Views from the Reader Side

Dusty Reads (1)

2012-02-14T10:27:00.003-06:00

Dusty Reads is a weekly meme from Giselle at Xpressoreads.com. Every week, those that wish to participate can post a book that's been getting "dusty" on their shelf. The book doesn't have to be years old... just one that's been sitting there for a little while (a couple months or more) that you haven't gotten around to reading yet.

For full details of the meme and to get the above button, follow the link here.

My Dusty Reads for this week is:

From Goodreads.com

SILVERLOCK is one of the all-time great fantasy classics. In this richly picaresque story of a modern man's fruitful adventurings in legendary realms of gold, John Myers Myers has presented a glowing tapestry of real excitement and meaning. In essence, this is the tale of Silverlock's wanderings in the Commonwealth, the land of immortal heroes real and imagined, in search of his true destiny. In form, it is sheer headlong narrative, with occasional clangorous verses woven into its fabric. In content, it is something between a many-peopled, incident-studded story of high emprise, and a morality for our time. Always it is fresh and bold in concept, superb in its execution ... How A. Clarence Shandon came to the Commonwealth, exchanging his everyday name and Chicago-bound life for that of a traveler beyond time; what great ones of old legend and modern story he encountered, and to what purpose; what loves he knew and what fights he fought; what trials befell him in the Pit, and what truth he discovered when at last he won to the Hippocrene Spring--these are matters of such crowding variety and implicit significance as the reader must discover for himself ... And in the discovering, the literate reader will have a wonderful time. He will be amused by the wicked wit that illumines the vast panorama, and intrigued by the challenge it offers his own learning. Most of all, he will be impressed by its profound knowledge, of our cultural heritage, and stirred by its vital interpretations.

This is a book that was suggested to me by my friend Paul from Blog, Jvstin Style. He highly recommends it, particularly for one who enjoys fantasy as I do. I bought a used copy several years ago and have wanted to read it but far too many other shiny things have come my way. It is, however, on my list of reads for 2012.

Teaser Tuesday

2012-02-14T08:17:00.003-06:00

Life has finally slowed down for me, enough that I can start participating in some of the wonderful memes that are out among the Reading Blogger community. Expect more regular updates in the near future! (Including book reviews for the many books I've read over the last several weeks.)

Today, I am participating in Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can participate. Here are the rules:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm usually in the middle of several books, but for this week, I'm only going to choose one. This is one of the books that I've won through Goodreads First Reads Program, though to be fair, it is one that I won awhile ago. I'm trying to make my way through those as well.

I looked at an expanse of wall over a fireplace that had been bricked up. On top of the fireplace were a few trophies =, and the wall was decorated with a number of glass-framed photis and a medal I assumed was his Purple Heart.

The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini by Peter Johnson

Review: Girl vs Ghost

2012-01-16T22:13:00.001-06:00

Girl vs Ghost by Kate McMurry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Isabel Lindley has always followed her best friend, Tripp, whenever Tripp found a new interest. But when Tripp's interest in witchcraft ends up giving Isabel a ghost of her own, she just wants out. But it doesn't look like things are going to be too easy - until she, Tripp and the Ghost Boy can figure out who he is and then help him go to the Light. Or something.

This was a book that I won through the Goodreads First Reads giveaways and, thus far, it has become my favorite read of the almost 30 books I've received. (Ok, so it's only the third one that I've read, but I really enjoyed it.) The authors are able to mix just the right amount of humor, paranormal and teenaged-reality into the book that it had me not wanting to close the covers until I'd finished it.

Each of the four main characters (Isabel, Tripp, Marc - the "ghost boy" and Parker, Tripp's nemesis) are people I could easily imagine having been in my high school. They are a bit on the stereo-typical side - the weird girl with the wild hair, the serious, driven geek, the haughty rich boy and the gorgeous latino boy. But they characters seemed to work well together and made me anxious to read more. I could also have seen myself being friends with a couple of girls like Isabel and Tripp when I was in school.

I loved the sniping between Marc and Isabel throughout, with them only realizing at the end that maybe they don't want to be separated from one another. And then wondering if it was too late.

The story kept a good pace through-out, none of it seeming to drag anywhere. The authors brought the reader along, teasing out bits and pieces of what happened to Marc and why and, in the end, slammed them with something they probably hadn't seen coming (at least, I didn't). I'll admit that I was having flashbacks to the Charmed episode, "Dead Man Dating", thinking that Isabel was going to fall in love with a ghost that would have to leave her. Instead, I was very satisfied to read the ending.

The paranormal portions weren't too spooky, though the things on the backs of the students at the school were a bit freaky (basically, ghosts that hadn't crossed over but instead stayed and became bitter, bringing out the worst in the people they latch on to). I'm far from an expert in witchcraft (much of what I know is media based) but things seemed plausible. And the reason for Parker and Tripp's spellings messing each other up seemed like a wonderful way to draw everyone into this sticky wicket.

The authors included the first chapter of the next book, Witch vs Wizard in the back of this one, and it's got me jonsing for the next one to come out. It will be out at some point this year, though I'm not sure when. This is one that, if I can't manage to get a copy through winning it, I will definitely buy. Because I can't wait to see what happens with these four next.

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Review: Level Up

2012-01-16T21:45:00.001-06:00

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you follow your dream or your family's? That is the question that Dennis Ouyang is asking himself as he debates his future. His father had wanted him to be a doctor - specifically, a gastroenterologist. But Dennis has a love, and a talent, for video games. At a major crossroads in his life, four angels come into his life to guide him along the straight and narrow. Sometimes sweet, sometimes terrifying, they want to make sure that Dennis fulfills his destiny.

This is not Gene Luen Yang and Thien Pham's first graphic novel. They gained critical acclaim with their previous graphic novel, American Born Chinese (which is on my TBR list). But it is definitely a fantastic look at balancing the desires of our families with the desires of ourselves.

I'll admit that this gave me a glimpse into a life that is incredibly foreign to me. My parents had always wanted me to do what made me happy, and I've found myself doing the same with my boys. So to have a parent basically mapping out the future of their child seems wrong. It always had. But reading through this, seeing the bits of the why's behind the push by Dennis' father for his son to be a doctor. This book was more than just entertainment for me. It was also an enlightening book.

The artwork is much cruder than anything I find within the pages of a DC comic, but it fit well with the story of a kid obsessed with video games. For all that the black line artwork isn't masterful, it tells the story that it needs to. It made the story feel more like a boy telling his story rather than a piece of fiction. And I liked that.

The story itself was a wonderful journey, from the first moment Dennis saw a Pac-Man machine until the last panel where he showed what he can do. My heart broke when Dennis gave away his gaming systems. I wanted to smack him up along side the head when he was clueless. And the angels... they scared me pretty bad sometimes as well.

This is definitely one of the best non-super hero graphic novels I've read in a long time. While not a favorite of the level of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, it's still a wonderful read and a must for any geek grappling between what they should do and what they want to do.

*Note: This book was won in the Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway. I received a copy of this book without requirement of reviewing it, but I'm glad to be able to do so anyway.

View all my reviews

Review: The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar: A First Kids Mystery

2012-01-16T20:04:00.001-06:00

The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar: A First Kids Mystery by Martha Freeman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When First Kids Cammie and Tessa receive a diamond dog collar for the First Dog, Holligan, they know the huge diamonds can't be real? Can they? When one diamond, then the whole collar disappears, the girls think something may be up. Especially when it comes on the heals of the disappearance of a large diamond from the nation that the collar was originally sent from. That's when they put on their detecting hats and search the White House grounds to find out the truth behind Holligan's new collar.

The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar was actually the first book I won through Goodreads' First Reads giveaway program. Since I love books of all shapes and sizes, I was excited to receive it. Originally, I planned on reading it to the boys, but as the holidays got more hectic and Teddy wanted me to start reading The 39 Clues, I decided that it was time to read it on my own.

I wish I hadn't let so much time pass, because I was doing myself a disservice. Being a relatively short chapter book, it was a quick read for me. But it was a read full of humor and surprise. I found the enthusiasm of impulsive fashionista Tessa infectious. I loved the more sensible approach that Cammie had toward the whole thing. Seeing the girls' reaction to their grandmother's budding love affair made me smile. And I loved the fact that it isn't their dad that's the president, but their mom. Seeing the father as the stay-at-home parent (or kind of close to it) was a nice change of pace for most of the kids books that I read.

The characters weren't quite as fleshed out as you would have seen in a more adult book, but it didn't bother me too much. Even without the depth that I expect from the longer novels I read, these characters definitely had some depth, character and personality. There are some of the adults that get short-shrift (the girls' parents, their Aunt Jen) but since the story centers around the girls, their dog and their cousin, Nick, they were the ones that should have had more weight to them.

The character that stole the book, though, was Hooligan. I love reading about animals that are big, fun, play-piles. And that's what Hooligan is. He's got a bunch of enthusiasm and love and is the kind of dog I'd love to see running around the White House lawns.

I also enjoyed the inside look at the Private White House. I don't know for certain if that is how life is in the White House, but it's something that I could easily imagine it being. The map that Ms Freeman included at the back of the book, detailing the White House grounds, and the afterword that she included talking about the White House, was a nice bit of educational inclusion that I love to find in books to share with my kids.

All in all, the flaws I found in this book were minor and it's a book that I look forward to sharing with my boys as they get older.

View all my reviews

Giveaways and Goodies #1

2012-01-13T21:50:00.000-06:00

I have a fairly large blog reading list. My blogs range from the geekish (like GeekDad and Slice of SciFi) to the bookish (like Tor.com and The Book Vixen) to the crafty (like The Steady Hand and Bursts of Bubbles) to parenting blogs (like Do Sweat the Small Stuff and The Mom Pledge) and a whole host of others*. I love learning cool stuff from these awesome blogs and the bloggers behind them and sharing a bit with them.

One of the thing that many (though not all) of the bloggers that I read have in common is giveaways. Many of them come from the ranks of the book bloggers that I read, in an effort to help authors promote their latest work. Good books are too awesome not to share, and keeping mum about book giveaways that I know about would be almost criminal (even if it might increase my chances slightly of winning something myself. ;))

So I'll be starting a feature here on Views from the Reader Side where, once a week, I'll share with my readers links to the great giveaways that I've found among my blog perusing. (If you're interested in non-book blogs, you can check out my Giveaways and Goodies feature over at Sanity's Overrated.) Along with the giveaways, I may pass along a few other bits of book-related info that I come across. (Though not reviews. There are so many great reviews, I'd be typing for days.)

Without further ado, here are the giveaways, listed by date so you know which ones you need to check out sooner rather than later.

January 16, 2012

Happy Chaos by Soliel Moon Frye at The Writer Revived

January 17, 2012

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant by Alex Gilvarry at Roof Beam Reader
Angel Fire, The Darkness Gathers and Darkness, My Old Friend by Lisa Unger on Facebook

January 18, 2012

Author Interview with Misty Provencher and giveaway of eBook copy of Cornerstone at Book Passion for Life
The Dreaming of Books Giveaway - There are over 200 bloggers giving away books. Follow the link and you'll find the home-linky with all the bloggers listing books. I haven't entered many yet, but I will be over the next several days.

January 19, 2012

Demons at Deadnight by A&E Kirk (2 giveaways, 1 paperback copy, US only, one Kindle edition) at The Unread Reader

January 20, 2012

Switched by Amanda Hocking at Mission to Read (US only, sorry!)

January 24, 2012

Author Interview with Cynthia Hand and giveaway of Team Tucker theme pack at The Story Siren

January 26, 2012

Destiny by Laura DeLuca at Hanging Off the Wire
Word Catcher by Phil Cousineau at Hanging Off the Wire (US and Canada only, sorry!)
Author Interview with Jaye Frances and giveaway of the Kindle version of The Kure at The Book Vixen

January 27, 2012

Random Obesessions by Nick Belardes at Hanging Off the Wire (US and Canada only, sorry!)

January 29, 2012

Beyonders by Brandon Mull at Cami's Books

January 30, 2012

The Fear Index by Robert Harris and Start Shooting by Charlie Newton at KnopfDoubleday

January 31, 2012

Author interview with Shelly Crane and giveaway of her eBook, Significance at Book Passion for Life

February 29, 2012

Book Passion for Life's The Book Depository Affiliates Giveaway #2 (Three winners will win one of eight (8) books)

And, as always, don't forget the constant stream of giveaways on Goodreads.com. I've won close to 30 books through them and am finally starting to dive into them. Look for reviews in the upcoming weeks.

And now for some goodies that I've found through my blog reading that I thought my fellow readers would enjoy.

Right now, you can vote in Tor.com's 2011 Readers Choice Awards. The voting ends January 20, 2012, 11:59 PM.
Abe Books' Reading Copy Book Blog talks about a book from 1928 called Plotto by William Wallace Cook. It attempts to list all possible book narratives. It's a short article but an interesting read.
For Harry Potter foodies, Amy Kraft reviews Molly Weasley Comfort Cooking at GeekMom. I suspect even a non-cooking geek like myself could find some goodies to make in this one!
At Writer's Blog, you can find the American Dialect Society's Winning Words of 2011. The word of the year? "Occupy"
Though it encompasses all forms of media, there are a lot of great book quotes on GeekDad's 100 Quotes Every Geek Should Know. There isn't a huge showing of books, but one of my favorites is number 12 "WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE - God, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams. Another of my favorites is number 96. "Daddy would have gotten us Uzis.", said by Samantha in Night of the Comet (one of my all time favorite Camp movies). Many other favorites in there too. Which are some of yours?
Finally, for those who are trying to write as well as read but find themselves stymied, Tor.com passes along the information that you can get writing prompts from famous authors over at Figment. Two that they mention giving prompts are Lev Grossman and Aimee Bender. I've signed up over at Figment, but haven't had a chance to check out the prompts yet. Maybe (hopefully) tomorrow or Sunday.

So that's it for this week. I'm hoping to have more goodies next week to share, as well as a few new books to review and anything else that I may find to catch your attention. Thanks for stopping by!

* No offense to the many other blogs that I read and enjoy for not including you here. If I included all the great blogs that I read, I would never get to my actual post.

Review: People Who Don't Know Me Think I'm Somebody

2012-01-08T14:34:00.001-06:00

People Who Don't Know Me Think I'm Somebody by Mike Parish

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

People Who Don't Know Me Think I'm Somebody is another win from GoodReads First reads. By the title, I wasn't sure what to expect of it - depression poetry? Existentialism? Randomness? Well, it was a bit closer to the last.

But what it wasn't, at least by my definition, was poetry. Instead, it seemed more like random thoughts, posts to Twitter or Facebook, brief glimpses into the mind of the reader. As I read the thoughts written, I had the feeling that I was reading the thoughts of teenager, dealing with the crap that becoming an adult throws at him every day.

While it hit far of the mark of what I was expecting, it was an interesting read for what it was. I like to look into the thoughts of others and these brief, sentence or two bits, gave me a nice view into Parish's head at the time he wrote them. It had very much a sense of immediacy, as some of the portions talked about his desire to publish these bits of "poetry".

