Worst Blogger Ever?

It's official I am the laziest blogger ever. :)  We had almost a full week off last week due to snow and I still didn't blog. I would like to now take the time to whoever is reading this to say...THANK YOU! You are probably the only reader I have left! hahahaha

Snow...snow....and more snow. I live in Texas, btw, not Illinois, where I got away from as soon as I could because I HATE SNOW. We got dumped on last week. Monday night it came in with a vengeance and covered us with a mix of ice and snow. My driveway was impossible to get out of and just when I thought we would be ok, we got more snow on Thursday. I was stuck in my house until Saturday morning.

This was the view out my front door when I woke up Tuesday morning. I love how it's so compacted it doesn't even come inside when I open the door! It just kept on coming...

Here's my back porch. Unfortunately, I have a sliding glass door, so I was not lucky with the snow staying outside this time.

And then of course my back yard. The dogs were less than pleased.

I know a lot of Northerners laugh at us when we freak out because of snow but here's a couple things you should understand. 1) of course, we just don't get it that often so 2) we don't have the infrastructure to take of it, meaning we don't have salt trucks (we have about 2 sand trucks for whole state) and we certainly don't have any snow plows (very few of us even have snow shovels, I know I don't) so it sits there till it warms up enough to melt and then 3) we don't normally just get snow, we get ICE STORMS. Our ice storms are brutal and driving on ice is impossible.

Last Tuesday I'm sitting at home (because the entire state has shut down and I didn't have to work) and hear this commotion outside. My neighbor is trying to get his truck down the street. He's gunning his engine for all it's worth. The truck goes about an inch and then slides back two. I watch fascinated for a few minutes before I decide to be nice and see if there's anything I can do to help the guy get back home. After trying paper bags under the wheels (those just shot out the other side like they were coming out of a cannon) and cardboard boxes (not much better) another neighbor comes out. He pushes on the back end while I hop in the bed to give the truck a little more weight. I'm not a skinny girl but I'm not very big either. I was not enough weight. I finally ask the guy where he was trying to go, because it was obvious he wasn't giving up and going home. "I just needed to get a couple things from the Dollar General." In disgust I turned around and went home. The Dollar General is two blocks away. He could have walked there and back in all the time it took to mess with the damn ice. Just before I left he says, "I've never had so much trouble driving on snow before. I drive on snow all the time." He has Tennessee plates. If I didn't already think the guy was a moron, I would have pointed out that this was not snow, but ice. I just didn't think it would matter at that point.


So what does this have to do with my theme of Living Compassionately? I tried to be compassionate. I swear I did. I went out and spent a good 30 minutes in below 0 weather trying to help this guy out, trying to convince him to go home. There's only so much you can do when people are stupid.

Friday I was finally so sick of being stuck in the house that I went out with my garden rake (remember...no shovel) and raked the snow off the drive, then I had to break all the ice and scrape it off the drive. Here's the before:

Unfortunately I did not get my rear in gear and start working on this mess until about 4 in the afternoon. So by the time I got to the end of the drive, the top had re-frozen. lol Saturday morning it finally got above freezing and EVERYONE'S driveways were passable. Oh well, mine was best though because I had a head start.

Side note, we got more snow today. I am really, really not happy with this year's winter.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

 
If you haven't read this, it is the last book in The Hunger Games series. In this book. Katniss is recovering in the fabled District 13 from her second go-round in the Hunger Games, Gale is training with their soldiers, and Peeta is being held prisoner by President Snow. Katniss has unwittingly become the face of the rebellion and must decide whether she will willingly take on the role. She does but with several conditions, one being that she kills President Snow. The rest...you have to read for yourself.

This is probably the quickest I've finished a series in a long time. Again, I am surprised by the number of people that don't like this last book. I thought it was amazing. My guess is that people simply don't like the sad turn of events near the end (I won't spoil it for people who haven't read it - though I suspect I'm the last person on earth to read it). Personally, I was bawling like a baby by the last page of the book. It's interesting how it is written because I didn't even feel like crying over those events until Katniss does in the next chapter. It's so heartbreaking when she loses it and the poor cat...well, I was a wreck. ;)

Now that I've read this, I'm looking forward to checking out Collins' Gregor series. It looks interesting, even if it may not be as heart wrenching as this one. 

Catching Fire: Audio

All I have to say about Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is WOW!! I know a lot of people think the series is best on book 1, ok on book 2, and ho-hum on book 3 but I was blown away by this book (no pun intended). Maybe it's because the first was really only about the Games, with the political situation taking a back seat. I loved the story in the first book. There was lots of action which makes it very exciting almost the whole book. But the second book is exciting for a completely different reason. Yes, there's still plenty of action but mainly in the second half of the book. It's just not as important as the political intrigue that comes to the foreground in this book. And I love politics!

Katniss is trying to return her life to normal but her behavior in the Hunger Games has led to uprisings in some of the other districts. Before she and Peeta go on their victory tour, she is given a warning directly from the President: Calm the districts or face the consequences. And those consequences are nasty. Without meaning to, Katniss actually makes the situation worse...


