Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along – Part 1

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I had so much fun with The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along I joined up for the Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along.  What can I say; I’m a sucker for a series and for read alongs this year. It seems I can’t help myself when it comes to either. Yep, sucker.

Book two – Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. I love a good series and so far, a mere 100 pages in, this one is living up to the first for me. Honestly, I think it’s the fact that two of my favorite characters are back and up to their good old schemey ways. No spoilers this week so you’re all safe.

Thanks to My Awful Reviews for this week’s questions. You can find more information at the Little Red Reviewer if you want it.

1. The Sinspire. It looks like our heroes (can they really be called that?) find themselves in search of a way into an unbeatable vault. Do you think they have what it takes to make it happen?

I will call them heroes. Bad examples, but heroes none the same! OK, I have to admit that as soon as I read the scene where Locke starts talking about ripping off the vault, all I could think about was Ocean’s Eleven. Locke and Jean because Clooney and Pitt in my head. I have no issue with this, but that’s all I can think about now. When does the rest of gang arrive?

Do they have what it takes to pull it off? I want them to do it, I do, but right now their prospects are pretty dim. I have faith though, I have faith.

2.  Anyone want to guess how they’re going to make it happen?

Ah, no. I’m notoriously bad a guessing games and don’t feel the need to embarrass myself needlessly. Moving onto question 3…

3. It’s a little different this time around, with us just being focused on Locke and Jean. Is anyone else missing the rest of the Bastards as much as I am?

YES! Oh, I so wish they had their brothers back but I’m also thinking they may need to find some new ones which makes me a little unhappy because they can’t be replaced. I don’t know how they can pull off the heist without more of them though.

4. I love the section where Jean starts to build a new guild of thieves. It really shows just how well trained and tough he is. Do you think the Bastards will end up training others along the way again like Bug?

I loved that part. Or maybe I have a crush on Jean, not sure. Yes, I do think eventually a new gang will form with training all around but I think Locke’s going to resist and Jean will see it as necessary and go out and do it. I do hope the personalities are different in the new Bastards though, not because I didn’t like those characters, but new gang, new personalities just seems to be in order. Also, I don’t want to think of the new Bastards as stand-in zombie replacements because I’m not above thinking that in my head. See question one — I’m already playing the Ocean’s Eleven soundtrack in my head. I don’t need extra reason to mash things up.

5. For those of you looking for Sabetha, we still haven’t spotted her yet. Anyone else chomping at the bit to see the love of Locke’s life?

It’s funny, I see Locke as a softhearted guy, even with all the robbing and scheming to rip others off (he did save people in the end of the last book don’t forget) and I really want to meet the woman who ruined him. Let’s face it; she’s got to be some woman to do what she did to Locke. I want her to be a badass like Nazca. Steel-heeled boots and all. And now bondage is in my head. See, this is what happens when I write without editing. You think I kid but I don’t. Usually I’m much more reserved and professional, or I try to be, but for whatever reason, I’ve lost that battle with myself this morning. (Self, drink some coffee before attempting to write.)

I say he’s softhearted not only because of Sabetha but the way he misses the fallen Bastards. I think of Jean much the same. Yeah, I know they’re criminals but they happen to be fictional ones so I can like them all I want.

6. It’s early on, but the Bastards are already caught up in plots that they didn’t expect. How do you think their new “employer” is going to make use of them (The Archon, that is)?

Again, not good at the guessing game but I surmise it will be interesting and I hope Locke and Jean manage to turn to the game on The Archon in the end.

Review – Changless (The Parasol Protectorate #2)

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This is book two in The Parasol Protectorate series following Soulless.

Alexia Tarabotti is now Lady Maccon, having overcome her supposed hatred of Lord Conall Maccon long enough to understand her love (and shall we add lust) for the alpha werewolf of London. Shortly after her marriage, she ends up a counselor to Queen Victoria filling a long unmanned post only held by a preternatural like herself.