I also must applaud Mr Parish for the way he sent this. Like a few other reviewers have commented, he used the booklet (white paper, saddle-stitched) itself as the envelope. My address was written clearly on the back and the pages were held closed with a clear sticker. While some may have received theirs damaged because of this, mine came in pristine condition.

In closing, I'd say that if you were looking for poetry, look for something else. But if you like to glance into the mind of someone else in small bites at a time, check it out.

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Review: for she, who kept the other alphabet

2012-01-08T14:20:00.001-06:00

for she, who kept the other alphabet by Pablo D'Stair

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The title of this folio is what caught my attention. I'd never heard of the author or of his poetry, but this title was intriguing. So I entered to win a copy and did, here on GoodReads.

I received the folio yesterday. As advertised, it was a small booklet with each stanza of the poem on a new page. The paper it was printed on was a darker cream and the overall booklet was very stark.

The poetry itself is free verse and very meta. It's not one that I "got" on a first read through, but one that I suspect will take on more meaning the more I read it. It's one, I think, that needs to be chewed over slowly rather than taken in a large bite and gobbled down whole.

I hope to give it a more thorough review in a week or so when I read it again with fresh eyes.

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Review: Little Shoes

2012-01-08T14:05:00.001-06:00

Little Shoes by Amy Sansome

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two shoes, Finn and Maya, live inside a dark box at a shoe store. Their whole world is that box until one day, a little girl comes and opens the lid. Then they find a whole new world outside, with different sensations and different experiences. Oh, how their lives will change.

Little Shoes was another book that I picked up for free on Kindle. As much as my Kindle is mineallmine, I do want to share some books with my boys on it. So I went looking for freebies. And this was the first one I came across.

It wasn't the best children's book I've read to my boys, nor was it the worst. But it's one that I don't think my boys are going to be asking for more regularly. It doesn't seem to flow as well as many of the other books do, and some of the images that it brought to my mind, at least, were disturbing (the feeling of someone's foot sliding into Finn... shudder). I was also slightly annoyed at the author for having it be natural for Maya to recognize a mirror and then preen in it, all because she was a little girl.

Still, it did have a few redeeming qualities. It was a good look at change in your environment and trying to figure out the answers (though I'm still not sure how the shoes came up with some of the answers they did). I did enjoy the last line as well - "And Finn added, "Yes, and it's our new home." - because it feels... comfortable, I guess. The thought of a new home for anyone is just a warm-fuzzy.

The artwork was cute, with very big eyes and round faces. The colors are bright and vibrant. In eBook format, though, it doesn't seem to mesh too well. There will be a page or two of text, then a single page of a picture. It wasn't bad, but sometimes it threw off the rhythm of the story. Still, they were enjoyable to look at.

As I said above, it's not a bad book, but it's not phenomenal either. At free, I'd suggest checking it out yourself and see what you think.

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Review: Dragonsaurus

2012-01-08T13:51:00.001-06:00

Dragonsaurus by Sharlene Alexander

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When a little egg rolls down from the mountain, an unusual creature emerges at the bottom. Is it a fish, like the first creature he sees? Or a snake like the second? The problems the creature has moving like either points toward no. But when an eagle flies by and tells the creature to follow him, it is only then that she finds where she belongs.

I picked this up as an eBook freebie through my Kindle, thinking to have something new to read to my kids. Pete is dinosaur crazy, so reading anything involving dinosaurs would be a big hit. But I didn't know just how much I would enjoy the story.

Yes, I had to suspend my disbelief a little to think that a dragon and a T-Rex would mate, but if I can believe in a T-Rex living with a family of pteronadons (Dinosaur Train), then pairing a dragon and a dinosaur wasn't too much of a stretch.

Peter stayed engrossed through every sentence, curious about this little creature and what it would be. He pointed out various things he saw in the pictures with excitement. And, even better, when we were finished, he wanted to hear it again.

Being a children's book, it is an incredibly quick read. And while I would have liked to have seen some parts of it go into a little more depth (such as the creature following a few more animals in it's search for who it was), I could understand that being a side-point to the story rather than the main part.

The illustrations were nicely done - not too childish, yet not too elaborate for young minds and attention spans either. It's also not an illustration heavy book, so each one has the job of telling a bit more, and it does that beautifully.

There is also an important lesson in here - whether the writer intended it or not. You are who you are, and that is very special. Your parents don't have to be the same (in the "real" world, they don't both have to be the same race, the same religion or - dare I say it - the same sex) to love you and think you're special. And if you try to be someone that you aren't, something will always get in the way of making it feel "right".

If you have little ones that love dinosaurs or dragons, I highly recommend picking this one up and reading it to them. Because I think it's a story they'll enjoy.

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Review: Noble Causes: Extended Family #2

2012-01-06T20:25:00.001-06:00

Noble Causes: Extended Family #2 by Jay Faerber

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Noble Causes: Extended Family takes place five years after the first book - the only other book that I've been able to read. (My library, for some reason I don't understand, only carries the first book and this, which is one of the last.) Rusty and Celeste have divorced and now Rusty is seeing a hero by the name of Cosmic Rae. Race has somehow returned from the dead and the main story takes place at his and Liz's 1st Anniversary Party. Zephyr is quite obviously pregnant - and she lets everyone know it. Celeste is openly keeping company with Frost. And things for Doc and Gaia are business as usual.

The Noble Causes series has a shorter-than-usual main story, followed by several one-shots that give the reader a glimpse into the minds, hearts and world of the characters. Sometimes that's a hit, other times it's a miss. In this particular volume, I actually enjoyed the one shots more than I did the main story line.

The main story line, as I mentioned above, deals with the family at Liz and Race's 1st Anniversary party. Of course, there's the usual problems with the family - Zephyr showing off her pregnancy to give those that were talking in whisper about her glamoured, thinner self something to really talk about, a fist fight almost beginning between Race and Frost (because of a very risque ice sculpture that Frost made of Race and Liz in the middle of the party). The usual. But when an alien creature that affects the minds of it's host gets into the guest, things really become interesting.

The story itself was ok. Some of this could be because I missed the intervening stories. But it just didn't engage me quite the way the first one did. The characters, were, however, true to form... or at least true to the form they were in the first book. I loved both Zephyr and Liz standing up for themselves, each in their own way.

The artwork was up to the usual standards. There are some stand-out bits, however. The ice sculpture was very well done, being both modest and risque at the same time. And the look on Liz's face when Race is screaming to her in panel 3 on page 18 (by my count - there are no page numbers) is absolutely perfect. You can see the anger behind her eyes, yet you can also see that she is holding it back. There's something about the set of her jaw that says to me she knows Race isn't behind the words.

The next story in the book is "Family Matters". In it, Zephyr is rebelling against her mother in a teen-aged fit and decides to run away from home. Where she goes is something I didn't see coming - and neither did the person she runs to - Frost. She thinks that since he has reason to hate her family as well, they should get along fine. But somehow, as she talks to him, he makes her see that her family really is the most important thing to her.

The story was pretty good, though not my favorite in this collection. While I hadn't expected her to show up at Frost's, and I had expected him to sleep with her, most of it was a typical "you don't know what you've got 'til you're gone" kind of story. It was ok, but not stellar.

The third story is a fun little piece called "Sweeps Week". The Nobles are, as we see here, a fictional superhero family being portrayed on television. The story takes us to through the various trials and tribulations of a successful (and cheesy) show - from stupid story lines to enthusiastic fans to cast changes. It's a fun romp and the surprise ending (the Big Boss coming in) is a wonderful surprise. Again, not my favorite piece in the book, but it was a decent read.

Next up is "Live and Let Diode", a freaky little piece that brings us back to the early days when Icarus was still in the picture, when he first started to realize the hatred he held for Doc's children. Each glimpse into every day life - from fighting the baddies to mediating an argument between mother and daughter to listening to the Noble Children talk about a boring mission - is punctuated by a look through Icarus' eyes on the situation, and then the violent images of what he really wants to do to the Noble Children. It's the first steps into madness and it's a very scary place to be. Violent though it was, it was my second favorite piece because it really brought out the emotions.

Next we come to a shorter piece entitled, "Rite of Passage". It is Krennick's birthday and his father has called his son to stand before him. On this most special day, Draconis has set up a special surprise for his son - a fight to the death with a couple dozen of Draconis' best warriors to test whether Krennick would be a worthy successor. While the story itself was an "eh" because of the set-up (I've never been a fan of fight to the death stories), there was one thing it did really well, and that was pacing. From the moment Draconis shouts the command for his warriors to kill his son, until Krennick stands alone at the end, the panels alternate between a couple of action-only panels and single panels where Krennick questions why his father is doing this while still fighting on. It was very beautifully done and brought the story along at just the right pace.

Then we get to my least favorite story in the book, "Educating Doc". Doc is at a lecture, talking about how he supposedly first realized that crime fighting was serious business. He spun the story to put himself in the best light, but the panels that the story was written over told the real story. And it didn't mesh with me. Doc always struck me as more someone who was buried in his work rather than focusing on self-aggrandizement. So I couldn't believe that it was him telling the story in that way. It just didn't fit for me.

However, the next story was, by far, my favorite story. "Pushing the Right Buttons" starts with the release of a sex tape in which Zephyr is the main attraction. While the media and the common man talk about it - whether it's true, if she's crying, how hot it is - her family is grilling her to find out why she did it. And all she'll answer is that she had her reasons. Even to Liz, the most understanding member of the family, she only repeats that she had her reasons. It's only at the end of the story that we find out just what those reasons were. And it's not rebellion. By the time I reached the end, I had my hand over my mouth in shock. I both applauded Zephyr and wanted to kill those who put her in this position. Because it doesn't get any lower. A very high quality story that shows things aren't always what they seem.

"How the Servants Reclaimed their Demonhood" is the last story and one that I'm torn on. The story had me chuckling from beginning to end, thinking of the sitcom antics that having three demons formerly of hell as servants in a superhero household. But the artwork just didn't do it for me. The human characters were too angular, their features almost caricaturish. The way Gaia was drawn, I thought a dominatrix had entered the story (which made perfect sense, what with the demons and all) instead of being the head of the Noble family. It's rare for me to enjoy reading a story so much yet be put off by the artwork. So I'm still not sure how I stand on it.

The book, as a whole, was middle of the road. While there were a few outstanding stories, they weren't enough to pull the book above average for me.

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Review: A Quick Bite

2012-01-06T19:00:00.001-06:00

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lissiana Argeneau is celebrating her 202nd birthday with a party at her mother's house. When she enters her room to get a new pair of stockings, she assumes that the man tied to her bed his her gift from her mother... a little bite to eat after the party.

Well, she has it half right. Her mother has "convinced" (through mental coercion) Dr Gregory Hewitt to come to the house as Lissie's birthday gift. But rather than being her midnight snack, he is there to help cure her of her phobia. And it's a bad one for a vampire - Lissie faints at the site of blood.

There's instant attraction between the two, but before either of them can admit it, they have to work through Greg learning about her family, crazy relatives (on both sides) and someone that wants to put a stake through Lissie's heart for being an evil, blood-sucking fiend. No one ever said the course of true love runs smoothly.

I really enjoy this series and was glad to have finally listened to the one that started it all. I'd seen Lissie and Greg in one of the other books I'd read, but I didn't really know their story. And I, for one, thought it was an intriguing one.

One of the best parts of this series is the inventive take on vampires that Sands has taken. Rather than the mystical/magical search for immortality that vampirism is usually portrayed as, the Argeneau series takes a scientific bent in the form of nanites that keep their bodies in peak condition. While she uses fiction getting it wrong to explain away some of the usual vampire "facts", she has perfectly plausible explanations for the ones that she's kept in. Since the nanites are fueled by blood, anyone with the nanites in their system (naturally born or "made") need to regularly replenish the blood in their system. And since sunlight is always damaging the skin cells, the nanites need to work harder to keep the host healthy, which uses more blood and weakens them until they can replenish.

I also like the fact that, in today's world when blood can be stored a la the Red Cross, the Argeneau clan has switched from "feeding off the hoof" (taking blood directly from an unwitting donor) to using bagged blood. And I like how Lissie being unable to use bagged blood (since she can see it through the bag) is the impetus from bringing a human into this world, which gives the reader a chance to learn about the world that Sands has crafted.

The story wasn't perfect. I don't remember a good explanation for the mental powers that the Argeneaus have (though that could just be my forgetting). And there were some parts of the story that I saw coming from the first. But she still managed to throw me a couple times by crafting the store differently than I had expected. For the most part, though, I knew what was coming. (eg. I knew who was behind the staking). But that doesn't always bother me. Because most of the time, it feels like the logical progression.

The writing was ok - not the best I've ever read but far, far from the worst. It was, however, good enough to keep me engaged in the story. And that, for me, is more important than any of the technical parts of the writing.

A word about the audio book edition - readers can make or break a book for me. I've listened to some books that, if I were to read them, I would thoroughly enjoy. But hearing them read by a particular reader destroys my good feelings about the book. I've also listed to some books in which the reader has made the book come even more alive for me. Victoria McGee is the reader for this book and she falls somewhere in the middle. She kept the story moving, didn't break me from the reality of the world and used a few distinctive voices for different characters. But she didn't make me believe that she was each of these characters, as some of the best do. I was very much aware that I was being read to rather than feeling like I was watching the story unfold before me.

I am looking forward to reading or listening to more books in this series. I love finding an unusual take on something that most people "know". And the Argeneau series does just that for the vampire genre.

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Book Beginnings on Friday, January 6, 2012

2012-01-06T11:06:00.002-06:00

Katy at A Few More Pages has a meme that she does on Fridays. And it's an incredibly simple meme at that. Share the first couple of lines of the book (or books) that you're currently reading. Make sure to include title and author. And if you'd like, tell us what you think of it. Then go over to A Few More Pages and link up.

Since I'm usually a polyamorous reader, I have a few first lines to share today.

First, from the eBook that I'm reading. It's a reread for me, but it's been awhile since I'd read it. And it is one of my favorites.Neil Gaiman's American Gods. I'm reading the 10th Anniversary edition, so there are a lot of words before the story starts - dedications, words from the author, notes about the text, an epigraph and a quote. I'm skipping all of that and starting with the first words of the story itself as it was written by Gaiman.

Shadow had done three years in prison. He was big enough, and looked don't-fuck-with-me-enough that his biggest problem was killing time. So he kept himself in shape, and taught himself coin tricks, and thought a lot about how much he loved his wife.

I have long been a fan of anything that Gaiman writes. His comics, his fiction, his television scripts, his movie scripts, his blog... I could like it forever. And I knew that American Gods wasn't going to disappoint me. And I was write. Even from the first paragraph, I had an idea who Shadow was, even if I didn't know what his story was going to be. It intrigued me from the very beginning, to see if I could care about a guy who spent three years in prison for who knows what crime. And I did care about Shadow before the end of the first chapter. Because that's what Gaiman does - he makes his characters incredibly real.