The turn this book takes half way through caught me completely off guard. I figured something odd would happen with the Hunger Games, but what does happen...I wasn't expecting that. Well done Collins. I'm not an easy one to mislead. I love when I can't figure things out. I get bored if I guess it too soon.

Can I also say, what is up with the vampire President? Seriously! Maybe it says in the last book (which I will start tonight and leave off The Lady Elizabeth til I finish this series) but his breath smells of blood and he's been President for 50 years with very little change in his appearance? Totally a vampire. hehehe I know that's not the direction this series is taking but why was this made such a big deal of and then not explained? I really hope it's explained later. I hate loose ends like that. Collins seems to be turning out to be a fairly good writer, so I feel confident she will tidy up that bit. A little confident. :)

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman: Audiobook

I have loved almost every book I have ever read by Alice Hoffman. She is a gifted storyteller. The only one I didn't like was Practical Magic and I know that's only because I love the movie so much. What bothered me about that book was that the beautiful relationship between the sisters in the movie is not important in the book. That's my favorite part of the movie. That's what makes the movie.

But this book...I have no words. hahahaha Of course I do, that's why I write this blog. It was wonderful. The relationship between the three main women in the book is so well developed. You can feel the tension between the mothers and daughters. You want to reach through the pages and MAKE them do what's right.

The Sparrow women have always been a little different. Each Sparrow woman, going back to their oldest known ancestor has a gift, or some cases a curse (depending on that "gift"). Elinor can tell liars. Not that she simply can pick up lies easily, she can smell the lie. Her daughter, Jenny, can see other people's dreams. Not what they daydream of doing with their lives, but their actual dreams as they're sleeping. Her daughter, Stella, can see how others are going to die. This "gift" causes trouble for her family when she begs her father to save a woman who is going to be murdered and he is suspected by the police when it comes true.

If you like a little magic in your everyday life, pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.

Hunger Games

Ok, I get it. I now know what all the fuss is about because this book kicks a$$! I'm always leery of reading a popular young adult book, especially after the Twilight debacle. :) (I never miss a chance to make a snide remark about that horrible series).

When I first read the blurb I thought, "it's a modern telling of Crete and the Minotaur." So when I read that was her inspiration, I was not surprised but as I read more of the book I started to think it was closer to Battle Royale. If you've never seen that movie, holy sh**. If you can handle copious amounts of gratuitous violence and obvious fake blood shooting everywhere (think Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill) then go find that movie. I normally can't but this movie is so over the top that it just isn't bad. In Battle Royale juvenile delinquents are sent to an island and told to battle to the death. There can only be one winner: the last one left alive. It is also televised for the country to watch as if it's a sport. In the Hunger Games this is essentially the storyline, except these are normal teens simply trying to survive. They come from the outlying districts to provide a sport for the Capitol. The reasoning behind this is to hinder rebellion in the districts (like Crete). Katniss, our protagonist, is not originally chosen but volunteers to save her 12 year old sister who is chosen.

I was so engrossed in this book that I couldn't stop reading. In fact I stayed up till 1:30 the other night and finally had to make myself stop. I would have stayed up all night. I am amazed too at the quality of the writing. Most authors in the young adult market simply can't write. They have a great idea and the storyline is pretty good, but the writing is horrible (e.g. Meyer and Clare). I have been impressed with Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters  and now Suzanne Collins. I will definitely be finishing both these series.

Knife Of Dreams - WOT Re-read

Well here it is. It took me 8 months but my self imposed torture is over!! I have re-read all 11 books leading up to the book that came out last year. Phew!! I can't believe it took this long. Oh wait, yes I can. All the books are 1 gazillion pages long.

What was so weird in reading Knife of Dreams again was that I truly didn't remember most of it so it was like reading a new book. I think part of the reason was that it had been so very long in between the last few books that I forgot some of the recent storylines even when I read it the first time. When what you're reading doesn't make complete sense, it doesn't really stick with you.

It's been a great ride for me reading all these again, but I have to say I will probably never do it again. The good part of it is I can't say there's a book I don't like anymore. Everything makes sense when you read it back to back (for the most part) like this. 

I think the one major issue still is relevant though: there are way too many storylines trying to compete for major time. I enjoy most of them but it muddies the series. I know everyone else has already read The Gathering Storm, but having put it off, I really hope Sanderson finds a way to bring all these competing storylines together in a comprehensible manner. Apparently the paperback will be coming out at the end of September and Towers of Midnight will be released Nov 2. I figure I will wait for the paperback. Give my brain a break by reading some books that are COMPLETELY different. I've listened to a lot of short stories on audio and a couple audio books but I haven't read much outside of this series since January. I NEED something different. And I have it! But you'll have to wait for the next post to find out what it is!

By the time I finish the paperback (all 1120 pages, seriously?) I should be ready for the new one! I'm so excited that this series is finally coming to end. I will do a little jig when I read the last page of the last book. Truly, I'll even get it on video so everyone can see!

I want to share one more thing. This beautiful cover for the ebook version of Knife of Dreams. I still think the one for Shadow Rising is the best, but this is very well done.

