arch thinking

Review: Magyk: Septimus Heap, Book One

2012-01-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of books out there angling to be the next Harry Potter, aren't there? That's certainly how the Septimus Heap series was being advertised when I picked up the first volume, Magyk (last year, when the sixth novel was published). There are a few parallels - there's a magical boy and his friends - but not a lot.

The series is about a boy who is the seventh son of the seventh son and therefore has extra special magic powers. His best friend is secretly the heir to the castle, which is ruled by the bad guy. Book 1, Magyk sets up the series and not much else. I felt that, as a stand alone book, it was pretty thin. Maybe this is one of those cases where I'm not the target audience and a middle grade reader would love it. Then again, why should we assume kids need to be talked down to? If I can see the "twist" ending telegraphed from page one, I think my 8-year-old nephew could too. It's not a terrible book - the characters are interesting, the premise is fine - but it certainly doesn't make me want to read the rest of the series.

Review: The God Engines

2011-12-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

This book - The God Engines by John Scalzi - was intense. Normally, half of my review of a novella or short story is kvetching that the story was too short, the author should have delved deeper, etc, etc. Sure, Scalzi probably could have gone more in depth and revealed more about the world he's built here but I'm not sure I'd want to go any deeper. This is a book about unpleasant people doing unpleasant things. It was intriguing and a good read, but not something I think I'll read again.

Review: Dreams from My Father

2011-12-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance is a memoir by President Barack Obama, written after he was the first African-American elected president of the Harvard Law Review. It was first published in 1995, before his first political campaign, and was republished in 2004, during his U.S .Senate race. So while there are politics in this book, it is not about his life as a politician. And unlike so many of the books politicians put out during a campaign, it is still interesting to read when the race is over.

The outlines of President Obama's life are well-known: his white mother from Kansas and his black father from Kenya met in college in Hawai'i, married, and had him. Soon after, his father left, first to go to Harvard, then back to Africa, and only returned for a month when Barack Jr was 10. Barack Sr. died without his son having gotten to know him as an adult.

Dreams from My Father can be read on two primary levels: one is simply as a man's life story. Obama's young life was somewhat unusual - growing up in Hawai'i and Indonesia, time as a community organizer in Chicago, family in Kenya - but not, I think, so extraordinary as to be incomprehensible. (It's not like he grew up on Mars, after all.)

The other way one can read this book is as a meditation on race in America. Obama explores what was like to grow up as a black man, even though his white mother and grandparents raised him. Along the way, he discusses how race effects the way a person is viewed in this country and what it means to straddle different cultures, not just brown vs. white, but African vs. American.

I found Dreams from My Father to be an interested, thought-provoking read. Would it be as interesting if you didn't know this young man would grow up to be President? I believe so.

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Review: Outliers

2011-06-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. The premise of this book is, what makes high-achievers (and low achievers, really) different? Gladwell argues that the answer lies much less in their innate talent (or faults), and more in the atmosphere surrounding them - their culture, family, upbringing, etc. Some of these factors may be obvious - your parents education level has a huge impact on you, which makes sense - and many are not. I was particularly interested in his examination of the "Culture of Honor" and why the famed Hatfield-McCoy feud was not the rarity I thought (for more, here's an excerpt from Outliers).

I will say that I had heard Gladwell interviewed about this book several times, so some of it didn't feel fresh to me. For example, I had heard quite a bit about the part of the book dedicated to exploring why almost no star hockey players are born in the fall. Still, I thought it was interest and it certainly confirmed my thought that the birthday cutoff for kindergarten should be moved up from the typical December deadline (something our local school system has started doing for budget reasons).

Some readers might complain that Gladwell is oversimplifying complex social issues. They may be right. But I found this to be a fascinating look at a complicated question.

Outliers: The Story of Success was released in paperback today (June 7).

Series Thoughts: Anne of Green Gables

2011-05-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

While I was out on maternity leave, I re-read the entire Anne of Green Gables series. I really enjoyed reading the series but something struck me that I'd never thought of before: these books are kind of sad. Maybe its that I was just recently a mother myself but the shear quantity of dead people (especially mothers and babies) struck me. After my husband found me crying while reading for about the fourth time (granted, postpartum hormones were probably not helping), he asked me "are you sure these are supposed to be kids books?" None of this is to say that you shouldn't read Anne of Green Gables or its sequels yourself or to your child. They really are quite charming and I love Anne as much now as I did when I first read the series.

I was surprised by how much I loved the last book in the series, Rilla of Ingleside. This book focuses not on Anne, but onto Anne's youngest daughter Rilla. It takes place during World War I and has a more serious tone than the early books. Maybe this is just me, but I know so little about WWI that I had to look up many of the references in this book - this could have been annoying, but I enjoyed getting the history lesson. (Per Wikipedia, Rilla of Ingleside is "the only Canadian novel written from a women's perspective about the First World War by a contemporary.")

There's something else that I realized for the first time on this go-round through these books: the chronological order is not the same as the published order. For example, Rilla of Ingleside was published sixth, but is the last/eighth book chronologically. Normally I am a firm believer in reading books in publication order (see Chronicles of Narnia, etc) but I liked reading these chronologically. It was like getting to watch kids grow up. There were some odd moments by reading them this way. For example, the love letters between Anne and her beau (my lame attempt to not spoil something that everyone in the world knows anyway) were published in the (mostly-epistolary) Anne of Windy Poplars. Chronologically, this book is fourth in the series, but it was the seventh book published. Those love letters are referenced in Anne's House of Dreams (book 5) in such a way, I think, to make them sound private, which was weird since I had just read them. But that is a pretty minor point. What do you think? Should you read these books in published or chronological order?

Find books by L.M. Montgomery on Project Gutenberg or Amazon.

Alvar Aalto

2011-04-27T13:23:00.001-07:00

There's a very nice slideshow up on Slate today about the residential design of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto: A Low-Key High Modernist: The unpretentious houses of Alvar Aalto. Villa Mairea is one of my favorite buildings, but I also loved the last house in the show. I have the exposed brick in my house - now I need a lovely little reading corner like that!

Review: My Man Jeeves

2011-04-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

My Man Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse is one of those books that everyone says is funny, but I'm always suspicious that it actually is. So, get this - it is! My Man Jeeves is a collection of eight short stories by Wodehouse -- half feature the perfect* butler Jeeves and his employer, Bertie Wooster, while the others are about Reggie Pepper, an early prototype for Wooster. While I definitely preferred the Jeeves stories over the Pepper ones, the whole book is quite amusing. And short! Just the perfect thing to read between diaper changes and late night feedings, when your brain is too frazzled to read anything more serious. Or maybe that's just me.

Buy My Man Jeeves on Amazon or download free at Project Gutenberg.

*Edited for bad writing!

Review: The Cookbook Collector

2011-04-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Cookbook Collector by Allegra Goodman is about two sisters, one a successful, practical-minded business woman, and one a somewhat flighty perpetual grad student, as they navigate life and love during the dot-com boom/bust and the 9/11 attacks. It is, I believe, a modern day retelling of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (not having read the Austen, I'll take everyone's word but the plotline seems very Austen-y to me.) This is the second book I've read by Goodman, after Kaaterskill Falls, and I much preferred it to the earlier work. Maybe that's because it is set in Berkeley, CA and Cambridge, MA, two places with which I am quite familiar.

I read this book for my book club and we had an interesting discussion about it. One of the women in my group had experiences that were very similar to the book's main characters - MIT, Berkeley, worked at a start-up, and so on. She said that at first, she liked that someone had written a book about these experiences, but as the book went on, it was all just a little off - just not quite right about what that time and places were like.

I didn't really love The Cookbook Collector in totality - it tried to do a lot with its big cast and broad scope and just ended up being spotty. But there were pieces - little moments, like someone eating a peach - that I did love. It was a worthwhile book, though not one I'd call a classic.

The paperback will be released on July 12, 2011. Pre-order The Cookbook Collector: A Novel or buy The Cookbook Collector: A Novel on Amazon now.

Review: Heidi

2011-04-06T06:19:00.000-07:00

Yodelay, yodelay, yodelayheehoo! There's no actual yodelling in Heidi, the classic children's novel by Johanna Spyri. Nor does a cherubic Shirley Temple pop out to say all the charming platitudes that the little Swiss girl spouts during the book. But otherwise, it was much like I remembered it from reading it in my younger days.

Orphaned at an early age, Heidi is sent to live with her curmudgeon of a grandfather high in the Swiss Alps. But Heidi soon finds that things are not always what others say they are, makes friends with her grandfather, and happily runs wild in the glorious mountains with the goat boy, Peter, and his goats.

Suddenly her aunt returns, and Heidi finds herself confined in the city to be companion to the invalid Klara. But Heidi is bitterly unhappy away from her grandfather and the outdoor life she has grown to love.

There's actually a lot in common between this book, which I enjoyed, and The Secret Garden, which I did not (link goes to my recent review). I don't know what the difference was. For example, where I found Colin in The Secret Garden to be insufferable, I thought Klara was quite sweet. This is definitely a kids' book - I don't expect to see it suddenly become hot beach reading - but I thought it was charming to read again. Buy Heidi on Amazon or download free at Project Gutenberg.

Review: Bird by Bird

2011-04-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

It seems like Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott took me forever to finish. I started it eagerly - I had heard so many good things about it and the beginning was great. I just loved the story that inspired the title:

Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'

But after that great start, this book felt very scattered, like a series of unconnected essays rather than a coherent thought. It was easy to read just a little bit then put down - unfortunately, it was just as easy to forget to pick up again. As I said, I loved the story behind the title, but the rest of the book didn't live up to that promise.

Buy Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life on Amazon.

My apologies to those of you who accidentally saw this in your feed reader last week - I had some bumps in trying to get it to publish correctly!

Friday Update

2011-04-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

This morning, little M rolled over! She's done it before, sort of by accident, but this morning she did it three times in a row! M is four months old now and just gorgeous. Here she is, looking rather thoughtful and playing with her favorite toy. (Don't worry - she's in her car seat, but she's not in the car. I'm not letting her ride around without her belt fastened.) Enjoy your weekend!

Review: The Secret Garden

2011-03-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

Here are my thoughts on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett in one sentence: Not as good as I remembered it. Doesn't that suck?

For those of you who haven't read it, or read it so long ago you can't remember it: Contrary little Mary is sent to live with a relative on the Yorkshire Moors after her parents and household die in India. The spoiled girl has never even dressed herself and is quite friendless. But with the help of two boys, a gardener, and an abandoned garden, she becomes a new person.

Clearly, I have become a jaded, terrible person, one who can't even enjoy such a magical story. I felt terrible for Mary and was happy about her transformation - but found angelic Dickon to be annoying and Colin to be insufferable. That said, I loved this book when I was a girl so hopefully someday, if I read this to my little M, I'll be able to enjoy it through her again. Until then, I think I'm too old to enjoy this one.

Buy The Secret Garden on Amazon. Or do what I did, and download it free via Project Gutenberg.

2011 Pritzker

2011-03-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

As you've probably heard by now, the winner of the 2011 the Pritzker Prize has been announced: Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura. I am not too familiar with him, to be honest, but the images I've seen of his work are striking.

I have a feeling I posted this link last year, when they announced who won the Pritzker, but I think it bears repeating:
Architecture Is a Team Sport: So why do they award the Pritzker Prize to just one person?

Review: The Order of the Odd Fish

2011-03-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Before I even start the review, I'll make a disclaimer that my sister gave me The Order of Odd-Fish and it was written by a friend of hers, James Kennedy. I don't think I've met him, though, so no bias here. Moving on...

Jo Larouche, age 13, was found as a baby with this note: This is Jo. Please take care of her. But beware. This is a dangerous baby. Despite the warning, Jo leads as normal a life as possible with her eccentric Aunt Lily- until she's transported to the bizarre world of Eldritch City. There, now installed as a member of the Order of Odd-Fish, Jo learns the truth about who she is and why she has to confront the Belgian Prankster, who is either a villain or the world's scariest comedian.

