Random It Is!

The people have voted, and a random, atypical for me book won the next up type of reading poll by a landslide with a whopping 4 votes!    So, the following are the options I’d like for you to choose from this time.  Instead of going for a poll, I’d appreciate it if you’d just leave a comment as to your preference this time.  It’d be especially great if you’d tell me why you chose what you did!  I think I’ll also read a random small book from this set as well, just to give me more time to prep for the next what to read poll, and of course, to help aid in cleaning off my to be read shelves!

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

”Beginning and ending with some of English literature’s most famous lines, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities thrives on tension and conflict, all set against a bloody backdrop of the French Revolution . . . . Through the senses, Dickens transports us deeper and deeper into another era with each turn of the page. Smell the acidity of red wine as it spills on the streets and ominously stains the faces, hands, and feet of peasants who lap it up in desperation; feel the competing emotions of heartache and hope as one of Lucie’s suitors stands trial; hear the cries of the raging mob and the clangs of their weapons as they storm the Bastille; see the glint of the guillotine as it falls swiftly to its victim below. The novel’s sense of urgency and intimacy will draw you in and propel you through one of the most tumultuous times in history.” –Oprah’s Book Club

We’ve all heard of this one, most likely you’ve read it.  I had to read this in high school, I think it was, and I distinctly remember enjoying it at the time, but beyond that?  I’ve basically got nothing.  Hence the desire to reread it!

 Rum & Razors by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain

Learning about the financial troubles of inn owners Laurie and Walter Marschalk, Jessica tries to enjoy her lagoon vacation anyway, until Walter’s untimely death causes the sleuthing author to investigate a rival hotelier.  –Fantastic Fiction

Ok, so this one’s a little cheating, as mysteries have generally made it onto a typical for me reading list.  But as it’s the only one I think I had on my shelf that wasn’t strictly sci fi or fantasy, it ended up here.  It’d be the fun choice of all these, most likely.

 

The Blood Runs Like a River through my Dreams (ARC) by Nasdijj

The son of a Navaho woman and roughneck cowboy, Nasdijj grew up among Native American migrant laborers, far from the call of world literature. His writings crafted over twenty years, have only recently appeared in print: In June of 1999, Esquire ran the signature piece of this memoir. “I decided that I had to use the emotions that have been inside me,” the author explained. Touching and lyrical (Nasdijj’s name is Athabaskan for “to become gain.” Apt.) –Goodreads

This one’s an ARC I randomly picked up at a bookstore back when I was in college.  Besides that and the blurb, I don’t know much about it, but I will read it eventually!

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do by Tom Vanderbilt

“Based on exhaustive research and interviews with driving experts and traffic officials around the globe, Traffic gets under the hood of the everyday activity of driving to uncover the surprisingly complex web of physical, psychological, and technical factors that explain how traffic works, why we drive the way we do, and what our driving says about us. Vanderbilt examines the perceptual limits and cognitive underpinnings that make us worse drivers than we think we are. He demonstrates why plans to protect pedestrians from cars often lead to more accidents. He shows how roundabouts, which can feel dangerous and chaotic, actually make roads safer—and reduce traffic in the bargain. He uncovers who is more likely to honk at whom, and why. He explains why traffic jams form, outlines the unintended consequences of our quest for safety, and even identifies the most common mistake drivers make in parking lots.”  (From the author’s website.)

This book is one I decided to put on my wishlist after looking for books on traffic in downtowns.  So, while it’s kind of a work-related book, the description of what all is reasearched here actually sounds pretty fascinating to me.

Mapping our Genes by Lois Wingerson

Eye-opening and mind-expanding, “Mapping Our Genes” tells of the experts who are brightly hopeful about using genetic mapping and engineering as weapons in the war against the many incurable genetically inherited maladies.

