Reviewathon. It’s so on!

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So, on Sunday I noted (Ok, you should probably call it what it was, slight peer pressure?!) that Alita at alita.reads should host a reviewathon which I am so in need of right now. And, the great book blogger she is, decided to host after all! 🙂

So, here’s the deal:

1 – Sign up here.

2 – During October 14 – 16, write and schedule as many reviews as you can. It’s not the entire time; no one should chain themselves to the desk, just when you can participate.

3 – Post updates and encourage others. Twitter hashtag #reviewathon if you’re into that. (Side note: I have a Twitter account and haven’t used it, meaning I’ve never tweeted. Maybe, just maybe, this will be my weekend…)

4 – Check back with Alita on the 17th for a wrap-up.

So, my goals.

Type up reviews for (I have notes on most of these so not as crazy as it looks.):

Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliot

The Last Days of Henry VIII by Robert Hutchinson

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier

The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor

The Pale Horseman by Bernard Cornwell

Fiction Noir: Thirteen Stories, An Anthology edited by Rick Tannenbaum

Captain Nemo by Kevin J. Anderson

I also plan to schedule a number of reviews too.

So, go sign up.

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 other participants know what you’re reading.

Today I’m starting The Magician King by Lev Grossman.

“Quentin rode a gray horse with white socks named Dauntless. He wore black leather boots up to his knees, different-colored stockings, and a long navy-blue topcoat that was richly embroidered with seed pearls and silver thread.” (page 3)

The Sunday Salon – Slow

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It’s been a slow week for me reading and reviewing. I spent the week reading The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen and started Captain Nemo by Kevin J. Anderson yesterday. I was planning to finish up some reviews this week but somewhere along the way that didn’t happen. Yesterday was a cold, rainy day that would’ve been perfect for typing up some reviews. I baked a pie instead.

Alita over at alita.reads posted the other day that she was taking part in a readathon this weekend and I commented that what I really need is the reviewathon she joked about. I hope she decides to host one. 🙂

Some fun stuff:

If you were hoping beyond hope to download a Potter ebook this year, be prepared to wait.  It’s been delayed.

A Game of Thrones and food choices.

The Great Gatsby and why we love it so.  This made me want to put this in the reread stack.

Happy Sunday.

Review – A Storm of Swords

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A Storm of Swords

By George RR Martin

Bantam Spectra (Random House)

eISBN: 9780553897876

5 stars

Dear Mr. Martin:

You are the Maester.

Sincerely,

Amy @ Just Book Reading

I held out for months.  I argued with myself about when to read this book.  Start it now!  No, save it for vacation.  I came close to the vacation timeline giving in a few days before.  I wanted time to savor and oh, did I savor.

Spoiler rule is in effect from here on out. It’s book three in a proposed seven book series. I see no other way to write this review without a few spoilers here and there but I’ll do my best to keep it somewhat vague.  But, you’ve been warned.

Stannis Baratheon is in retreat; defeated at King’s Landing by the combined forces of the Lannisters and Tyrells.  Joffrey Baratheon is now sitting on the iron throne, something very few people wanted to see.  Tyrion Lannister is recovering from injuries sustained at the King’s Landing battle and has lost all the power he once held.  Robb Stark is deep in problems of his own; now looking to appease House Frey after backing out of an arranged marriage.  Jaime Lannister is on the road as a hostage of Brienne of Barth; a pawn to get Catelyn Stark’s daughters, Sansa and Arya, back.  Sansa is finally out of Joffrey’s line of torture but she holds little hope for happiness.  And Arya, poor Arya, is still running toward Riverrun.  A host of wildings is marching toward the Wall and questions about John Snow’s loyalties dog him. And in the West, Daenerys Targaryen is making her move to take control of the Iron Throne.

At times, I found myself wondering how this story was going to continue because Martin is a man unafraid of killing off his characters.  I mean it. He’ll kill anyone!  A Song of Ice and Fire is already a monster when it comes to character lists and he’s killing off and adding on like no one’s business.  OK, maybe it’s his business, but anyway.  My point — I don’t want new characters, I want these characters.  Truthfully, I was happy to see a few go but it was still brutal. Also, there’s something to be said for the pace at which these books move and Martin’s ability to keep readers tied to the page through all the drama is utterly amazing. And drama there is. Not one character gets off easy, even the minor ones that at some point you forgot about manage to find their way back in to the story making you wonder where he’s actually going with all this.

It’s difficult to describe these books adequately because of the scope.  There’s so much going on — every Lannister, Stark, Baratheon is in deep.  There were times when I wanted to put the book down because it was all too much but I couldn’t.  I needed to know what would happen.  I had to stop myself from buying the next two books knowing I need to pace myself.  The emotional toll is too much and I don’t want to find myself wanting more and find one day there are no more books.  This will happen soon enough.  I don’t want to bring on the end too soon.

I haven’t bought the fourth book, A Feast for Crows, but I will soon. I won’t be able to hold out that much longer. The fate of a few characters has me wondering where Martin is going with all this. I was late to this series, but if you’ve haven’t read them yet, consider it. You won’t be sorry.

Today’s Book – Banned Books Week

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I’m feeling like a bad book blogger. I’ve managed to make it almost all the way through this week without mentioning Banned Books Week once.

Every year I look at the list to see what books were added and once more I’m surprised by what made the cut.  If you want to see the whole list, go here.  I haven’t read all the books on this year’s list but now I feel I should.

Since I usually do talk about a specific book on Thursdays, I thought a banned book would be most appropriate so a Mark Twain book it is!  Eve’s Diary which was banned 105 years ago according to this New York Times article is now safely back on a library shelf where it belongs.

Are you reading anything special for BBW this year?

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 other participants know what you’re reading.