When my sister gave me the book, I didn't know what to think, actually. The cover was cute but strange, the title was definitely offbeat and the first chapters decidedly weird. It was, no doubt, an odd book. But as I kept reading, I found myself pulled in, really wanting to find out who Jo is and how she will handle the truly awful circumstances thrust on her. Despite the bizarre trappings of the story, at the heart there is a sweet girl making difficult decisions in an unfamiliar context. I rather enjoyed it.

Buy The Order of Odd-Fish on Amazon.

Back!

2011-03-25T06:25:00.000-07:00

Maternity leave has come to an end and I am back to work (part-time at first), so with it, I've decided to try to blog again. Starting Monday, I plan to post a review or two a week, plus other items of interest. I have no plans to post pictures of the baby here, however, so if you'd like to see more of her, please find me on Facebook instead. Or drop me an email and I'll be happy to go on (and on!) about how adorable and perfect she is.

Announcing...

2010-12-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that our daughter, Baby M, was born at 9:21 AM on November 29th! M weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. We are all healthy and happy, and enjoying getting to know each other.

Review: Rampant

2010-12-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

I loved unicorns when I was a little girl. I was convinced - 100% convinced - that somewhere out there, unicorns were real. I remember going to see the circus one year when they were showing a unicorn. Despite the skepticism around me (from my older, wiser sister), I was sure that this was proof that unicorns were real. I don't know when I finally grew out of this belief, but I was probably much older than I should have been.*

Given this, it's actually surprising to me that it took me this long to get around to reading Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.

Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed at her eccentric mother's stories about killer unicorns. But when one attacks her boyfriend — ruining any chance of him taking her to prom — Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient Cloisters the hunters have used for centuries. However, all is not what it seems at the Cloisters. Outside, unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from bone-covered walls that vibrate with terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to her growing attraction to a handsome art student ... an attraction that could jeopardize everything.

Did I like it? Absolutely! The book was much darker than I expected - the unicorns were really bloodthirsty, the battles with the girls were high-stakes, and the threats from outside were disturbing. But Astrid and the other girls were take-no-prisoner heroines and I loved reading their story. I can't wait for the sequel.

Buy Rampant by Diana Peterfreund on Amazon.

* So, obviously, Team Unicorn, people. Team Unicorn all the way. And in case you have no idea what I'm talking about: Zombies vs. Unicorns.

Review: Life from Scratch

2010-12-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford is about a woman starting life over. Rachel Goldman feels helpless - she's divorced, on leave from her unsatisfying job, and lonely in her little NYC apartment. She doesn't even know how to make an egg! So she starts at the beginning: she will learn how to cook and venture out on a few dates. To her surprise, the blog she writes to track her progress is a hit. But life is complicated and Rachel can't make herself forget her ex as easily as she can teach herself to make dinner.

This was a really charming, sweet read. Rachel is a likable heroine and the author has done an good job of making her and the other characters - even the Latin love interest (I pictured Javier Bardem!) - fully fleshed out, while keeping the tone very light. I also liked the structure of the book, with snippets from Rachel's blog at the beginning of each chapter (though I was surprised that the author didn't incorporate recipes into the book as well - maybe that would have been overkill, but it would have fit).

While Life From Scratch isn't a heavy book, it is an endearing story that I think many readers will enjoy. I look forward to the promised sequel when it comes out.

Buy Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford from the publisher, at B&N.com or on Amazon.

Review: The Magicians

2010-11-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Right off the bat, I'll say that I really liked The Magicians. Yes, it feels a little like the author, Lev Grossman, took a dozen popular books and mashed them together. But, at least for me, I thought it came out delicious and not derivative.

The Magicians is the story of an ordinary high school student, Quentin, who finds out he has magical abilities and goes to a school for magic (see: Harry Potter, et al). Once there, Quentin meets up with a group of like-minded students, all equally interested in magic and fun. They learn that there are other worlds (hints of The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones, perhaps?) and, after some aimless young adult wandering, decide to find out if the magic land of their favorite childhood books (clearly The Chronicles of Narnia) is real.

Unlike these books, however, The Magicians is decidedly written for an adult audience. For one thing, the group of friends reminded me more of the murderous Bacchanalians in The Secret History by Donna Tartt than Harry and his buddies. For another, there is a distinct pathos about all of them. What's the point in trying when everything can be gotten by lifting a finger?

I think that anyone who read the Narnia books as voraciously as I (and Quentin, under another name) did will really enjoy this book. Or you might find it to be derivative garbage and hate it. But it's worth the read to find out.

Buy The Magicians: A Novel by Lev Grossman on Amazon.

2010-11-25T11:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Links

2010-11-17T15:02:00.000-08:00

Two quick links for a Wednesday:

As heard (by me) on NPR: Save the Words, where you can adopt a word that is about to go extinct. (Warning, site contains sounds, if you are secretly reading this at work.)

My friend Laura has issued a challenge to me to take part in next year's Zombie Safe House Competition. I accept!

Teaser Tuesday 11/16

2010-11-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
Today's teaser is from The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, an author whose work I generally really enjoy. I've just started this one, so I don't have an opinion yet, but I have high hopes.

Antonina and Jan had learned to live on seasonal time, not mere chronicity. Like most humans, they did abide by clocks, but their routine was never quite routine, made up as it was of compatible realities, one attuned to animals, the other to humans.

From that lovely passage, one would never know this is a book about the Holocaust.

Review: Complications

2010-11-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

COMPLICATIONS by Atul Gawande is about surgery, written by a resident surgeon. It is also about how humans learn, make mistakes, learn more, make decisions, learn something new, make another mistake, learn about something else, and then, when things go right, make really good decisions that just maybe save another person's life.

This book is incredibly intense - especially the last story in the book, which made me nervous for days - but not too gory or graphic. I don't normally do well with anything that even has a whiff of gruesome about it, but I generally wasn't grossed out. (I will admit that I skipped one chapter, "The Dead Baby Mystery." I checked with my medical professional husband, who read this book years ago, if this chapter is really about a dead baby. It is, so I decided that in my present, about to be a new mom state, I didn't need to read that.)

Instead, I found COMPLICATIONS to be a fascinating look at something I'm not familiar with. It matters, of course, that Gawande is an excellent writer. It's not perfect, of course, but it is excellent.

Buy Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande on Amazon.

Churches for a Sunday

2010-11-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

Because it is Sunday, and because I haven't posted on this topic in a long while, I present a round-up of interesting churches (the buildings, not the denominations, FYI).

Our Lady of Guadalupe (Waukegan) [via archi dose]

Johnson Chapel at Trinity School

Not really a church, but still cool: Nobody Steps On A Church In My Town! Or Do They?

Several from arch daily:
Pushing La Sagrada Família Forward, about the long process of getting Gaudi's famous cathedral built.

Tampa Covenant Church by Alfonso Architects

AIA Chicago Distinguished Building Honor Award for the Field Chapel

De la Piedra Chapel by Nomena Arquitectos + Ximena Alvarez

Which one do you like best?

10 Random Books (with mini reviews)

2010-11-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

The horror! I missed a day yesterday. Oh, well. While I won't have an unblemished posting record this month, I am definitely moving back into the swing of things. I still need to power through the backlog of reviews I need to write, though.

This is inspired by the meme I see around all the time, where one puts your iPod on shuffle and writes down the first 10 (or 25, or what not) songs that come up. Instead, I used the LibraryThing app I have on my blog (top right column) and picked the first 10 books that came up. I did cheat a little and exclude my husband's textbooks that came up, as I have nothing to say about them!

Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book: A Primer for Adults Only by Shel Silverstein: I think I got this from a friend years ago. It's just a silly funny book. And yes, adults only, even though it's Shel Silverstein.

Flying Colours (Hornblower Saga) by C. S. Forester: This is my husband's book - he has the whole series - and I've never read it. But I watched the Horatio Hornblower miniseries with him and loved it. It doesn't hurt that I have a bit of a crush on Ioan Gruffudd in it.

Orca by Steven Brust: I first read Brust when I picked up The Book of Jhereg from the advice of a bookseller (yay! bookstores!). I really liked it and continued on with the series, including this one. (This looks like it's out of print as a stand alone title, but it's available in the The Book of Athyra anthology.) The series gets darker as it goes but it's enjoyable for anyone who likes their fantasy with a heaping dose of magic and swordplay.

Zorro: A Novel by Isabelle Allende: I read this re-telling of the Zorro story by famed author Allende for book club. I remember enjoying it, but that's about it.

Irish Sagas and Folk Tales by Eileen O'Faolain: This looks really out of print, unfortunately. I loved this book when I bought it on a summer school trip to Ireland as a high school student.

Sarah: A Novel (Canaan Trilogy) by Marek Halter: The first in a trilogy, of which I have not read all three. I liked this one quite a bit though. It's historical fiction based on the Bible and well-written.

At Home in Mitford (The Mitford Years, Book 1) by Jan Karon: I think I have confessed my love of Karon's Mitford books here before. They aren't good, by any stretch, but I like them for what they are. There's a new book out in her second series about Father Tim (In the Company of Others), which I keep forgetting to get.

The Brand-New House Book: Everything You Need to Know About Planning, Designing, and Building a Custom, Semi-Custom, or Production-Built House by Katherine Salant: I bought this on a whim one day, curious what I as an architect would think of a book written for the layperson on the subject. I found it to be helpful, actually, though not perfect. Still, if you are contemplating building a house, I suggest finding a copy.

Angelas Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt: Doesn't everyone own a copy?

Intrusions by Ursula Hegi: Another gift, from a college friend who is a huge Hegi fan. It's an odd book, with a novel within a novel and characters that interact with "real" people. I can't compare it to Hegi's other novels, but I thought it was interesting.

Teaser Tuesday 11/9

2010-11-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
For something different for today's Teaser, I am sharing from Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande.

When things go wrong, it's almost impossible for a physician to talk to a patient honestly about mistakes. Hospital lawyers warn doctors that, although they must, of course, tell patients about injuries that occur, they are never to intimate that they were at fault, lest the "confession" wind up in court as damning evidence in a black-and-white morality take.

I am reading this for book club, as I so often happens when I read outside of my comfort zone.

Book Arts and Bookbinding

2010-11-08T13:44:00.000-08:00

I noticed on The Rejectionist that this past weekend was the NY Art Book Fair. I love books as art.* I know this may seem like a clash with what I wrote yesterday, extolling the virtues of eBooks, but I don't think the love of books as objects and books as reading materials are necessarily linked.

One of my earliest exposures to books as art was through the amazing bookbinder and artist Barbara Mauriello** and the The Center for Book Arts.

The Center for Book Arts is committed to exploring and cultivating contemporary aesthetic interpretations of the book as an art object while invigorating traditional artistic practices of the art of the book. The Center seeks to facilitate communication between the book arts community and the larger spheres of contemporary art and literature through exhibitions, classes, public programming, literary presentations, opportunities for artists and writers, publications, and collecting. Founded in 1974, it was the first organization of its kind in the nation.

One year, due to bad weather or some scheduling mishap, my family was among the few people who went to the Center's yearly open house. That year, instead of just watching the artists work on books and make paper, my sister and I got to try it out for ourselves. It was a fantastic experience. I think my mom still has some of the beautiful marble paper and prints we made. I know the Center offers classes, so if you are interested in book art and in the NY area, I suggest you check them out.

*So much so that I should really go back though all my posts and create a tag for this subject, so as to not bog up my generic Books tag.

** Who is, in full disclosure, a good friend of my family.

All images courtesy of the Center for Book Arts.

eBook Thoughts

2010-11-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Last week, I was waiting for a friend of mine and, while waiting, was reading on my nook eReader. He hadn't seen it before and after making appropriate noises about the case (which I made) asked me whether I saved money by having one. Not at all, I had to tell him. I may pay a little less per book for new books, but I more than made up for it by buying so many more new books. I still love used books sales, and I prefer to have nice hard cover copies of my well-loved novels, but for day to day reading, ebooks had really spoiled me.