For an audio book, I've started listening to Home Improvement: Undead Edition, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. This is the fourth anthology in their series which puts together two things you'd never think of - like vampires and birthdays (their first anthology, Many Bloody Returns) or werewolves and Christmas (Wolfsbane and Mistletoe). I've read two of the previous three series and knew that Harris and Kelner had a knack for finding the write talent for their anthologies. Again, there is an introduction that I'm skipping (though it's wonderfully fun to read) and diving straight into the first story - "If I Had a Hammer" by Charlaine Harris.

"If I had a hammer," I sang, as I used the measuring tape and a pencil to mark where I needed to drill.

From the next room, Tara called, "I'm going to leave if you're going to sing."

This story is set in Harris's Southern Vampire (or True Blood) world. I always know I'm going to love a story about Sookie, because she's got a lot of spunk and I LOVE that about her. Harris writes with a wonderful amount of wit that has me laughing every time I read it. I can't speak to the rest of the stories in the anthology - I just started listening to it today - but I suspect that they'll all stand up to the usual quality.

Finally, there's the actual paper book that I'm reading - For the Love of Books by Ronald B Shwartz. I don't remember how I found out about this book... looking for books on books, I suspect. But in it are essays and interviews from 115 different writers, spanning all genres and mediums, telling the reader what books got them on the path to writing. I'm finding some excellent new book fodder there.

As with the other two books above, I am skipping the beginning dedication and the blurb about the first writer and going straight into the essay. This is by Diane Ackerman.

When I first started writing poetry in a serious way, as a college freshman, I carried a copy of Wallace Stevens' Collected Poems in one pocket and Dylan Thomas' in another.

For me, this was the perfect glimpse of the beginnings of a writer... keeping books with you that inspire you. And they did for Ackerman, or so it seems. I've read through several of the writers, though I haven't even reached the halfway point yet. I've found a few essays that I just think, "Eh" and others that has me reaching for my Book of Books list to write down a title that sounds particularly interesting. It's a slow read for me, but a very, very good one.

So that's a look at what I'm reading this week. What about you?

Quick Promotion

2012-01-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

This giveaway ends tonight, but you still have time to win Hot (Sweaty) Mamas by Lauri Kocanda and Kara Thom over at Cami's Books. It's the perfect book for those moms among us (myself included) who want to become more fit!

Tell 'em Amber from Views from the Reader Side sent you!

Won books

2012-01-04T18:29:00.001-06:00

I love Goodreads, not just because it's a great place to meet like minded book-fiends, but also because they host a LOT of giveaways. Because I have such a varied tastes in books, I find myself entering just about every giveaway they host. And I've been pretty lucky when it comes to winning things. (Well, about a 2% return rate, but considering the number of people that request these various books, that's not a bad ratio.) I'm dedicating 2012 to reading the books that I've won through Goodreads and other locations.

I'm not sure yet which books I'm going to start with, but here's the full list... all 25 of them.

Won from The Book Vixen

(received)

Won from Cami's Books

(received)

Won from Goodreads.com

(received)

(received - comes out January 24, 2012)

(received)

(received)

(received - comes out January 10, 2012)

(received)

(received - comes out January 10, 2012)

(received)

(received)

(received)

(received)

(received)

(comes out January 24, 2012)

(comes out January 10, 2012)

for she, who kept the other alphabet by Pablo D'Stair (part of a folio series that is only given away, not sold.

(released January 3, 2012)

People Who Don't Know Me Think I'm Somebody by Mike Parish (a book of poetry initially released as digital media)

So there's quite a bit of reading in my future... not counting any other books I may win. I can't wait.

Review: Noble Causes Volume 1: In Sickness And In Health

2012-01-02T21:32:00.001-06:00

Noble Causes Volume 1: In Sickness And In Health by Jay Faerber

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a random find at the library - I was looking for another graphic novel to read, since I have a lot more longer books sitting on my list right now. The title and the cover looked interesting so I figured, "Why not?"

This is the first book in the comic series, Noble Causes, a comic that is a cross between superhero comics and a daytime soap opera. The Noble family is one of superheroes, alien sorceresses, hyper-intelligent men... and marrying into this is a completely ordinary book seller that has fallen in love with the youngest son, Race. This first book tells what happens right after Liz (the ordinary book seller) and Race get married - and how Liz refuses to be bowled over by her famous in-laws.

I really enjoyed the story, as it felt like a wonderful bit of escapist fun. The artwork is wonderfully vivid and the story engaged me. No, it's not a world class piece of literature. It's not the best graphic novel I've ever read. But it IS a great series to pick up if you want to lose yourself for a little while into the problems of those who are supposed to be living the good life.

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2012 A to Z Challenge

2012-01-01T12:52:00.002-06:00

Lindsey over at Babies, Books and Signs (another great Mommy Reading Blogger that I love to read) is doing a challenge for 2012 called the A to Z Challenge

Here are the technical details from her blog:

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2012.
You can join anytime.
If you are blogger, leave the link to your actual post about this challenge.
If you are not a blogger, leave a link to where you will be keeping track of this challenge.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z challenge.

A - Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A - Atonement B- Black Beauty C - The Count of Monte Cristo D - Dances with Dragons etc.

OR

B - The lazy way (how I do it) : Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Hope that by the end of the year you have read one book for each letter. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

Each month, I will add another challenge to this main challenge. It might to read a book with both A and Z in the title or to read a book with 3 words that all start with the same letter. I might host a few random giveaways too for good measure.

So to join along....
1. Write a blog post about this challenge and whether you are going go with A or B.
2. Add the button to your blog.
3. Attach yourself to the linky.
4. Follow my blog so that you can see when I post the monthly challenge!

I, of course, will be going with option B. In the long run, it seems the better way to go, since I have "Ooh shiny!" syndrome (too many books that catch my attention too quickly). I'll start up a page with my list for the A to Z books. Keep an eye out for a page later today (it will be at the top of the blog) that will link to my individual challenge pages.

Brief Review of 2011, and Looking Forward to 2012

2012-01-01T12:40:00.000-06:00

2011 was a good reading year for me. For the first time, I actually kept track of the books that I read and reviewed quite a number of them. According to GoodReads (where I keep track of most of my books and have the reviews ported here), I read 175 books last year. I still have two to review that hadn't been reviewed yet so that would bring me to 177. Not bad, all things considered. This year, along with keeping track of the raw numbers, I'm also going to keep track of the number of various genre books that I've read. I'm hoping to have a better idea of the kinds of books that I'm reading.

2012 is going to be the year of challenges for me. Thus far, I have 16 challenges that I am going to be a part of. Most, if not all, of them can cross over into other challenges so I'm hoping to complete all of them without too much trouble. I also have some general goals for reading as well.

In 2012, I will

Read 200 books. This will NOT count children's books because, while they are excellent reads, they'll have a tendency to inflate my numbers
Read 100 children's books. This shouldn't, I hope, be too difficult to do. With two children who love to read, 100 children's books/stories should be a walk in the park.
Keep track of various book stats, including number of pages read, number in various genres read, number of different formats read (ebook, paper-book, audio book), how many books purchased, how many won (23 in 2011, all to be read in 2012), how many borrowed (library or friends).
Be active in more book-related memes. I want to try to make more of a name for myself among the book blogging community.

I've got a lot of plans in 2012 and reading and keeping track of what I read is just a small part of it. I hope you'll be with me in that part of the journey. If you'd like to see what other journeys I'll be partaking of in 2012, you can check out Amber's 101 in 1,001 and Sanity's Overrated.

Review: The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated

2011-12-26T21:25:00.003-06:00

The Morning Star: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine is Illuminated by Nick Bantock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Note: This review covers all three books in the series - The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.)

The Morning Star Trilogy is the second trilogy of books regarding Griffin and Sabine. But this time, Griffin and Sabine are in the background, guiding another pair of lovers together in an effort to stop Frolatti from some horrible plot. In the forefront of this story are Matthew Sedon, a young archaeologist in Alexandria with a connection to Sabine (she helped deliver him) and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris and Matthew's lover. Isabella often has waking dreams, views into the psyche of the world. The letters are primarily between Matthew and Isabella, though Sabine does contact Matthew on occasion and Griffin keeps in contact with Isabella. There are shades of the beginnings of Griffin and Sabine's romance within these correspondence - primarily with Matthew's doubts regarding Sabine.

Unlike the previous trilogy, there is more of a sense of menace with this trilogy. There is active evil in the unseen Frilotti and his cohorts. But getting Matthew to understand the seriousness of what is happening (within the first book) is a large part of the first book.

I'll be honest. The second trilogy fell flat with me. It still had the beautiful artwork of the first trilogy, but the magic wasn't quite there. I think the addition of "the next generation" just didn't work as well. My husband, of course, thinks I'm crazy as he loved them as much as the first trilogy. But for me, Griffin and Sabine had a simplicity beneath the complications of their circumstance. Something primal about the connection and the love they shared. But adding Matthew and Isabella complicated that. And it just didn't sit as right with me.

The series was ok... worth reading at least once. But it didn't, in my mind, live up to the magic of the first trilogy.

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Review: Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds

2011-12-26T21:25:00.001-06:00

Alexandria: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Unfolds by Nick Bantock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Note: This review covers all three books in the series - The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.)

The Morning Star Trilogy is the second trilogy of books regarding Griffin and Sabine. But this time, Griffin and Sabine are in the background, guiding another pair of lovers together in an effort to stop Frolatti from some horrible plot. In the forefront of this story are Matthew Sedon, a young archaeologist in Alexandria with a connection to Sabine (she helped deliver him) and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris and Matthew's lover. Isabella often has waking dreams, views into the psyche of the world. The letters are primarily between Matthew and Isabella, though Sabine does contact Matthew on occasion and Griffin keeps in contact with Isabella. There are shades of the beginnings of Griffin and Sabine's romance within these correspondence - primarily with Matthew's doubts regarding Sabine.

Unlike the previous trilogy, there is more of a sense of menace with this trilogy. There is active evil in the unseen Frilotti and his cohorts. But getting Matthew to understand the seriousness of what is happening (within the first book) is a large part of the first book.

I'll be honest. The second trilogy fell flat with me. It still had the beautiful artwork of the first trilogy, but the magic wasn't quite there. I think the addition of "the next generation" just didn't work as well. My husband, of course, thinks I'm crazy as he loved them as much as the first trilogy. But for me, Griffin and Sabine had a simplicity beneath the complications of their circumstance. Something primal about the connection and the love they shared. But adding Matthew and Isabella complicated that. And it just didn't sit as right with me.

The series was ok... worth reading at least once. But it didn't, in my mind, live up to the magic of the first trilogy.

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Review: The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Is Rediscovered

2011-12-26T21:24:00.001-06:00

The Gryphon: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Is Rediscovered by Nick Bantock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Note: This review covers all three books in the series - The Gryphon, Alexandria and The Morning Star.)

The Morning Star Trilogy is the second trilogy of books regarding Griffin and Sabine. But this time, Griffin and Sabine are in the background, guiding another pair of lovers together in an effort to stop Frolatti from some horrible plot. In the forefront of this story are Matthew Sedon, a young archaeologist in Alexandria with a connection to Sabine (she helped deliver him) and Isabella de Reims, a student in Paris and Matthew's lover. Isabella often has waking dreams, views into the psyche of the world. The letters are primarily between Matthew and Isabella, though Sabine does contact Matthew on occasion and Griffin keeps in contact with Isabella. There are shades of the beginnings of Griffin and Sabine's romance within these correspondence - primarily with Matthew's doubts regarding Sabine.

Unlike the previous trilogy, there is more of a sense of menace with this trilogy. There is active evil in the unseen Frilotti and his cohorts. But getting Matthew to understand the seriousness of what is happening (within the first book) is a large part of the first book.

I'll be honest. The second trilogy fell flat with me. It still had the beautiful artwork of the first trilogy, but the magic wasn't quite there. I think the addition of "the next generation" just didn't work as well. My husband, of course, thinks I'm crazy as he loved them as much as the first trilogy. But for me, Griffin and Sabine had a simplicity beneath the complications of their circumstance. Something primal about the connection and the love they shared. But adding Matthew and Isabella complicated that. And it just didn't sit as right with me.

The series was ok... worth reading at least once. But it didn't, in my mind, live up to the magic of the first trilogy.

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Review: The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes

2011-12-26T20:51:00.001-06:00

The Golden Mean: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Concludes by Nick Bantock

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Griffin is once again in London and Sabine is once again on Katie. They believe in one another, but the strangeness around their inability to meet has them desperate to find a way to do so. Each correspondence draws them closer to a possibility, while also exposing them to dangers that are stalking them.

Personally, I didn't care for The Golden Mean as much as I did for the previous two. Don't get me wrong... it was a good book and one that I'm glad to have read. But it just didn't seem to have the magic that the previous ones did. The introduction of Frolatti actually detracted from the story for me, though it did give the pair an extra impetus to find a way to get together. And it sets things up for the second trilogy.

The one constant through the series, however, is the artwork. There is nothing plain or uninspiring about any of the envelopes or postcards contained withing the pages of these books.

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Review: Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues

2011-12-26T20:23:00.001-06:00

Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues by Nick Bantock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second book in the Griffin and Sabine trilogy (that eventually spawned a second trilogy) sees Sabine come to London, only to find that Griffin has fled. The letters between them continue, Sabine being the supportive friend and love as Griffin tries to figure himself out. Of all of the books in this series, this is the one that explores change and acceptance more than any of the others.

As with the first book, Sabine's Notebook has beautiful, sometimes disturbing artwork that only adds to the postcard and letters that have been written between the pair. I could spend hours just looking at the artwork, finding something new with each glance. It's that wonderful.

Bantock also proved, once again, that he is a master at leaving the reader shocked and anxious to read the next book. I don't want to talk about the ending here... it would be too much of a spoiler. But prepare yourself for things not being quite what they seem.

In many ways, I enjoyed this book even more than the first. It brought the relationship of Griffin and Sabine to deeper levels, taught the reader more about each of them as individuals and the pair as a couple, without either having met the other. It takes a long time to digest everything in it.

Most series, I don't worry about reading in order. But this series... You really do need to read them in order. You need to take the journey along with Griffin and Sabine because you'll lose so much if you don't.

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Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-12-25T11:45:00.001-06:00

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jacob grew up on his grandfather's unusual stories of his youth. As a young child, he believed everything his grandfather said was true. But as he got older, that belief waned. Still, his grandfather's tales never altered and he continued to insist that the peculiar children he lived with during the war existed. When his grandfather is killed, and Jacob is convinced that he sees one of the creatures from his grandfather's stories in the woods, he starts to rethink his disbelief. He and his father head to the small island off of Wales where his grandfather claimed this unusual orphanage existed. Here, Jacob will find out the truth regarding the stories his grandfather told... and the truth of who he is.

I'd seen this book on many friends' read lists and each time, they'd reviewed it favorably. Being a book with fantastic elements was something I knew would be right up my alley. And with so many people recommending it, I knew I'd need to read for myself what the fuss was about. And I'm very glad that I did.