Pump Six and Other Stories: Audio

Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi is a collection of short stories all with a type of social consciousness wrapped into the fantastical stories. While I enjoy a heavy story with a message from time to time, this collection was simply too much for me all at once. I should maybe have read one here and one there in between other books and stories. Every single story in this book is depressing and makes you fear for the state of the world.

The first story, "Pocket Full of Dharma" is a fascinating story about a boy in futuristic China who comes across the Dalai Lama in a most unusual way.

"The Fluted Girl" is a tale about our obsession with perfect bodies and celebrity set in a world at once futuristic (in it's upper class and medical procedures) yet also medieval (in it's serf system).

These are easily the best stories in the book. When I got to ... I had to skip it. The soldiers in the story who are able to regenerate body parts and are simply fascinated by a stray dog who can't turned my stomach. Maybe it has a happy ending, I'll never know.

Maybe one day I'll revisit some of these stories individually and see if they strike me differently. Right now, I guess I'm simply not in the right frame of mind for them.

Widdershins: Audio

Widdershins by Charles de Lint is a type of sequel to The Onion Girl. It's a sequel in that it continues Jilly Coppercorn's story a few years after her accident. Where The Onion Girl tells us what Jilly and her sister's childhood was like, Widdershins has Jilly dealing with the emotional scars she still has but thought she had already dealt with. Of course, this is all done in classic Charles de Lint fashion so there are lots of fairies and animal people and everything in between. For fans of de Lint's Newford stories, many of the loved characters make an appearance: The Crow Girls, Joe Crazy Dog, Geordie Riddel and others. Besides Jilly's personal struggle, a war between America's native spirits and the faery that came from the old world is close to erupting. Joe has to make a terrible choice between finding Jilly and stopping a terrible war that would have devastating consequences.

While I loved this story as I have almost all of de Lint's books, I felt there were simply too many story lines happening. It reminds me slightly of The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb in that way. He tried to cram so many ideas into one book that some of the individual story lines suffered a little. It's possible the book wouldn't have been as good if the two main stories were separated but, other than Lizzie, the two stories don't really have any connection. Lizzie's story almost feels like an afterthought, which is odd since she is the character that opens the book. Lizzie's encounter with boguns (a mean, childish faery) brings Jilly and Geordie into the story but, even though she remains through most of the book, she's simply not important to the progression of the story. If the possible war had been separate, it could have been so much more.

However, I did enjoy the book and especially enjoyed Kate Reading's voice in the audio. She also narrated The Onion Girl and I came to associate her voice with Jilly in my head. It was nice to have that consistency. Plus, she's amazingly talented. She's able to give every character a different voice without sounding like a 5th grade teacher reading about scary monsters. Every voice is believable. That's a rare talent when sometimes the first person is a man, sometimes a woman, and (in this story) women in the bodies of children.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Audio

Yes, I know I am late to the game in reviewing this book, but that's never stopped me before! hehehe

When I first started listening to the audio of this book, I was so intrigued by the story that I did what I promised myself I wouldn't do, I went out and read other reviews of it before finishing. Let's just say that when I discovered the original name was Men Who Hate Women and I saw this in the NYTimes review, "Except for Blomkvist, nearly every man in the book under age 70 is a violent misogynist," I quickly thought I was going to hate this book. Good thing I had already downloaded it and was listening to it, because if I had read that prior to buying it, I never would have. I loved this book. I think the NYTimes review of it is greatly exaggerated. I swear, the book reviewers they have there hate everything. Are they paid by how well they can trash a book?

I found the "mystery" to be slightly predictable but the writing so compelling I couldn't stop listening. I put in on my ipod and listened to on my walks with the dogs, as I was cleaning house, and even while I was in the shower! Shame on you Alex Barenson. Did you even finish this book? You say, "Even after 460 pages, it’s not clear whether Blomkvist cares, whether he’s troubled by his lack of intimacy or simply resigned to it. Is he stoic or merely Swedish? Either way, he seems more a stock character than a real person." But that's how all mystery characters are. Since when do mystery writers spend time examining the intricate details of the investigator's life? The reader would be bored. The mystery is the important part and Larsson does this well. I will definitely be reading the other books with Blomkvist and Lisbeth, who is undoubtedly the most interesting character in the book and well deserving of the American title. 

Dallas Zoo

I heard this wonderful story about the Dallas zoo on our local show, Think, on NPR. It's a great show. I feel really lucky to be living in an area that can support a large NPR station that will bring us really great national and local shows. Ok, that was my crazy NPR addict plug. hehehe.

Anyway, the guests went on and on about this new Savannah exhibit at the Dallas Zoo. I had never been to the Dallas Zoo because I had heard that the animals were kept in little cages and that just makes me sad. I grew up going to places like Busch Gardens where the animals roam on these large open habitats. So if I want to go to a zoo and view animals I can only see in videos, I go to the Ft Worth Zoo. It's not a good as Busch Gardens but at least the animals have some space to get away from the gawking humans. But the new Savannah exhibit they were talking about sounded wonderful! I had to see it for myself. So off my mom and I go to the Dallas Zoo. That's her in the pic above and here's a close up of that same shot:

hehehe, she's gonna love that shot!