After a ghost comes to visit her husband, Alexia finds out a strange weapon has been deployed in London and is effectively de-supernaturaling the supernatural. She follows her husband to Scotland who has gone to the country to work out a nagging family (re: pack) problem. Not used to following orders, and especially not ones from her husband, Alexia takes to the dirigible — something she’s wanted to do for a while — and gets herself in trouble. She outs a possible spy, deals with a disagreeable sister who is staying with her, almost dies after being knocked off the observation deck of the aircraft, and tries to stop a growing love between her best friend and a man dedicated to her husband who may someday end up a werewolf. Needless to say, it’s not the trip she signed up for.  Once in Scotland, things get no easier.

Oh, Alexia, can you get in more trouble? After reading the second book in this series, the answer is yes. And it’s so entertaining. I know many are sick of the vampire, werewolf, ghost combinations out there but these are the fun ones. Alexia is stubborn, smart, and determined and pretty much unwilling to listen to anyone yet takes everyone into account. You really do want her to whack people over the head with her parasol too. Let’s face it most of the people (vampires, werewolves, ghosts) deserve it.

Her husband’s pack appears in book two and we get to see why Lord Maccon can sometimes be so annoyed all he wants to do is shift into werewolf form and run away, although it does make for some fun for Alexia.

Unwilling to give up too many spoilers, I will say this — want some fun reading, check out this series. I’m happy to know I’ve got a few more books ahead of me. Blameless, book three in the series, is not far off in my future.

Changless (The Parasol Protectorate #2)

By Gail Carriger

Orbit
ISBN-13: 9780316088039

4.25 stars

Review – Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1)

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I kept seeing this book around so I did what I do and added it to the long list hoping it wouldn’t get lost under everything else I keep meaning to read. One day, after yet another review of a book I’ve yet to read, I decided to download a sample and then quickly downloaded the full book because I was hooked. It’s fantasy, steampunk, vampires, and werewolves, and ghosts all rolled into one with a preternatural thrown in.

Alexia Tarabotti is the oldest daughter in a well off family in Victorian England. Her two younger sisters are much prettier than her and their mother has much higher hopes for them. At 26, Alexia is a spinster on the shelf and is content to be able to live the life she wants. Always told she wasn’t pretty due to her father’s Italian heritage which she’s inherited too much of, she doesn’t go about worrying about attracting a husband but also wouldn’t be opposed to the idea. This is clear when she’s in the vicinity of Lord Maccon, the Alpha werewolf of London who works for Queen Victoria. While attending an event without refreshments one evening, Alexia takes matters into her own hands and wanders off to the library to partake in some tea where she is promptly attacked by a vampire. When Lord Maccon shows up to investigate, things get rather out of hand and the two end up more involved than anyone thought they would be while they work together to find an answer to the vampire attack.

This one is such a comedy of manners that I did laugh out loud in a few places. While Alexia does try to be proper, it doesn’t always happen that way and she can never stop talking even when she knows that if she were to just shut up, many of her problems would either disappear or never appear in the first place. She’s good friends with a rogue vampire, one of the oldest in London, keeps trading verbal barbs with the Alpha werewolf of London, and manages to get herself invited to the vampire hive in London. For a woman with few precious prospects, she’s always up to something and most of the time it’s quite funny.

The odd thing about Alexia is that she’s preternatural, meaning, she has no soul and can render supernatural beings, such as werewolves and vampires, harmless. She makes them human simply by touching them. I like the little twist with her. While I do wish there would have been more explanation about Alexia and how preternaturals happen, I was content to roll with things because the book is really entertaining.

I thought I had enough of the vampire/werewolf thing but it seems all I need was a new approach. Somehow, this book doesn’t at all feel like it’s full of these two types of characters.

Soulless in the first book in The Parasol Protectorate series followed by Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless. I have a feeling I just found my summer series reading. If you’re looking for something fun, pick Soulless up. It won’t disappoint. It’s a fun read for those days when you really want something new to get lost in.

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate #1)

By Gail Carriger

Orbit

I SBN-13: 9780316071659

4.25 stars

The Sunday Salon – Re-Cap

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I had a wonderful post all planned out for today but I can’t find the piece of paper I had it scribbled on so today’s going to be a re-cap of sorts.