The story was a perfect melding of prose and unusual, sometimes impossible seeming photographs. As the story was told and a photograph was mentioned, you would see it on the next page. And being able to see what Jacob was talking about as he described the picture just added to it.

The story itself was incredibly engaging, to the point that I wanted to stay up all night reading it. I wanted to know how Jacob's life was going to change and how the children that he meets at Miss Peregrine's would react to him. I was carried along and, at the end, very anxious to hear the rest of the story. I can't wait until the second book comes out. It'll be on my reading list close to immediately.

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Eclectic Reader Challenge, 2012

2011-12-23T19:56:00.003-06:00

As readers of this blog know, I have very eclectic tastes when it comes to reading. So this challenge seems tailor made for me. Below are the rules, directly from the site:

The aim of The Eclectic Reader 2012 Challenge is to push you a little outside your comfort zone by reading up to 12 books during the year from 12 different genres.

JOIN IN:

The challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 201. Participants may join at any time up until December 1st 2012

Create a blog post committing to your participation in this challenge.

* If you don’t have a blog you are still welcome to sign up. You can create a shelf for the challenge at Goodreads or LibraryThing or a similar site Just include your name and a link to your shelf.

Post your name, blog name, and the direct link to your challenge post in the Linky using the link below

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Select, read and review a book from each genre listed below during the year for a total of 12 books.

* You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish.* Where a book is identified by more than one genre eg historical romance, it may only count for either the historical fiction or romantic fiction genres – not both.

Genres

Literary Fiction
Crime/Mystery Fiction
Romantic Fiction
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Non Fiction
Horror
Thriller /Suspense
Classic
Your favourite genre

Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, make sure you identify it by adding either a direct statement and /or the challenge image badge to the post.

Share your review with other challenge participants by posting your name/blog name and title of the book with a direct link to your review in the Linky.

All participants that complete the challenge by December 31st 2012 will be eligible to win a book of their choice to the value of $15 from bookdepository.com (or paypal funds of US$10) to be drawn via random.org Jan 1st 2013.

Needless to say, I'm in!

Review: Justice League of America (Volume 2): The Lightning Saga

2011-12-11T09:30:00.001-06:00

Justice League of America (Volume 2): The Lightning Saga by Brad Meltzer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I heard about this book at the end of JSA: The Next Age, purporting to be the next part of the story. And it was, though it was combining three different super teams - the JSA, including their newest members, the JLA, and the Legion of Super-Heroes (a group from the 31st Century). Seven members of the League had come back for some reason they refused to tell their earlier counterparts about. The first part of the book involves reuniting the members of the League, as they've been thrown back and have been immobilized in some way (eg. Starman has lost much of his memory and his schizophrenia is at the forefront, Wildfire is frozen as a statue in the Fortress of Solitude). Once they've all been found, however, they start using subterfuge and misdirection to keep the JSA and JLA from finding out what they are doing - using lightning power to bring back someone from the dead. The lightning should kill one of those trying to call it and they are afraid of being stopped because of that danger. In the end, the JSA and JLA figure it out, but they are too late to stop it. The person is brought back.

It was a pretty good book, but I think it suffered from too many characters. Between all the members of the JLA, the JSA and the League, the pages were always filled with characters. For all of that, the story was pretty good. I liked finding out more about characters I'd seen in future story lines (primarily Final Crisis), as well as finding out a little about Superman's past that I hadn't known previously. There were also a few stand-alone stories after the main narrative. My favorite was "Walls", in which Red Arrow and Vixen are trapped within a building that has collapsed and is slipping into the water. They need to find a way to get out, and it isn't definite that they will do so. It was very moving and very suspenseful. As much as I enjoyed the other two stories ("Monitor Duty", which involves various JLA members both monitoring from their base and being monitored by Martian Manhunter and Aquaman, and "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow", which is a combination origin story of the JLA/view of the changing friendships between Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman), "Walls" was far and away the best. If you read it for no other reason, read it for that story.

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Review: Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence

2011-12-11T08:31:00.001-06:00

Griffin and Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'd originally read this wonderful book about 10 years ago and was impressed with it then. It had been in the back of my mind all this time and came to the forefront when I was reading through Book Lust for reading suggestions. I requested it and all it's sequels from the library. I picked them up yesterday and am glad to sink back into it.

This book will be a quick read, and you'll spend as much time looking at the artwork as you will reading it. The book is a series of postcards and letters between Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem, initiated by Sabine when she recognizes a piece of artwork that Griffin had created for his card business as something she'd seen in her imaginings. Thus begins a conversation between the two that is defies description. With each postcard, and then letter (which are written as pieces of paper you can remove from envelopes on the page), you learn more about both Griffin and Sabine and a hint at what connects them.

This is truly one of the most fascinating books I've ever read, both in concept and in story. It's one that, when Pete's a bit older and not into destroying everything he touches, I'd love to own just so I can reread it whenever I need a little magic in my life. Because that's what this book feels like to me - magic within the pages of a book.

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2012 New Book Challenge

2011-12-05T12:18:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 2012 New Book Challenge. This challenge is for those who love reading books right after they come out.

Who can join? Anyone. If you have a blog, link to that. If you have a Goodreads account, link to that. Link to whatever location you'll be putting your reviews up on.

When will it run? From January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012. And you can sign up at any time.

How many books do I need to read? Well, it depends on which level you'd like to be. Here are the levels:

First Time Author - Read up to 3 new books in a year
Follow up Success - Read up to 6 new books in a year
Best Seller - Read up to 12 new books in a year
Award Winner - Read over 12 new books in a year

This year, I'm aiming for Follow up Success.

What constitutes a new book? The book has to be released within the year 2012.

How will you know that I've been participating in this challenge? First, you need to add your name to the roster below. Then, on the last day of each month (or as close to it as I can), I'll post an inlinkz to allow you to add your reviews.

Do I have to add each individual review to the link? Not unless you want to. The other way to do it would be to have a monthly review page and have links on those pages to your reviews. Then just link up your link page.

Can I ask you any questions that you didn't answer here? Sure! I love questions and I'm kind of making this up as I go along.

So that's it. Sign up below to participate!

2012 Children's Book Reading Challenge

2011-12-05T11:04:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the 2012 Children's Book Reading Challenge. This challenge is for those who want to enjoy more of the wonderful children's books. It's perfect for those who read to children on a regular basis (parents, teachers, librarians) and want to get the word out about the books they've read.

Who can join? Anyone. If you have a blog, link to that. If you have a Goodreads account, link to that. Link to whatever location you'll be putting your reviews up on.

When will it run? From January 1, 2012 until December 31, 2012. And you can sign up at any time.

How many books do I need to read? Well, it depends on which level you'd like to be. Since these are children's books which are, by nature, quick reads, the numbers may be a bit higher than you've seen in other challenges. Here are the levels:

Crawling - Read up to 10 children's books in a year
Cruising - Read up to 20 children's books in a year
Walking - Read up to 30 children's books in a year
Running - Read over 30 children's books in a year

Since I have two little ones who love to read, I'm aiming for Running this year.

What constitutes a children's book? If you would find it in the juvenile or children's section of the library, it would count for this challenge.

How will you know that I've been participating in this challenge? First, you need to add your name to the roster below. Then, on the last day of each month (or as close to it as I can), I'll post an inlinkz to allow you to add your reviews.

Do I have to add each individual review to the link? Not unless you want to. The other way to do it would be to have a monthly review page and have links on those pages to your reviews. Then just link up your link page.

Who's that cute kid in the button? That's my youngest son, Peter. He was sitting in our local library reading one of the books he wanted to check out. I thought it was the perfect pic to show this challenge.

Can I put what my kids/students/story time listeners thought of the book as well? Please do! It'll be a great way to gauge how appealing it is for it's intended audience!

Can I ask you any questions that you didn't answer here? Sure! I love questions and I'm kind of making this up as I go along.

So that's it. Sign up below to participate!

Review: Justice Society of America: The Next Age

2011-12-04T10:03:00.001-06:00

Justice Society of America: The Next Age by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While the old guard is busy recruiting new members for the JSA, someone is killing this younger generation. This is one of the earlier books from the reboot of the JSA and it's a place where we get introduced to some of the newer members like Damage and Cyclone and see their beginnings in this super team.

The backstories for the new characters flowed seamlessly with the narrative as a whole. I'm finding that I really like Cyclone a lot. She's bubbly and excited, yet even when faced with death on her first day, decides that this really is what she wants to do.

It was also interesting meeting Wildcat's son, Tom. I'd seen bits and pieces of him in some of the other trade paperbacks that I'd read, but I didn't know too much about him. I like the fact that he's generally a pacifist, but can (and will) kick butt if necessary. He too, I think, will become a favorite of mine.

All in all, it was a very good read and one that I was glad to have picked up. I've got the next one on order from the library so I can see where things go from here.

View all my reviews

Review: JLA Classified Vol. 3: New Maps of Hell

2011-12-04T09:38:00.001-06:00

JLA Classified Vol. 3: New Maps of Hell by Warren Ellis

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When people connected to LexCorp start committing suicide, it intrigues Lois Lane and Clark Kent enough to do some research. What they find out leads them to something that can only be handled by the JLA - and a lot more deaths to come. Because the JLA is going to be tested by a being that is brought here through a code map. And none of the outcomes are good.

This was a fairly quick read for me, finishing it in about an hour. While not one of the better JLA stories I've read, it's still a solid book. I enjoyed seeing the various pieces of the puzzle come together, as well as, for once, Luthor being involved but not being at the bottom of it. It was an interesting dynamic for me.

View all my reviews

Review: Sin City, Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye

2011-12-04T09:05:00.001-06:00

Sin City, Vol. 1: The Hard Goodbye by Frank Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've heard a lot of things about Frank Miller's Sin City. It's a dark, gritty graphic novel that doesn't pull any punches. It had been on me To Read list for awhile, but passively rather than aggressively. So when I saw the first volume in the library, I knew the time was right for me to read it. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect, but it wasn't what I got.

What I got blew me away. The artwork is purely black and white, but very intricately drawn. The contrasts that Miller shows between light and dark in each panel is breath-taking. There are times when the artwork is incredibly disturbing, more because of what your mind fills in than what Miller has drawn.

And the story was riveting. From Marv meeting Goldie in a bar, through her death and his search for her killer, all the way to his final end, I did not want to put it down. I was incredibly invested in this story, worrying about Marv, saddened by some of the deaths, disgusted once Marv finally tracks down the killer... I felt every emotion that, I'm sure, I was intended to feel.

I'm not sure if this is one I'd want to own and only maybe read again. It was a wonderful, fantastic, terrific book. But it's also not a world I can see myself wanting to dive back into regularly.

View all my reviews

Review: Alterant

2011-12-04T08:52:00.001-06:00

Alterant by Sherrilyn Kenyon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alterant is the second book in Sherrilyn Kenyon & Dianna Love's Belador series. It takes place directly after the first book with Evalle having to face a tribunal of three gods. They are to decide whether Evalle they need to lock up Evalle because she is a female Alterant. Along with the other problems, there have been a large number of Alterants shifting into their beast form, attacking and killing humans. Three have escaped from their confinement. With the backing of the Belador leader, Brida, Evalle proposes to show her loyalty by finding and recapturing the escaped Alternats. But, she informs them, she then wants them to have a chance to plead their case before the Tribunal. They agree but tell her she cannot get help from her friends, Tzader and Quinn. She has to go it alone. They don't leave her completely without help, though. They give her three all-powerful wishes. The only stipulation is that she cannot repeat wishes. And then they send her to the prison of the last Alterant she sent back into captivity.

I'd been looking forward to this book, loving the previous works of Kenyon and Love and having really enjoyed the first book of the series. But for some reason, I had a difficult time getting into it. It could just have been the mood I was in, but I couldn't make myself get emotionally involved in the story. And for me, that's a big deal. It didn't seem quite as cohesive as the previous books. And reading it felt like watching actors who are technically good but not involving their emotions. Like I said, it's possible (even probable) that I was just not in the mood for this kind of story right now.

I will, however, read the next book in the series. The plot is an interesting one and the world is rich. I may even try giving this a reread in a few weeks to see if it was me or the book.

View all my reviews

Graphic Novel Challenge

2011-12-03T14:18:00.001-06:00

Well, it looks like I don't need to host this one this year. Nicola from Back to Books is hosting over at Graphic Novel Challenge. The goal is to read 12 graphic novels. I somehow suspect I'll hit that goal early, but I'm going to enjoy doing it anyway. :)

So if you're interested in graphic novels, or want to read more of them, come on over and join the challenge.

I'll make a decision tomorrow on the other two challenges. So keep your eyes on this space for more news.

TBR Pile Challenge from Roof Beam Reader

2011-12-03T09:37:00.001-06:00

Because I'm glutton for punishment, I'm joining Roof Beam Reader's 2012 TBR Pile Challenge. This is the only challenge in which I'm participating that requires you to name the books before hand. Since I have a huge pile of books that have been purchased but not read, I've got plenty to choose from.
I think I've talked my husband into joining, which is a big deal since he never joins anything like this. He may have his list and reviews here on Views from the Reader Side since he doesn't have a blog of his own. So keep an eye out here for posts by Rich. Those will be his reviews and his list.

The rules are pretty simple. Choose 12 books that have been on your shelf for at least one year and that you have never read. You may choose up to 2 alternate books in case some of the books end up on your slush pile. Keep a master list of your books in a post on your blog and link your reviews to the titles on that list. You don't have to read them in order. But you do need to sign up here.
I spent some time last night going through my books to figure out which 12 I'm going to read. And here they are, including my two alternates.
Amber's Master List of 12 Books and 2 Alternates to Read in 2012

The Time Machine by HG Wells
Finis: A Book of Endings to Give People New Beginnings edited by Tomorrow the World Games
Maybe (Maybe Not) by Robert Fulghum
Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E Feist
Salt in your Sock: and Other Tried and True Home Remedies by Lillian Beard
Decalog edited by Mark Stammers
Lankhmar: Tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber
Silverlock by John Myers Myers
The Collectors by David Baldacci
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers
Unicorn Variations by Roger Zelazny
Night by Elie Wiesel

Alternates

The Eternal Champion by Michael Moorcock
The Dollhouse Murders by Thomas P Mauriello

The hardest part of this challenge is not starting on them until January!

Considering two challenges of my own

2011-12-02T21:02:00.001-06:00

Seeing all these wonderful challenges that other book bloggers are starting or continuing or taking over has me thinking of three challenges that I may want to start for 2012 as well. Honestly, at the moment the only thing stopping me is the inability to make pretty buttons to fit them. I have very little talent when it comes to that kind of thing. But this weekend or next, I may try my hand at one anyway.

The three challenge suggestions are these:

2012 Graphic Novel Challenge - a challenge to read more of this far underrated medium. There's a lot of great graphic novels out there (and some utter dreck) and it would be interesting to see what other graphic novels that people are reading for the challenge.

2012 New Book Challenge - I have a tendency to pull more older books from the shelves of my library than the new ones. Then, years later, I end up "discovering" a book that friends have known about for years. I want to change that. So I'm thinking of starting up this challenge as well.