As you can probably tell from Goodreads’ blurb, this book has been on my shelf for a long time, and is possibly a bit out of date content-wise these days…

Off the Shelf 2011 Conclusion

So, how’d I do? I wasn’t too optimistic in my predictions, as mentioned in the start up post, and here’s the conclusion to the story. Did I make it? I’d planned to try and read 15 books that had been on my shelf before 2011 started. Near as I can tell, these are the ones that counted. I cheated a little maybe with the Song of Ice and Fire books as they were on my regular shelf for truth, but I always knew I’d reread them when the next book came out, so they were ghosts over there too… Anyway, I read in no particular order…

1. Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg, review
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, review
3. Imager’s Intrigue by L.E. Modesitt, Jr., review
4. 4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie
5. Exalted 1: A Day as Dark As Night by Carl Bowen
6. Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart
7. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
8. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
9. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
10. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

Well, I didn’t quite make it, but 2 out of 3 isn’t bad!  And my reviewing capabilities were even worse, so there’s something.  ;)  Here’s to hoping I make it farther this year!

What Next?!

I started the year (or technically ended last year) by starting a series of 6 books off my shelf (which I will hopefully review all at once when I’m finished).  And while I’m still reading those, but before I move on, I’m looking to you for help deciding what I should read next.  I’m going to break this down into two parts, since it’ll still be a little while till I  finish these last 2.5 books.  The first part, what type of story should I read next?  That is, should it be a collection of short stories?  Should I read the most recent novel(s) of a series?  Should I read all of a series I have the books for, but that aren’t associated with something I’m already reading?  Should I start a completely new series and broaden my horizons a bit?  Should it be a stand alone novel, or something that’s generally completely outside my normal genre preferences?

 

I plan to choose 5 options in the chosen category once this poll’s complete.  Let’s go till January 30, first thing in the morning to choose this part of the process.

Hello Again!

Well, it’s certainly been a while.  As usual, I’m a horribly inconsistent blogger, but, at least for a bit, I’m back again.  (Man, that was a LOT of commas!)  This is just an update post, probably nothing really interesting to most people, which may not be a big deal since I do this mostly for myself…  Anyway, in the near future, I’m planning to: update my TBR list, discover how close I got to my 2011 Off the Shelf goal, set up a 2012 Off the Shelf goal, update my 50 Book Challenge page (I’m contemplating switching it over so that I’m no longer trying to figure out what I read from May to May and instead just making it per year, like normal people), and maybe if I’m motivated, putting up some new reviews, such that they are.  Oh and of course, updating my side bars, though mostly for my own benefit.   There you have it!  Welcome to 2012!

The Way of Shadows and Shadow’s Edge

Well, my intent was to do these one at a time, but I was too slow with the posting and too fast with the listening, so here’s a twofer.  Some (hopefully mild) spoilers follow after the blurb for the trilogy:

The Night Angel Trilogy is a fantasy series written by Brent Weeks. The story follows the life of Azoth (later Kylar Stern) as he struggles as a guild rat to become the ultimate wetboy (an assassin with some magical talent) then tries to leave it all behind and finally becomes the avatar of retribution: the Night Angel.

Brent Weeks’s Night Angel Trilogy starts off with The Way of Shadows and goes into Shadow’s Edge as book 2.  I’m glad I didn’t have to wait in between books, these are grippers!  I can’t really think of a part of these I wish he’d skipped.  There was a bit more detail in the descriptions of the action with the ferali than I was enthusiastic about, but that’s as close as I could come to dissatisfaction.  Well, almost.  The ending of book 1 was decidedly dissatisfying.  (Though definitely not bad, if that makes any sense!)  Kylar was obviously not supposed to be riding off into the sunset with his girl at that point in time.  It’s a trilogy, man!  Don’t give us our cake only to take it away!  That’s just mean!  Anyway, I hope I got my point across there.  ;)

I should mention, since I did listen to the books, that Paul Boehmer, after about 20 minutes of getting used to him, was kinda awesome.  In the beginning, his narrating seemed slightly over-the-top to me, but having gotten used to his style, I could see how he got all the right inflections at all the right moments.  I’ve not had tears in my eyes (if not outright falling) in quite a while.  Granted, a lot of the credit should go to the author, but Boehmer definitely does the books justice if you can get used to his style.