I'll give you an example. Yesterday morning, I woke up very early (one of the hazards of being pregnant, I've found, is how hard it can be to sleep in). I had just finished one book and, as is so often the case, was uninterested in the TBR pile next to my bed, or any of the other books on our shelves I've never read. So I picked up my nook and looked at the Wishlist I had created there. One title stuck out at me - The Magicians by Lev Grossman - so I bought it. A few minutes later I was happily curled up in my comfy chair reading it. All this, before the sun had even come up all the way.

I still love physical books and I can't ever imagine not being surrounded by them. But I have unabashedly become a fan of ebooks, and I foresee that as time goes on, I will buy even more of them.

Architecture Links

2010-11-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

From Architecture Record 2011 America’s Best Architecture Schools. My undergraduate college, the University of Virginia, wasn't ranked (boo!) but my graduate school, the Southern California Institute of Architecture was ranked in several categories, including #2 for Design. Way to go, Sci-Arc!

Never a good sign: 2-ton chunk of UC Santa Barbara ceiling collapses. I bet the architects and their consultants are scrambling right about now.

Possibly the most interesting architecture article I've read in a a while: Design Within Reach: A blind architect relearns his craft at The Atlantic Monthly. [via Building Content]

Friday!

2010-11-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

I get ridiculously tired these days, as I near the end of my pregnancy (4 weeks to my due date!), so Friday is very welcome. Fortunately, I only have another week of work before my maternity leave starts. I was originally going to work a little longer but sanity - and my doctor and husband - prevailed and now I get a break before the baby comes. At least that's what I'm hoping for, though every time I tell someone that, it seems they respond about how their first came 1, 2, 3 weeks early!

While I'm talking about babies, I thought I'd share this photo of me at just a few weeks old.

From left: my older cousin trying to console me, my grandmother, me (the one screaming), another cousin (6 months older), and my sister, trying to figure out how she ended up with this little baby hanging around. Fortunately, we grew up to be very good friends.

Book Covers

2010-11-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

Huffington Post's Coolest Book Covers of 2010 (via Shelf Awareness). I'm not familiar with any of these books, I'll confess (though I've read a couple of the authors) but I always love hearing the behind the scenes take on a cover.

Review: Persona Non Grata

2010-11-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

Persona Non Grata is the third book in Ruth Downie's Medicus series, after Medicus and Terra Incognita (links go to my reviews).

In this installment, Ruso, a medic in the Roman army, heads home to Gaul in response to a letter from his family, with his "barbarian" lover Tilla in tow. Once home, he finds out that no one really wants him there. Things go from bad to worse, as they always seem to do around Ruso, when the creditor he's trying to negotiate with is murdered in Ruso's home. Further complications arise: Tilla gets caught up with the wrong crowd (aka Christians), Ruso's half-sister falls in love with a gladiator, and his stepmother keeps trying to fix him up with their wealthy neighbor.

I loved the first one and liked the second one, but thought it had lost a bit of its luster. Now with the third book, I was a little bored. It took me a while to get through it, as I kept losing interest (partly due to my own lack of interest in reading in general, I'll admit). For starters, I felt more annoyed by Ruso and Tilla's exploits than intrigued. Ruso is so hapless, it was hard to root for him. And, out of her element, Tilla seemed a little shrewish, not the feisty heroine from the first two books. There were also many, many secondary characters to keep track of. In the midst of this, the mystery seemed to get lost.

Other readers, especially those in a better reading mood than I, may disagree. I still highly recommend the first book and think there was a lot to like in this one (the setting, in particular). I just expected something more.

Buy Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie on Amazon.

I did really like this slideshow on the author's website of some of the real places in this book.

Note: I received Persona Non Grata from LibraryThings' Early Reviewer program.

Teaser Tuesday 11/2

2010-11-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

My wife and I thought about a home birth for our second baby but ultimately decided against it. While I don't consider myself particularly squeamish, I just couldn't imagine how we'd avoid making a mess all over the bedroom carpet.

My husband bought this for himself, on the advice of friends, and I read it, too, just for fun. I don't plan on reviewing it, but thought it was enjoyable enough to share this snippet.

NaBloPoMo: Day 1

2010-11-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Since I stink as a book blogger these days, I thought I'd see if participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) would help kickstart me back into being a better blogger. Even in my blogging heyday, I never posted daily, so this might be interesting.

I am not, sadly, participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. With baby due December 3, I just can't do it. And to be honest, being pregnant has made my arm injury flare back up (not surprisingly) which means that I can't type that much. This is actually one of the contributing factors to my lack of blogging.

Anyway, if any of you are participating in NaNoWriMo, I can't wait to hear all about it. I loved participating the past two years and winning last year felt great. I highly recommend doing it to anyone who likes writing.

Interesting Links

2010-10-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

My links today are sort of all over the place, but are more about architecture than books.

Via Shelf Awareness: Near the Library, D’Espresso’s Bookish Coffee Bar.

Via (sort of surprisingly) Go Fug Yourself:
10 music videos set in libraries and bookstores.

Via archinect: Should you build your own home? Loved this! FYI, home in this context, refers to your website, not to an actual house.

At the NY Times, AT HOME WITH PATRICK DOUGHERTY: Building With Sticks and Stones. I've written about the artist previously.

Teaser Tuesday 10/12

2010-10-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
As frequent readers may have noticed from the lack of anything going on here, I'm in a slump. Since I think the universal cure for a slump is well-loved classics, I'm browsing my shelves these days looking for something that seems appealing. Over the weekend, I read an old favorite: Friday by Robert A. Heinlein. This week's Teaser:

As I left the Kenya Beanstalk capsule he was right on my heels. He followed me through the door leading to Customs, Health, and Immigration. As the door contracted behind him I killed him.

This isn't my favorite Heinlein by any stretch, but it's a quick and fun read (especially if you skim the typical Heinlein lectures on everything from politics to astrophysics and avert your eyes from the outdated sexual politics).

Teaser Tuesday 10/5

2010-10-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

[A moral position] begins in the heart of a character and grows from there. Tell the truth and write about freedom and fight for it, however you can, and you will be richly rewarded.

I've been reading this book for some time now, somewhat because I've been in a general reading slump, but also because this book lends itself really well to being read in snippets.

Friday Update and Links

2010-09-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

I've read maybe 10 pages from a book this week. I'm having a lot of trouble concentrating on anything more complicated than Glee or a game of sudoku. My brain has turned to mush. Can I blame being pregnant?

Other people are doing interesting things, though, so I will just share them and hope you will forgive me for being such a poor blogger. Some are architecture, some are books, some are both.

From Archi Dose, I present two cool new blogs: Round Houses and Things Organized Neatly. Both are exactly what the packaging says and are worth checking out.

The Top 10 Bookstores in the US from Flavorwire [Via Bookslut]

I though this article was interesting, even though I'm not Jewish. I do like fantasy, though. Why There is No Jewish Narnia Warning: contains minor spoiler for The Magicians by Lev Grossman.) [Via Nancy Werlin at Whatever]

Author Douglas Coupland helped design a national monument in Ottawa to Canadian firefighters who died in the line of duty. Yes, Douglas Coupland, the author of Generation X, etc. So much for my excuse why I can't finish editing my novel. [Via Bookslut]

Enjoy your weekend, everyone.

BBAW - Future Treasures

2010-09-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I am responding to a daily question about books and blogging. Please visit the BBAW website for more answers from other bloggers.

We’ve been visiting each other and getting to know each other better…now is your chance to share what you enjoyed about BBAW and also what your blogging goals are for the next year!

I've been too busy this week to really appreciate BBAW, unfortunately, but I'm looking forward to catching up on all the great posts stacking up in my RSS reader and finding out what I missed!

My blogging goals for the next year are simple: keep going! As many of you have already read, my husband and I are expecting our first child this December. I anticipate that my life is going to change dramatically when our little girl arrives. I'd like to keep blogging, though, so I will do my best to learn how to fit it in to my new schedule.

BBAW - Unexpected Treasure

2010-09-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I am responding to a daily question about books and blogging. Please visit the BBAW website for more answers from other bloggers.

We invite you to share with us a book or genre you tried due to the influence of another blogger. What made you cave in to try something new and what was the experience like?

One book I read recently on the advice of a fellow blogger was Dissolution by C.J. Sansom which I read after reading the review on The Infusion. That wasn't particularly outside of my comfort zone, though, as I really love historical mysteries.

I also read, this year, The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti, after reading many positive reviews about it from other bloggers. As you can see from my review, I wasn't terribly impressed with it, though.

If I had an "unexpected treasure" this year, it's not coming to me, unfortunately.

Teaser Tuesday 9/14

2010-09-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

The buildings were grander than anything she had seen before, but the streets smelled just as powerfully as every other town of fish sauce and fresh bread, frying, warm dung, sweaty bodies, and brash perfume.

"Come on, Tilla, or whatever your name is," urged Marcia over the clatter of a passing handcart.

This book is set in Roman Gaul, not Roman Britannia, like the first two books in the series (Medicus and Terra Incognita). I'm enjoying the change of scenery.

BBAW - Interview with Cathy of Kittling: Books

2010-09-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

This year, As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I was paired for the interview swap with Cathy of Kittling: Books. Since Cathy has been blogging for a while and is, I know, pretty familiar in the book blogging world, I decided not to focus my interview on "getting to know you" questions or on general questions about her blog. Instead, I decided to focus on getting her advice to the long-time blogger (like, for example, me!). I hope you enjoy the interview.

I highly recommend a visit to Kittling: Books to read Cathy's interview of me - as I write this post I haven't seen what Cathy wrote and, based on how interesting her questions were, I am really curious to read the interview!

When and why did you start Kittling: Books?

I started three blogs in June 2008, Kittling: Books, Kittling: Travel Tales, and Kittling: Personal Observations. Kittling is a Gaelic word which means "anything that strikes [my] fancy", and I thought divvying my interests into three different blogs would suit them best. I was wrong.

It was very difficult to find the time to keep all three maintained. The more I got into my primary passion (books), I realized that the people who read blogs wanted to know something about the blogger's personality. So, instead of being a split personality, I shut down the other two blogs and spiced up the content on Kittling: Books by using the writing, humor and photography from the other two.

As to why I started down the blogging path... I had a book group on Yahoo groups with which I became very dissatisfied. I decided that, if I was going to talk to myself, I might as well do it in a venue that allowed me a bit more to play with: writing with photos and videos and the like. It turns out that I didn't talk to myself for very long, and I couldn't be happier. There are some wonderful people out in the blogosphere.

How has your blog changed since you first started?

When I first started, Kittling: Books consisted mainly of book reviews and little else. Dead boring. I started lurking in a few blogging groups at Library Thing, and the people there did a great deal in educating me about content, about what blogs were out there, about what sort of things were looked for in book blogs. I started visiting blogs to see what they were talking about, and I began experimenting to see what worked for me, and what didn't.

Now I'm not afraid to put myself out there, to let my personality out-- whether it's in the way that I word my reviews, or my photos that I share, or the occasional adventure out on the trail that I share. I think Kittling: Books is pretty much me... in Internet form.

How do you keep the blog fresh both for your readers and for you, as its creator?

I've found it rather amusing that, in the world of book blogging, the posts that generate the least amount of comments tend to be-- you guessed it-- book reviews.

It didn't take me long to realize that I really didn't want to talk to me, myself, and I on my blog. I didn't have a problem generating contact on my other two blogs with my photography and other posts. Kittling: Books was really my favorite child, and what I had to do to change it and keep it fresh was to turn loose of the fear.

What fear? That my blog had to be about books, books, and nothing but books. When I shut down the other two blogs and began using bits of their content on my book blog, things began to liven up. Then I began to see these weekly features on other blogs, and I wondered if I couldn't do something like that myself.

And then I began to get burned out because I thought I had to post every single day. I made the decision to take the weekends off, and also to schedule posts ahead of time as much as possible.
Now most of my posts are scheduled, so I don't feel "deadlines" breathing down my neck, and even though I'm not posting seven days a week, the number of people reading my blog continues to grow.

