Month: July 2010

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

/ justbookreading / 3 Comments

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

By J.K. Rowling

Scholastic Press

ISBN: 0-590-35340-3

5 stars

This summer I thought I would re-read the Harry Potter books. A lot of people are talking about them and it reminded me how much I loved this series. I haven’t read the books in so long and I thought it was a good time to start from the beginning again.

I’m not going to do a full re-cap or review of the book. I’m going to say — and yes, it’s a generalized statement but I think also a rather true one — that most people know what the books are about so this is all I’m going to say by means of a re-cap:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is the first book in the series. This is the book where Harry finds out he’s a wizard, goes off to Hogwarts, makes friends with Ron and Hermione, learns to fly a broomstick and play quidditch, makes enemies of Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy, and starts to understand what it means to be the boy who lived.

Good? I am. Now, let’s move on. I haven’t read this book in several years but as soon as I cracked the cover, I remembered how much I loved the world that Rowling created. There are so many wonderfully magical things, creatures, and people that I wonder how someone could not be swept away. There are also a lot of little details that I didn’t remember, for instance, the fact that Dumbledore wears high heeled shoes and is a lot flashier than I remembered him to be. I relished the fact that I still don’t like Snape (I don’t know how anyone can and I still won’t forgive him even in the last book for all the horror he inflicted for an old grudge, among many other things.) and how snarky and cruel Draco can be. Hermione is slightly unlikable at the start but I found it fun to see Harry and Ron become her friends and the three become inseparable. Oh and Ginny. Ginny is one of my favorites and I love her enthusiasm and crush on Harry. I find it so endearing. Ahhh….is all I want to say when she points at him in the train station. Hagrid, oh Hagrid, you big, lovable oaf. A dragon? Really? And who else would name a three-headed snarling beast of a dog Fluffy? Yes, Hagrid would. When Harry’s first year finally comes to an end and he has to return to the Dursley’s I don’t feel disappointed at all. I look forward to opening the next book and continuing the adventure.

The books are not perfect and there are some awkward bits of dialogue and this book, being the shortest in the series, is not nearly as detailed as the later books but the enchanting nature of the story itself makes all of that fade away for me. There is something very endearing about Harry that makes me always want to cheer him on even when he’s being stupid. The world of Hogwarts is an amazing place to fall in to and there are some wonderful characters to take on the journey with you.

My Favorite Reads – Pattern Recognition

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

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

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.

From the inside cover: We have no future because our present is too volatile. We have only risk management. The spinning of the given moment’s scenarios. Pattern recognition…

Cayce Pollard is a new kind of prophet — a world-renowned “coolhunter” who predicts the hottest trends. While in London to evaluate the redesign of a famous corporate logo, she’s offered a different assignment: find the creator of the obscure, enigmatic video clips being uploaded on the Internet — footage this is generating massive underground buzz worldwide.

Still haunted by the memory of her missing father — a Cold War security guru who disappeared in downtown Manhattan on the morning of September 11, 2001 — Cayce is soon traveling through parallel universes of marketing, globalization, and terror, heading always for the still point where the three converge. From London to Tokya to Moscow, she follows the implications of a secret as disturbing — and compelling — as the 21st Century promises to be…

My thoughts: I’ve read a few Gibson novels and this one is by far my favorite. It’s also set in the present which is a little different since his books are almost always set in the future.

My husband has a soft spot for Gibson and he was the one that brought this book home. At the time, I didn’t have any intention of reading it. I like Gibson but it just didn’t grab me. He kept telling me I’d love it and finally I picked it up one day and didn’t put it down until I finished. I wish I could describe it better, and maybe it’s just that I also have a soft spot for Gibson, but I got pulled into this book and couldn’t put it down. Yes, there’s a lot going on and you’re not quite sure how it all fits together but then suddenly, all the pieces fit and you’re left wondering if any of this will actually happen. In the case of this one which is about marketing and globalization, the answer is probably yes.

If you don’t think a book based on business intelligence can make for an interesting read, well, you’re wrong. It does.

The Good Thief

/ justbookreading / 5 Comments

The Good Thief

By Hannah Tinti

Dial Press

ISBN: 978-0-385-33745-8

3.75 stars

The Good Thief is a good story, although, it took me a little while to find it. I wasn’t sure of this book for the first few chapters but decided to keep reading and found an interesting tale of family and survival.

