Saturday, December 10, 2011
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I Love Giveaways
I Love Giveaways. Today's is hosted by Dark Readers.
http://twitter.com/#!/Yrdsblib/status/128892815576010753
http://twitter.com/#!/Yrdsblib/status/128892815576010753
Saturday, October 8, 2011
http://twitter.com/#!/Yrdsblib/status/122749342338658304
I've just entered the Daughters of Smoke and Bone Giveaway done by Dark Readers. Have you?
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Bout of Books
I have just finished a read-a-thon hosted by the blog "On a Book Bender". It gave me a chance to read as much as I could in a short period of time. Here is a recap of what I read:
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This is the story of a both the building of the Chicago World's Fair and a serial killer operating there at the same time. It is a good story, but the teacher in me had a problem with all the times there were no sources cited.
Hello Kitty Must Die by Angela Choi. This is the story of a Chinese American woman who wants to break away from the "Hello Kitty" life she has been living. She does this by hooking up with a serial killer. This book had great potential, but it just wasn't really what I was looking for.
The Vampire's Warden by S.J. Wright. Sarah, who has been in charge of the family inn since her father's death receives an odd introduction to her heritage. She discovers that a plot of land on her property is the resting place and detention place of vampires. Again, this book had a lot of potential, but it just didn't live up to it.
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancy. This is a YA book that is the story of Will Henry, the assistant to the Monstrumologist - a man who studies monsters. In this novel, the doctor and Will are hunting and fighting anthropophagi - monsters with no heads and mouths in their abdomens. I liked the idea of this story, but I disliked the character of the doctor so much that I don't think I can read any more in the series.
A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow. This is a murder mystery set in small town Alaska. Kate Shugach is a former DA investigator who is called in when two men go missing in the bush. The twist to this story is that there is a lot of family drama among the closely knit Aleut community. Not a bad story. I would read more by Stabenow.
Vacations from Hell collected authors. This is a short story anthology with stories of, what else, vacations from hell. There are vampires, and murderers, and ghosts ... I really liked this anthology and my buy it to put in the school library.
Red Glove by Holly Black. This is the second in the Curse Workers series that began with White Cat. I had been unsure of White Cat, but thought I would give this one a try. I doubt that I'll read any more in the series. Another YA novel about the paranormal - just my style, but the characters in this novel are so unpleasant that it's really hard to enjoy the book.
Jenny Pox by JL Bryan. This book was on the Goodreads list of Amanda, the wonderful woman responsible for this read-a-thon. I was immediately struck by the idea of a girl who is poisonous to the touch. Anyone who touches her dies. I liked most of the book - the struggle to be accepted, how so many people reject those who are different etc. There is a teenage love triangle with a twist. I enjoyed most of the book but (spoiler alert) the mass killing at the end really bothered me. I would have read the second in the series, but now I'm not sure I want to.
The Mating by Nicky Charles. This is the first of the Lycan trilogy. I actually read the third book first and worked backwards to this one. The story is good - a young werewolf sent into an arranged marriage with the Alpha of another pack and how she adjusts - but the way that Charles deals with the relationship between Elise and Kane bothered me. It was too chauvinistic for me.
So, those are brief reviews of my read-a-thon books.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
I'm Back!
Good day, all.
It's been a long time since I've updated my blog here, and I thought that a beautiful (if slightly rainy) Saturday would be the perfect time. I don't want anyone to think that I've neglected my reading; I've just neglected my blog. Bad me. I have done lots of reading, but for some reason, nothing that I've read struck me as blog-worthy. I've decided that a series that I was introduced to not too long ago would make a good blog entry, so this post will be about angels and demons. Not Angels and Demons, the novel by Dan Brown, but angels and demons in general.
Cassandra Clare is the author of the series called The Mortal Instruments. She has written four books in the series so far, and there are more to come. These are YA novels, but they are quite well-written. In fact, it was one of my grade 10 students who introduced me to the series. I always want to stay current with what my students are reading, so I picked them up. I really enjoyed them. Cassandra Clare has created interesting and believable characters and a story that really flows.
The main premise of the series is that there are half-human, half-angel beings known as Nephilim, and their job is to protect humanity from demons. Our heroine, Clary, doesn't know that she's one of these Nephilim, so when demons come into her world, she's very surprised. What I really enjoy about the series is that Clare doesn't shy away from controversial topics. There is a hint of possible incest (are they or aren't they; will they or won't they) as well as a closeted gay character who eventually comes out. Strong female characters are also part of this series.
Is it perfect? No, of course not. I recently finished the fourth in the series City of Fallen Angels, and I was quite disappointed. I felt that the series should have been a trilogy, and then Clare could have moved on to something else. The conflicts seemed forced and the problems not quite as believable. I read a blog post that Clare wrote on goodreads.com, where she explained that she meant to do everything that I had a problem with, but to me, the fourth book reads like a money-making opportunity more than a true continuation of the series. Suddenly, instead of being a unique series, I'm finding hints of derivation. Now, Jace and Sebastian are linked and if one dies the other dies. Ummm, J.K. Rowling called - she wants her plot line back.
On a more positive note, I read the first of Clare's prequel series Clockwork Angel, and I was back to being a fan again. The characters are different for the most part, and this story is set in Victorian London. It's full of the Victorian character that I really like. Again, the problems and conflict seem much more organic; not forced as in City of Fallen Angels. I guess I'll just have to wait to see if she can keep this up. All in all, Cassandra Clare was a good discovery and I recommend her books to people who enjoy well-written fantasy novels.
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