2012 Children's Book Challenge - There really are a lot of great children's books out there. Those of us who are parents to children not yet old enough to read themselves have found a lot of them. I think it would be a great challenge to see how many new books you can get your children to enjoy with you, as well as review. It would be a perfect opportunity to tell your readers not just what you think of the books but what of your children do too.

The rules for all three challenges would be pretty similar to the other challenges I'm participating in, but that's something I'd write out when I do the sign up posts.

So this brings me to a few questions, oh gentle readers:

Do you know of any similar challenges happening in the book blogging world? If so, point me in their direction because I'd hate to step on any toes
If not, would any of these challenges be of interest to you? If so, which ones?
If I do it, I'll need some help with the buttons. Can you give me a few suggestions on the best way to make them/free software to help, free graphics that will make it prettier?
Am I completely insane for wanting to host these challenges?

So that's it. That's what's going through my mind. I'm definitely interested in input from anyone who reads my blog, particularly those who are also participating in reading challenges.

What's in a Name 5 Challenge

2011-12-02T20:42:00.001-06:00

This is one of the more interesting challenges I've come across in my search for being Challenge Mistress of 2012. (Ok, maybe not but it's starting to feel that way with the sheer number of challenges I'm participating in. :)) I found this one through Teresa's Reading Corner who linked it up from Beth Fish Reads. It's a 6 book challenge in which you try to read at least one book in each category.

Here's the information she lists on her blog regarding the challenge:

Here's How It Works
Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a topographical feature(land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
A book with something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know

Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

On January 1, I'll publish 7 posts, each with a Mr. Linky (one for each category and one for your wrap-up post), on this blog so you'll have a place post links to your reviews (bloggers) or leave comments (non-bloggers) as you finish up each category. You'll be able to find these posts during the year by clicking on the button in the sidebar. (I'll create those links on January 1.)

Tip: If you're ever struggling to find a title to match a category, check out what other people have read so you can get ideas or be inspired. And remember to be creative.

This is going to be a lot of fun, so why not join me and the other participants in getting our minds working on titles that will fit the category. You can sign up here. Look forward to checking out your choices!

Audio Book Challenge

2011-12-02T20:27:00.001-06:00

Audio books have been, on many occasions, my savior. They are the only way I can take care of two things at once - working a dull, boring job and getting my reading in, cleaning my house and getting my reading in, driving 800 miles and getting my reading in. I'm sure you notice the theme there? So when I saw the 2012 Audio Book Challenge from Teresa's Reading Corner, I knew I had to join up.

Like the other challenges that I've joined for next year, this one runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. There are four levels to the challenge:

Flirting - Listen to 6 audio books
Going Steady - Listen to 12 audio books
Lover - Listen to 25 audio books
Married - Listen to +++ books

I'm trying for Going Steady this year with hopes of working my way up to married. It'll just depend on the books I'm able to get on audio.

Along with the challenge itself, she has a few other interesting things that she'll be doing in conjunction throughout the year. She'll have monthly mini-challenges, getting to know audio book publishers and a "getting to know our participants" feature. It looks like a great challenge to be involved in. So come on over and join up with us. I think it'll be a lot of fun.

Alex Awards Reading Challenge

2011-12-02T16:38:00.001-06:00

I found this next challenge through Carrie at Stalking the Bookshelves. It's being hosted by The Story Girl. The idea is to read a certain number of Alex Award winners. What are the Alex Awards? I hadn't heard of them before either. But The Story Girl put a nice description of them up on her challenge page. Basically, these are books written for adults but that appeal to the YA market of ages 12 to 18. Definitely books that are up my alley. So I'm signing up.

Here are the rules, as posted by The Story Girl. Look them over and then hop over here to sign up!

When does the challenge run? It runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. You have to start the book after January 1, 2012 for it to count.

What are the rules? It's pretty simple -- read Alex Awards winners! I will also count nominees. You can find lists here. There are four levels - 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books, or 10+ books. You are not required to post reviews, but on January 1, 2012 I will put up a linky for participants to post their reviews.

Great! How do I sign up? Write an introductory post stating your desired level and link to it in the linky below. You can sign up at any time from now until the challenge ends, so feel free to join in midway through the year.

So here's my introductory post. I'm going to try for the 4 to 6 level, but hopefully I'll fit more of them into my reading schedule. Come along and have some fun with me in this challenge!

100+ Books in a Year Reading Challenge

2011-12-02T16:22:00.001-06:00

This should be one of the easiest challenges for me to complete. This past year, I've gone over that half-again. So I'm looking forward to this challenge. Again it's sponsored by Book Chick City. Take a look below for the rules for the challenge.

Challenge Details

Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

Rules: Read 100+ books in 2012 (any genre)

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.
Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

Only fiction, no non-fiction.

This challenge can crossover to other challenges.

You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list - just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you've read a book and what you thought of it! :)

And that's it. A pretty easy challenge for those who are addicted to reading. If you're interested in taking part along with me, come sign up at Book Chick City

Speculative Romance Reading Challenge

2011-12-02T16:02:00.001-06:00

Challenges, challenges everywhere! I may be a glutton for punishment, but considering how much reading I like to do, I suspect I won't have a problem with them.

Again, I have another challenge offered by Book Chick City. This one involves speculative romance. Below are the rules from the sign-up page. Look them over and see if you want to join me in searching for one sexy demon.

Challenge Details

Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

Rules: There are FOUR (4) LEVELS to choose from:
- One Sexy Demon: Read 6 Speculative Romance novels in 2012
- Two Sexy Werewolves: Read 12 Speculative Romance novels in 2012
- Three Sexy Vampires: Read 18 Speculative Romance novels in 2012
- Four Sexy Archangels: Read 24 Speculative Romance novels in 2012

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

Only fiction, no non-fiction.

You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list - just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you've read a book and what you thought of it! :)
GENRES:
- Paranormal romance
- Dark fantasy romance
- Urban fantasy romance
- Steampunk romance
- Sci-fi romance
- Apocalyptic romance

If you can think of any other sub-genres let me know by leaving a comment and I will add to the list. I often get emailed asking if such and such a book is classed as romance - in my opinion as long as the main plot line is the romance element then you're good to go! Also remember, this is 'speculative' romance so no historical or contemporary allowed ;)

If you want to join me in this challenge, head over to Book Chick City to sign up!

Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge

2011-12-02T15:40:00.001-06:00

Here's my official declaration that I'll be participating in the Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge, 2012. Challenge Details

Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

Rules: There are TWO LEVELS you can choose from:
- Read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2012
- Read TWENTY FOUR (24) mystery & suspense novels in 2012

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

This challenge can crossover to other challenges.

At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to add your reviews.

You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list - just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you've read a book and what you thought of it! :)

You can choose from the numerous sub-genres of mystery and suspense, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I'm sure this challenge will have something for everyone! :)

To help you figure out and decide, I have updated a sub-genre list - to view this list go HERE.

Since mysteries are some of my favorite books, I'm definitely up for this one! Come join me in my quest to read 12 mystery and suspense novels in 2012! You can sign up here.

Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge

2011-12-02T15:15:00.001-06:00

I'm going challenge crazy for 2012. Let's see how many of these challenges I can successfully complete. This challenge is Book Chick City's Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge. Take a gander at the rules and join up as well, if the mood takes you.

Challenge Details

Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012

There are two levels:
- Read TWENTY FOUR (24) horror & urban fantasy novels in 2012
- Read FORTY EIGHT (48) horror & urban fantasy novels in 2012

You don't have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

You can join the challenge at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

No non-fiction - only fiction.

This challenge can crossover to other challenges.

At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to add your reviews.

You don't have to have a blog to join in - for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list - just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you've read a book and what you thought of it! :)

So come along and join! You'll find the sign-up page here.

2012 eBook Challenge Log

2011-12-01T13:18:00.000-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

Below are the books that I've read for the 2012 eBook Challenge.

My goal is to read at least 5 eBooks.

2012 A to Z Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.014-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

These are the books I'm reading for the 2012 A to Z Reading Challenge.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q. A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands (completed 1/5/12)
R.
S.
T.
U.
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z.

2012 Eclectic Reader Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.013-06:00

Literary Fiction
Crime/Mystery Fiction
Romantic Fiction A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands (completed 1/5/12)
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Non-Fiction
Horror
Thriller/Suspense
Classic
Paranormal (Favorite Genre)

2012 New Book Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.012-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

Here are the books I'm reading for the 2012 New Book Reading Challenge.

My goal is to read 12 new books.

2012 Children's Book Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.011-06:00

2012 Graphics Novel Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.010-06:00

1. Noble Causes: Extended Family #2 by Jay Faerber

RBR's 2012 TBR Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.009-06:00

The Time Machine by HG Wells
Finis: A Book of Endings to Give People New Beginnings edited by Tomorrow the World Games
Maybe (Maybe Not) by Robert Fulghum
Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E Feist
Salt in your Sock: and Other Tried and True Home Remedies by Lillian Beard
Decalog edited by Mark Stammers
Lankhmar: Tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber
Silverlock by John Myers Myers
The Collectors by David Baldacci
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers
Unicorn Variations by Roger Zelazny
Night by Elie Wiesel

Alternates

The Eternal Champion by Michael Moorcock
The Dollhouse Murders by Thomas P Mauriello

2012 What's in a Name Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.008-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

Here are the books I'm reading for the 2012 What's in a Name Reading Challenge.

A book with a topographical feature in the title.
A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title.
A book with a creepy crawly in the title.
A book with a type of house in the title.
A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse or backpack in the title.
A book with something you'd find on a calendar in the title.

2012 Audio Book Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.007-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

These are the books I'm listening to for the 2012 Audio Book Challenge.

My goal is to listen to 12 audio books.

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

2012 Alex Awards Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.006-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

Here are the books I'm reading for the 2012 Alex Awards Reading Challenge.

My goal is to read 4 to 6 books.

2012 100 + Books in a Year Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.005-06:00

Noble Causes: Extended Family #2 by Jay Faerber (Graphic Novel)

2012 Speculative Romance Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.004-06:00

2012 Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.003-06:00

2012 Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.002-06:00

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.001-06:00

2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge Log

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000-06:00

(Note: I am backdating this post so it doesn't show up as a new pot when I write it. This will be linked to from a separate page that will list my logs for all my challenges.)

Below are the books that I have read for the 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge.

My goal for this challenge is 200 books

1. A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands (audio book)
2. Noble Causes: Extended Family #2 by Jay Faerber (Graphic Novel)

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

2011-11-29T18:16:00.001-06:00

I love books. I buy them, win them, are gifted with them, on a very regular basis. Unfortunately, I get books more often than I read them. So I have a HUGE TBR pile on my shelves. In an effort to work my way through some of the backlog, I'm going to participate in the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge.

Challenge guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry.
If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;)
December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL.
You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:
1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

Hosts:
Evie from Bookish -http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea - http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

Wrap-up POST Schedule:

January - Donna (Theme: Let It Snow + Book Cover Challenge)
February - Nicole (Theme: Un-requited Love/Love Gone Wrong + Advice Column Challenge)
March - Rie (Theme: Green or Pinched + Green Cover Challenge)
April - Bonnie (Theme: Easter + Mini Challenge)
May - Christa (Theme: MayDay - Disaster Books! + Cover Disaster Challenge)
June - Jenna (Theme: Camping + Sentence Challenge)
July - Rie (Theme: International Day + Cover Comparison Challenge)
August - Angel (Theme: Summer Memories + Send Your Fav Character On Vacation Challenge)
September - Nicole (Theme: Life Changing Books + Mini Challenge)
October - Caitlin (Theme: Thanksgiving Theme + Share-A-Book Challenge)
November - Vicky (Theme: Spooky Halloween + Book Puzzle Challenge)
December - Evie (Theme: Xmas Bliss + Book Bachelor Challenge)

I'm starting out with A Friendly Hug. I may move up as the year goes on. It'll just depend on how many new books drag my attention away. Click on the picture above to go to the sign-up page!

2012 eBook Challenge

2011-11-29T18:04:00.001-06:00

Sarah at Workday Reads is hosting the 2012 eBook Challenge. I'm joining this one in the hopes that I'll have something (at some point this year) that I can read eBooks easily on. Otherwise, I suspect I'll be spending time reading a few books on my netbook in bed at night. But I do like a challenge, so I'm signing up, regardless.

You can click on the picture above to get to the sign-up page. If you're curious about the guidelines for the challenge, take a gander below (taken directly from the sign-up page).

Challenge Guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
Anyone can join, you don't need to be a blogger. If you don't have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:

Floppy disk - 5 ebooks
CD - 10 ebooks
DVD - 25 ebooks
Memory stick - 50 ebooks
Hard drive - 75 ebooks
Server - 100 ebooks
Human brain - 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. If you forget, feel free to add your reviews in the following month. Any reviews submitted will be entered into the draw for that month.

Since I'm not sure what my eBook reading will be like for the upcoming year, I'm going Floppy Disk for now. But I am hoping to change it to a higher level later in the year.

Who's going to join me?

Review: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

2011-11-29T10:35:00.001-06:00

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rich had picked this book up from the library several weeks ago and told me that I had to read it as soon as he closed the back cover. I'd been putting it off for awhile, having several other books that were higher on my priority list (requests that needed to go back to the library). Yesterday, I decided that it was the time for me to settle in and read it.

Charlotte Doyle is a 13 year old girl, just out of finishing school in England, and on her way back to her family home in Providence, RI. Her father has arranged passage for her on a ship belonging to the company he works for, arranging for two other families to travel at the same time. But when Charlotte arrives at the boat, she finds that the other families are unable to travel and she will be the loan female on a boat full of men. What follows is a tale that moves from fear to adventure and takes this well-brought-up girl from her high society beginnings into a world she could have never imagined.

Overall a good story, the beginning seemed a bit slow to me. It took me awhile to warm up to Charlotte and her story. It wasn't until the mutiny were ready to begin that I really became enraptured and knew I would want to finish it that night.

The writing was very evocative, making it easy to mentally put yourself on a sailing ship in the 19th century. I could feel the cramped quarters, the sparseness of the cabin that Charlotte is first settled into. The main characters are very well written, each with their own quirks. The minor characters in the story aren't quite as fleshed out (many of the sailors seem indistinguishable from one another), but it doesn't detract from the overall story.

The book is a fairly quick read, one that I finished within about 3 hours. It's good for a rainy afternoon when you want to lose yourself somewhere that is far removed from your cozy chair.

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Review: True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal--and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life

2011-11-28T10:04:00.001-06:00

True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal--and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life by Kevin Sorbo

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

With the sheer number of books that I've read since January, saying that True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal - and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life was the best book that I've read this year is saying a lot. I haven't been reading a lot of non-fiction lately, but when I'd read a blurb about this book through one of my library newsletters, it intrigued me.

For many, Kevin Sorbo was Hercules. This included, to a large degree, himself. When he was struck down at 38 with strokes that affected his thinking, his balance and his ability to live the life he had, life becomes an uphill battle for Kevin and those that love him.