Right in the front entrance are two beautiful macaws just sitting there.

I had talked it up so much that we went straight to the Savannah exhibit.

And close up:

You only have to scroll up to see where I get it from.

To the Savannah! Or so we thought. What we went to was the the tram ride around what we thought was the Savannah exhibit. Because that's the way it is at Busch Gardens. In order to see the animals up close, you have to get on the tram. We were early for the next ride so we went to look at some of the animals close by. We saw this wonderfully odd and beautiful creature.

It looks like it could be cousin to a zebra, huh? But apparently it's most closely related to a giraffe! It's hard to believe but when I saw it flick it's tongue, I believed it. It looked very much like a giraffe in the face when it did that.

And just opposite the Okapi were these beautiful birds.

The vulture is difficult to see because she blends with the gray mesh between me and her but I just had to have a picture of her. I have a thing for vultures. Well, all birds really. If I have a spirit animal, I'm sure it's a type of bird. And it's possibly a vulture. I have a strange attraction to them.

We also got to see the meerkats while waiting. Cute little creatures! (that pic is for Andrea)

And then we went on the tram! YAYYYY! ummmm, wait. This is not what I was expecting. We saw some wonderfully beautiful animals but they were in little bitty habitats. Not in cages, thank goodness, but still. There was so little space, I couldn't believe this is what I came to see! The only really cool part was when I got this giant bird (don't remember what kind, though it looks related to the pelican) sitting on it's nest.

So we traveled the tram and saw the beautiful animals in their little spaces and felt a little disappointed. Then as we're getting off the tram we hear the driver making announcements and she says, "And don't forget to visit our new Savannah exhibit." hehehe, well, ok. Where is it then? We make our way there with great anticipation and....let down. Yeah, it's bigger than anything else they have there but it's not this great expanse where the animals can be viewed in "their natural surroundings and studied as if in the wild" like they said. I'm not sure why there are scientists out there studying. You can see the stands they sit in to study the animals in this picture.

I've seen better habitats. I'm very confused by this and wonder exactly WHAT they're getting out of this. However, I did get to watch an elephant spraying herself with water. That was very cool! I missed the big show but was able to a little video of her doing it again the second time. (video for Sage though I found better on youtube).



We were also able to feed the giraffes! I have to say this far and away was the best part of the visit. Seriously, who gets to feed giraffes? Of course, they made us pay $5 for 3 leafs of lettuce but I think $5 is definitely worth the experience of feeding a giraffe. I was able to get pics of mom with the giraffe she fed, but not knowing my camera, she couldn't get me.

We went to eat lunch right after because it POURED rain. But then the sun came out again and we saw the rest of the zoo.

At one point we're just walking along and this bird crosses my path.  I give my camera to my mom and walk slowly up to him. Not sure if he's supposed to be free or not but it was still fairly cool. We just stared at each other for a minute. There was a sign posted about feeding birds at certain times but I think it was canceled due to the rain.  He might be one of those and is just not afraid of people at all.

He followed us for a few minutes after this but I guess we were boring.

We soon were passing these wonderful turtle sculptures.

And then one moved to reach the grass on the other side of the fence. You know, the grass is always greener...Seriously, I never would have known they were real if it didn't move! They were so still!

I will now end my story and leave you with a beautiful harpy vulture.

Crossroads of Twilight - Reread

I just don't know what to say at this point in my re-read. I know I planned on writing about all the books as I re-read them but that just plain didn't happen for any number of reasons. Now here I am on book 10 and I'm wavering. Not in my commitment to finish the series. I mean, common, if I felt committed enough to read all 11 books again before I read number 12 in hopes of being ready for number 13 when it is released later this year then reading them all again is NOT going to make me waver in that! It's only going to make me more committed to the series. No, what I'm wavering on is my die-hard stance that everything after Path of Daggers sucks, and to be honest the only really exciting part was in the beginning before they use the Bowl of Winds, so really everything after the beginning of the Path of Daggers sucks. Or so I thought before.

Yeah, I'm still a little irritated at all the sitting around and staring sideways at everyone that everyone does. I'm still bored to tears with the endless descriptions of what everyone's wearing and what their roles are. If I have to hear again about what a great horse thief Vanin is and how he would be upset to hear anyone call him that even though that's truly what he is, (and the same sort of repeated, ridiculous descriptions of EVERYONE) then I'm going to puke. But then, after the puking, I will remember that I am really enjoying the books again and will get on with it.

