Month: June 2010

Library Loot – Giving Up on Holds and Browsing the Stacks

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Usually, I make liberal use of the holds system at my library. Lately, it hasn’t been working to my advantage. This week, I had some extra time and several books to return, so I thought, why not just browse. With a list of authors and books I’d like in hand, I set off for the stacks. I limited myself to three books since I also did a quick peruse of the at home shelves and picked out a few forgotten books that are longing to be read.

Here’s what I came home with.

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn. I came across this one a few weeks ago and was thrilled to see it on the shelf. I’ve not read any of Raybourn’s books and I’ve read a few reviews that said this wasn’t as good as her other books but since I haven’t read them, I’m not worried. Ignorance can sometimes be a good thing when it comes to a new author. This one is about a woman named Theodora who abandons her life and heads to Rumania where rumors of vampires still run rampant. There are castles and counts and brooding noblemen and I’m guessing from the cover pic, some romance and heavy breathing as well. Not sure how I feel about that yet but we’ll see.

The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. I’ve been wanting to read this one for so long but never got around to adding it to the hold pile. I thought I’d take a shot and see if it might be available and, poof, there is was. It’s supposed to be gothic and spooky and richly imagined — OK, so that’s what the cover says and, yes, I fell for it. Abandoned as a small child, twelve year old Ren is missing his left hand, has no idea how he lost it, and has no idea who his family is. When a man appears at the orphanage claiming to be his brother, he convinces the monks to let him go with the man in the hopes that he will solve the mystery that is his life.

The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich. I was hoping for Napoleon’s Pyramids but this was all they had of Dietrich’s books so off the shelf it came. Thieves, sea voyages, armies, mysterious medallions, Egyptian scrolls…not sure what more can be added here but it sounds like a good summer read on a hot day by a lake.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Teaser Tuesdays

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. The idea is to give everyone a look inside the book you’re reading.

Play along: Grab your current read; Open to a random page; Share two teaser sentences from that page; Share the title and author so that other participants know what you’re reading.

This week, I’m reading Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci.

“The ninety-six year old man sat in his comfy armchair enjoying a book on Joseph Stalin. No mainstream publisher would touch the delusion-filled manuscript since the author had been unfailingly complimentary about the sadistic Soviet leader.” (1)

What are you teasing us with this week?

Deliver Us From Evil

The Conquest

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The Conquest

The Conquest

By Elizabeth Chadwick

St. Martin’s Press

ISBN: 0-312-15497-6

3.75 stars

In 1066, England finds itself overrun with Normans. Ailith, a young Saxon woman and the wife of a blacksmith, is living a content life even while her home country is invaded — until she loses both her husband and infant son on the same day. Her life comes to a halt and she sees no way to move on. In a few short hours, she goes from being the mistress of her own home to wet nurse to a Norman friend and living almost as a servant in their home.

Ailith’s life becomes even more complicated and unhappy by a wedding proposal from a man she despises. When a womanizing Norman named Rolf makes her mistress of his household of his newly acquired lands, she jumps at the chance at a new life. Ailith and Rolf soon fall in love and a daughter, Julitta, is born. When circumstances change quickly, Ailith is forced to make the difficult decision to leave Rolf and her life behind.

Elizabeth Chadwick is a writer I like a lot. I tend to fall in love with her characters and their intricate relationships. In this book, I liked Ailith. She was strong and proud but is also deeply scarred and vulnerable. She gets moody and dark but has every right to feel the way she does after all she lost. Rolf, on the other hand, while likable, seems to think more of his horses than anything or anyone else. He spent too much time brooding and fantasizing about other woman for me to really like him.

The story is told in two parts. Ailith’s life and then her daughter Julitta’s. However, the story shifts abruptly and characters feel like they just disappear. Rolf, for instance, while he was still mentioned, only shows up to marry off Julitta, unsuitably I might add, and is gone again. The two stories, while connected, didn’t feel integrated and I felt like I was reading the same story with a few new characters thrown in.