I'd been expecting this to be a true autobiography - telling everything from childhood to present day and the complications from the aneurysm would only be a small part of it. Instead, he only touched briefly on his earlier days and that, primarily, was to set up the changes that he had to make in his life. It really did focus on what this illness did to him and the difficult he had making the changes that were necessary to keep him alive.

Kevin isn't the only one to write about what happened to him. Interspersed throughout the chapters written by Kevin are chapters written by his wife (Sam), his mother and many other friends along the way. They gave a good glimpse into what the outside world was seeing while Kevin was dealing with his own issues.

I think part of why this book may have resonated so strongly with me is because of my own battle with a disease that doesn't allow me to live the life I want - depression. It's often been hard for me to accept that it's ok to slow down some days because of the weight that depression drops on my shoulders. Seeing someone with the physical and mental strength of Kevin Sorbo having to deal with those same issues reminded me that accepting isn't giving up.

I also loved reading about Kevin and Sam and the love they share for one another. It's rare in Hollywood to see love that lasts. But their love... it's been tested in a stronger fire than being on the set surrounded by sexy co-stars or having fans that are willing to do anything for the favorite stars. They hadn't been engaged long when Kevin was hospitalized for the aneurysm, but they managed to stay together through the roughest times. Sam admits that if Kevin hadn't had to endure this, they may not have survived together. He was a work-a-holic that put in 18 hour days and unthinkingly expected her to make the changes to fit into his life. But his illness taught them both a lot about each other and made their relationship stronger. I hope never to have to deal with the same kind of trial-by-fire, but I do hope to have that same kind of love with Rich for the rest of my days.

What amazes me most is that he was able to keep this secret for so long. In this entitled world, where everyone feels it's their right to know everything about those who have achieved fortune and fame, being able to keep a secret of this magnitude is mind-boggling. It took a lot of courage for him to write this book and I'm very glad he did.

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Review: True Blue

2011-11-28T07:41:00.001-06:00

True Blue by David Baldacci

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've owned the hardcover of this book for awhile, but hadn't gotten around to reading it. When I was looking for an audio to listen to while I was cleaning, I came across the playaway and thought now would be the perfect time to listen to it.

True Blue is the first book by David Baldacci that I've read, but I'm not going to let it be the last. He kept the right level of suspense through the whole story, with periods of slower moments interspersed between the tense moments where you wonder what's going to happen next.

I'll admit, this book did put a little fear in me. It shows how easy it is for just two members of the government to ruin the lives of many - almost without getting caught - and those lives they ruin have no recourse.

The characters were incredibly interesting. Mace is an incredibly strong character. A bit impulsive sometimes, but I like that in a character. I love that she's not giving up on clearing her name, not giving up on getting back on the police force. She's got a great relationship with her sister, as well as her new employer. And the way that she and Roy Kingman develop their relationship is just fantastic.

There were a few problems with the book, mainly a scenes that aren't quite true-to-life. But I was able to overlook those to enjoy the book as a whole. I wouldn't mind seeing these characters again.

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2011-11-21T13:08:00.001-06:00

It's time for the finals of the Goodreads Choice Awards. Go let your voice be heard!

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards

Vote now for your favorite books!

Review: JSA: All Stars

2011-11-16T16:54:00.001-06:00

JSA: All Stars by Geoff Johns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a very interesting graphic novel. The Injustice Society attacks the JSA, but they are under the control of a demon called Legacy. The original members of the team - Hawkman, Flash, Wildcat and Green Lantern (or Sentinel) - are taken my the IJS while those that are left, all of whom are legacies to the names they hold, need to figure out how to stop them. Oh... except for Sand. His silicone body has actually been fused into glass. The Spectre appears, telling them that this demon feeds on their psychic pain so they need to go confront the pains of their past.

So far, pretty standard graphic novel set-up. It's when we get to see the characters face their issues that the real brilliance of the graphic novel comes to the fore. For each character, there is color spread taking up 3/4s of the page. The bottom quarter has two paragraphs of information. The first is for the new version of the character and the second is for the originator of the name. Then we see a story about the new character confronting their past in their own way and it is followed by a story involving the old character.

I thought it was very clever of them to set it up in this way. It gave those younger readers (or newer to comics such as myself) a better sense of those that passed the torch. I now had a glimpse of Terry Slone, the original Mr Terrific, where I'd never before known he existed. I got to see the original Hourman bring a murdered in the armed forces to justice and realize that his true power doesn't come from the Miraclo that gives him his strength but from himself. For these glimpses alone, I'd have to say that this is probably my favorite new-read comic this year.

I was also impressed with the artwork. The drawings for the legacies were modern. They fit well with the current timeline that they were exploring. But the drawings for the older comics... it wasn't 100% like the older comics from the 40's and 50's, but it evoked that feeling in me. I felt like I was actually reading two different comic books - one from now and one from my father's childhood. It really kept me in the moment.

The end of the story went back to the traditional pattern of good guys together beating the bad guy and rescuing their friends. It took some special insight to do it (and I don't want to share too much because of spoilers, sweetie), but it felt believable. It's one that I probably wouldn't mind owning. And it makes me want to see if I can get my hands on some of the original JSA stories so I can read a bit more about these originals.

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Review: The Black Book of Buried Secrets

2011-11-16T14:46:00.001-06:00

The Black Book of Buried Secrets by Mallory Kass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When I finished this book, all I could think was, "This is The 39 Clues version of The Demigod Files." And I say that as a good thing. It was a great way to reacquaint oneself with the major players before the Cahills vs Vespers series starts, plus is a great jumping off point for learning more about certain figures in history. Now, as far as I know, there is no great family of Cahills that have been maneuvering the world for 500 years (and if there was, since I'm not a Cahill, I wouldn't know, would I?). But it is interesting to think what various historical figures would have done in their search for the clues. (I don't think it's been addressed, but I could imagine Agatha Christie's disappearance would have been because of a clue hunt.)

It's a good book for when you have short bursts of time in which to read. Each part is only a few pages long, yet it still packs a ton of information into each bit without it feeling overwhelming. Like I've said in the past, I think the 39 Clues series is a great one for getting kids interested in history and historical figures. It tells just enough about them to whet the appetite and leave kids (and adults) anxious for more. I've got several people that I don't remember hearing about that I'm going to be reading up on thanks to this book.

There were two parts of this book that I enjoyed above all others - the introduction, written by Rick Riordan and telling the story of the first face to face meeting of the Cahills responsible for putting the story of the 39 Clues out there in the hopes of protecting Amy and Dan. It was a fun read and I loved having a different look at the authors.

The other were the agent reports. Written as short vignettes rather than factual information blurbs, it helped bring the reader back into the world of the 39 Clues very easily. But then again, I really like good fiction.

I would definitely suggest waiting until after you've read the first ten books before picking up The Black Book of Buried Secrets, unless you don't mind being spoiled. It doesn't give away every little bit but it does have some pretty major spoilers throughout. It's not a necessity to read before you start the Cahills vs Vespers series, but I do think you would thank yourself for reading it.

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Review: Superman: True Brit

2011-11-12T21:24:00.001-06:00

Superman: True Brit by Kim Howard Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What if Kal-el had landed in Britain instead of the USA? This book is a hilarious look at that What-if, showing what Superman would have been like if it's followed his parents' motto: WWTNT (What would the neighbors think?) I'd seen this graphic on the shelves at the library for awhile, but hadn't picked it up. Then today, on a whim, I decided "Why not?" And I'm so glad that I did.

The writing is witty (but what would you expect from something co-authored by John Cleese) and there were far too many parts where I needed to stop and explain my laughter to Rich. Seeing the British versions of some of the iconic characters of Superman had me rolling with laughter - Perry White, respected editor, has turned into Peregrine Whyte-Badger, the owner of most of the tabloids in Britain and the King of Sleeze. Lois Lane's counterpart is Louisa Layne-Ferret and rather than the hard-nosed reporter, she is a Page 3 girl and Whyte-Badger's secret agent trying to ferret out information from Colin Clark (aka Superman). I do like the fact that they didn't completely ignore those icons, though. Louisa's cousin, Lois, is a newspaper reporter in Metropolis and comes over to do a story on Superman. When things start to fall apart for Supes at the end of the book, I think she's a large part of the reason why he decides to relocate to America.

The book has a perfect set-up for more comics in this alternate world, seeing several of the British Characters coming to America, all unaware of the others' arrivals. I could imagine a lot of fun with it, honestly.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who likes comics and has a sense of humor. Because it will tickle both of those quite nicely (especially when you meet the Bat-Man. ;))

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Review: Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold

2011-11-12T20:26:00.001-06:00

Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold by Alisa Kwitney

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love almost anything written in the Sandman world as created by Neil Gaiman. And this is no exception. While it isn't quite as good as the actual Sandman series or Jill Thompson's Little Endless, it is an enjoyable read. The artwork is a bit more surreal than I generally enjoy, but considering the story takes place, in the main, in a post-apocalyptic plague world, it does fit the story very well. I enjoyed watching John Ryder travel through the years, looking for his lady in white. I also felt for Ruth - I couldn't imagine losing my boys, having to bury them. But I do like the redemption that she gets by the end of the book. All in all, it's a good read and another enjoyable view into the world of the Endless.

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Review: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

2011-11-12T19:58:00.001-06:00

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As it states in the summary, this really is one of the classics of the graphic novel/superhero world. It's actually this book that is considered the cut off point for the "old" Batman and the "new" Batman. So it's been on my radar for awhile, but I didn't pick it up until last week's library trip. I'm glad, however, that I did. Seeing a world without Batman, followed by his return (and a man of 70 still kicking butt like he does is fantastic). At first, it seemed like the stories told within were independent of each other, beyond Batman's appearance. But by the end, they all seemed to mesh together nicely. This is one of those books that I actually wish I owned because I suspect I'd be reading and rereading it fairly regularly. Especially for the fight between Bats and Supes near the end. And I can't forget the brief appearance of my favorite boy, Ollie Queen (or Green Arrow, as he was known back in the day.)

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Review: The Son of Neptune

2011-11-06T09:42:00.001-06:00

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Percy Jackson is one of my favorite characters in children's literature. And, while I enjoyed getting to know Jason, Piper and Leo in The Lost Hero, it was nice to read about Percy again. And meeting Hazel and Frank, along with the rest of Camp Jupiter (the Roman version of Camp Half-Blood) was like old friends introducing me to new friends.

The book was as exciting as the previous ones set in this world, with surprises peppered throughout the book that I never saw coming. Riordan's writing is exciting, keeping the reader anxious to hear more. Some of the lines that he had various characters say alternately cracked me up and made me want to adopt them as mantras. The characters mesh well and seem very realistic - for demi-gods.

There was only one problem I had with the audio book edition, and that was the pronunciation of Gaea. I'd always pronounced it (and heard it pronounced) Geye-ah. The reader pronounced it GE-ah. And each time he said it, I shuddered. Maybe I'd heard it pronounced wrong all this time. But it still bugged me.

I've got the paper copy of the book coming soon as well, and I'm going to reread it then. Because a) it was a good book and 2) I don't know what I may catch on the second read through. If you've loved the Percy Jackson series, you'll enjoy this one as well. If you love reading about mythology, you'll enjoy the series. And once you've read them, you'll want Fall, 2012 to hurry up and get here for the next installment of the series.

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Review: Odd and the Frost Giants

2011-11-05T21:38:00.001-05:00

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's not secret that I think Neil Gaiman is the best writer of our generation. The man can write for anyone! Odd and the Frost Giants is one of his children's books and is just as brilliant as Coraline and The Graveyard Book.

Odd is the son of an Viking Woodcutter and a Scottish lass. After his father's death, and his mother's remarriage, a winter comes that doesn't seem to end. Needing to be on his own, he takes his father's ax and leave's for his old hut in the woods. And that's where his adventures with the Gods begin.

As you can tell from some of my other reading, I love reading about ancient Gods and the stories around them. Since reading about Loki, Thor and Odin in The Sandman, I've loved Gaiman's view of them. The book was a quick read, but a wonderful one. It's one that I'm hoping to own so my boys can read it regularly as well. And I'm really hoping that Gaiman decides to tell more of Odd's stories. Because he really is a wonderful hero.

For all that the book was wonderful, the best part was the Author Biography at the end. It was one of the funniest biographies I've ever read. So don't stop when you get to the end of the story. Remember, the end of the story rarely is.

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Review: Poirot Investigates

2011-11-05T20:44:00.001-05:00

Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I like to have something playing when I sleep. Whether it be a television show, a movie or an audio book, having something that can lull me into dreamland is a necessity for me to fall asleep. This week, I've put on the audio book version of this book. David Suchet is one of my favorite readers of Poirot stories, so that was a huge draw for me to have it for my bedtime listening.

Part of why I enjoyed this was because I was pretty familiar with all the stories. I'd watched several of them through the BBC version of Poirot. So it was a combination of new (since the TV version is rarely the same as the story itself) and old (since the basis is still the same). Between waking several times through the night and starting it at different points on different nights, I've been able to listen to them all and I don't think there's one that I haven't enjoyed.

This is a perfect book for quick moments. Times when you want a little mystery, a little Poirot, but don't have a lot of time. While still not my favorite (that still goes to Curtain), it is far and away one of the better ones.

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Review: JSA Vol. 8: Black Reign

2011-11-05T20:15:00.001-05:00

JSA Vol. 8: Black Reign by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another random pull from the library book shelves. It was a time that I'd read about in some of the other graphic novels that I'd read, a time when Black Adam brings to him some of the other heroes who were tired of being reactive instead of proactive, including Atom Smasher. Their first order of business is to take back Black Adam's home country, Kahndaq. But the JSA doesn't agree with Black Adam's methods and want to try to bring their errant friends home.

Black Adam is one of my favorite hero/villains so to read a bit more about him was enjoyable. And the more recent stories that I've read about Atom Smasher also made me want to know more about him as well. And this was a good story for both of those. The violence that happened in Kahndaq was a bit... disturbing. But I've kind of gotten used to that.

The best part of the book, however, was at the end. You get to see the future for Atom Smasher and the good things that happen to him. And that makes me feel better for how things ended. I'm really hoping that it's a future that comes to pass.

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A Challenge!

2011-11-02T14:39:00.003-05:00

The wonderful Briana over at The Book Vixen is challenging us readers to do more. For 2012, she's challenging all comers to read more than you'd read in 2011. I, for one, am up for that challenge! She offers different levels of challenge and me... well, I'm challenging myself to be On Fire! This means, I'm going to try to read at least 16 more books in 2012 than I did in 2011. (And, considering I've read 152 so far, while being in the middle of 5 others, its going to be a fairly large amount of books.)

So come on out and challenge yourself. After all, reading more is always a good goal to have! You never know what you may learn!

Review: JSA Vol. 2: Darkness Falls

2011-10-31T09:33:00.001-05:00

JSA Vol. 2: Darkness Falls by David S. Goyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As is my wont, I was perusing the graphic novel shelves at my local library when I came across this one. I've been randomly working my way through various DC characters and right now, I'm enjoying quite a bit of the JSA.