I really didn't remember much about this book from before and some of what I "remember" must be from Knife of Dreams because it hasn't happened yet! hahaha! I'm not sure why I don't remember much from these two books (ALL I remember from the next one is the thing I thought was gonna happen in this one!), especially since I remember so much from the other books. The only explanation I can come up with is that I was pissed off and purposely forgot. Really, not much happens until the last few pages. Written well, this book could have been one chapter. There are a lot of things that simply should have been left out. Jordan was beginning to ramble like an old man telling stories from his youth. But I ate it up this time. Maybe it's because everything else is so fresh in my mind, it didn't all feel like a colossal waste of time. What the characters were going through in their inner lives was interesting this time. No, there wasn't much action and the story didn't really progress. In fact, most of the story happens at the same time as the last few chapters of the previous book. That's something else I forgot. We got a chance to see everyone's reactions to Rand cleansing saidin and the many interpretations of what might be happening since they don't have the 6 pm news. It's really too bad, because that would have saved a lot of heartache and stupid speculation. In spite of the fact that I purposely forgot much of this book, this time I liked it. However, the things I do remember are really the only important thing: Mat is stuck in Luca's show with that haughty-bi***  and he's still there in the end, only it's slightly worse (maybe), Egwene is sitting outside the tower with her army (doing nothing - WTF happened to Gawyn? and for that matter where is Galad?), Perrin is still trying to rescue Faile (seriously though, if this had happened in earlier books you think she'd still be there?), Elayne is pregnant (we get loads of boring details about that) and Rand did absolutely nothing. It's weird that I liked this book on the re-read. Really my first impression of the book was right, but this time I'm enjoying it!

There's one thing that is bothering me. Usually the details are pretty well seen to. I haven't caught any glaring mistakes, until now. Elayne is thinking that her position will be easier once one of her brothers gets there. She is hoping for Gawyn, but spends just a moment reflecting on Galad and how she actually misses him too. Then she "remembers" how Galad once had a thing for Nynaeve. WHAT??!! WHEN??!! That never happened. He had a thing for Egwene and kept quiet about it because he knew Gawyn did too. It was a fairly big deal through the first few books. How could this one little sentence creep in there like that and NO ONE CATCH IT? I found a thread on this very thing. They speculated that because Galad helps her and Elayne out in Amadicia, he did it because he had a thing for Nynaeve, but I remember this clearly and he did it because of Elayne and Egwene, even though she isn't even there! Nynaeve even mentions that she feels ignored by Galad and doesn't like it. Oh well, it's mistake but I'm truly surprised it wasn't caught before being printed.

But just now out of curiosity I did a google search and found an interesting WOT site that has all the errors listed (not typos but actual errors). Hmmmmm, interesting.

So now I move on the last book I've read before, Knife of Dreams. I don't remember what happens to Egwene so I'm anxiously seeking that. All I remember from this book is Faile's story. Does anyone remember if anything actually happens in this book? 

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is the story of Bod, short for Nobody Owens, who grows up in the graveyard near his home after the murder of his family. His best friends are ghosts and his guardian is neither living nor dead and he can never leave the graveyard or "the man called Jack" will come for him.

I have been wanting to read this for awhile now since I have loved all of Gaiman's other novels, but it seems that some other book always got in the way of this one. Finally, last night I finished The Path of Daggers and decided today would be the day I would sit down with this book. I started a little after 9 this morning and finished at 5:30 this evening. This includes, of course, my many trips to the computer to play games on Pogo or write emails or check Facebook (which for some reason can take a surprising amount of time). Even at 305 pages it is a very quick read, since it is written for middle schoolers. I loved that, in spite of writing for a specific audience, Gaiman does not talk down to the reader. At no point did I get that sense of "irritating teacher talk." This is what I call the way some adults talk to children when they don't really know how to talk to children. And the only point when I felt Gaiman was over explaining things was when Bod's friend Scarlett talks about deja vu, but then when I reminded myself that the intended audience for this book might not really know deja vu, then it didn't feel over explained at all.

What really grabbed me in this book was Bod. He's an amazing character and I really want to see more of him. I am hoping Gaiman writes a sequel to this. There are a couple things that feel not very well explained and have that sense of "you'll find out later" as if there are supposed to be more books. I also very much loved the relationship between Silas and Bod. I want to read more of it! In fact, I was so sure, based on the way the book ended and the details that were not completely explained, that there must be a sequel planned. I was so sure that I searched for it and low and behold I found this on an FAQ page on Gaiman's Mouse Circus  site:


Q: Could you write a sequel to THE GRAVEYARD BOOK? I just finished it and I want more!
A: I will, yes, but it will go to very different places—and it may not get back to the Graveyard.

YAYYYY! I don't when but some day I will again get to read about Bod, and maybe find out if my suspicions on Silas are correct.
Near the beginning of the book one passage made me just giggle out loud, in spite of the terrible things happening in the scene. Bod is just a baby, a little more than a year old and the man Jack is in the house killing his family. Bod, unaware of this, wakes to a noise and is bored in his crib so he decides to climb out:

He landed with a muffled thump on a small mound of furry, fuzzy toys, some of them presents from relations from his first birthday, not six months gone, some of them inherited from his older sister. He was surprised when he hit the floor, but he did not cry out: if you cried they came and put you back in your crib.

Why was this funny to me? Because it is exactly what my sister's son did either about this age or a little younger. I actually think he might have been a little younger. Except there was nothing to soften his fall. And he landed on his head. And he seemed very proud of himself. 

Another thing that got me was how unimportant life must seem to someone who grows up in a cemetery surrounded by people who have already died and are happy as ghosts. Why would he care if the man called Jack killed him? And in fact, Gaiman addresses this:

Bod shrugged. "So?" he said. "It's only death. I mean, all of my best friends are dead." 