Ren is 12 years old. He’s an orphan who is missing one hand, and without that hand, he has no hope of being adopted. He knows nothing of his family, he has no idea how he lost his hand, and only knows that his future is bleak. When a man shows up claiming to be his sibling, the brothers at St. Anthony’s Orphanage for Boys send him on his way with Benjamin Nab without asking too many questions as if they know this is Ren’s only chance to escape his sad future. Benjamin is a conman with plans for Ren and his missing hand. With nothing to his name, no family, and nowhere to go, Ren finds himself in an uncomfortable position. A good little thief himself, Ren throws his lot in with Benjamin and finds a home, a family of sorts, and friends.

This book is sort of gothic, some of it is dark, and some of it is morbid. I liked Ren though and I think that kept me in the story. Honestly, I found some of it unsavory, and while I truly didn’t dislike any of the other characters, I found their actions unlikeable. This unfortunately made my attention flag a bit. Short aside here — I can’t really tell you what I found so unlikable since I’ve read and liked books with much worse in them. There was just something here that made me flinch a bit and I honestly don’t know what that was. So there you have it, a completely unsatisfactory explanation. Sometimes like and dislike can’t be explained fully, it’s just is.

This book has been on my list for a few months, and though I think I can say that I enjoyed this book in the end, I didn’t love this book like I anticipated. At one point my husband asked me what I was reading and what it was about. After a brief description, he promptly asked why I was still reading it. Maybe my short redux was showing my dislike early on I can’t say. I will admit that my description was rather on the morbid side though. I don’t know if I became strangely fascinated by but what I was reading or what but I did finish and in the end was rewarded with a good little tale about New England scam artists, grave robbers, murderers, thieves, and a bit of adventure.

Ren does get answers to many of his questions about his life, finds out what loyalty means, and ends up with a family. It does come down to a satisfying conclusion, and I don’t always need a happy ending, but sometimes I think it helps. This was one of those times. Ren’s a pathetic, one-handed orphan who steals, but I felt some sympathy for him and had to follow him to the end, if only to make sure he got there all right.

Teaser Tuesdays

/ justbookreading / 10 Comments

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.

Today’s teaser comes from Kraken by China Miéville.

“Things flew overhead. Edgy birds. He glanced at them, and from where Billy stood, the perspective looked wrong.” (278)

What are you teasing us with this week?

The Dead Travel Fast

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

The Dead Travel Fast

By Deanna Raybourn

Mira Books

ISBN: 978-0-7783-2765-3

3.5 stars

Theodora Lestrange is a woman alone but she’s not unhappy with her status. She intends to pursue her writing and hopes to make a living at it. For a woman in 1858, it’s an admirable but tough choice to make. Unfortunately, her brother-in-law doesn’t consider this normal and feels that something should be done. When Theodora receives a letter from an old friend asking her to come and visit her in Transylvania, she decides that it’s the change she needs and takes off for the strange land. Once there, she finds herself in an old, drafty castle with a Count and Countess, wolves, rumors of the dead returning, and a death in the castle. Theodora finds herself drawn into the world these people inhabit and dares to fall in love with the Count.

I haven’t read anything by Raybourn and have heard that it would be best to start with the Lady Julia Grey series. I ignored that and went right for this one, mostly because that’s what my library had. I can’t say it was better or worse than any of the others not having read them, but I found this one to be a good distraction of a read. Theodora was interesting in that she’s not the typical woman of the time. She’s outspoken, has a career, and has no interest in marriage or children. I did find it odd that she was a writer that didn’t seem to write much though. It’s mentioned here and there that she spent a morning or afternoon writing but it doesn’t feel part of the character. In the end, there is a book but it feels tacked on a bit as if it was meant to remind you all along that she was a writer. While there is talk of vampires and werewolves, the folk tales and rumors don’t feel fully developed and the love story, which feels like it should be a much larger piece, feels a little stifled. Also, the character of Theodora had a small but annoying habit of saying, “I warmed to my theme…” when she was arguing, disagreeing, or trying to prove a point. She may have been warmed, but I felt annoyed by it. Not sure why it bothered me so much but it did.