So... I would say that the best way to keep your blog fresh for you and for your readers is to do what's best for you-- and a lot of times that means getting rid of the fear. Be willing to experiment!

You have several features on your blog, the most well-known being Scene of the Blog. How do you decide to start a feature? How do you keep them going and keep them fresh?

Funny that you should ask me this, Lorin, since I've been playing around with the idea of starting my own reading challenge in 2011!

How do I decide to start a feature? With Scene of the Blog, I think I was inspired by an excessive amount of time spent watching Home & Garden Television (HGTV). I love floor plans, elevations, interior design... and one day I caught myself putting all this in context with book bloggers. So many of us tend to be introverts, much more comfortable working behind the scenes than out in front of the camera. I know I am! But would introverts be more willing to participate in a feature that asked them to show just the area in which they blogged... a feature that allowed them to stay behind the camera?

I thought that the answer would probably be yes, so I began doing research. I couldn't find similar features on other book blogs, and when I asked about it on Twitter, the response was overwhelmingly positive, and that's how it all began.

Scene of the Blog is still going strong, and its premise has so much structure that it stays fresh. No two book bloggers' spaces look the same!

I have tried other features, and they don't always work... or they work for a limited period of time. When the inspiration is gone and no one is responding to them, don't be afraid to let them go. The act of letting one tired one go usually sparks at least one new idea for me.

Many thanks to Cathy for being willing to answer my questions!

Please visit the BBAW website for more interviews from other bloggers.

BBAW - First Treasure

2010-09-13T06:50:00.000-07:00

As part of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I am responding to a daily question about books and blogging. Please visit the BBAW website for more answers from other bloggers.

We invite you to share with us about a great new book blog you’ve discovered since BBAW last year!

One of my favorite blogs that I've discovered in the last year is My Porch. While it is not a new blog (looking at his archive, Thomas has been blogging since 2006) it was new to me this year.

The interesting thing is that I think there really is not much overlap in book taste between us. He tends to like older British fiction (lots of Persephone Press books, etc). His favorite childhood book was probably my least favorite! I read a lot of sci fi and fantasy; I don't think he reads any of either.

Yet, despite our differences, I really enjoy reading his blog. We do have a lot in common (a shared love of the Ivory Merchant film adaptation of Room with a View, for example) and a background in design (architecture for me, urban design {I believe} for him). I love his eye - I love the posts on wonderful illustrations and book jackets. And I love reading his reviews, even when I doubt I will actually ever read the book.

I you haven't read My Porch before, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Friday Update 9/10 & Giveaway Winner

2010-09-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

Last weekend (a holiday weekend here in the US), husband and I went through our shelves. We got rid of handful of books and put over 250 books in storage. It was a huge task, so on Monday we decided to reward ourselves ... by buying books! Addicts, I know.

We have decided to try to confine ourselves to buying fewer but better books - like nicer hard copy versions of the falling-apart paperbacks and other well-loved books we have - and buying e-books for things we know we'll only read once. For example, we got a nice hardcover set of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I got a hardcover of my favorite Stephen King book, The Eyes of the Dragon.

I also received Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie, from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This is the third book in her Medicus series, after Medicus and Terra Incognita (links go to my reviews).

In other news, I've picked the winner of my 2nd Blogoversary Giveaway! Using random.org, I've picked entry number 3.

Congratulations to Mary!

She chose Dead in the Family, which was one of the first e-books we got for my new nook this summer.

Review: Dissolution

2010-09-09T06:24:00.000-07:00

Dissolution by C.J. Sansom is the first book in a new (rather, new to me, but published several years back) historical mystery series set during the reign of King Henry VIII.

The year is 1537 and England is divided between those faithful to the Catholic Church and those loyal to the king and the newly established Church of England. When a royal commissioner is murdered in the monastery of Scarnsea on the south coast of England, Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's feared vicar general, summons fellow reformer Matthew Shardlake to lead the inquiry. Shardlake and his young protégé, Mark Poer, uncover evidence of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, and treason, but when two other murders are committed, they must move quickly to prevent the killer from striking again.

I really got a lot out of this book. There was an almost equal mix of politics and history in with the mystery and I think I learned a lot about the politics of the Anglican Reformation. This is not to say that I "liked" it the whole way through - the politics were dirty and it could be uncomfortable to read about attacks on the church that left the common people bloodied. But Dissolution is well-written and has an excellent story. I think it will appeal to mystery readers and those who like their historical fiction a little on the brainier side (brainier than, say, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory).

Buy Dissolution on Amazon.

Thanks to Laura at The Infusion for bringing Dissolution by C.J. Sansom to my attention with her review.

Contest Ends tonight!

2010-09-08T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to enter my blogoversary giveaway! It's a free book - what do you have to lose? =)

Friday Update 9/3

2010-09-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

Actually, it's been a really long time since I've done a real Friday Update. It's been so long, in fact, that I've already reviewed or otherwise posted about a lot of the books I've gotten since my last one. So I will just be sharing some of my newest acquisitions here today.

The Children of Men by P.D. James: This is one of those books I've meant to read many times. I've read one other book by James (Devices and Desires) and enjoyed it. But that was a mystery and this is sci-fi, so I imagine it will be quite different.

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games Trilogy #3) by Suzanne Collins: OF COURSE I bought this the day it came out. And of course I've already read it. I'd be fired from being a book blogger otherwise, right? Someday maybe I'll even think of something to say about it that hasn't already been said.

Great Wine Made Simple: Straight Talk from a Master Sommelier by Andrea Robinson: Husband bought this but I think it looks good.

Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwell, et al.: Husband also bought this but I was already familiar with it and encouraged him to do so. It's just fantastic. Highly recommended for graphic designers and anyone else with an interest in design.

Reminder, the deadline for entering my anniversary giveaway is approaching. Don't forget to sign up by 9/8!

Happy Labor Day to everyone in the USA - and happy weekend to all!

Let's read some Science Fiction

2010-09-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

I was poking about and found this great post from io9's Sci-Fi University: A syllabus and book list for novice students of science fiction literature. I love reading lists. I'm terrible at using them, as I never want to feel like I have to read a book and it always seems like I've read barely a fraction of the books listed, but I love them anyway.

(On a related note, they also have 25 Classic SF Movies of which I've seen most. I find it suspicious, though, that several of the movies are form the last few years. Doesn't something have to be older to be classic?)

Anyway, this reminded me that the Hugo Awards are due to be handed out and I have read none - none! - of this year's nominees for Best Novel.

2010 Hugo Nominees for Best Novel

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
The City & The City by China Miéville
Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson
Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

I think Boneshaker and The Windup Girl look the most intriguing. Anyone have a recommendation for where to start on this list?

Book Links 9/02/10

2010-09-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

Just read a great appreciation of Robert Heinlein by author Jo Walton: “Out far, and onward yet!” Heinlein’s future history stories of the thirties and forties. It's part of Tor.com's celebration of all things Heinlein, in honor of his new biography. [Via Whatever]

I quote from my friend and fellow blogger Laura: If you were a superhero, you'd need to have this as your fortress of solitude. Of course you might not come out to fight crime. She is referring to The Giant Fort Of Books.

From Shelf Awareness: a cool bookcase/sculpture. As they put it, this makes on "look at the square states in the middle of the country with new appreciation."

On a non-book related note: those of you who are the right age/demographic, you might get as big a kick out of today's date as I did. In which case, you should check out Go Fug Yourself today and their celebration of all things Brenda, Brandon, Kelly, Steve, Donna, and David.

Waiting Wednesday 9/1: Life from Scratch

2010-09-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

For my installment this week of eagerly anticipated books, I'd like to share one that's not even listed on Amazon yet!

Nine months after Rachel Goldman's divorce, she gives birth to a cooking project as well as a blog that helps her find her voice that was missing during her married years. Life from Scratch is about not only learning how to grab your own happiness, but also, how to fry your own egg.

Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford will be released December 1, 2010.

I do have to say that the title of this one sounds a lot like another book I've seen out on the shelves recently: Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette. From the descriptions, though, the books sound totally different.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Review: Packing for Mars

2010-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

As I suspected I might when I put Packing for Mars on my Wishlist, I just loved this book. Packing for Mars by Mary Roach is funny, interesting and informative.

Packing for Mars is about what space agencies (mostly NASA, but Europe, Russia, and Japan's agencies as well) do to put humans into space. Launching a rocket seems like the easy part in comparison to figuring out how to get a toilet to work in zero-G. Roach clearly did her homework; she talked to both scientists currently working and those who have worked on these issues for previous missions. Her research took her from simulated missions in the arctic to the infamous "vomit comet" (the parabolic flight that simulates zero-G).

As you can imagine, coming from the author of a book about dead bodies (Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers), there are some gnarly bits in this book. There were a few passages, particularly the ones dealing with the corpses space agencies use to test crash safety, that tested my resolve in reading. But Roach handles even these parts with humor and grace.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in science or space. Roach is a terrific science writer and I really enjoyed Packing for Mars.

Buy Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void on Amazon.

Review: Melting Stones

2010-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'll confess that I read Melting Stones several weeks ago and then returned it to the library, so my review may be a little non-specific.

Residents on one of the islands south of Emelan have sent a call for help to Winding Circle temple: Their plants and trees and the animals that live around them are mysteriously dying. From Winding Circle come two familiar figures: prickly green mage Rosethorn, whose plant magic will help her decipher what's ailing the plant life, and Briar's former student, the stone mage Evvy. With them comes the eager, nervous Dedicate Initiate Myrrhflower and Luvo, a being best described as a walking, intelligent rock. All are pulled into the island's mystery when Evvy is caught up by the wild spirits loose in an immense bubble of molten rock. Can they evacuate the island in time--or will they try to shift a volcano?

A housekeeping note to begin with: when I wrote my Tamora Pierce wrap-up I thought that Melting Stones was a stand-alone book in Pierce's Circle universe. I think it may actually be a sequel to Street Magic (The Circle Opens, Book 2) or Will Of The Empress, neither of which I've read. So there were a fair number of references to people and events I knew nothing about. I didn't have any trouble following along, though.

While I found Melting Stones to be an enjoyable book, I did find it to be a little young - while it is classified as Young Adult, I think that Middle Grade readers may enjoy it more than a teenager used to the advanced themes present in much of today's YA. Part of that is that Evvy, the main character, felt very young to me, despite the awful circumstances she's lived through.

In general, I think that fans of Pierce's previous Circle books will enjoy Melting Stones, but that it probably isn't strong enough to pull new readers (particularly new older and adult readers) into the series.

Buy Melting Stones in paperback on Amazon now.

Review: Shadow Bound

2010-08-18T11:23:00.001-07:00

I figuratively picked up Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison when it was offered as a free download for my Nook from Barnes & Noble.

Adam Thorne's brother traded in his humanity to gain power and immortality. He became a wraith, one of a growing number menacing the country, and in doing so killed everyone Adam loved. Adam is determined to get his revenge and to take out the wraiths. Talia O'Brien is on the run from the wraiths, against whom she has a mysterious power, the gift of her Fae father. When Adam finds Talia, he rescues her (or was that kidnaps her?) and enlists her in his fight against the wraiths. Sexy times bound, good and bad guys get killed, and it was altogether a fun book to read for summer. I thought the prologue was unnecessary but otherwise enjoyed reading this light book.

Buy Shadow Bound on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday 8/17

2010-08-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
This week's Teaser is from Dissolution by C. J. Sansom. After reading a review on Laura's blog for this book (which she found via TT!), I knew I'd have to read it.

Pepper grinned.

'Well, 'tis true that the people in church respond to the priests' Latin mummings without understanding them.'

I shrugged. Such sentiments about the Latin Mass were not yet orthodox, and I was not going to be drawn into religious debate.

I am really enjoying it so far, but the cradle Catholic in me is having a very hard time with this one.