I won't ruin it and give Silas' response to this but it's good. Read this book. You will love it, no matter your age.

The Path of Daggers

On with my re-read of WOT. I have finally finished book 8. It's only taken me 6 months to get here! I've noticed since I started this re-read that I am reading a little slower than normal. Not sure what that means. Either I am not motivated or I don't want it to end!

I am constantly being surprised by how much I am still in love with the characters of this series. I remember being really irritated by the time I got to this book before. I originally started reading this in the summer of 2000, right before Winter's Heart was published. I know that I consumed the first 5 or so books as if they were chocolate and then I started to slow down. By the time I actually got to The Path of Daggers, I was already starting to become disillusioned and cursing the guy in my British Lit class who turned me on to the series. Now though, I'm finding that I really love this series right up to this point. I figured out what was irritating for me before. I don't like Rand anymore and I don't really care about his storyline anymore. But maybe that's the point. He's not the same wide-eye innocent he was in The Eye of the World but if he was would be able to do what needs to be done? Of course not! I am loving Egwene's story and feeling a little frustrated that there isn't more of it in each section she's in. I'm loving Elayne's story and feeling a little frustrated that there isn't more of her too! I also remember waiting for Moiraine to come back, although I knew she probably wouldn't. Now I'm not waiting for storylines to take the turn I want them to. I find myself having forgot so much (the reason I decided to re-read them in the first place!) but reading it again brings it all back and I am anticipating future stories that I only remember parts of with glee. The end of this book was so exciting that I stayed up real late last night finishing, something I haven't done in a while. I can't wait to get to the next book and see what has happened at the Black Tower with the Aes Sedai who were captured. I KNOW what happens but still feel this sense of, "oooohhhhh, what happens?"

Here's the lesson for me: Don't assume you know where things are going, because you'll be disappointed in the end. Read with an open heart and things will surprise you, maybe in a happy way.

I also wanted to share the cover of the ebook version of this book because it so very beautiful. Elayne, Aviendha, and Nynaeve here are working the Bowl of Winds. This is not how I pictured the scene in MY head, but it's still very beautiful.

Edit: I just found out the next book (13), Towers of Midnight, will be released on Oct 26, 2010. I should be ready for it then!

A Crown Of Swords

Well, I just finished book 7 in the Wheel of Time Series. I didn't make it a formal challenge to re-read all of the WOT books in order to be back up to "date" on the next book but it has felt like a formal challenge trying to read them all again one right after another. I started this back in January and between that and my new relationship, I haven't hardly had time to read anything else so blogging has kind of taken a back seat. I am generally a fast reader but to have only read 7 books (besides the short story collections) in 3 1/2 months feels like I'm suddenly reading very, very slow. Then I look at the length of these books and remember that each book is the length of 2 other books and don't feel so bad!

The downside to this is I'm suddenly very tired of Jordan's writing style. I feel the need to read something completely different RIGHT NOW. And so, I picked up Gossip Girl. Yep, I sure did. Mull that over for awhile! I did set myself to do the Young Adult challenge too, but I figured I would still be reading fantasy when I did that. Nope, I need something completely different, so Gossip Girl it is. I figure I'll have it done tonight an be blogging about it tomorrow. Big type and 199 pages. No Problem.

The upside to reading all the WOT books one right after the other is that I don't feel pissed off at Jordan anymore. I remember getting really upset with him by book 5 or 6 because it was 500 pages of nothing and 100 pages of action. It seemed nothing important was happening until the very end of the book and I couldn't figure out why his editor didn't do some good editing. Now I don't feel that way. Yeah, the books could still use a little editing but I've rediscovered the story and I LIKE IT again. I don't feel the sitting around discussing things is wasteful words. There is action in the words and all the characters are important to me again. The minor ones, in the past, were a waste of time to me. Now I don't feel that way.

To compensate for both feelings I'm going to continue my personal challenge of re-reading the books, however, I'm going to read something completely different in between each one. I think otherwise I may throw The Path of Daggers out the car window on my way to work!

State of Fear: Audio

Contrived is not usually a word I use with Michael Crichton but State of Fear is exactly that. Crichton obviously had an agenda when he wrote this book and I feel his plot suffers because of it.

Several of his other works obviously started with the idea that "something is bad and we shouldn't do it, here's why" but they never felt as if they had an agenda. They were just the stories of what could happen if the science went wrong. Next, and  Jurrassic Park are good examples. State of Fear feels contrived and arrogant.

The story is told mainly from the point of view of lawyer, Peter Evans. Peter works for millionaire philanthropist, George Morton, who donates large sums to environmentalist causes, mainly in the organization National Environmental Resource Fund (NERF). As the story progresses we learn there are eco-terrorists plotting the biggest story ever. They want to make headlines and at the same time make it look as if it was caused by global warming. The hero of the book is international law enforcement agent, John Kenner, who is out to stop these terrorists.