I don’t want this to turn into a negative review because it’s not. I flew through this book in a day so I can’t say that I didn’t like it. There were several aspects though that didn’t feel fully put together though. I do think I will seek out a few of her other books and give them a try when I have a chance. There was something that made this compulsively readable and I want to see what else she has to offer.

Sunday Salon – A Little Library Loot & A Little of This and That

/ justbookreading / 2 Comments

I skipped last week’s Sunday Salon to sleep late. I had a Friday Library Loot post in the works and decided to again sleep late. See a pattern? Yes, I like my sleep. This Sunday, I thought I’d clear up two posts in one so off we go.

First, the library loot.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. I read The Thief a few months back and enjoyed it so on the library wait list I went for next two books in the series, The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. Unfortunately, The King arrived before the Queen so I took it off my list and waited patiently for the Queen to arrive which she finally did this week. The thief, Gen, is back and this time he’ll be stealing a man, a queen, and some peace to make it a hat trick.

Witch Week by Diana Wynne Jones. This is for the Diana Wynne Jones Week being hosted by Jenny at Jenny’s Books. It takes place August 1 – 7. I know I’m a bit early with my book but considering my luck with the library holds system, which is pretty much nada, I thought it best to put my request in early. I was planning to read Howl’s Moving Castle since that one has been on my list for eons but this one really caught my eye. Kids, boarding school, witchcraft…yes, it’s for me. I’m looking forward to cracking this one open.

Now, the this and that.

I tend to browse NPR online, mostly I listen in the car, but when I need a break I like to check out the books section and see what’s being talked about. Last week I found this – Killer Thrillers: Vote for the 100 Best Ever.

I’m not a thriller person. I do read them everyone once in a while but it’s not my genre of choice. I’m a historical fiction and fantasy type but I have a co-worker who is a fan and he’s been gracious enough to lend me a few. And I’ll admit that I have on my own gone out and bought a few because I find them to be great reads for plane rides since they have a tendency to suck you in which is a fabulous way to ignore the person clutching the seat next to you and asking the flight attendant for anything with vodka in it. (Is it just me or do other people have to sit next to people like this on planes? I have trouble thinking it’s just me…) Anyway, I thought some out there might find the list interesting. I haven’t read many on the list but did find a few to add to the list.

I Write Like. This is a website that analyses your writing style and tells you who you write like. I put in a few samples but haven’t had the chance yet to explore further. So who did it tell me I write like? Drum roll please…

James Joyce

David Foster Wallace

H.P. Lovecraft

Cory Doctrow

Ha! Yes, I laughed too. It’s good clean internet fun so have at it folks.

Well, that’s all for me this week. But one final thing — this week’s wrap-up. I read:

The Scarlet Contessa by Jeanne Kalogridis

The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea by Philip Hoare

I’m currently reading Kraken by China Miéville and it’s strange, downright weird, funny, and lovingly sarcastic. I have to admit that I might have found a new author to faun over.

Happy Sunday! If you’re in the Mid-Atlantic enjoy the air-conditioning.

My Favorite Reads – Dusk

/ justbookreading / 6 Comments

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

Dusk by Tim Lebbon.

From the back cover: It is the Year of the Black 2208, and magic has been dead for three centuries. Since the Cataclysmic War, which drove away the Mages, civilization has regressed to a more savage time. But magic is about to be reborn…

Kosar the thief senses that Rafe Baburn is no ordinary boy. After witnessing a madman plunder Rafe’s village and murder his parents, Kosar knows the boy needs help. And now, for a reason he cannot fathom, others are seeking the boy’s destruction.

Uncertain where to begin, Kosar turns to A’Meer, and ex-lover and Shantasi warrior whose people, unbeknownst to him, have been chosen to safeguard magic’s return. A’Meer knows instantly that it is Rafe who bears this miracle of magic. Now Kosar and a band of unexpected allies embark on a battle to protect one special boy. For dark forces are closing in — including the Mages, who have been plotting their own triumphant return.

My thoughts: While this book is fantasy, there is a real horror element to it and parts of it are downright disturbing and disgusting. I know that is probably not the best way to go about adding my thoughts to this one but I wanted to address it first and get it out of the way. This is not a book for everyone, even fantasy lovers may have an issue with the amount of blood and gore in this one. If you like fantasy though, this is a great read, just be warned that the horror element is very strong.