I can’t quite come to terms with how many different directions my mind and heart have been jerked to while listening to these books.  It’s simpler to say that I think these two books have been stupidly awesome (stated that way because unbelievably, amazingly, and other such words don’t describe how I actually feel about it), and I’m glad I finally decided to listen to them!  Please, go out and grab yourself a set of Night Angel books!  There’s even a prequel called Perfect Shadow that you can get for your favorite e-reader right now.

Fahrenheit 451

I finally listened to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.  It (among many others) is a classic I’ve been wanting to read for a really long time.  Interestingly enough, it was listed as recommended reading for young adult males in a fairly recent (and possibly already infamous) Wall Street Journal article.  (I can only speculate on why it was only listed for boys, though I suspect it was partially because of the male protagonist, and partially because almost every female character in it is completely insipid, and not exactly today’s idea of good female role models.)  But before I get to far, the blurb:

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden. Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires, and he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for 10 years, and never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs, nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames. He never questioned anything, until he met a 17-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid, and a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do.

The WSJ writer in the article linked to above comments on how today’s Young Adult fiction …”can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is.  There are of course exceptions, but a careless young reader—or one who seeks out depravity—will find himself surrounded by images not of joy or beauty but of damage, brutality and losses of the most horrendous kinds.”  And yet this writer recommends Fahrenheit 451 to YA boys.  I’d like to know how a book full of depressed characters, where it’s fun to go joyriding people down in your car because you have nothing better to do isn’t full of depravity and is full of images of joy and beauty.  And how can a book about a world where all books have been destroyed be a hopeful message to people who’ve been convinced to read at least this one book?  There are so many other ways that Fahrenheit fits that quote above exactly, that I can’t even express how wrong this whole article was (with the exception of the last line).  The rest of the article primarily seems to condemn cursing and explicit sexual and/or violent behavior in current YA fiction.  I have to admit that Fahrenheit has less of these particular themes, but overall the mood and the message of the story and the behaviors of the majority of its characters is more along the lines of what Gurdon quotes as “horrendous” above.  There’s plenty to learn from here, as I’m sure there is in today’s literature that’s geared for the Young Adult audience.  The lessons are just different, that’s all.

I also wanted to comment on the irony of a journalist encouraging book banning.  It’s one thing for parents to do so, and and entirely different thing for it to be encouraged on a larger scale.  And then to recommend Fahrenheit 451 in the same article, the book that tells what comes of mass book banning (and it started out on a much smaller scale even in this novel’s history)…  ::shakes head::

Back to Fahrenheit 451 though.  This novel creeped me out.  I don’t read proper literature, not since high school anyway.  Mostly just fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi.  I’m primarily interested in reading for entertainment, not necessarily for the deep messages and fancy writing.  (Though that’s not to say my prefered genres can’t have either of those!  For me it just doesn’t have to.)  Anyway, Bradbury’s characters lament primarily the losses of literature and history (and for good reason), but whether I read these or not, the idea of a world without books is truly scary.  People in the story are “entertained” by nothingness on their TV screens or in their earbuds.  I’m a TV watcher; I admit it.  But what I watch still at least has a story.  The TV in 451 is literally nothing, there’s no plot, no character, no conflict, nothing.  It’s a wonder to me that the characters in the story could still exist at all.  

The war whose tension underlay the whole novel most likely spelt the doom as well as rebirth of a culture in Fahrenheit 451, and all I can say to that is thank goodness!  ::shudders:: 

I’ve also wondered if the Wachowski brothers got a bit of their inspiration for the Matrix from this book.  There’s a brief mention of how the computers tried to create a utopia for the humans to live in the Matrix, but it didn’t work out, so they went back to what real life had been like.  Well, that seems to be what people were trying to do that caused them to get to the future in Fahrenheit 451.  They decided to destroy books because they contradicted each other and caused people confusion, they caused people to feel strong emotions that weren’t always good, etc.  So with “their” idea of what made people happy, they went forward with their idea of utopia, and in reading (or listening to) the novel, you find out just how well that worked out.