But, all the above being mentioned, I still found myself liking the story. There’s romance — which I found I didn’t always get into even when large parts of the story hinge on two people finding happiness or at least of few hours of pleasure — and a lot of horses in this one. Although, I think maybe I had my fill of hands running down flanks for awhile. I don’t mind the romance part, I think it was just too much for me this time around. Chadwick is great at the historical details though and she does draw you in. You want to yell at her characters and cheer them on at the same time. While I don’t think this will rank up near the top as one of my favorite books of her’s, I don’t plan to stop reading her novels.

The Sunday Salon – Libraries

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This week was a blog bust for me. I was busy all week and my regular blog schedule got interrupted, and by the time the craziness calmed, the week was over and all the stuff I had ready to go never went. I’m hoping to get back to a regular schedule this week now that things seems to be getting back to normal, or at least some semblance of normal around here. (My husband and I always joke that we don’t lead normal lives but we also sort of like it this way. We don’t get bored. :-))

I wanted to take a quick moment to talk about libraries. Many, probably most of us, are regular patrons and we love our local libraries that supply us with all the books we want to read. Libraries are places of wonder, education, and entertainment. And, unfortunately, many, if not all, are experiencing some sort of funding shortage. The American Library Association, which is holding its Annual Convention in Washington, DC this weekend will be hosting a rally on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, June 29th to bring needed attention to the problems libraries across the U.S. are facing. I won’t be able to attend the rally but I did want to mention it here. I will also probably be writing to my representative to remind her just how important it is to support local libraries. It’s not just about books, although I could probably make the argument on that alone, but libraries offer many free services and classes that help individuals in our communities get back on their feet and they provide children and adults with places to learn, escape, and be creative. I know for many people libraries are probably on the bottom of their lists, but we should all take a minute to make sure they don’t become extinct.

Last week, I had the opportunity to meet up with Carol Fitzgerald of The Book Reporter. I do reviews for The Book Reporter, which you’ve heard me talk about before, and since she was in town for the American Library Association Convention, we had the chance to meet up for dinner and talk about books and pretty much everything else. It was a great dinner and I’m glad the scheduling worked out for both of us. The reason I mention this is because Carol wrote a great piece on saving libraries on The Huffington Post that you should read. The full article is here.

Library lecture now over, thanks for listening. 🙂

So, to wrap this one up, I read:

The Divine Sacrifice by Tony Hays. I’m not a mystery person but I’m trying to read more of them. I liked it but I think my problem with mysteries is that I spend the whole time trying to figure out who did it that I forget to sometimes enjoy the trip.

Fire by Kristin Cashore. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Graceling but still very good. Cashore has an amazing ability to create brand new worlds that really do enchant.

This week I plan to post reviews of The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick and Benighted by Kit Whitfield and maybe one more if I find the time to write. I’ll be starting Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci today. A co-worker loaned it to me and while it’s not my normal reading, I’m looking forward to the change of pace.

Happy Sunday!

My Favorite Reads – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

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Alyce from At Home With Books features one of her favorite reads each Thursday and this week my pick is…

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling.

The inside cover: Harry Potter has never been the star of the Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley — a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry’s room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in eleven years.

But all of that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry — and anyone who reads about him — will find unforgettable.

For it’s there that he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him…if Harry can only survive the encounter.

My thoughts: Oh, Harry, how I do love your world. I’ve marveled at your wonder, laughed at your funny moments, and felt sad at your misfortune.

Harry, it’s been a while since we started at the beginning and I think the time has come to start again.

By the time I got around to reading the Harry Potter books, the fourth book was about to be released. This was way back when I was working for the publishing industry defending the books against first amendment challenges. One day, while browsing a bookstore for a few books to read on a plane trip, I decided that it was time I read them to see what all the fuss was about. As luck would have it, books one, two, and three were all half off since book four was about to be released. I bought all of them, packed them in my bag, and finished them before I knew what I even read. It was instant love and my affair with the Potter boy began in earnest.