Review: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm

2010-08-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Nancy Farmer's The Ear, the Eye and the Arm is a bizarre and interesting novel. Zimbabwe, 2194: when General Matsika's three children wander venture out on their first solo trip outside of their restrictive home, they end up missing - kidnapped, just as the General had feared. So their parents' hire a trio of unusual detectives, the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, each named for the mutation that gives them special abilities, to find them. The detectives are just one step behind the children, always catching up to them just as they are taken or escape to the next place.

It is a hard book to define - it's mostly science fiction, with traditional folk tales and some fantastical elements mixed in. I can see a lot of different younger readers enjoying this, as it really covers several genres. I found the plot to be a little repetitive, because of this constant cat-and-mouse chase, but I enjoyed getting to see the many different aspects of Farmer's Zimbabwe. Although I didn't feel compelled to pick the book up, when I was reading it, I found it quite engaging.

This book was a Newbery Honor awardee in 1995.

Buy The Ear, the Eye and the Arm on Amazon.

Friday Update: My Big News

2010-08-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Instead of updating my library this week, I thought I'd update you all on something going on in my life. I don't often share personal information on this blog, but I thought it was time I shared a little. My husband and I are pleased to announce that we're having a baby! I am due December 3rd. We are, as you can imagine, just thrilled about this and are eagerly looking forward to meeting our little girl.

In the meantime, don't be surprised to see a few baby-related book reviews here.

Review: Something Rotten

2010-08-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde on is the fourth book in the Thursday Next series. If you haven't already read The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book and The Well of Lost Plots, don't even attempt to start with this one.

In Something Rotten, Thursday Next returns to the real world (well, as reall as it gets in these books) with her son and Hamlet in tow. She learns that bad guy Yorrick Kaine has joined forces with the omnipresent Goliath Corporation to oust the aging English President. As Prime Minister, Kaine wields has used his mysterious influence to pass bizarre laws and stir up hatred of Denmark. Thursday gets her job back at SpecOps to try to defeat Kaine, get her husband Landen back, and try to prevent the end of the world.

It's all very complicated, as I think all the Thursday Next books seem to be, but this one did feel a little more rushed than the first two. But I liked this one more than The Well of Lost Plots (#3).

Buy Something Rotten (a Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday: 8/10

2010-08-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
It isn't exactly my current read, but a book that we recently bought and I think is interesting: The Back of the Napkin (Expanded Edition): Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam.

The essence of this book can be distilled down to one central idea.

Visual thinking is an extraordinarily powerful way to solve problems, and though it may appear to be something new, the fact is that we already know how to do it.

Why Dystopian Lit?

2010-08-09T14:09:00.000-07:00

Interested in why I, and many others, find dystopian fiction so interesting? Then check out this post from Presenting Lenore: Dystopian Reader Views - What fascinates you about the genre?, part of her Dystopian August series.

Links & Wishlist: The Architect's Portfolio

2010-08-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Via NPR's Monkey See blog, Galleycat's Worst Negative Book Review Clichés: I was fine until I hit #5, "I just didn't *care* about the characters." I'm pretty sure I say that in every other negative review. Oops!

It's been a long while since I had to do a portfolio, so The Architect's Portfolio: Planning, Design, Production by Andreas Luescher looks like a good resource.

My husband and I went to see Inception this past weekend. I'm not sure I understood it, but I thought it was great. And one of the main characters is an architect! I definitely recommend it.

My 2nd Blogoversary!

2010-08-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

arch thinking is two years old today! My very first post was on 8/8/08 - such a nice round number. While I always planned to do a lot of book reviews, I thought then that it would be more of a general interest blog. These days, I don't discuss much other than books and I like it that way. Sometimes I feel like I should write about art and architecture more, but generally I feel like there are a lot of better writers out there who have that covered. Plus, as an architect, I have a pretty good outlet for those interests, whereas this is my space to write and talk about reading and writing.

Just like last year, I'd like to hold a special giveaway to celebrate the occasion. The rules:

Choose any book (up to $30 in value) that I have reviewed or discussed in the past year (that's August 8, 2009 to August 8, 2010).
Tell me in the comments on this post why you chose it.
I will pick one reader who will win the book of their choosing!**
Contest is open for one month, until September 8th.
Please read the fine print.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks to all of you for reading my blog and being such a great community!

*Fine print: I will send the winner an Amazon (or other online seller) gift certificate for the value of the book plus $3.99 for standard US shipping. This contest is open to anyone, but you will have to pay for any shipping above that amount.

Wishlist: Packing for Mars

2010-08-05T12:15:00.000-07:00

I watched The Daily Show from Monday last night and loved Jon Stewart's interview with Mary Roach, regarding her newest book, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void.

Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can't walk for a year? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 4,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations -- making it possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Packing for Mars takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

While I wasn't blown away by the previous book by her I've read (Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife), the conversation with JS about this one was so hysterical, I am going to have to read it.

Review: The Good Thief

2010-08-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

I finally finished reading The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti recently, having put it down several times to read something else, but not having quite given up on it. I've read many positive reviews of this book. I mean, hey, The New York Times loved it. So I wanted to keep going. But I just didn't click with this book. I thought it was, to be honest, odd, with a confusing ending.

The Good Thief is about twelve year-old Ren who is missing his left hand and was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony’s Orphanage for boys. One day Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren’s long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuades the monks at the orphanage to give him Ren. But Benjamin is just a thief, looking for an apprentice. Or maybe he's not, and there's more to this story.

If you like Dickens, I think you'll enjoy this book more than I did. For me, there were just too many coincidences, too many quirks. The elements are all there, I just didn't really like the way it was put together.

Buy The Good Thief: A Novel on Amazon.

Review: Charmed Life

2010-08-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

Charmed Life is the first book in Diana Wynne Jones's Chrestomanci series and the first book I have ever read by her.

Orphans Cat and his sister Gwendolen, a young witch, are summoned to live with at Chrestomanci Castle, home of the powerful enchanter who regulates the use of magic in the parallel worlds and his family. When the Chrestomanci doesn't acknowledge ambitious Gwendolen's talent, she decides to wreck havoc on the castle to make him pay attention. Poor Cat is haplessly dragged alone for the ride.

I know DWJ has legions of fans, but I wasn't really impressed by this book. There were basically no sympathetic characters - Gwendolen is clearly just a shrew, Cat is a patsy, we hardly know Chrestomanci and his wife, their daughter is obnoxious, and their son barely registered as a person. The only person I liked in the book was Janet, and she's not in most of the book. Does Wynn Jones have something against kids? For a kids book, I found the children characters to be really poorly developed. I resented that the female characters were either harpies or doormats, but the male characters didn't fare much better.

As I said, I know this author has a lot of fans. I loved the movie Howl's Moving Castle, so maybe I will seek out the book, but otherwise, I doubt I will pick up another one of Wynn Jones's books again.

Buy Charmed Life on Amazon.

Never Let Me Go trailer

2010-07-31T13:43:00.000-07:00

I just watched the trailer for Never Let Me Go, based on the book by Kazuo Ishiguro (my review of Never Let Me Go) and started crying about 2/3 in. Maybe I'm just a big sap, but I think it looks really moving.

Review: Chalice

2010-07-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

There's no wind up to reading Chalice by Robin McKinley. No soft start, no easing into the world. McKinley just starts.

Beekeeper Marisol has been chosen as the new Chalice, destined to stand beside the Master and mix the ceremonial brews that hold the Willowlands together. But the relationship between Chalice and Master has always been tumultuous, and the new Master is unlike any before him.

There's not much action to this book. There's more atmosphere than anything else. It was good, but something about it left me cold.

Maybe, and it pains me to say this, maybe I just don't know about Robin McKinley anymore. Her books are all different - different worlds, characters, plots - so why do I sometimes I feel like I've just read the same book again? I think it's McKinley's voice. She has a really strong voice, clear and concise, that carries through everything I've read by her. I've written about this before, actually, but I don't know why it bugged me reading Chalice.

Other bloggers (including Presenting Lenore and bookshelves of doom) really enjoyed this book. Maybe its all about having the right frame of mind.

Buy Chalice on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday: 7/27

2010-07-27T06:56:00.000-07:00

They hanged her, as the did murderesses then, on the roof of the Horsemonger Lane Gaol. Mrs. Sucksby stood and watched the drop, from the window of the room I was born in.

Review: The Lightning Thief

2010-07-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

I had never heard of the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan before the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief was made into a movie earlier this year. I didn't see the movie but I heard good things about the book at the time, so when I saw it on sale on my Nook, I bought it.

This is a really fun middle grade book. I enjoyed reading it - no surprise since I have loved reading myths and legends since I was in middle school myself. Percy is a fun character to spend time with and Riordan does a great job of making the world he inhabits seem believable.

My only quibble with the book is the relationship between Percy's mom and her husband and how that is wrapped up at the end. But otherwise, I though this was a fun book that any young reader would enjoy.

Buy The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Amazon.

Architecture Links for Friday

2010-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

Short and sweet, to end your week:

Yes, I would live inside a bookshelf. (at Gizmodo).

More architecture FAIL at Huffington Post, via Go Fug Yourself. (That may be the least grammatically correct sentence I've ever written, FYI.)

Years ago, my sister bought me a reprint of Shelter by Lloyd Kahn.

Shelter is many things - a visually dynamic, oversized compendium of organic architecture past and present; a how-to book that includes over 1,250 illustrations; and a Whole Earth Catalog-type sourcebook for living in harmony with the earth by using every conceivable material. First published in 1973, Shelter remains a source of inspiration and invention. Including the nuts-and-bolts aspects of building, the book covers such topics as dwellings from Iron Age huts to Bedouin tents to Togo's tin-and-thatch houses; nomadic shelters from tipis to "housecars"; and domes, dome cities, sod iglus, and even treehouses.

The authors recount personal stories about alternative dwellings that illustrate sensible solutions to problems associated with using materials found in the environment - with fascinating, often surprising results.

It is a really fascinating book, so I was pleased to find out (via ArchiDose) that the sequel, Shelter II, will be reprinted later this year. I am very interested in taking a look when it comes out.

Happy Friday!

Waiting Wednesday 7/21

2010-07-21T06:02:00.000-07:00

Two books coming out in the next year by some YA heavy hitters:

Tortall and Other Lands: A Collection of Tales by Tamora Pierce

Collected here for the first time are all of the tales from the land of Tortall, featuring both previously unknown characters as well as old friends. Filling some gaps of time and interest, these stories, some of which have been published before, will lead Tammy's fans, and new readers into one of the most intricately constructed worlds of modern fantasy.

Out February 22, 2011.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley

Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations.

Out November 2, 2010.

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Teaser Tuesday: 7/20

2010-07-20T06:55:00.000-07:00

"Should your soldier survive, it may keep the knives as a token of its victory," the ambassador said.

"Thanks," I said.

"We would not wish to have them back. They would be unclean," the ambassador said.

Maybe you have get it in context, but I actually found that to be a pretty funny exchange. If you are interested, here is my Old Man's War review.

Review: The Onion Girl

2010-07-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

At my last Book Club, we discussed The Onion Girl by Charles deLint. According to Wikipedia, The Onion Girl is the 12th (of 24) book in de Lint's Newford collection - all books set in an imaginary city where the boundary line between magic and reality is blurred, and generally centered around a large group of friends/acquaintences. At the heart of this group is Jilly Coppercorn and The Onion Girl is her story.

For the most part, my book club all agreed it was an interesting book but not what we expected. Personally, I expected the magic and real life to be more integrated. Other than reading Tarot Cards or catching something strange out of the corner of your eye, magic doesn't happen in the real world. There is a Dream World and the World As It Is and they were very different.

Many characters show up in The Onion Girl from deLint's other Newford books, but it was easy to keep track as he reintroduced them each time. In fact, it got a little repetitive.

I can't say I loved this book, but there was one thing that kept me (and several other members of my book club) riveted to the very end: the character of Raylene. Raylene is Jilly's sister and suffered through much of the same abuse as a child. But where Jilly was rescued from the streets by caring people, Raylene joined forces with her friend Pinky and started on a life of petty crime. She's not a sympathetic character in the normal sense, but she's fascinating and strong-willed.

Buy The Onion Girl on Amazon.