  • I finished The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley earlier this week. I’m such a sucker for a Scottish setting and it’s a good story too.
  • After The Winter Sea, I picked up Anne Enright’s The Gathering. It’s a short book but it took me most of the week to read it. I haven’t read a book this depressing, and good, in a very long time.
  • I spent most of yesterday buried in The Watchers by Jon Steele. I’m enjoying the setting (Switzerland) and there’s short list of good characters to cling to.
  • We watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes last night. The ape parts were all good, the people parts were meh.

The last one is not about books but it happened and I added it because it’s still in my head this morning.

I’m planning to find a quiet spot to read more of The Watchers today and then finish planning out our vacation. That’s my day people. Now I’m off to get some coffee and find a quiet spot to read. Happy Sunday.

Review – The House of Velvet and Glass

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Sibyl Allston spends her days mourning the loss of her younger sister and mother whose lives ended tragically when the Titanic sank in April of 1914. The two were returning home from a grand European tour and their loss devastates the family. As the oldest daughter and most responsible of the Allston children, Sibyl takes over as the woman of the house but doesn’t have the backbone to garner any respect — not from the house staff or family acquaintances. Accepting of the fact that she will most likely remain single, she does what she can to make her life, and her father’s, as normal and comforting as she can considering their loss.

When Sibyl’s brother Harley is kicked out of Harvard under circumstances that he won’t discuss — everyone assumes it has something to do with a young woman — her already heartbreaking and complicated life gets one more added layer of sadness. Her father and brother can’t be in the same room together without fighting, and after a particularly stressful time, Harley leaves. Later, a young woman shows up at the house covered in blood with news that Harley has been severely injured. While waiting at the hospital for news on Harley, Benton Derby, Sibyl’s former love — a man she still has great feelings for — shows up wanting to help throwing not only Sibyl, but the whole family, into a tail spin.

Sibyl, a devotee of fortune telling, begins to find solace in the art hoping that a medium used by her mother will help her find comfort in the memories of the past and answers about the future. What she doesn’t understand yet is her own gift in the art and the affect it will have on her life and her family members.

What Katherine Howe does very well is capture a moment in time. Boston of 1915 is a rich setting and she doesn’t let any of the details slip. The book moves around in time thanks to the fortune telling aspect, but the characters pull the story back reminding you where the story is taking place. Sibyl is a particularly poignant character looking for comfort and acceptance from her father but also from a deceased mother that lost hope in her and placed all her dreams of a good marriage match on her younger sister. Sibyl’s a sad person but so wrapped up in handling the necessities of her day that she hides most of her feelings hoping others won’t see her hurting. Her need for comfort, acceptance, and assurance land her in a dangerous place.

While I did enjoy certain aspects of the fortune telling in this story — it was a popular pastime at this point in history — it did make parts of the story feel slightly disjointed. It’s a nice touch but is also a bit heavy handed making the story feel like it is coming and going at the same time.

This is Howe’s second book following The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. She’s a writer more than willing to immerse her readers in history and if you enjoy historical fiction, Howe is a writer to look to.

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.

The House of Velvet and Glass

Katherine Howe

Hyperion

ISBN: 9781401340919

3.5

 

Thoughts on Re-Reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

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Last year I decided I wanted to re-read this behemoth of a book. I refer to this book as a behemoth because I have the combined paperback of all three books. It’s a sucker to hold up, if like me, you’re reading it in bed which may have contributed to part of my slow reading. My arms would give out and due to the number of pillows holding me and my arms aloft, I would get comfy and drift off — the drifting off had nothing to do with the story though. That, I can assure you, is still good to go.

Did I enjoy this re-read? I did and here’s why:

Mr Norrell is still arrogant and naive. His hoarding of books is something I can totally understand although I obviously like to share more than he does. I found him to be much more annoying this time around though. I’m not sure if I noticed it the first time I read the book or not but he’s much more insecure than I remember his character to be.