I'm not sure where in the continuity this particular volume falls. But, like much of my reading, I've found that I don't much care. It's still a very enjoyable read that expands my knowledge of several more of my favorite characters.

This particular volume has two fairly distinct stories: Obsidian's fall into madness, followed by the fate of the universe being held in the JSA's hands. The two stories were linked through Al Rothstein, or Atom Smasher. And it is a wonderful set of stories.

The artwork was, as always, wonderful. And the writing was also top notch. I loved exploring the character of Atom Smasher and finding out more about Star Spangled Kid. Seeing the pain in Alan Scott (formerly Green Lantern, now going by Sentinel) was heartbreaking. And the resolution found at the end to deal with an almost omniscient character was pure brilliance. It was one of the better JSA stories that I've read.

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Review: The Brownie Scouts in the Cherry Festival

2011-10-31T09:22:00.001-05:00

The Brownie Scouts in the Cherry Festival by Mildred A. Wirt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I still remember finding these books on the bookshelf of my town library. I was a Brownie at the time and finding fiction about Brownies just excited me beyond belief. I took the entire series several times to read and reread. I've thought about the books many times over the years but couldn't remember the name of the author, nor find anything like them in the libraries I visited.

I decided to check my library's Interlibrary Loan to see if I could find them in the wider world. I was in luck! Two of the books were able to be found and sent from a library in Illinois here to mine in Tennessee. I started, last night, with this one and finished it up this morning.

The Brownie Scouts in Rosedale are trying to make money for their troop, starting with sewing a quilt to be auctioned off. One of the girls, Veve, doesn't care much for sewing and instead tries to find another way for their troop to earn money. She finds an ad wanting cherry pickers at the local orchard, so she and her friend Connie travel out to the orchard to see if their troop will be hired. While the man they traveled to speak to was a horrid man and refused to hire them, they were able to be hired at the orchard across the street. The gentleman there was in dire straights since he didn't have enough pickers to get his cherries in in time. The Brownie Scouts come to the rescue! And while they're there, they help to solve a little mystery as well.

Rereading this brought me back to my youth. While many things are dated (it was written in 1950), a lot more of it fits with any age. Only a few of the girls really have fleshed out characters - primarily Veve and Connie - but the small group is a lot of fun to read about regardless. Especially with all the trouble the Veve manages to get herself into!

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Review: Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part III

2011-10-29T20:26:00.001-05:00

Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part III by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Please see my review for the entire Thy Kingdom Come series on the first volume, which can be found here.

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Review: Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come Part II SC

2011-10-29T20:25:00.001-05:00

Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come Part II SC by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Please see my review for the entire Thy Kingdom Come series on the first volume, which can be found here.

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Review: Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part 1

2011-10-29T20:23:00.001-05:00

Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come, Part 1 by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't remember specifics for each book, so I'm combining a review for all 3 of the parts of Thy Kingdom Come into one review.

When a much older Superman is pulled through a black hole created by Starman, he tells the story of his world gone wrong. He is from an alternate world, Earth 22, and didn't manage to save the people that lived there. His fear, based on some of the things that the members of the JSA had told him, was that this earth would soon be following in the footsteps of his own home planet. And he's willing to help the JSA try to make this happen.

But when the nature of that threat arrives - an old god by the name of Gog from the Third World - the team becomes split. Gog seems to be making things better. He cures Starman's madness. He fixes Damage's scarred face. He restores Dr Midnight's sight. But not everyone is as trusting of this seemingly benevolent god. Will Gog be what tears the team apart?

This is a series that I'd seen in the back of several of the graphics that I'd gotten recently and I thought that now would be the time for me to check them out, especially when I saw the second volume on my library shelves. The other two volumes arrived at my branch of the library last Saturday and I dived into them, curious what the story was going to be about.

And it was a good story. Not my favorite by a long shot (that still goes to the Green Arrow graphic novel, Quiver) but a fairly solid story. The only thing that I had to quibble with is that the message seemed a bit heavy handed at times. But seeing the various members of the JSA struggle with the choice of whether they should believe in Gog or not was well worth the message that was being passed along. I felt sorriest for Citizen Steel, who couldn't even hold his family because of the powers he received. Especially when Gog helped every other person but ignored him. Yet, for the longest time, he kept the faith in Gog stronger than anyone but Damage.

I think the authors did a wonderful job in depicting the various characters from the DC Universe, making us care about those that were new to our world, and giving enough information about the heroes that new readers wouldn't be completely lost. If you're wanting to get started in the world of reading Graphic Novels, then Thy Kingdom Come may not be a bad place to start. Yes, you'll probably want to go out and read a ton of other comics that had come before, but I don't think this will detract in the least.

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Review: Batman: A Death in the Family

2011-10-22T17:48:00.001-05:00

Batman: A Death in the Family by Jim Starlin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story is one of the most controversial in the whole Batman mythos, being the one where Jason Todd (the second Robin) is murdered by the Joker. I known of this history and had seen it in animated form (in the direct-to-video Batman: Under the Red Hood) but I'd never actually read the story. I decided that it was time to rectify that and read it. I picked it up from my library today and finished it within a couple hours.

I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about the comic as a whole. I've been reading so many comics from the mid-to-late 90s and beyond that the dot style coloring is a huge throw-back for me. And the story itself doesn't have the same... realism?... I guess that's the best word... for me as the later ones do. Still, it was a decent story for it's time, where Batman was moving into the grittier stories that are common now. It's just looking back at it now that it feels almost contrived. It also reminds me, in a lot of ways, of the reboot that Donna Troy went through. But the picture of Batman holding a battered and bleeding Jason Todd (in Robin costume) is still one of the most powerful images I've seen in the world of Batman.

So I'd say "Check it out." It's not a bad book, by any stretch of the imagination. And it is a very important part of the Batman history.

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Review: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: The Amulet of Samarkand

2011-10-21T21:11:00.001-05:00

The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book One: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up the original as an audio book for one of our trips and fell in love with this series. When Rich found the graphic novelization at the library a few weeks ago and took it out for me. I'm not sure why I let it sit to the side, unread, for awhile, but I didn't pick it up until later this week.

Graphic Novelizations are things that are usually hit and miss with me. Sometimes the writer pulls out my favorite parts and the artist brings the characters into view the way I saw them in my own mind. Other times, I find a part I was looking forward to was nowhere to be found and the artwork doesn't work for me. This was one firmly fits into the first category. The layout and artwork fit perfectly with what I'd remembered from the original. It was beautifully done and the story included the humor along with the more serious moments that had been in the original.

If you have a reluctant reader, I'd suggest handing them this one - particularly if they enjoy fantasy. It is a great introduction to a wonderful series.

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Review: More Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason

2011-10-21T20:44:00.001-05:00

More Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second book of the Book Lust series is just as good as the first book is. Being a life-long reader, I can understand why she needed to start a second book. It's so easy to forget favorites and think of more books that you want to share! And, again, there was a great number of books that have gone onto my list. Some of the books that were mentioned in Book Lust are mentioned again here, but only if the title and author were the only things mentioned previously. In this book, Ms Pearl gives more detail about the second-mentioned book.

Like the first book, I want to own this one. Because, while I've noted titles and authors, I haven't noted genre for many of them, so I'd like to go back and see what she has to say about the book again. I can see me, as my tastes change as I get older, wanting to see what other books may catch my attention.

I really can't recommend this series enough. Because I have no doubts that, while reading through it, you'll find others that will catch your attention as well.

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Review: Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason

2011-10-21T20:34:00.001-05:00

Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I remember correctly, Paul Weimer was the one who recommended this to me. And I haven't regretted it since. This is actually the second time I've read through it, and this time, I have a notebook to write down the books that interest me and I want to read.

The book is incredibly easy to read, with lots of different categories for the reader to immediately go to some of their favorites. While there are some books that I am disappointed to see missing (most particularly Neil Gaiman's The Sandman from the Graphic Novel section), for the most part I devoured the titles and descriptions. So far, I've got over 200 books on my list (granted, that is between this book and it's sequel), so I forsee some awesome reading coming for me. The hard part is figuring out what book to start with!

The index in the back is a great way to see if some of your favorites are mentioned without having to read through the whole book. Both authors and books are listed, with books being bolded. This is one series of books that I would like to own because I could see me going back numerous times to get more ideas of things to read.

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Review: Batman: The Long Halloween

2011-10-21T20:21:00.001-05:00

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The story opens at the wedding reception of Carmine "The Roman" Falcone's nephew. Both Batman and Catwoman break in - Batman to try to find something that will help convict The Roman of one of the many mob-connected crimes that he'd committed and Catwoman to find something nice to sell. Batman comes out with a ledger with information on various members of the Falcone family, passing it along to Commissioner Gordon and DA Harvey Dent. This opens up a possibility for things that are to come.

Starting with Halloween, members of the Falcone operation/family start being killed on holidays, starting with the newly married nephew. This new serial killer is dubbed Holiday by the people of Gotham and the question of who Holiday is is debated among Falcone, his biggest competitor, Maroni and the trilogy of Batman, Gordon and Dent. By the end of the story, the person claiming responsibility for the murders is caught. But it's not quite the end of the story. Because things aren't always what they seem.

I really enjoyed this story a lot. It did something that never happens - completely surprised me at the ending. While I was reading the story, I suspected that the person claiming responsibility was Holiday. But when the twist came at the end... I'd never seen it coming. But it was perfect.

I also really enjoyed it because it told the story of how Two-Face came to be. Two-Face is one of the two Batman villains that I really feel sorry for. Dent was a good man, trying his best to get the criminals off the street. And that part of him has to be in there somewhere, otherwise the duality wouldn't exist. Getting to see this version of how Dent became Two-Face was an interesting thing to read.

It's definitely not a book for kids - but then again, I don't think that any of Batman's stories from the 80's on are. But it's one of the best of the various Batman stories.

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Review: Batman: Cataclysm

2011-10-21T19:21:00.001-05:00

Batman: Cataclysm by Chuck Dixon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gotham has just made it through a horrid plague. But Mother Nature refuses to give Batman's home city a break, hitting them with a devastating 7.8 earthquake. Much of the city is in ruins (though all of Wayne Industries holdings - minus Wayne Manor - have held their integrity thanks to Bruce Wayne's forethought. The graphic novel follows Batman, Barbara Gordon, Nightwing and Robin as they do what they can -sometimes together, sometimes along - for the people of the Gotham.

Partway through the story, once we know our heroes are all safe (Batman was in the bat cave when the earthquake hit and much of it - and Wayne Manor above it - collapsed), a villain comes forward to claim responsibility for this disaster. He sends word that he'll cause another earthquake - a 9.6 - if the city doesn't pay him a million dollars. So along with trying to keep as many Gothamites safe as possible, the Bat family needs to try to find this supposed Quakemaster.

I really enjoyed this story. I love seeing people band together to help one another when disaster hits their world. Not every story has a happy ending, but that fits reality. Not everyone ends up being saved and one in particular brought tears to my eyes.

There was only one blurp that bugged me a bit. Tim Drake, the newest Robin, has been in Europe and arrives home just after the earthquake hits. He makes his way into Gotham and, after briefly seeing Alfred, heads next door to his own home to make sure that his father is alright. Then, a chapter or two later, he is helping the people of Gotham and wondering if his family is ok, but not feeling that he can get away from his duties to the people of Gotham to find out.

Otherwise, it was a wonderful book that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a bit of hopefulness in their Batman stories.

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Review: Sleeping Murder

2011-10-21T18:26:00.001-05:00

Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a re-read for me. I wanted something familiar while I was sick. Sleeping Murder was Agatha Christie's last book and it's one of her best. The story itself is chilling in a way that Agatha Christie excels at. Since it was a re-read, I already knew who dun it, but following the path to the answer was once again thrilling. The truth unfolded perfectly and the characters were engaging. While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I had Curtain (Poirot's final foray), it was still a wonderfully told story with Miss Marple fleshing out the clues as only a nosy little old lady can.

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Review: Darkness Unbound

2011-10-21T18:24:00.001-05:00

Darkness Unbound by Keri Arthur

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This new series is set in the same world as Keri Arthur's Riley Jensen series, albeit 20 to 25 years in the future of those books. And as the Riley Jensen series is one of my favorites, I knew that I would have to check out this new series. When last I remember Risa, she was the adorable daughter of one of Riley's closest friends. Now, Risa's all grown up and showing off her werewolf and Aedh sides. The book shows off Keri's wonderful writing style and gives just the perfect mix of new characters with their stories and old favorites that we've come to love from the previous series. The mystery that's happening in this book is an intriguing one and the sex scenes are pretty hot. All in all, it was a great read!

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Review: Justice League: Cry for Justice

2011-10-21T18:22:00.001-05:00

Justice League: Cry for Justice by James Dale Robinson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was one of the few graphic novels that I've read recently that I really didn't care for. It wasn't horrid, but it wasn't memorable either. And for me, that's one of the worst things I can say about a book. If it's something that I hadn't read in awhile, that would be one thing. But it was just over a week ago that I read it, so it should be in my mind a little more. I thought the concept was an interesting one - looking at the difference between revenge and justice. But the characters were so OUT of character that I felt like I was reading heroes from a different multiverse. It just didn't work well for me.

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Review: Batman: The Cult

2011-10-21T18:20:00.001-05:00

Batman: The Cult by Jim Starlin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a strange cult rises within the ranks of the homeless and hopeless, Gotham becomes (if possible) less safe than it was before. Particularly for those in the public life. Batman suspects that Decon Blackfire, the enigmatic leader of the cult, is up to more than just gaining followers, but will he be able to find out what Blackfire's real goal is? Or will he, too, fall under Blackfire's sway?

My Thoughts: While this isn't the darkest Batman that I've read, it is up there in terms of darkness. It opens with Batman in the hands of the cult, chained and beaten, while they attempt to brainwash him to Decon Blackfire's message. The assassination attempts (including the one against Commissioner Gordon) are shown on screen. The madness at the end of the book is chilling. Yet, for all of that, it is a good story. The writing is evocative and the artwork fits the story perfectly. While it's not a story that I'll be rereading, it is one that I am glad that I read. Because it shows just what could happen under a truly charismatic cult leader.

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Review: The Flash: Rebirth

2011-10-21T18:18:00.001-05:00

The Flash: Rebirth by Geoff Johns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

23 years before, Barry Allen (also known as the Flash) disappeared into the Speed Force in order to save the multiverse. And when the Final Crisis came about, he returned. But Allen isn't sure why he's back or how the Speed Force let him go. When something happens to the other speedsters, Allen finally finds out the reason for his return to the world - and the malevolent nemesis that was behind it and many of the tragedies that Barry had lived through in his life.

My Thoughts: I've always enjoyed reading about Flash. He's a DC character that I didn't know much about, beyond the fact that there were many that have carried the name of the Flash throughout the years. I'd recently read Final Crisis and I saw Barry's return in those pages. So when I saw Flash: Rebirth and knew that it was Barry Allen's story, I had to pick it up to read. And I'm glad I did. Like many of the other graphic novels that I've read, I got to learn more about the characters that I loved and be introduced to several more that I learned to love. The story was great and it opened up the DC world even more with the secret of the Speed Force and Barry Allen's history.