Review: The Passage

2010-07-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

My husband recently read The Passage by Justin Cronin and suggested I may want to hold off on reading it (I'm just not sure I'm in a place where I want to read scary things right now). Instead, he agreed to let me interview him about the book.

In just a couple of sentences, can you tell us what The Passage is about?

The Passage is a dystopian vision of the Western United States where society has collapsed under the oppression of a genetically engineered race of monsters. The survivors live in a constant state of siege trying to scratch out a meager existence. The crux of the drama focuses on a small group of defenders on a hopeful quest (hence the title The Passage) to secure help/resources for their community.

What made you decide to read it?

I decided to read it after my favorite book reviewer suggested I crack it open. I also was at three social events on three consecutive days where everyone seemed to be talking about it. I had also just loaded the B&N e-reader onto my iPhone, and thought I would put it through it's paces by chugging through a 700+ page book. The Passage fit the bill nicely.

Aw, I'm "your favorite book reviewer." That's so sweet. Also, wise to say since I know where you sleep.

700 pages is a lot no matter what the format. Did it seem long? Too long?

Actually, no, it wasn't too long... but then again I am a big fan of the epic story line. If though you are looking for a quick summer read this isn't it. It also isn't a light-hearted, sweet and fluffy piece. It's dark, and make no mistake, it's got horror in its bones.

For the most part the action and plot rolled along well. There were only a few chapters that seemed slow, but this was just obligatory background and atmospheric stuff that taken in the context of the whole story were necessary to communicate to the reader. On that note, Cronin has a very simple communication style. It is descriptive but not overly wordy which I believe will make this book accessible to many readers.

One word of caution: despite the basic writing style, this book has so many characters in so many geographic locations over such long time periods that taking a short break in reading could present a challenge. I happened to chug through this book in about three days so I didn't run into this problem, but I could see that if a reader approached this tome in a casual manner they could easily be confused.

So, it sounds like you liked it, then. What did you like the most about The Passage?

I think I liked the dystopian aspect best for a couple reasons.
First, it gets you thinking about how fragile our society is, and what you would do in tough times. Not necessarily when bloodsucking monsters attack, but you know... when things go really south and our world turns on it's ear. It's that pervasive fantasy that makes you think you'd have what it takes. The hubris that makes you think that you above others would have the gumption to be one of the survivors.

Secondly, and on a more cheerful note, I am also a big fan of movies and books where the common man rallies against uncommon odds, successfully or not. And that's what this book is all about.

Well, knowing you, I am sure you'd be one of the survivors. Too bad you'd be saddled with me, the least outdoorsy woman you know.

But back to the book - would you recommend this book to other readers? Who do you think might enjoy it?

I would recommend it to a mature reader who enjoyed post-apocalyptic fiction. I believe that you'll like this if you liked:

The Stand by Stephen King
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien
The first Mad Max movie
The Dark Tower universe by Stephen King

Thanks to my fantastic husband for helping me out and sharing his thoughts!

Buy The Passage on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday: 7/13

2010-07-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
My teaser today is from Something Rotten (a Thursday Next Novel) by Jasper Fforde. This is way more than two sentences, I know, but this this not the kind of book you can pull two random sentences out of and expect it to make sense. It barely makes sense when you're reading it cover to cover!

Mrs. Tiggy-winkle looked miserable.

"Well, you know there has been much grumbling within Hamlet ever since Rosencrantz and Guildernstern got their own play?"

"Yes?"

"Well, just after you left, Ophelia attempted a coup d'état in Hamlet's absence. She imported a B-6 Hamlet from Lamb's Shakespeare and convinced him to reenact some of the key scenes with a pro-Ophelia bias."

Review: Captive Queen

2010-07-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Eleanor of Aquitaine was a fascinating historical figure, one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe during the Middle Ages. She was the Duchess of Aquitaine, Countess of Poitiers, Queen of France, Queen of England (though not both of those at the same time), a crusader, a sponsor of writers and troubadours, a wife (twice), mother of ten (maybe 11) children (two with Louis VII of France, the rest with Henry II of England), and, at the end of her life, a nun. At a time when most women were illiterate chattel, she was a influential and accomplished woman in her own right. It's no wonder that so many books about her life are out already, with more coming this year.

So, with such fascinating subject matter to work with, why did I find Alison Weir's Captive Queen so uninteresting?

I won't go so far as to call it boring - the subject matter was enough to keep me going - but it was close. One of the biggest problems: the book is written in third person from Eleanor's perspective, but since the queen was in prison for years, there are vast stretches where all the action happens off screen.

The writing is also really clunky in places (see A Reader's Respite's review for some great examples) and there were far more sex scenes than I needed to read.

If you're an Eleanor fanatic or just a Plantagenet junkie, you might want to check Captive Queen out of your local library. But there's no need, I think, to run out and buy it when it comes out tomorrow (7/13).

Buy Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine on Amazon.

I received this book through the Librarything Early Reviewers program.

Links

2010-07-08T12:41:00.000-07:00

Some random links of interest, of various kinds:

Via Shelf Awareness, Bookshelf Porn. I like Read More Books than Blogs (on a blog, of course). Which one is your favorite?

Here's probably the heaviest coffee table/book storage ever built, at dornob .

Courtesy of a thread off Librarything, one of the most amazing bookstores I've seen: Librería El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires.

I love these pieces from Depot Visuals - though imagine how much cooler they'd be if they were real.

This is what I imagine it would look like if Hobbits built a shed: The Composting Shed at Inverleith Terrace by Groves-Raines Architects.

For Laura: photos of Venice's cemetery, which is not, of course, in Venice.

Sorry for the lack of images. I am lazy/busy today.

Friday Update 7/2

2010-07-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

This was an awesome book week for me. Actually, it was just an awesome week in general. For one thing, it was my birthday on Tuesday! And for my birthday, my fantastic husband bought me a Nook e-reader from Barnes & Noble!

We had talked in the past about getting a Kindle and had looked at many of the options. After going back and forth, we had decided the Nook would be the best choice for us, when we decided to get an e-reader. But I was totally surprised when he gave it to me - I certainly didn't expect to get one so soon! Thanks, honey! (Granted, it didn't hurt that prices have started coming down. I just got an ad from Amazon that the Kindle is now $189 and the Kindle DX is $379. Then again, that's still not cheap.)

At the same time he gave me the Nook, my husband also installed the app on his iPhone, so that we could both read the e-books we buy. So far, that's worked out great. We read Charlaine Harris's latest Sookie Stackhouse novel (#10, Dead in the Family) together. Now he's reading The Passage by Justin Cronin (which I'll probably get to eventually). I'm still reading Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir (on paper), as well as, for some light diversion, reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I even read a bit of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, which I downloaded for free.

In addition to all our new e-books, I bought a book I have wanted for a long while: The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia. I was amused when the sales clerk asked if it was a gift when I checked out. Nope, for me.

Happy Independence Day to all the Americans and happy weekend to all!

Teaser Tuesday 6/29

2010-06-29T06:22:00.000-07:00

It seemed to her that this marriage that she had defied the world to make had become, in its own way, as much a form of captivity as her union with Louis had been in another. This was not the partnership she had planned for, but a vile endurance, she told herself angrily.

Book is out 7/13. Please note that the text may vary in the final version.

Tamora Pierce for Adult YA Fans (Series Review)

2010-06-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

I started reading Tamora Pierce's work when I was in middle school, when my sister suggested I might enjoy Alanna: The First Adventure. She was right and I quickly read the next two books in the series (all that was available at our library), then stalked bookstores for more by her. I was rewarded years later when the final book in the quartet, Lioness Rampant, appeared at a bookstore in Dublin when I was there as a summer student.

In the meantime, though, I had to sate my need for strong female characters in fantasy books some other way. My teachers and family helped - I remember it was my 8th grade teacher who introduced me to Robin McKinley and someone else suggested I read Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.

I was an adult by the time I re-discovered Tamora Pierce. Once I did, I made up for lost time and read just about everything else she's ever written. Below are mini-reviews of her series, with my advice on which ones might be of the most interest to adult readers.

The Circle Universe
As I have said before, I haven't read most of these books. I read the first two from the first series and found them to be too young for me, so I never bothered to check out the rest. Currently, there are three series and one stand alone book set in this universe:

Circle of Magic (Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, and Briar's Book)
The Circle Opens (Book 1: Magic Steps, etc)
The Circle Reforged (Currently the only book in this series is Will Of The Empress)
Melting Stones (Written initially as an audiobook, the paperback will be issued in August.) Update: I reviewed Melting Stones 8/26.

If any of my readers have advice on these books, please feel free to weigh in. But generally, I think adult readers wouldn't be too interested in the Circle books.

The Tortall Universe
This is the real meat and potatoes of Pierce's work for me and, as a whole, is my favorite group of YA fantasy books.

The Song of the Lioness quartet is made up of Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant. This series is really basis on which all the other Tortall series are written. Compared to the other books, and to YA books published these days, the books are pretty short and the writing can be a little simple, especially in Alanna. This is less the case in Lioness Rampant, as Pierce, I think, had gotten more liberty to write the book she wanted to write by then.
The Immortals: This was the next series set in Tortall, consisting of Wild Magic, Wolf-Speaker, Emperor Mage, and The Realms of the Gods. Tortall literally changes in this series, as more more magic enters that world. That's why there are griffins and dragons in these books and the subsequent chronological series, but none in the The Song of the Lioness or Beka Cooper. I don't love this series as much as the others, probably because I just didn't click as well with Daine, but the books are still fun to read.
Protector of the Small: This is the series that brings me back to unadulterated fangirl love. The series is about a noble girl who decides to become the first female to become a knight after Alanna (now that it is legal in Tortall to do so). And, Kel! You're awesome! The books in this series are First Test, Page, Squire, and Lady Knight. Interestingly, in her Lady Knight acknowledgments, Pierce thanks JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, for proving to publishers that YA books could be longer and more complicated, dealing with subject matters previously considered taboo. I always thought that Pierce was unafraid to deal with "adult" subjects in her books (for example, the frank talks about birth control in the early Alanna books) but, certainly, her books got longer at this point and less likely to break a story up into multiple volumes.
Tricksters (aka Daughter of the Lioness): These two books, Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen, are about Alanna's daughter Alianne (Aly) and her adventures when she is kidnapped and taken, as a slave, to the Copper Isles. Like Pierce's other heroines, Aly is a strong feisty female. But while she can handle herself in a fight, she is more her father's daughter than her mother's, and is more likely to use cunning and trickery to win her battles than out and out force. These books are quite fun and, while they are sequels to the other Tortall series, are different enough that I don't think they need to be read in order. Please note that finding out who Aly's father is, though, will spoil a few things in the The Song of the Lioness quartet.
Beka Cooper: These books are prequels (of a sort) to The Song of the Lioness quartet, in that they take place centuries before, in the same world. There's really no character overlap, though, so these books can be read at any point, without fear of spoiling anything in the other books. Please read my reviews of Terrier and Bloodhound for my take on the two books (so far) in Pierce's latest Tortall series.

Pierce, I know, is currently working on a prequel to The Immortals, this one about the mage Numair in his youth. (Timeline-wise, I imagine it will take place about the same time as Alanna's books or maybe just after.) I look forward to reading and reviewing it when it comes out!

I hope this post has inspired anyone curious about Tamora Pierce's work to pick up one of her books. And if there are any young readers in your life, especially girls who enjoyed Graceling or some of the other YA fantasy coming out these days, please put one of these books in her hands. I think she'll love it.

Author photo courtesy Tamora Pierce

An Angel Reading

2010-06-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

The post I am writing that was supposed to go up today is taking much longer than expected. Instead, I will leave you with something to look at. This photo was taken at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA. Staring off into space, reading a book ... yup, it's a little bit how I picture eternity.