I confessed my love to a friend who told me of her own Harry love affair and outed a third friend of her quiet endearing love as well. We made a pact, and with each successive book, dutifully stood in line for our books at midnight, returning home with our precious cargo to crack the covers and see what mischief and heartache lay ahead. We would re-group a few days later and re-live the whole story.

I’ve re-read every one of the books in the series at least, well, let’s go with several times. The most recent releases have been read more often because of the movies. I thought it would be nice to go back to the beginning and start the journey again. With this post, I’m starting my summer of Harry Potter Re-Read. I know there is a Harry Potter Challenge going on out there but I think it’s coming to an end (I’ve also seen a lot of others re-reading which made me want to get out my books too.) so I’m doing my own thing and relishing the story and wonderful world all over again.

The Crystal Cave

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The Crystal Cave

The Crystal Cave

By Mary Stewart

William Morrow and Company, Inc.

ISBN:0060548258

4.5 stars

I have a soft spot for any book that features King Arthur as a character or even, as in the case of The Crystal Cave, as a future character. This story here is all about Merlin, the sorcerer, prophet, and friend of the future High King of Britain.

We meet Merlin as a child. And, while he may be young, he understands enough about the world around him to know that survival skills will be necessary for him. He’s small and fighting doesn’t suite him, but being a bastard child with a family that would be ready to call his life forfeit at any time, he finds ways to garner information, and knowledge, that will keep him safe. His mother, a daughter of a local lord, has steadfastly refused to tell anyone the name of Merlin’s father. It’s caused her constant grief but she has remained true to the story of Merlin’s conception and birth that she has always told — he is the child of the Dark Prince, a spirit neither human nor ghost that roams freely in the world. It is this story that keeps him alive as a child and as an adult.

Growing up, Merlin does his best to take in every ounce of knowledge he can find, devouring books, and learning secrets from a close friend who lives outside of regular society. This friend and teacher shows Merlin things he never thought possible and opens a new world to him that includes magic. When the small village he lives is in attacked, Merlin makes his escape and finds himself in Less Britain at the feet of a man he never thought he would meet — his father. Ambrosuis, the man planning to conquer and rule the British has known of his existence but for his own sake has left Merlin be. With the help of his father, Merlin rises to great heights and becomes known throughout the country as the greatest magician and prophet known to man.

This was a nice change of pace in my Arthurian legend reading. Usually the stories are focused solely on Arthur but to be taken in to the world in Merlin is fantastic. He is a character that changes so easily with each story — in some he is all magic, in others more human. This one tended toward the more human, rational, and knowledge based Merlin. There is some magic, or the talk of magic, but even Merlin finds he has trouble believing what is said about him and his works.

Stewart is a wonderful writer. I was taken in right from the beginning and found moments where I had to pry myself away from the book. I don’t want to say this book isn’t full of action because in many ways it is, but it’s a different action. Following the life of one person instead of everyone in it, makes for a more intriguing story. While the action takes places around Merlin, he stays fixed and for some reason that made his story more compelling for me.

This book was originally published in the 70s and there is an entire series that I now get to work my way through. It’s a complex tale, and even though it’s one I’m familiar with, I’m looking forward to this series. Her first book was so rich in detail and the story telling wonderful that I plan to track down the rest of the series. It may be a while before I get to these books though. I’ve read a lot of Arthurian books this year and I think it might be time for a break so I don’t tire of the story. This one is a good book to end on for a few months.

The Sunday Salon – Summer Reading Slow Down

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A few weeks ago, I began to ponder my reading list. I finished up several books at the house, put numerous books on hold at the library, and jumped in greedily to the pile of books that came home with me. Then something happened — something unexpected — I slowed my reading down.

My usual rate of consumption is about two books a week sometimes three depending on the size and type of book. There are always weeks when I read more or less but for the last few weeks I’ve been reading about one book a week. This isn’t good or bad, it just is, but I started to wonder why. Then I realized what the culprit was — summer.