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Review: Justice League Elite: Volume 2

2011-10-21T18:15:00.001-05:00

Justice League Elite: Volume 2 by Joe Kelly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Several members of the Justice League were tired of being reactive to threats to the human race. They wanted to be proactive instead. So they, along with others that weren't quite so noble, combined to make the Justice League Elite. But they are being eaten away from within. Someone is a traitor, and someone else isn't quite who they say they are. Will the JLE survive the trouble from within?

My Thoughts: I was in the mood for more graphic novels and found this one while I was searching. Of course, my library didn't have the first volume, but that never seems to stop me. I wasn't really sure what to expect of this one, but it had Green Arrow (my favorite superhero) so I knew I'd enjoy it for that, if nothing else. And I did end up enjoying it quite a bit. I was only familiar with a couple of the characters before I'd read this one - Flash and Green Arrow. But many of the other characters - particularly Manitou Raven - were ones that I found myself really enjoying learning about. I'm going to see if my library system has the first book so I can check it out, as well as see if there are more books in that series. But I love reading anything DC related, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I've enjoyed it.

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Review: The Rogue Hunter

2011-10-21T18:11:00.001-05:00

The Rogue Hunter by Lynsay Sands

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Garrett Mortimer has been immortal for a long time - 800 years. In all that time, very little has been able to draw him away from his duty as a Rogue Hunter for the Argeneau clan. Until, that is, he and his partner are search cottage country outside of Toronto for a rogue vampire and he finds the one woman he cannot mentally influence - Samantha Willan, also know as his life mate. Sam is at her family cottage with her sisters, while Mortimer is staying next door with another member of the clan. As Sam and Mortimer get closer, more obstacles seem to be thrown in their way, finally ending with Mortimer telling Sam about who and what he really is, asking her for commitment. What will Sam decide? And will they ever find the rogue biting mortals in the wilds of cottage country?

My Thoughts: I'd read a few of the Argeneau short stories (or, I think I have. I've read so many anthologies that it's hard to remember what I have and what I haven't read!) I saw this book at my library's month book sale and thought, "You know, I've heard a few good things about this, so let me pick it up." Yes, I'm following my trend of starting somewhere in the middle of a series rather than at the beginning. But in this case, it wasn't a hindrance. Sands wove the vampire mythos into the story very well, along with giving other bits of information that long time readers of the series may have known by newbies needed to know. I'll admit, that's something I relish finding in a book that I'm reading. It makes me want to read what's come before and not feel completely lost in what I'm reading now. I loved the characters - especially Bricker. He's the youngest of the vampires in that group and still has a lot to learn about being an older vampire like Mortimer and Decker (the vamp who owns the cottage). It's a shame that he isn't life-mated with Sam's sister, Jo. They would have made a great couple.

There was also a lot of humor in the book, and that is something I love to read. The interactions between the sisters and the vampires got incredibly comical - particularly when the vamps were trying to come up with a cover story of what they did with a living and Bricker blurted out that they were in a band together, formerly called Morty and the Muppets. The band bit led to some humorous moments throughout the rest of the book. And the poor luck that continually happened to Sam and Mort whenever they tried to get it on was just... definitely chuckle worthy. One of those stories you tell your kids so you can embarrass them when you're older.

One of the highest kudos, however, goes to Sands for the world that she built. I love the vampires-as-products-of-science so much more than the vampires-as-products-of-cursing so much better. Yeah, you need to stretch your imagination a little to make it work (premise: the vampires have nanotechnology inside of them that keeps them in top physical condition. The nanotechnology runs off of the blood in the body and that is why they need to replenish themselves by drinking blood. The Argeneau clan has been around a long time - the first people to have this technology implanted were part of the highly-developed country of Atlantis.), but it's something that doesn't cause the immortals to be evil creatures. And I've never liked vamps as absolute evil. Sometimes you need to do what you have to do to survive, right?

If you like your vampires a little different than the norm, check this series out. I don't think you'll regret it. It's one of the best.

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Review: Bitten

2011-10-21T18:06:00.001-05:00

Bitten by R.L. Stine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a compilation of the two books thus-far written for this series. The first book, Dangerous Girls, introduces the reader to Destiny and Livvy Weller, twin sisters ending their jobs as summer camp councilors before the start of their senior year of high school. After all the kids have gone, the councilors and the junior councilors have one last good time together, and Destiny finds herself walking in the woods with the gorgeous head life-guard, Renz Angelina. Little does she know, but Renz is a centuries old vampire and, even more, thinks that Destiny is the reincarnated soul of his long dead love. He wants to be with her again, so he prepares to make her into a vampire so they can spend their lives together. Before he has a chance to do more than bite her himself (since the ritual recalls mingling their blood by each biting the other under the full moon), they are interrupted. He temporarily erases her memory of the night thus far and she heads home with her sister.

When things start feeling strange around her - most noticeably her overwhelming hunger for blood - she starts to get worried. And it's both better and worse when she finds out that she is not the only one who has been bitten. Livvy is showing the same powers that Destiny seems to have. And then their friends start dying around them. They need to find someone to cure them, before the next full moon. Otherwise, they'll go crazy.

The second book, The Taste of the Night, ends a couple of months after Dangerous Girls. Livvy has embraced her vampire-self, while Destiny has been cleansed of the blood lust. Livvy has distanced herself from a family that she doesn't think understands, making new friends among the growing vamp community in their hometown. Regardless of the pleas of her sister, father and brother, Livvy is determined to live a life that she wants, regardless of what the rest of the family has to say. When a new vampire arrives in town, things start to go bad for both girls - again, losing friends that were an integral part of their lives. Can the sisters put aside their differences long enough to save the people they care about?

My Thoughts: I picked this book up in the discount bin at my local grocery store. I've been pretty heavily into paranormal lately, and the back cover intrigued me. So I figured $3 wasn't bad for an omnibus and brought it home. While it's far from the best paranormal story ever written, it wasn't a bad read for a teen novel. The characters were pretty easy to care about, though at times they did seem to act a bit more irrational than others. The story had me turning pages, curious what answers they would find for the mystery that their lives had become. It may not have been the best read that I have had this week, but it wasn't a bad one. I'd say that if you're a fan of the Twilight series, you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

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Review: 52, Vol. 4

2011-10-21T18:01:00.001-05:00

52, Vol. 4 by Geoff Johns

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(This review is for 52, Vol 1-4. I couldn't separate them out in my mind.

52 is the story of what happens between the end of Infinite Crisis (after which Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman disappeared for a year) and Year One, where there was a bit of a reboot/change in the status quo. The story revolves around... well, almost all of the characters you've ever cared to hear about in the DC Universe. There are many storylines that weave themselves together into a wonderful whole - Booster Gold and Skeets trying to figure out why history is changing and having some pretty bad things happen to them through out; Black Adam finally finding peace with a woman he loves, only to have that peace ripped from him by people who refuse to believe that he could have changed; Renee' Montoya, former cop whose life has been spinning out of control, meeting the mysterious Question and having her life change tremendously; Adam Strange, Beast Man and Starfire being stranded in space, desperate to try to find a way home; Steel and his niece, Natasha, standing on opposite sides of a battle instigated by Lex Luthor, Not to mention all the other super-heroes who are trying to make sense of a world without the big three. This is a truly epic story that any fan of the DC super-heroes should check out.

My Thoughts: I'd heard a lot of things about 52 while I'd been reading some of the other graphic novels that came across my desk. And almost unanimously, it was said to be one of the best. Most recently, while reading Gotham Central, I heard about it again when told that Renee' Montoya has a large part in the storyline that spanned 52 issues in one year. So I requested them from the library.

Unlike other times when I've gotten books, I waited until I had all four volumes before I started reading. And I'm glad that I did, since I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning - when my eyes could barely stay open - turning pages to find out what was going to happen next. It was truly a world-encompassing story and gave me fantastic introductions to some characters I'd never heard of before, and yet found myself loving. The story was full of surprises, the plot was very tightly written (especially for a series with the kind of time crunch these authors were on - for those unfamiliar with the world of comics, they are usually released in 16 page monthly books. This year-long series was released in 16 page weekly books.). I found myself crying a few times through-out the story, which has always been one of my indicators that a story is good. If it can give me strong emotion, then it's one that was good. And this is one of the few that I want to own, not just have to borrow from the library. I was seriously blown away by all four of these books and the complete story in general.

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Review: Fallen

2011-09-19T19:31:00.001-05:00

Fallen by Karin Slaughter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Karin Slaughter's Georgia series of books. I never expected her to pull her Will Trent and Grant County series together, but her doing so works incredibly well. (This is the second such book that pulls the two series together, and I suspect they'll be staying here.)

Faith Mitchell, an agent for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, arrives at her mother's to pick up her baby daughter, only to find her mother missing and blood on the door. In the course of going through the house, she finds one dead body and a hostage situation. Within the next 5 minutes, both the hostage and the hostage taker are dead at Faith's hands. And the nightmare is just beginning. Faith, and her partner Will Trent, need to find out - unofficially, since the GBI isn't being allowed near the case - what from Faith's mother's past has come back to haunt them all.

I'd been anxiously awaiting this book because I wanted to see more of Will, Faith and Sarah (one of the main characters from the Grant County series). The mystery was very well written, going in places I hadn't been expecting yet, when I looked back, I knew I should have realized. Watching the exploration of Will and Sarah's relationship was a real heart-warmer for me. (For all that I loved her husband, Jeffery, it had been over 4 years since Jeffrey's death and both Will and Sarah deserved happiness.) I was glad to be able to settle in and read through this one. Unfortunately, I had to return it to the library, but I suspect that I'm going to be picking it up again soon for a re-read.

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Review: Succubus Revealed

2011-09-19T19:22:00.001-05:00

Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the final book in Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series. Georgina was once human, but sold her soul to Hell a few thousand years ago in return for everyone, including the husband that she'd hurt so badly, forgetting she existed. She'd have to work for hell as a succubus. It wasn't too bad for the first couple thousand years - though there were a few men that she left because she felt too deeply for them. But now, in the 21st Century, she's gotten tired of her job and fallen truly in love with a human writer, Seth Mortensen. But being a succubus means that nothing can be easy - particularly love.

Succubus Revealed starts up the Christmas after Seth saved Georgina from the Oneroi (dream spirits) and broke off his engagement with Georgina's friend in order to try to make things work between he and Georgina. Georgina has given up her much-loved job as manager at a local bookstore and is instead working as an elf for a mall Santa. Things are going as ok as they can for a succubus and a human when Georgina gets paperwork from Hell, transferring her to her dream location of Las Vegas. But things are a little too pat - her dream job, people she loves working with, a human job that she'd love doing. And Georgina, along with her friend Hugh and her roommate, Roman, have to find out just why Hell is getting so involved in her life.

I knew where a lot of this was going, but it didn't matter to me. I'm the kind of person that can read the end of a book and still love getting to that point anyway. I was glad to see Georgina finally get what she deserved and to see Hell get what THEY deserved. If it hadn't been for the machinations, Georgina may never have been curious enough to find out what was going on. They made their bed, and I was glad to see them lie in it.

It was a great end to a fantastic series, and it's one that I really need to get my hands on to own. Because I think I'd enjoy rereading this one quite a bit.

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Review: Bloodlines

2011-09-19T19:06:00.001-05:00

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bloodlines is set in the same world as Richelle Mead's popular Vampire Academy series, this time looking at things from the point of view of Sydney, the human Alchemist that (somewhat reluctantly) helped Rose when she was on the run from a murder rap. Now the Alchemists, who are charged with making sure that the rest of human-kind doesn't know that vampires actually do live among them, have sent 18 year old Sydney back to school - as the supposed older sister of Moroi (or living vampire) Jill Masterson. Jill's life is in danger, since she's the only thing that is keeping her half-sister on the Moroi throne. So it's decided that it's best to get her out of the Moroi world all together. And the best place for that is Palm Springs, CA - where most Moroi wouldn't be able to handle the sun.

Of course, nothing is as easy as it could be. Sydney is under suspicion because of her assistance of Rose months earlier, Jill is feeling the strain of having to be so closely watched, and Sydney not only has to deal with another Alchemist that she hates, but mysterious tattoos that are showing up in school giving the humans with the tattoos some pretty impressive powers. Oh, and the bodies that seem to be showing up around the group as well.

It was wonderful to come back into the world of the Moroi, dhampires and Alchemists. I really liked the character of Sydney when she first came on the page so seeing her get a series of her own was fantastic. Also having some other favorites - particularly the super-sexy Adrian - was a plus as well. I'll admit that I'd expected that Keith (the other Alchemist) had something to do with something happening in Palm Springs, but the identity of the murderer threw me for a real loop.

If you've read the Vampire Academy series, then you'll definitely want to check it out. And if you haven't, but enjoy paranormal, you'll want to check out the Vampire Academy series and then read Bloodlines. I really can't wait for the next book in the series to come out!

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Review: Captain America: Road to Reborn

2011-09-19T18:52:00.001-05:00

Captain America: Road to Reborn by Ed Brubaker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Road to Reborn is a bridge between the Death of Captain America and Captain America: Reborn, giving the reader a glimpse into what has been happening with those that are important to Steve Rogers - or, as the world knew him, Captain America.

The stories were all good bridges, helping casual readers get ready for Cap's return. Of the stories, my favorite had to be Sharon's in the beginning, when she finally remembers the things that happened at the end of Death of Captain America. It was a strong story that I'd been wanting to see since I'd (granted, only a few minutes earlier) finished the end of the previous series. There was also a good look at Bucky and Cap, back in the days of WWII that I enjoyed.

I don't think these stories struck me quite as much as the stories from Death did, but they were a good read none-the-less. For Sharon's story and to give me an idea of what happened before I picked up Reborn, it was definitely worth the read.

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Review: Captain America (Volume 3): The Death of Captain America - The Man Who Bought America

2011-09-19T18:43:00.001-05:00

Captain America (Volume 3): The Death of Captain America - The Man Who Bought America by Ed Brubaker

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the conclusion of the Death of Captain America series, and I've got to admit, it went places I wasn't expecting.

S.H.I.E.L.D. finally knows what's really going on, and they do their best to stop it. They succeed, though partly due to Faustus helping Sharon Carter escape from Red Skull's programing and partly because Red Skull's daughter is too eager to prove herself to Daddy. There is a climactic fight at the end in Red Skull's headquarters, though Skull is one of the few that seems to escape... it's just not the way he was expecting.

As I said above, there were a few places that this story had gone that I just wasn't expecting. Why Sharon Carter was important, the loss of her child and what ultimately became of Red Skull were just a few of the things that widened my eyes as I read. Of all the characters, Sharon was the one that I felt the worst for by the end. While Faustus was doing her a kindness in erasing some things from her memory, I wish she'd had the chance to grieve.

All said, this was a fantastic series and it reads well for those that are fans of Super Hero comics but not necessarily familiar with the ins and outs of the Marvel universe.

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