Review: Tender at the Bone

2010-06-21T06:49:00.000-07:00

Tender at the Bone is a memoir by Ruth Reichl, former editor at Gourmet Magazine and former restaurant critic for the New York Times. It spans the early part of her life, from childhood in New York to the start of her career as a food writer in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970's. Not surprisingly, Reichl's focus is on food - the rancid food she eats when her mother cooks to the hippie organic fare she serves up at her commune in Berkeley, with the drunken messes she makes for high school friends and exotic meals in North Africa in between.

There are a few sure things for me to enjoy reading about. I love reading good food descriptions (probably because I really love good food). I love reading books set in a place I know very well, like the town I live or work in. And I love books about travel, because it's so wonderful to be transported someplace new. Tender at the Bone was a great combination of all these things and I really enjoyed reading it.

This is the first of three memoirs Reichl has written, and I've actually already read the third, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. (Number two is Comfort Me with Apples.) I have to say, I definitely preferred Garlic and Sapphires to Tender at the Bone. Garlic and Sapphires felt like a more complete story, whereas Tender at the Bone ended abruptly and wasn't as consistent throughout. Generally, though, I very much enjoyed Tender at the Bone and would recommend it to anyone who likes memoirs or food books.

Buy Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on Amazon.

Friday Update 6/18

2010-06-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

From Librarything, for review: Captive Queen: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine by Alison Weir

For my book club: The Onion Girl by Charles de Lint. I've never read anything by him before but the lady who rang me up at the bookstore was quite enthusiastic about him. I hope I like it as book club is in a week and I haven't cracked it yet.

Just for fun: Dead and Gone: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel by Charlaine Harris. The husband read it first and then I just finished it. It's been so long since I read the last book in the series (From Dead to Worse) that it took me a little bit to get into it. But Sookie's always fun for some mindless reading, if you're in the mood for that kind of thing.

In other news, as I noted before, I had some serious computer trouble after some sleazebag hacked my email accounts. He (or she) got into both my primary and back-up accounts, plus my Facebook account, and locked me out for a full day, while he used my account to send spam to everyone I know. And it wasn't selling fake Vi@gr@ kind of spam - he was claiming to be me, stranded in another country, and asking for money. I am both touched and alarmed that so many people responded with offers to help. As far as I can tell, the thief didn't manage to actually get any money (and I took the step of contacting Western Union and placing a block on my name, so hopefully that further prevented any thievery).

So, what have we learned?
1. Use different passwords for all your accounts and change them often. Every couple of months, at least.
2. Never, ever send money to someone based on an email. If you are concerned that it might really be that person in danger, ask for some kind of corroborating evidence, such as some fact that only they would know.

And, while you're at it, back up your blog, too, because I'm in a PSA kind of mood.

Assuming no further computer-related snafu's happen this weekend, I will be back Monday with my regular programming.

WARNING

2010-06-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

My email accounts have been hacked. Ignore all emails from me asking for help or money. Delete immediately!!

Nerds Heart YA Comparison and Winner

2010-06-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Round 1 of the Nerds Heart YA book tournament! As I explained this morning, Angela of Bookish Blather and I were asked to read The World Is Mine (Come Up) and Donut Days.

After discussing each book, we compared the two and picked a winner to move on in the tournament.

Angela
So as for the monumental task of starting to compare these books - like I mentioned before, we have two protagonists who are trying to define themselves as separate from their parents (even though The World is Mine has multiple narrators, I considered Blue the main protagonist since he got more chapters to narrate and his big plans were what drove the plot). While on the surface they seem like two totally different books, at their heart the stories are quite similar. It's the outer trappings that take the stories in wildly different directions - urban vs. suburban settings, watching friendships fall apart (The World is Mine) vs. friendships coming back together (Donut Days).

Lorin
The issue in comparing any two books is not in picking which one I prefer, it's in trying to pin down the why. Thinking about it, I realized that while Emma and Blue's problems aren't terribly different, Donut Days had much more heart than The World is Mine, and that's what makes the big difference for me. I'm not trying to disparage the goal of breaking into entertainment - I know that creative fields require just as much work as any other career. But Blue doesn't seem to have any larger goal than "coming up" and getting power for the sake of getting powerful. Add to that, he wasn't the most sympathetic character, and it all sums up to making it harder for me to care about his struggles (especially since some of them could have been so easily solved).

Angela
Every once in awhile it looked like Blue was going to connect with a deeper goal - I was encouraged when he was researching other entertainment entrepreneurs and when he was looking to the former NFL/music exec as a mentor, but yes, ultimately it seemed like all he wanted was to improve his own standing rather than connect with a larger community. He didn't want to throw awesome parties for the sake of the party goers - he just wanted the reputation as an awesome party planner, and he was even willing to sacrifice his friends (and the friends of friends) in order to achieve that.

Lorin
Emma could be bratty, but I felt like she was concerned with more than just herself and her own issues. She was angry at her parents, but mostly she was worried about them. She was angry with Nat, but she also recognized that she missed her friend. She was angry with her much of her congregation, but still concerned that they weren't taken advantage of. It just all made me care much more.

Angela
I pretty much agree with everything you're saying about Emma.

Lorin
I do want to make sure I'm not just drawn to Emma more than Blue because my experiences more closely match hers than they do Blue's.

Angela
I also had to really think and make sure I wasn't just leaning towards Donut Days because it was easier for me to relate to. I also don't want to put some sort of value judgement on Blue's goals vs. Emma's - I'm afraid I'm sounding like all books must have some great moral message in order to be considered valuable, which isn't at all how I feel. I just think Blue's methods of achieving his goals fell flat, and since I could never empathize with him I was never invested in his goal. Add this to the weaknesses I felt with the writing (over-explanation of the slang, the abrupt ending), and The World is Mine just didn't hold up well for me. Emma could be bratty, but I could empathize even with her brattiness because we could see exactly where it was coming from - she clearly values science over faith, doesn't hold the Bible as infallible, and thinks her parents have unreasonable expectations. Even if I didn't agree with her positions or her reasoning, at least I could understand where she was coming from. I never quite felt I understood Blue and his shortcomings in the same way.

Lorin
We're in agreement. The World is Mine had a lot going for it, but couldn't hold its own up against Donut Days.

Congratulations to Donut Days and author Laura Zielin!

Nerds Heart YA Review: Donut Days

2010-06-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Round 1 of the Nerds Heart YA book tournament! This year we're looking at little known YA literature that have a focus on different kinds of diversity (race, sexual orientation, religion, etc). As part of the tournament, Angela of Bookish Blather and I were asked to read The World Is Mine (Come Up Series #1) by Lyah B. LeFlore and Donut Days by Lara Zielin.

I suggest that you visit Angela's blog first to read our thoughts on The World is Mine, then come back here to read what we thought of Donut Days. Then, check back later today to find out the winner of this round!

Lorin
In some ways, Donut Days couldn't have been more different from The World is Mine. Then again, there's something really universal about teenagers trying to figure out their place in the world and how to shape their future.

Angela
When I finished reading Donut Days , I was totally unsure how to judge it against The World is Mine . The books really are soooooooooo different. But you're right, teens trying to find their place is universal and appears in both books. Emma is trying to define herself separately from her parents - stepping far away from the evangelical world she's been raised in. Blue is doing the same, questioning whether the law degree his father desperately wants him to have is best for him. Also, Emma is a flawed protagonist (rather selfish with her point of view), like I think the author may have been trying to make Blue (but went overboard).

Lorin
It was really interesting to read a book that was so overtly about God and religion and being spiritual. Granted, I avoid Christian fiction like the plague, since I hate being preached to. But Donut Days didn't seem preachy to me, maybe because I thought it was actually really funny.

Angela
Like you, I avoid preachy Christian fiction - but I do enjoy books that explore religion, so the premise of this one was right up my alley.

Lorin
I thought that the author, Lara Zielin, did a great job of presenting different viewpoints in way that (usually) didn't feel like a Point/Counterpoint essay. And Emma's parents, who could have easily been portrayed as crackpots (Adam was a hermaphrodite? The earth was created 6,000 years ago?) came across as genuinely incredibly sweet people.

Angela
I thought Emma's parents were really interesting. When it opened with the "Adam as hermaphrodite" theory, I was sure the problem was going to be that her parents were overly liberal which would cause problems within the church. To see them hold that crazy theory - but simultaneously believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old, which seems to be from a much more conservative view point - was a little jarring. Maybe the hermaphrodite theory has a theological grounding I'm not aware of (I actually just went to Google it and "Adam was a hermaphrodite" was the top suggestion after I typed "Adam was a," so it's clearly not something the author made up), but it stuck out to me in a weird way. Not bad, but it was a little weird.

Lorin
Just from Googling, it looks like the hermaphrodite theory is more common in Judaism. I had never heard of it before this book, either. It still seems a little weird to me, but then again, any religion seems weird to an outside person.

Angela
I absolutely loved the Angelfire Witnesses. The "bikers with a heart of gold" trope isn't exactly new, but the bikers were so well developed that they felt like full characters, not at all stereotypes. They were easily my favorite part of the novel.

Lorin
Bear, the Angelfire Witness who befriended Emma, was awesome. You're right - he was definitely a type. But he was just so great! Makes me wish I had a born-again biker friend who looks like he eats kittens for breakfast!

Angela
The one stereotypical character? The daughter of the man in the church with the "prophesy" [Molly]

Lorin
Other than her brother Jake, Molly's whole family were just The Villains. I could tell that the author was trying to give Molly some motivation (beyond just being a stuck up brat. How many teens gets a company named after them?) when she had Nat and Emma mention that Molly might have been jealous of their friendship. But since we never heard from Molly herself, like we heard from Nat, it was easy to just place her in the "villain" category and forget about it.

The biggest flaw in the book, I thought, was that it was maybe a little too light. It was a really quick read and the ending just wrapped everything up very nicely. Okay, maybe there was a little hint of a cliffhanger at the end, but it was so low stakes, I wasn't really concerned.

Angela
This was definitely an overall lighthearted, low-stakes book. The weight of the novel comes from Emma's struggle with her faith - and the faith of her family and friends. I enjoyed that she wasn't the sort of preacher's kid who totally rejected her parents' faith in favor of hardcore atheism. Her faith is much more nuanced and subtle, which I think is what kept the book from being preachy. Since at the beginning of the novel she was pretty sure of her beliefs, she didn't have to spend time convincing us about them - which is also part of her stubbornness. She knows what she believes, she thinks she's right, so why does she have to listen to opposing view points?

Lorin
I definitely liked that Emma wasn't a stereotypical pastor's kid. She was neither a goody-two-shoes, nor was she the rebelling wild child. She was just a teen who liked some aspects of her parents life and didn't like others. But she was definitely more accepting of her own path than of anyone else's. I thought the resolution of this, and her conflict with best friend Nat, was a little pat, but generally I thought Emma's development felt pretty natural.

Angela
I think part of the "pat"-ness of the resolution comes from how quickly the whole novel happened. It's basically only two days in the donut camp, with brief flashbacks, like to the day of her baptism. I wish the book had been a little bit longer, to give adequate time to really build up the tension (and thus possibly not make Molly & her father look like such cartoon villains) as well as give a little more time to resolving Emma and Nat's conflict.

Lorin
Can you imagine how different Donut Days would have been if its structure had been more like The World is Mine, where we get to hear from all the characters?

Angela
There definitely could have been a lot more room to explore Molly, because after Nat explained a bit of her motivation at the end, it became obvious that Molly was more than just a mean girl. I don't know if I would have wanted it to go so far as changing the narrative style to multiple first person narrators, like The World is Mine, but a little more time with her would definitely have been worth it! I'm a big fan of well-done villains (some might call it an obsession), so I definitely would have liked more from her.

Summary
Here's what we thought about Donut Days:
- Well done with potentially sensitive topic
- Sympathetic main character
- Too short
- Stereotypical villain

Stay tuned for later today, when we compare the two books and pick a winner to proceed to the next round.

Teaser (almost) Tuesday 6/15

2010-06-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

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!
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!
I know its not quite Tuesday yet, but because of Nerds Heart YA, I want to post this early. I'm sure it's Tuesday somewhere in the world already.