Today’s teaser is from The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen.  It takes place in D.C. and this particular snippet has to do with driving.  It’s why people say we’re the nation’s worst drivers.

“People in D.C. like to drive in the middle of road, Leo had noticed. The narrow side streets lacked lane markers, so each car tended to glide down the center, staying clear of the parallel-parked cars on either side, seemingly confident no other traffic would dare come its way.  Opposing drivers waited until the last possible moment to pull to their own sides.” (page 29)

Review – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

By Jules Verne

Halcyon Classic Series

eISBN: 2940012152060

3 stars

A classic science fiction tale.  How could I not love this?  Maybe I should rephrase that.  How could I love this?  Because truthfully, I wanted to love it, but didn’t.  I didn’t hate it.  I never stopped reading but I more or less meandered through and even skimmed a few passages.

Ships are reporting strange sightings of a creature in oceans across the globe.  Theories abound about what this strange creature could be and it’s Professor Aronnox, a French marine naturalist, who comes up with the best theory.  He believes it’s a huge narwhale attacking ships.  He takes to sea on the Abraham Lincoln with a crew of skillful men to destroy it.  The crew finds the supposed whale and sets about trying to kill it.  Unfortunately, the ship is attacked and the Professor and his manservant, Conseil, are thrown overboard with the ship’s harpooner, Ned Land.  The three get picked up by the Natulis; the underwater ship that was the means of the crash and is the Professor’s supposed narwhale.  Upon meeting Captain Nemo, they’re told they will not be allowed to leave, and with few options left to them, reluctantly, settle in for the ride.  The Professor and Conseil take better to their confinement than Ned, finding the trip an amazing study in nature almost willingly enjoying the sightings and underwater expeditions.  Ned, however, wants his freedom and will stop at nothing to once more set foot on dry land.

There were times I felt bombarded.  There are lists and lists of fish with their classifications.  There are lists of grasses with their classifications.  There are long paragraphs about ocean depths and temperatures.  There are long paragraphs about pressurization.  There are long paragraphs where nothing much happens.  It was these times when I felt myself drifting off.  There are redeeming parts to this story — the underwater expeditions hunting sharks and exploration of an underwater volcano — where I found myself fascinated but those parts didn’t last long.  Also, Captain Nemo, while a mysterious figure, is in parts slightly too mysterious for me.  I know we only see him from one point of view and he’s supposed to be this mythical person but why, even if you’re a marine naturalist fascinated by the things you’re seeing, would you want to stay onboard the ship of a man obviously so depressed and manic?

Another problem I had was the extreme use of the exclamation point.  They! Were! Everywhere!  I was annoyed but then mostly it made me laugh.  I stopped heeding them somewhere around chapter seven but toward the last few pages, they popped back up making me happy to see the end in sight.

I thought I read this book but what I remember about this story actually came from an old movie I watched years ago. My memories of the story were movie based and I had certain expectations that weren’t fulfilled.  But that’s all right.  While the story wasn’t what I was expecting, it was a decent read and I’m glad I stuck it out to the very end.  Exclamation points be damned!

As a note, the cover isn’t the one from my book.  I couldn’t find that cover and this one is much more interesting.

The Sunday Salon – A Day Full of Bookish Events

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Yesterday was the National Book Festival in DC, and my husband being the good sport he is, agreed to make the rounds with me.  There were two authors I wanted to see — Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad, and Sarah Vowell, author of Unfamiliar Fishes.

We arrived in time to see Egan who was worth the rush and cab fare to get there.  She spoke about her writing style, writing group, and did a short reading from Goon Squad noting where the inspiration for the scene came from.  In all honesty, I’ve had A Visit from the Good Squad on my list but it wasn’t until I read a great review last week that made me want to run out and buy it.  Hearing her speak sealed it.  You’ve probably already guessed I bought the book.  And I sought out the entire chapter done in PowerPoint.   How can you not appreciate a book with a presentation as a chapter!

Sarah Vowell is an author I’ve been familiar with for a while because of her appearances on Letterman, John Stewart, and work on NPR.  She’s incredibly funny and though I’ve only read one of her books (so far), I’m a big fan.  I’m thrilled to report she’s as funny in person as she is a writer.  She’s sarcastic, biting, and even if you don’t appreciate her warped sense of humor and way of looking at the world, she can make you wonder.  That’s what I want in a non-fiction author.  Frankly, history isn’t always amusing or entertaining but she makes it that way.  I bought Unfamiliar Fishes which is her new book about the history of Hawaii.  I read The Wordy Shipmates a few years back but Assassination Vacation is probably a future purchase.

As a way to cap off the day, we made our way to Politics & Prose, one of the greatest bookstores in DC, (but really I could say anywhere because it’s that awesome) to hear Ron Suskind talk about his new book, Confidence Men.  My husband bought it when it came out last week and while I’m not sure I’ll read it, he was very interesting in person.  Thanks to an issue of parking, we got there just as the event was starting and had to stand for an hour and a half (why I wore heals I’ll never know!) but totally worth it.

It was a good book day.  🙂

I put off posting today because I’ve been deep into The Taker.  I was so excited to get this book for review!  I read so many wonderful reviews and each one said it was one of those books you don’t put down.  That’s true.  It’s actually sitting open next to me as I write.  There’s a high probability I’ll be finishing it today.  So good.

There’s another book I want to mention as well by means of wrap-up today.  It’s Fiction Noir: Thirteen Stories.  It’s an anthology of 13 short stories which I’ve been making a good attempt at reading more of this year.  I was impressed with this collection.  I tend to prefer short story collections when written by the same author so I was slightly skeptical.  I shouldn’t have been.  After coming to the end of each, I moved ahead wondering what gem the next would hold.  Really good.

I’m off and back into the pages of The Taker.  Happy Sunday.