The problem I have with the book is not that Crichton has a different point of view from mine on climate change (he doesn't believe that it is caused by people) but that he makes any character in his book with a different point of view seem like a moron. The only smart people in the book are the ones who know the "truth." That is, Michael Crichton's idea of what that truth is. He makes it seem as if every environmentalist is a stupid Hollwood, brainless idiot who doesn't know how to actually protect the environment. There are those in the world and I wish they would stop being the talking heads for the environmental movement, because they are morons. However, all environmentalists are not like that. 

The next problem I have with the book is that Peter is a whiny, irritating person who asks the dumbest questions. I want my main character to have a bit of one brain cell, please. Listening to this person makes me want to throw the discs out the window because I hate him.

Another problem I have with this book is related to that. Peter for some reason is always along when John Kenner is after the bad guy. Why? He knows nothing of what is going on and doesn't know how to stop these people. He has no information and no skill. In fact, when he goes on the first "mission" he is almost killed. Then, instead of staying home and healing from that, Kenner takes him along on the next "mission," where he is almost killed. But then he gets to on the next one too! It's just plain irritating. No government official is going to leave to fate of millions in the hands of this idiot time after time.

The last problem I have with this book is none of the main characters are ever killed, no matter what Crichton has to do to make them live through the most improbable situation. Give your readers some credit Crichton and let a character or two die. Maybe he'll read that from wherever he is now! hehehe

Crichton ends the book with George vowing to start a new kind of environmental organization, one that will "study the real problem and fix it" instead of relying on outmoded ideas of what the problem might be. I think that's a wonderful idea but it doesn't fit with the rest of the book at all. He spent all this time telling us that there is no problem we can fix, because we didn't cause it. The appendixes are filled with Crichton's notes on his studies leading up to writing this book. He admits he doesn't know the cause but then tries to convince the reader we are not at fault. You can't have it both ways, Michael. You can't know and not know.

A Tale of Two Cities: Audio

For such a classic, I was surprised to learn how little I actually knew about Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. I've read Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, and David Copperfield, yet for some reason never really even knew what this was about. I did know that at some point in the book, some man makes a great sacrifice because of a woman and states, "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." However, I didn't know why or how that came about.

I can't really say anymore about this book than has been said numerous times in the past. I do know more about the French Revolution than I did before. I never realized that the blood thirsty revolutionaries didn't stop with the nobles. They continued to hang people for just the word of anyone that the person MIGHT be against the revolution. The "laws" that were in enacted during this time which would cause a person to go to the guillotine were ridiculous. At one point in the book a man calls to another, "How many today?" And the other man answers "38! It will be 39 tomorrow!" They are discussing how many will have their heads cut off. It is not a matter of actual guilt, it is a matter of putting heads under the knife, no matter their guilt or innocence. It makes me look at Napoleon in a better light. Jeez, someone had to stop it!

Although it got a very slow start, this book was wonderful and had me crying in my car while I drove home from work. Maybe not such a good thing! It also got me interested in history again. History of all kinds, not just the French Revolution. Wow, my knowledge in that area is horrid!

Leeway Cottage: Audio

Unfortunately this is another book that started out with a lot of promise but left me feeling kind of flat. Leeway Cotttage by Beth Gutcheon is the story of Sydney Brant and Laurus Moss. They are a young couple very much in love just before the start of WWII. Laurus is a Jewish Danish painter who meets the rich Dundee girl Sydney while studying in America. Shortly after their marriage, he goes to help the Danish Resistance, leaving his newly pregnant wife alone for four years. After his return, neither he nor Sydney are the same. Can they find their way back to each other? Or will they remain forever apart?

This could have been a wonderful book. It had all the makings of a wonderful book. But it didn't happen. Sydney is a spirited, mostly happy person who wants to make the world a better place. Her mother was hard on her but Sydney seems to have not let it affect her too much as she still wants to find  and give happiness. But when Laurus comes home after the war, she is a different person. So much more than can be accounted for just by her husband being gone while she works and takes care of their child. I kept expecting the big reveal to tell me what exactly happened to Sydney while Laurus was away but it never happened. There is never any explanation for why she changed so much into the biggest *B* that ever lived. Her story is almost completely lost during this time. We get to know what Laurus was up to, what his parents we doing to stay alive, we even know by the end of the book the horrible things that happen to his sister in a concentration camp but the main character in this book is Sydney and there is NEVER an explanation for the big change that comes over her. There is also a constant hint throughout the book that Sydney's mother may not really be her mother. However, this is never directly addressed, making the reader feel cheated. Even if we never know the true answer, it should at least be dealt with if the author is going to hint at it several times throughout.

I thought the book was written very well, all the plot lines woven in carefully without a seam to make you feel as if it was integral to book and not added just for the fun of it. But leaving out two such a vital pieces of information leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth for this book. I can't even recommend it.

The Woods: Audio

The Woods by Harlan Coben is a mystery/thriller told (mostly) from the point of view of Paul Copeland. Twenty years ago, Paul lost his sister and three other teenagers to a serial killer in the woods near his summer camp. He has felt guilty for twenty years, feeling as if he should have been able to stop the murders since he was the counselor on duty that night. Now, as the prosecutor for Essex County, New Jersey, he has been called into a case that makes him question everything he knew about that night.

