher ***
4. Bliss-Lauren Myracle **
5. Half a Crown-Jo Walton ****
6. In the Woods- Tana French ****
7. Frank Sinatra & The Lost Art of Living- Bill Zehme****
8. Dooley Takes the Fall-Norah McClintock ****
9. Emily of New Moon-L.M. Montgomery ***
10. Emily Climbs-L.M. Montgomery ***
11. Emily's Quest- L.M. Montgomery ***
12. The Likeness- Tana French ****
13. Songs for the Missing- Stewart O'Nan ***
14. What I saw and How I Lied-Judy Blundell**
15. You Are So Undead to Me- Stacy Jay ****
16. The 19th Wife- David Ebersoff**
17. The Book Thief-Markus Zuzack ****
18. The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins **** (One of my FAVORITES)
19. The Reader- Bernhard Schlink **
20. Death Was the Other Woman- Linda L. Richards **
21. The Illustrated Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte **** (Such a beautiful edition)
22. Pride & Prejudice- Jane Austen ***
23. Unwind- Neal Shusterman **
24. Wishful Drinking- Carrie Fisher **
25. The Song is You- Arthur Phillips (the WORST book I've read all year.)
26. Envy: A Luxe Novel- Anna Godbersen **
27. The Dust of 100 Dogs- A.S. King ***
28. Bloodsucking Fiends-Christopher Moore **
29. You Suck: A Love Story- Christopher Moore**
30. Casino Royale- Ian Fleming **
31. Dead & Gone-Charlaine Harris **
32. A Curse as Dark as Gold- Elizabeth C. Bunce ***
33. American Gods- Neil Gaiman**** (re-read)
34. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian-Sherman Alexie **** (Another favorite)
35. If I Stay- Gayle Foreman ****
36. Dust-Arthur Slade ***
37. Flight- Sherman Alexie **** (LOVE)
38. Diary of a Chav-Grace Dent **** (LOVE!)
39. Anne of Green Gables- L.M. Montgomery **** (re-read)
40. Anne of Avonlea-L.M. Montgomery ***(re-read)
41. King Dork- Frank Portman **** (re-read)
42. Cicero- Anthony Everitt ***
43. The Forgotten Man- Amity Shales ***
44. Bad Girls Don't Die- Kate Alender ***
45. The Last Olympian- Rick Riordan ****
46. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close- Jonathan Safran Foer **** (LOVE)
47. Mythology-Edith Hamilton ***
48. Graceling-Kristin Cashore **** (re-read)
49. Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins ****
50. Meat is Murder- Pernice ***
51. Lady Sings the Blues- Billie Holiday ****
52. Audrey, Wait!-Robin Benway **** (Love!)
53. Fire-Kristin Cashore ***
54. The Butler Did It- P.G. Wodehouse ***
55. The Magician's Nephew- C.S. Lewis ***
56. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe-C.S. Lewis ***
57. Frankly, My Dear: GWTW Revisited- Molly Haskell ***
58. I am the New Black- Tracy Morgan ****
59. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate- Jaqueline Kelly **
60. The Silver Blade- Sally Gardner ***
61. The Hate List- Jennifer Brown **** (LOVE)
62. Soulles-Gail Carriger **** (LOVE)
63. Love is the Higher Law-David Levithian ****
64. A Streetcar Named Desire-Tennessee Williams (re-read)****
65. The Gates-John Connolly ***

Hi there, everyone. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get some advice from you guys. :)

My fiance and I are moving to the greater D.C. area in a few days for his job (he'll be working for NASA Goddard). ( He's the lucky one; I'm the one who has to search for work, lol. )

Thanks in advance for any and all of your help!

Title: Bar None: A Novel of Chilling Suspense, Apocalyptic Beauty, and Fine Ales
Author: Tim Lebbon
Genre: Science fiction, postapocalyptic fiction.
Setting: The UK, after things go badly wrong.
Reason for Reading: I've been on a postapocalyptic fiction kick recently.
Pages: 193
Copyright Date: 2009
Cover: Looks like a green guy floating in a glass of beer. He's wearing black pants and a white dress shirt.
First line: "Six months after the end of the world, the air up here is amazingly clear."
Best part: I really enjoyed the imagery.
Worst part: Some of the narrative is a little incoherent.
Imaginary Theme Song: "Sine Language" by Crystal Method
Grade: C
Recommended for: Beer fans. Seriously, I would have enjoyed this book so much more if I had been able to relate to the evocative descriptions of beer.
Related Reads: Dies the Fire, of course, and Here Be Dragons too. It has a really different tone from those, though, maybe a bit more like Beat the Reaper with less violence.

( Read more... )

( The Red and the Black )

( What Would the Founders Do? )

( One Nation Under Debt )

( The Last Day of a Condemned Man )

( Tom Jones )

( A Christmas Carol )

The catch line from an one on-line review is what prompted me to pick this book up from the library. Ninja vs. space zombies on a floating city. Sounds like a winning combination right? I mean we live in a country when Pride and Prejudice and Zombies can make the best seller list.

For most science fiction fans this book will be a winner. Tobias S. Buckell’s writing style makes for an easy read. Sly Mongoose apparently shares at least the setting and one character from Buckell’s two previous books, and I presume that character is the dreadlocked Pepper. Unfortunately, in some ways, Pepper resembles Richard K. Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs. Physically both have been biologically and technologically enhanced to make them better killers for their employers (in Pepper’s case it is the Ragamuffin Council and his own personal vendettas).

Unfortunately Pepper is not as well a developed a character as Kovacs (as a caveat I have read only one of each author’s books to date). Whereas Kovacs is arguably amoral, Pepper does have a set of morals that get in his way and almost get him killed.

There is plenty to like about the book besides how quickly it moves along. Pepper is arguably a more likeable person than Kovacs. Buckell infuses touches of Caribbean and Aztec culture as part of human society for Pepper and the planet Chilo. I liked the slight twist Buckell gives to how humans got to the starts, because it was as slaves, pets and laborers and the repercussions for the aliens who took the humans off planet.

You’ll do much worse for a light science fiction read, and frankly the zombies are the least threatening thing in the book.

Hi everyone!

Does anyone have any recommendations for history books (anything interesting in history, really) or books on language (how to, learning for ones self?)

These are two categories that I tend to forget about when selecting books through out the year and would like to read more of them in the coming year.

Thanks :)