Well, that’s enough rambling for now!  After listening, I went and bought a copy of Fahrenheit to keep on my shelf.  It’s definitely something everyone should read at least once.

Lord Valentine’s Castle

This novel was my third off the shelf book!  (Oh man, it’s basically already June, this doesn’t bode well for my goal of 15…)  It’s also considered a fantasy classic, enough so that it was printed as such by Easton Press way back when.  It also won the Locus Award in 1981 and was nominated for the Hugo that same year.

Robert Silverberg’s Lord Valentine’s Castle, is not really about the castle at all.  It’s about how Lord Valentine got his groove back.  (So to speak, of course!)  At the beginning of the story, Valentine finds himself at one end of one of the giant landmasses on Majipoor with (what turns out to be lots of) money in his pocket, and no memories in his head.  As he goes through the story, he gathers friends to him, and slowly but surely, memories as well.  Turns out his mind/soul/personality has been placed in a different body by the evil King of Dreams whose son has been placed in Valentine’s old body to rule.  This coup creates political ramifications that are large.  And that’s not the end of that story either.

The book also introduces the reader to Majipoor, which I think may have been one of my favorite parts about the novel. It’s an enormous planet, with enormous landmasses, and an ocean that covers more than a whole hemisphere.  And with that size, it contains many species of sentient being that all came from different worlds to colonize.  That’s right, Majipoor is a fantasy setting that came out of a sci fi history.  Interestingly, it’s law and rule are based at least in part on dreams, which is interesting as well.

Some these days might take issue with the characters.  With the exception of the actual bad guys, almost all the good guys are Mary Sues, particularly Lord Valentine (LV).  From Wikipedia’s subsection on a Canon Sue:  “Typically, this refers to a character accused of being overly idealized or having other traits traditionally associated with fan fiction “Mary Sues”, such as being “special” by having a gratuitously tragic past, unrealistic skills or attractiveness, or a seeming inability for the character to do wrong.”  Let’s see, LV can’t even remember who he is, and later finds out his whole identity, including the throne of Majipoor has been stolen from him through treachery.  He draws people to him without trying, people obey him without knowing why, he can juggle almost the instant he’s shown how, and unless you count him getting angry once or twice he doesn’t do wrong.  Even when his comrades suggest his choices are bad ones, they turn out just fine.  I still liked him and his cohorts well enough, but as I’ve mentioned in the past, I do tend to like the good guys, even when they’re overly good.    Still, the characters in this book were not what was enjoyable for me.  Really, I don’t have much desire to read more in the world, but if I ever do, it will be Majipoor that has drawn me back.

Hiatus

So, I’m back from a long hiatus. Not for the blog, I’ve taken much longer unannounced breaks here before, but this time from reading fun stuff. I was studying to become certified in my profession. I did manage to pass the test, but more importantly (which maybe is telling as to how I feel about said profession these days), I get to read the good stuff again! Hopefully I’ll have posts for you all to read in the near future! Some of them will be somewhat quick and dirty because I read them before my break and because I’m also a slacker in general, so I’m going to try to catch up on the things I should have posted before. That’s all for now.  Thanks for bearing with me!