Childermas, butler to Mr Norrell, is a character I liked much more this time around. His sarcastic, biting remarks are such a contrast to Mr Norrell and he does it sometimes knowing that Norrell won’t understand either because he hasn’t told him or he doesn’t get society in general. He also played a larger part in the plot than I originally remembered.

Mr Drawlight and Mr Lascelles are a riot of absurdity. These two are the main reason for describing this book as Austen-esque. They are society at its best.

Jonathan Strange is much more interesting on the magical front but has a few of the same eccentric habits about him which even he admits may have come from Norrell. He also doesn’t show up until much later in the story than I thought he did. The things you happen upon while re-reading.

The setting is lovely, lovely, lovely.

The man with the thistle down hair! Yes, yes, yes. He’s mean and self-centered but I adore his magical style.

Jonathan Strange’s fall into the magical underworld — it’s interesting to see what his obsession with outdoing Mr Norrell does to him and to those he loves.

What I didn’t enjoy so much:

The length. I knew this was a long book. I’d read it before and thought I was prepared for it but it was still long. Knowing what happened, even if I was a tad foggy on some of the specifics, stopped me from reading ahead but I also didn’t feel like there was a pressing need for me to rush through either. I read very slowly, and probably enjoyed the story all the more for it, but when I got down to the end, I wanted it to just end. Those last 150 pages were the longest 150 pages I’ve spent with a book in a very long time.

It was a successful re-read though. I’m glad I decided to read it again and that I did it early in the year. I think if I had waited, I might not have gotten to it, mostly because of the size. I like long books, but this one felt extra long though.

When someone asks about a great fantasy read, I’ll still recommend this book but I’ll warn people to scope out time for it and don’t tread into it lightly.

The Sunday Salon – And, what shall I call you?

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I know this happens to you so don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. 🙂 When I’m reading and I come across an oddly spelled name, or even a location, and I don’t know how to pronounce it, I make up a pronunciation in my head and that becomes the character’s name or the location. Usually for eternity because I don’t go around asking strangers how they pronounce fictional names and places. I guess that held true until I started this blog…

Why bring this up? I was participating in The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along and one of the characters’ names was particularly odd. It was Nazca. During the Q&A time of the read along, a few fellow readers ruminated over the correct pronunciation of her name. It got me thinking about other fictional names and places I have surely pronounced wrong.

One of the books where I’m sure I’m the biggest offender of proper pronunciation is The Lord of the Rings. From a young age, I’d made up pronunciations for the characters and locations for almost everything in the books. And then the movies came out and I realized I was wrong on pretty much every name and place and everything in the movie sounded utterly wrong to me.

What do you do in situations like this? Do you make something up or research it? I don’t like to break from reading when I’m lost in a story so I go the make up a name route and keep going. If you research it, I’d be curious as to your sources.

It looks like a nice day is about to erupt here and I’m hoping for some outdoor reading time with The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. Happy Sunday all.

Read Along Public Service Announcement

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The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along was so much fun that I’m in for book two – Red Seas Under Red Skies. Scott Lynch, somewhat new to me author and new book crush. Really, hand to god truth. Andrea at the Little Red Reviewer is co- hosting again with @ohthatashely, Dark Cargo, Lynn’s Book Blog, and My Awful Reviews (Thanks co-hosts!) and here’s the schedule. We start reading April 20th. Want more info, go here.

Week 1 – Beginning thru end of Chapter 3, discussion questions go out April 26, posts go up April 28.
Week 2 – Reminiscence “The Lady of the Glass Pylon” thru end of Chapter 6, discussion questions go out May 3, posts go up May 5.
Week 3 – Chapter 7 thru end of Chapter 10, discussion questions go out May 10, posts go up May 12.
Week 4 – Chapter 11 thru end of chapter 13, discussion questions go out May 17, posts go up May 19.
Week 5 – Chapter 14 to the end, discussion question go out May 24, posts go up May 26.

Now go. Get your book.

For the curious, I’ll have a review of The Lies of Locke Lamora up next week, or soon anyway. When I get my act together. Let’s go with that.