Today's teaser is from The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti. Here are the book's first lines:

The man arrived after morning prayers. Word spread quickly that someone had come, and the boys of Saint Anthony's orphanage elbowed each other and strained to catch a glimpse as he unhitched his horse and led it to the trough for drinking.

Friday Update 6/11

2010-06-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

I got my second book for the Nerds Heart YA tournament: Donut Days by Lara Zielin. (The other book was The World is Mine.) Stayed tuned for next week, when Angela of Bookish Blather and I reveal our pick to move on in the tourney!

I also got Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl. It came from a friend who shares my love of food books ( I had lent him one of Reichl's other books, Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise, which we both loved.)

In other book news: As I'm sure you've heard, The New Yorker is publishing a 20 Under 40 Fiction Issue. Looks like a pretty interesting list, but I was most interested in one name: Daniel Alarcón. Congratulations, Daniel! As you may recall, I reviewed War By Candlelight quite some time ago and enjoyed it. I wasn't sure until I read the New Yorker interview with him that I was allowed to mention this, but I have gotten a sneak peek at Alarcón's next project and it looks awesome. From the interview:

I’m in the final stages of a graphic novel, with the artist Sheila Alvarado, adapting a short story of mine called “City of Clowns,” which appeared in The New Yorker in 2003 [and is my favorite story from War By Candlelight - Lorin]. It will be published this summer in Peru, Mexico, and Chile.

I hope it will be published in English at some point as well, since I don't read Spanish. But the illustrations look great. All you Spanish speakers out there should look out for it.

On a personal note, I know I've been a spotty blogger recently. Because of the tendinitis in my arm, I've mostly stopped using the computer at night. This means I only do any writing on the weekends or on my lunch break at work. And when I'm busy at work or out of town for a weekend, that means blogging is the lowest thing on my priority list. Many thanks to all of you for continuing to stay tuned, despite the lack of posts.

Happy weekend!

Review: The Little Giant of Aberdeen County

2010-06-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Before Truly Plaice was even born she was an oddity in her small upstate New York town. As her pregnant mother grew larger and larger, the townspeople placed bets on just how big the baby boy would be. When Truly was born instead, her ill mother dying in the process, it sent her father into a tailspin of depression. Unfit to raise the enormous young girl and her dainty, pretty older sister, Serena Jane, Truly's father dies not long after. While Serena Jane is taken in by the Pastor's wife, Truly is sent to live on the run down Dyerson farm.

Truly and her sister's lives split dramatically then. Serena Jane is adored by the town and, less fortunately, becomes the focus of Bob Bob Morgan's desire. Bob Bob is the next Morgan doctor in a long line of them and he is just a right bastard. When Serena Jane finally leaves him - and Bobbie, their young son - he bullies Truly into coming to live with him and watch Bobbie. Things go from bad to worse for Truly then, but eventually she finds a way out. And along the way, she finds love and helps her nephew to do so as well.

I really enjoyed reading The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker. Truly was a fascinating character. Her life was just different enough to be remarkable but also familiar in a way that I think anyone would relate to. It helped, I think, that the book is written from her omniscient perspective. Even though she shouldn't have known everything she talked about, it was interesting to get her take on everything from the Morgan family history to some of Bob Bob's more vile acts.

There is one thing in the book that really bothered me. Near the end of the book, a certain character (I won't say who, to avoid spoiling anyone) dies unexpectedly, indirectly as a result of Truly's actions. I felt like Truly's reaction to this was very blase, considering how much this person had meant to her. I definitely found myself thinking about this after I finished the book and if any of you have read it, I'd be interested in hearing your take.

That said, I definitely recommend this book. In fact, I'm thinking about picking it for my next book club selection!

Buy The Little Giant of Aberdeen County on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday 6/8

2010-06-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

I'm no biblical scholar, but I'm pretty sure Adam - as in the guy who named all the animals in the Garden of Eden - wasn't a hermaphrodite.

Turns out my mom had a different opinion.

Review: Cloud Atlas

2010-05-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

I have never gotten as many comments about a book I have bought or checked out of the library than Cloud Atlas. I'm not talking about comments on my review of a book, but comments on a post where I said I was planning on reading a book. Now that I've actually read the book, I can see why.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is incredibly strange, totally different, and really wonderful.

Cloud Atlas is six loosely connected stories - the first a journal of a sad sack clerk crossing the Pacific in 1850, then jumping forward in time to a bisexual grifter/composer in post-WWI Belgium, jumping again to a journalist in 70's California, to a hapless vanity publisher in England, to a condemned clone in futuristic Korea, and ending with a man in post-apocalyptic Hawai'i. Then, wonderfully, we begin to go back again, finishing each story, and learning a bit more about what connects these characters.

Some of the stories have a happy ending, some left me teary-eyed. Each was markedly different from the next in tone and setting. Despite the fact that I usually don't like short story collections (which this is not, but it resembles), I loved this book. I highly recommend it.

Buy Cloud Atlas: A Novel on Amazon.

Friday Update 5/28

2010-05-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

It's Friday! Again! How did that happen?

I bought a couple of things online this week, but only one has arrived so far: The World Is Mine by Lyah B. LeFlore. This is one of the books I'll be judging, with Bookish Blather, for the Nerds Heart YA tournament.

I'm so excited that this is a long weekend for me. Yay! Husband and I have some fun plans for this weekend, including a trip to California Carnivores to buy some new carnivorous plants and massages on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Review: Glimmerglass

2010-05-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Glimmerglass by Jenna Black is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series.

After her alcoholic mother embarrasses her one last time, Dana Hathaway runs away to Avalon to meet the father she's never met. Avalon is the only city on Earth that exists in both the human world and the magical world of Faerie. Dana's dad is a big deal Fae there and is in the running to be part of the city council. But Dana has no idea that in Avalon, she's not just some teenager - she's a powerful being in her own right, a Faeriewalker, and possibly the key to anyone hoping to gain power in Avalon.

I really loved the world Black has created in this book. Who wouldn't want to visit Avalon? The idea that there is just one place in the world where magic and technology overlap is really quite delicious.

Dana was a bit of difficult character to click with, but I can't fault her for that. She's going through a lot and I think she's doing her best to handle it all. She certainly notices the cute boys, though, even in the middle of a bad situation.

At the end of the book, though, I was just left with such an "oh, that was it?" feeling. The whole book really just felt like the lead up to something else, presumably the next book in the series. This isn't too say that there's no action in the book. A lot happened, actually, but it just didn't seem to go anywhere.

In the end, I'll just say that Glimmerglass was a fun book, but it could have been much more. I look forward to the next book in the series, though and hope that it lives up to the promise of the setting.

Glimmerglass was released yesterday (5/25).

Buy Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Book 1)

Teaser Tuesday 5/25

2010-05-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

I rounded the corner in time to see her pour some Cheerios into a bowl, and had to swallow a laugh. Who knew a Fae ice princess would eat something as mundane as Cheerios for breakfast?

Glimmerglass comes out today. Please stay tuned for tomorrow, when I'll post my review.

Review: Bloodhound

2010-05-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce is the sequel to Terrier, part of the newest series set in Pierce's fantasy world of Tortall. Like Terrier, Bloodhound is written as the journal of Beka Cooper, now a first-year Dog in the Provost's Guards (basically, a police officer). In this story, she and her partner have been sent from Corus to Port Caynn to try to discover the source of the counterfeit money flooding their city.

Just as I thought after reading the first book, I liked spending time with Beka. She is a sweet person, though maybe a little dense when it comes to matters of the heart. She's not, I think, a terribly complicated person. Beka is happy when her friends are happy, her family is safe, and she is working very, very hard. It shows in her journal - there are a lot of details about her work and a genuine concern for the well being of everyone around her. Luckily for Beka, there's a bit of fun, too, some of it with a handsome gambler who agrees to show her around town.

Younger readers (say, sixth grade and up) and longtime fans of Pierce's (like me) will definitely enjoy Bloodhound. And for those of us who have read the Song of the Lioness quartet, there are some interesting snippets of information that make me very curious about how we get from Beka's world to Alanna's.

Bloodhound is out tomorrow 5/25 in paperback.

Bloodhound: The Legend of Beka Cooper #2 on Amazon.

Friday Update 5/21

2010-05-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

Most Fridays, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

Sorry for the light posting this week. I have been hit by some sort of a flu bug and have been feeling terrible. I don't know about you, but I actually don't read much when I'm sick. I tend to watch TV or movies or just nap. But when I am reading, I'm reading some great books right now, so I look forward to reviewing them here.

As for what books I've gotten since my last Update:

I was fortunate enough to win Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Book 1) by Jenna Black from the Librarything early Reviewers program.

I also picked up a few books at a library book sale last weekend. I got:

Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King: I really enjoyed his book Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman: I've enjoyed her nonfiction books over the years and I even got this one for my mother for Christmas. She enjoyed it, so I thought I'd get a copy for myself.

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer: I thought her House of the Scorpion was really interesting.

Teaser Tuesday 5/18

2010-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

The day I laid Robert Morgan to rest was remarkable for two reasons. First, even though it was August, the sky overhead was as rough and cold as a January lake; and second, it was the day I started to shrink.

Review: The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue

2010-05-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

As the weather gets warmer, in my house, we start pulling The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue down off the shelf more and more.

Some highlights (adapted from Publisher's description):

The 12-page introduction to grilling, "Outdoor Cooking 101," a step-by-step guide to the essentials of grilling using both charcoal and gas grills.
A buyers guide, "Equipment and Tools for Outdoor Cooking," where charcoal grills, gas grills, accessories, etc. are rated.
Over 450 recipes for all your favorites — steak tips, ribs, and barbecued chicken as well as some that will expand your repertoire.
More than 300 step-by-step illustrations that walk you through the basics of food preparation, such as how to cut beef for kebabs, trim beef tenderloin, and grill-roast a turkey.

What I like best about this book are the how-to guides. The recipes are great (the Pork Loin recipes alone are worth the price of the book, in my opinion) but the guides will show you how to cook anything on a grill. Not just burgers and chicken, but veggies, roasting, anything, though the meat directions are the highlight. Anyone who wants to spend their summer cooking outside (and not heating up the kitchen by turning on the oven!) will love The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue.

Buy The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue on Amazon.

Teaser Tuesday 5/11

2010-05-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

I questioned if such an ill as "too much civilization" existed or no? Mr. D'Arnoq told me, "If there is no God west of the Horn, why there's none of your constitution's All men created equal, neither, Mr. Ewing."

Review: Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits

2010-05-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits is a book of short stories, half by Robin McKinley (author of The Hero and The Crown, etc) and half by Peter Dickinson (author of Eva). The stories are linked in that they are all about water and about fantastical creatures that live in water. The stories were otherwise, though, not related to one another and were stylistically different. I could tell without even looking, though, which ones were McKinley's, as I think she has a very strong voice (I've mentioned this before, in my review of Sunshine).

Mermaid Song by Peter Dickinson: Great little story about a Puritanical village whose women have been keeping a secret for generations. Sad, but has an ultimately hopeful ending.

The Sea-King's Son by Robin McKinley: A fairy tale about a young woman who falls in love.

Sea Serpent by Peter Dickinson: My least favorite of the stories, as I just didn't quite get what was going on, to be honest.

Water Horse by Robin McKinley: A girl is apprenticed to learn how to be Guardian, one who keeps her island home from being taken back by the water. Reminded me, for some reason, of Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea books.

Kraken by Peter Dickinson: Loved the dual nature of this story, about young lovers and the mermaid who helps them.

A Pool in the Desert by Robin McKinley: Fans will be pleased to note that this story takes place in Damar, home of Aerin and Harry (although neither of them appear).

Buy Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits on Amazon.

Friday Update 5/7

2010-05-07T12:57:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I update my library and share what new books I bought or received during the past week.

Just one new book to add to my library this week: Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde. I haven't read a Fforde novel in a while, so I thought it would be fun to get back into them.

I also visited the library and checked out two books: Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell and Bloodhound: The Legend of Beka Cooper #2 by Tamora Pierce (which comes out in paperback in a few weeks - finally!).