The story is told by Scott Brick, an obviously talented actor who makes up for the short comings of Coben's writing. While I enjoyed the plot, I felt some of the scenes were a but too contrived. He was just trying way too hard to make it work. For most of the book, we're following Paul and then out of the blue we get a peek from one of the other detectives, Paul's high school girlfriend, and a cop from New York. These all come at just the right moment to make you realize the truth but to continue to keep Paul in the dark. I felt there could have been a better way to progress the plot and still put Paul in danger in the end without giving away too much. Or, if Coben wanted a book told from several different points of view, then he should have given us a little in the beginning from each of those characters. Let us get to know their voices before the "big reveal." As it is, it feel very contrived.

Of course, I also have to take into account the fact that if I can figure out who the killer is long before the "big reveal" then I don't like mysteries. It's boring to wait for the characters to catch up to me. It kind of feels like the author has made his characters slightly stupid.

Overall, I did enjoy the plot and thought it was very well thought out, just poorly executed near the end.

Saving Fish from Drowning: Audio

I am writing once more about the books I've been reading! I have been pretty bad about keeping up with my blog lately. However, I have been reading and I've listened to many audio books on my way to and from work. One of those I picked up was Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan. It's read by the author.

First I have to say, I'm not sure I like that. Every time I've listened to a book read by the author, I've been less than impressed. You would think the author knows how to interpret their characters better than anyone, but if that were true then they wouldn't be authors, they'd be actors. Often the author's reading is much more flat and told in one voice even when from different points of view. I've found this of authors who are good at writing from different character's view points and from those that aren't. Often actors will give each character a slightly different voice. They sometimes change it with inflection, sometimes with accent, and sometimes with pitch. When an author reads his own work, this is lost because they are often not good at that. Tan is no exception.

I also realized very quickly while listening to this book that I had read this before. It was years ago and long ago enough for me to forget most of the plot but close enough that it all sounded like deja vu as I listened.

It's a very well written book, told about 12 Americans who take a trip to the Himalayan foothills of China and cross the border into Burma. This is supposed to be a historic trip, as no foreigner as made the crossing where they will since Burma became Myanmar. Each and every step of the trip is planned well before their crossing but from the beginning things go wrong. First, their tour leader is mysteriously killed just days before they are to leave. The group decides they should go anyway and enlist the help of another tour leader, one who is not a take charge kind of person, leaving the group rudder-less in dangerous lands.

I enjoyed this book very much and thought Tan's writing, if not reading, was beautifully done. There is just the right mix of non-likeable, annoying characters to go with the ones who think they can make it alright to make this an often hilarious tale even when they are in the most danger. 

Short Story Challenge - February Recap

 

If you missed signing up for the Short Story Challenge, it's not too late.  Each month I will post a recap to discuss what everyone has read for the challenge. Everyone who still wants to sign up go back to original post to sign up (which I will leave a link to in every current post). Then leave comments in the current post.

Again, I have just read the bare minimum, as I am still re-reading my way through the WOT series. I'm on book five, so it won't be too much longer and then I can read something new! And that includes more short stories. Hope everyone else is doing well on their challenges!

This month I read the February 2010 edition of Realms of Fantasy. I have never read this magazine before and will most likely not again unless a specific story in it look interesting. There's too much other junk in it I'm simply not interested in, like game reviews. Boring! At least I think so. But the stories themselves were pretty good.

How Interesting: A Tiny Man by Harlan Ellison is an interesting take on human nature and what is a natural life. The story starts like this: "I created a tiny man. It took me a long time. But I did, finally: he was five inches tall. Tiny; he was very tiny. And creating him, the creating of him, it seemed an awfully good idea at the time."

I like this not only because of the implications of creating a tiny man but because of the humor with which the story was told: "There were threats. Some of them curiously misspelled - its, rather than it's - and suchlike." or there is also: "And so, I have a car, I use raw sugar instead of aspartame, my pants do not sag around my shoetops, and I drive a perfectly utilitarian car. The make and year do not matter for this disquisition."

Mister Oak by Leah Bobet wanted to be something more than what it was. It wanted to be a look at human nature through the eyes of plants but it took the metaphor too far and left me just feeling wanting.

The Demon of Hochgarten by Euan Harvey was beautifully told and was a complete story in it's own right. It does not need to be expanded into a full length novel to make sense or feel complete. I think that's a very important part of being a "short story." Also, I very much enjoyed the new aspect of the classic werewolf tale.

Melanie by Aliette de Bodard was also a very well written story and a good commentary on human nature and our fears, though I believe the story she did for Asimov's was much better.

My favorite story in this collection is The Unknown God by Ann Leckie. I love the irreverent way in which she tells the tale of a god who regrets his hasty actions. I will leave you with a bit of this story in which one god, Aworo, is contemplating another, Smerdis:

Aworo had heard of devotees who, laying a hand on the bull as it passed, had been granted inner peace and enlightenment. "There's a procession..."

"Every month. They'd like to do it more often, of course, but they can't get the permit. Can't have gods parading around the city whenever they like, we'd never get anything done!"

Happy Reading!