Warning over, let’s get on to why I picked it this morning. The world building, which is so important in fantasy, is phenomenal here. Noreela, the world mages and magic have abandoned, is dark and utterly terrifying and you get sucked in and don’t want to leave even when you’re so disturbed by it you almost want to put the book down. I say almost because there were times when reading this book that I started to skim finding it a bit hard to digest but I was so captivated by it that I ended up going back to read those passages. There’s something about Noreela that I couldn’t escape. In this world that magic has abandoned, all of Noreela seemed to be waiting for something to happen to either make the mages return or destroy them all. I wanted every detail.

Kosar isn’t supposed to be a likable character. He’s a thief and a man not overly concerned with anyone but himself, but he’s ripe for a bit of redemption. And, this book, as a lot of fantasy books are, is a quest. So, man needing a place and quest say hello. The magic here is dark, powerful, and addicting but oh so gratifying. There’s no wand waving fun spells here. The magic is meant for destruction and there’s more than enough of in this book.

If you’re looking for some dark fantasy that’s a little different, take a look at Lebbon.

Dusk is followed by the sequel Dawn.

The King’s Mistress

/ justbookreading / 4 Comments

The King's Mistress

The King’s Mistress

By Emma Campion

Crown

ISBN: 9780307589255

4 stars

I have a big soft spot for historical fiction, especially stories set in medieval England. I can never get enough of the court intrigue, back stabbing royal courtiers, and the excesses of the kings and queens. I have a particular fondness for stories that are told from the point of view of an outsider, someone that manages to get pulled into the royal orbit and has to adjust to a life they don’t want to live and were never prepared for. In this case, Alice Perrers is that outsider. Campion takes a little known mistress to a king and elevates her story, with a lot of embellishments for the fiction lovers of course, to one that is really fascinating.

Alice Salisbury is a young girl when she meets, and falls in love with, her future husband, Janyn Perrers. It is an arranged marriage but Alice and Janyn do find much love together, and Alice, young and naive as she is, thinks herself blessed and content happy to live out her days married to a wealthy merchant. Unfortunately for Alice, Janyn’s family harbors a secret that will tear the small, happy family apart and cause a lot heartache that will not end even when the secret that was kept from Alice is revealed.

Janyn’s family has connections to the Dowager Queen Isabella, mother of Edward III, and a woman full of secrets, lies, and the ability to ruin lives. For Alice, this relationship which entranced her and then quickly scared her, becomes a shackle. When her much loved husband disappears, Alice finds a price has been put on her head and she soon becomes a pawn of the royal household. A daughter and wife of a merchant, she is lost at court unable to decipher small gestures that mean so much and not able, and sometimes unwilling, to make and keep friends. She does, however, manage to foster a relationship with Queen Philippa, the wife of Edward III, which becomes her grounding force in the hectic court.

Alice’s relationship with the Queen keeps her safe but she is unprepared for the role for which she is being groomed — she is to become the mistress of Edward III. Alice doesn’t go willingly to the King’s bed and finds her attraction and love for the King scare her. She eventually gives in fully and becomes lost in her all consuming love for Edward. The relationship, which she had hoped would stay quiet, puts her in even more danger than she ever imagined. She decides that while she may not have control of her own life, she will use her position to make a stable and safe life for her children, and in the process, becomes a rich landowner, a position that many people at court do not care for. After the death of the King, Alice finds no reprieve but only more fight ahead of her and, all pretenses of naivety gone, she starts once more to claim her life.

It is obvious that Campion knows her subject and time period extraordinarily well. The details she sprinkles throughout the story are rich and draw you into the world that Alice inhabits. The court scandals, murderous plots, love affairs, and extravagant parties move the story along making you wonder how one person could find so much love and pain in the same life. While The King’s Mistress is fiction, the real life Alice Perrers would probably have been entertained by the story Campion weaves.

This is a heavy read though. While Campion has obviously done her research, there were times when the details felt too overwhelming and slowed the story down a bit. The excesses of the royal family and descriptions of cloth and clothing sometimes brought the story to a halt. Fortunately, the story has more than enough going for it to overcome the details and Alice makes a fine character to follow. For lovers of historical fiction, this has a bit of everything to enjoy.

In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. The above review was done for the Book Reporter which can be found here. The book was provided to me by the publisher.