Yes, summer has been playing havoc with my reading. (I know summer officially starts on the 21st but it’s been hot in DC for weeks now so I don’t care what the date on the calendar says. When it’s 90, it’s summer.) Here’s the annoying part of my realization, I’m not a summer person. I don’t like to be hot. I like the cold. I love the snow. I can take 15 degrees. I can’t take 95 degrees. You can always put on a sweater. There is only so much you can take off. I usually don’t even spend much time outside when it’s hot. I scurry to my destination seeking the cool, refreshing, life sustaining, recycled air shot out of ducts that is probably going to some day ruin the atmosphere.

But lately, I find myself wanting to sit outside for dinner, take a walk after work, and sit in the park. All of which can, and most of the time do, involve sweating in copious amounts which I do not enjoy. Yet, I find myself seeking out these sweat inducing activities, craving them in fact. I’m coercing friends who have agreed to sit outside with me. I’ve drug my husband outside to sit in the evening sun and people watch. It’s baffling me. I do not get summer fever, winter is my season. But now I wonder…could I be a summer person on the inside? No, I’m sure it will pass.

This is my answer to my lowered reading — summer. I may not have as many reviews to share in the next few weeks but I’m happy to blame my summer lounging for this.

Time to wrap up. This week I read:

The Conquest by Elizabeth Chadwick. It’s an early novel of her’s and not bad although I’m beginning to wonder how much romance I like, and in most historical fiction, there’s always a bit.

Benighted by Kit Whitfield. I finished this up this morning and I liked it much better than her other book, In Great Waters. The world is interesting even if you’re not a fan of werewolves.

I think I’m going to start The Divine Sacrifice by Tony Hays today.

I hope to have reviews of The Crystal Cave and The Conquest up this week and possibly a My Favorite Reads pick. It’s going to be a busy week personally and something tells me that I may find myself outside trying to shrug off the work week at the local park people watching.

Happy Sunday.

Graceling

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Graceling

Graceling

By Kristin Cashore

Harcourt

ISBN: 978-0-15-206396-2

4.5 stars

Katsa was born into a world where people with extreme skills, or Graces, such as hers are to be exploited, feared, worshiped, and sometimes reviled. Her Grace is killing and she is used by the King of Middluns, her uncle Randa, to exact revenge, payments, and torture at his will. Katsa hates what her Grace allows her to do but knows of no way to escape.

On a mission, she meets Prince Po of Lienid who is Graced with fighting and combat skills. When he turns up in Randa City, she thinks she may have met her match, and for the first time in her life, finds a true friend unafraid of her Grace or reviled by her or her past deeds. Po has a way of getting to Katsa and in many ways her inability to trust interferes with their friendship. When Katsa makes a decision about her life, Po is the one that leaves Randa City with her and she becomes grateful for his friendship and understanding.

There’s a lot to like about Graceling. The world Cashore has created is wonderfully believable and the idea of Graces adds a fascinating element to the story. The true nature of a person’s Grace becomes almost synonymous with who and what he or she is. For Katsa, everyone with the exception of a few people close to her, fear her and what she is able to do. There is no one like her and with the knowledge that there should never be another, she makes the decision to not marry or have children. When Po appears in her life, her opinions don’t truly change but they do take on new meaning. The love story between Katsa and Po doesn’t feel thrown together even though I did have to stop myself from the eye roll when I saw it coming early on. The nature of the relationship between Katsa and Po changes, but she doesn’t, and they both grow and mature as the dynamics of the relationship become much more complicated.

While reading Graceling, I found myself a few times unable to put the book down knowing that some new challenge would be thrown at Katsa and I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to know how it would end. I read ahead, an odd habit I acquired as a child when I wanted to know how things would play out, and I employed that readily here when I wanted to know if a character would survive. No, I’m not going to tell you. This is one you need to read yourself.

Fire is the stand alone companion novel to Graceling. I’ve got Fire in my TBR and will be anxiously waiting for the third novel.