Witch and Wizard

Having just finished Blackout (what can I say, I’m not adventurous in unfamiliar cities when I’m by myself!) and wanting something fun to read, instead of the work-related book I had in my bag for my flight home last Tuesday, I picked up Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet at the airport.  I’d been curious about it since the first time I saw the cover, but had never heard anything from any of the blogs I read, or anyone else for that matter.  I’ve heard of books that are written by an unknown author and given another big name author’s stamp by them putting their names on the cover in order to garner sales.  I don’t know if this was one of those or not, but the thought definitely crossed my mind while reading.  (Though that’s kind of strange considering the second novel in the series was co-authored by a different author.)  In any case, the blurb:

The world is changing: the government has seized control of every aspect of society, and now, kids are disappearing. For 15-year-old Wisty and her older brother Whit, life turns upside down when they are torn from their parents one night and slammed into a secret prison for no reason they can comprehend. The New Order, as it is known, is clearly trying to suppress Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Being a Normal Teenager. But while trapped in this totalitarian nightmare, Wisty and Whit discover they have incredible powers they’d never dreamed of. Can this newly minted witch and wizard master their skills in time to save themselves, their parents–and maybe the world?

I don’t have too much to say about it.  The book was entertaining, and as a young adult novel, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I was able to finish it on my flights and the waits before each.  The characters were fun, but not too deep; the plot for the series seems to be pretty epic, but again, not too deep (however much Wisty might disagree); the powers were kinda deus ex machina, but still fun to read about.  Et cetera. 

In short the book was pretty cheesy.  There’s a prophecy (several actually), but my “favorite” was in the kids’ camp where it states (and I paraphrase) that Whit and Wisty will free the world and kids will take over its rule.  <–  Wisty thinks that’s deep.  I had thought she was smart.  Admittedly, I’m an adult and also one who’s never had any ambition whatsoever to be in charge of anything, so maybe I’m doubly biased. 

The New Order is definitely a nasty bit of business.  It’s like the authors have taken the extreme right’s point of view and overlaid it with the Nazi regime and old-time witch hunts and went to town.  I don’t know if they were trying to make a political statement, or just took the worst things they could think of and conglomerated them into the evil power, but there it is.  If it is a political statement, I love how unsubtle they were.  As if kids (or anyone really) need anymore propagandizing these days.

Well, all that being said, I’ll still probably read the next book, but I’m surely glad I read this in paperback and not hardcover like I usually prefer!

Blackout

Blackout, by Rob Thurman, book 6 of the Leandros Brothers series, was a great addition to this set of novels.  The blurb:

When half-human Cal Leandros wakes up on a beach littered with the slaughtered remains of a variety of hideous creatures, he’s not that concerned. In fact, he can’t remember anything-including who he is.

And that’s just the way his deadly enemies like it…

This novel was a great look into who Cal Leandros actually is, or maybe should have been.  Also who Cal’s friends are, not literally, but more like what they’re made of.  Cal’s still a lazy, sarcastic, snarky survivor, but without the edge from previous books.  It was fascinating to read about what a fully human Cal might be like.  I quite liked him!  And, the following is even more spoilerish, so read at your own risk!

Poor Niko couldn’t be who he was anymore.  He and Cal are so closely tied to one another that without Cal being who he really is (or at least knowing), Niko couldn’t be either.  Cal’s memory loss meant that Niko had basically lost his past, and hence everything that made him what he is.  He also will do anything to keep Cal happy, even trash his own ideals, thus adding yet another layer to Niko’s loss.

Cal was pretty happy not remembering his past, but he knows it’s having a bad effect on Niko and resolves to regain himself (however much he didn’t want to in the beginning) for his brother.  They’ve hung out for a week, but it took maybe a day or two for Cal to realize that Niko really was his brother, even if he didn’t remember.  And this is important to him.  To them both.  And Cal ends up being willing to give up his own happiness to help Niko.  (And Cal claims Niko’s the martyr of the pair.  I’d say they just make quite a pair!) 

Needless to say, Cal remembers who he is by the end of the novel.  He’s learned he has some more half brothers and sisters, and he needs to take care of them.  I half expected them to be the subject of the next Cal and Niko novel and am happy to say it didn’t turn out that way.  I also hope that Cal remembers what he was like while not remembering his past.  Maybe it’ll help him continue to see past his dark side.  Bring on the next novel!