May TBR ~ 2015

Hello Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

May the 1st: Spring is in full swing (at least here it is) and so is the promise of good books.

With May comes Bout of Books 13 which I have signed up for. Count me in! Here's hoping I can whittle down my ridiculous 2015 list in this marathon.



On this month's reading docket:

War & Peace (Leo Tolstoy) - This one I'm reading as a bookclub with two friends. My book has the tiniest writing. When I go back and forth between this one and regular books, the regular books seem to be in very LARGE PRINT because of it.


A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula Le Guin) - Dunno why this one is taking me ages. It's not boring. It's a short book. I should be able to finish this one no prob.


Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch) - Listening to this one on audiobook. Lord, so much swearing. The man who narrates the book makes it even better with his accent, therefore I giggle with every F bomb.


Afterworlds (Scott Westerfeld) - Haven't read one of his since 'The Specials". Only a few chapters in and loving it already. Hmmm, apparently this is read books by 'Scott' month...


Thirst, No. 1 (Christopher Pike) - Borrowed this from a student. If I can hope for a dragon book and win, I can hope for a vampire book. I read chapter 1 juuuuust to make sure. I'm hooked. This book is actually a compilation of 3 books. Not sure if I'll read the whole thing or just the first one.


The maybe pile:

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (Leslye Walton) - Craving a little magical realism? Perhaps.

Bitter Greens (Kate Forsyth) - A fairy tale retelling is always delightful. Rapunzel this one is.



TBRs are a strange beast. Sometimes it is fun to plan and be exited for stories. Other times, that one book that's been sitting on your bookshelf, waiting to be read calls out "Read me". Like Alice in Wonderland, you can't help but do... So while I've posted a 'plan', plans can always change.

April Wrap-Up

Hello Book-Sniffers and Librocubicularists,

My April went well with unconventional reading - audio and beta reading. Overall, the month was ho-hum. Not outstanding, but not awful .... until the last book. YES!

In total I finished 5 books - a total of 2,062 pages.

The Smoke Thief ~ Shana Abe
Dark Whispers ~ Bruce Coville (audio book)

Both of these I gave mini reviews for here.


Beta Reading
By Canadian Writer

As stated here,  I read through a fellow writer's work. This was tough. Reading critically is different than reading for pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed the process. It has taught me how to edit my own work and perhaps guide my own beta readers once I brush up that draft...

I'm counting this as a read book. But not rating... but I will say I'm definitely going to read the other books in the series.


The Last Hunt
By Bruce Coville
(audiobook)

Considering the first book in this series is 159 pages, this 605 page brick of a book was complex and a complete departure from what I thought this series would be. And, I loved it! Much more than what I expected, I was happily surprised with how everything came together and made sense with a very satisfying ending.

Closing out the series that introduced me to mythical creatures and fantasy, the series I have finished.

4 STARS




Get ready. I finally discovered it. The dragon book I've been searching for.

Did you notice a pattern with this month's books? Dragons. Yup. Finding that elusive beast.

I wanted to find one that blended a unique and fresh mythos. Where the dragons weren't just in a pet-like role. They are characters. Not just secondary characters. Forefront, with point of views, and they are heroes. I give you:



Song in the Silence
By Elizabeth Kerner

Whoa. Yes. Yes. YES. This is it. It's a fun book to read, fast plot, delightful characters, and most of all DRAGONS! And done in a way that made me rethink how I felt about them.

Not only that, this book may have helped me figure out what's been wrong with my own novel. Thank you, Kerner.

The main character is the person we all want to be. We probably all are. Like a Disney princess, she wants something more. Dragons. Having grown up on a small farm, Lanen finally decides to leave after the death of her father and start anew. She hears of a ship leaving for the Dragon Ilse and promptly pulls strings to get herself on board that ship.

When we finally meet the dragons, it's everything a dragon fan could want and more. It can't be that simple? No, of course not. There's an evil sorcerer to screw up this lovely moment. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll stop here. Truly, if you're interested in dragons, read this one. Finally, a book series I can get on board with and treats them as if they are the heroes, too.

Duh. 5 STARS.

Adult Reads & Audiobooks

Hello all! An update is in order, certainly. Both my jobs have collided providing me with next to no or distracted reading time. March was a slow reading month and I fear April will keep on doing so.

In February, I read four books.

Fool Moon: The Dresden Files
By Jim Butcher

Paranormal wizard detective. Sold. Probably my first werewolf book that didn't make me want to throw up due to cheesy execution. These are not nice werewolves.
4 STARS



Foundation  
By Isaac Asimov

Read this for bookclub. I thoroughly enjoyed it, my reading partner did not. Recommended for a the classic sci-fi reader. Hard to believe it was published in 1950.
4 STARS



Entwined
By Heather Dixon

Listened to on audiobook. My new job has a longer commute, so I find myself consuming audiobooks at an alarming rate. Mandy Williams (the narrator) had this soft British (?) way of speaking that brought alive this fairy tale. Told with delightful and picturesque descriptions, I liked this book a whole lot more because of Williams. It was like being read to by a warm and loving nanny before bedtime.
The story on the otherhand was nothing special. It is a retelling of one of my favourites, The Twelve Dancing Princesses.
Perhaps I'll write a better review on a later date.
3 STARS



The Path of Anger:
The Book and The Sword: 1
By Antoine Rouaud

By far the best book that I read in March. Also, the best book I've seen with flashbacks. I liked one of the reviews "a slow backstory burn". That's exactly what this book was. All backstory, interwoven with returns to the present.
Good characters, great world, so much mystery. You think you have the full story and then, surprise!, another point of view. Loved that about this.



4.5 STARS

And, as of today, I finished two more.

The Smoke Thief
By Shana Abe

In searching for a good dragon book, this one popped up on several lists. The reviews were excellent. I gave it a shot.
Sadly, still haven't found the dragon book I've been looking for.
What I did get was a really fascinating romance story, set in the 1750s England, revolving around people that transform into dragons - or dragons that transform into humans.
Exceptional approach to dragons, but I was not into the romance side of it one bit. Therefore, it only gets 3.5 STARS



Dark Whispers
The Unicorn Chronicles: 3
By Bruce Coville

Listened to this one on audio as well. Bruce Coville narrates it himself, with voice actors on each character. A return to my favourite Unicorn world, catching up on the story that stayed in purgatory for nearly a decade. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine how complex and ominous this series would get. Loving it. Seriously. Loving it. 

With the battle of unicorns vs Beloved/Hunters looming on the horizon, Coville writes and explores much less innocent worlds. More magic, more characters, more stakes, more creepy Beloved.


The expansion of the POV characters add the chunk to this novel, however, it is necessary. We see through the eyes of Ian Hunter (Cara's father) and his companions - the best new addition being Rajiv. Their journey is as engrossing as Cara's, embarking on different but ultimately similar quests.

Coville had this incredible ability to make distinct characters. This one is chock full of new and revisits some of the old.

As a huge fan and avid reader of fantasy, this is fast re-becoming my favourite series.
4 STARS


Coming up....

A reread: Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
A bookclub: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Another dragon?!: Song in the Silence by Elizabeth Kerner

Spring Break Reads

Happy reading during Spring Break!!


On the docket:


The Path of Anger (I) ~ Antoine Rouaud

The Ladies of Madrigyn ~ Barbara Hambly


Finished:

Fool Moon: a Harry Dresden novel ~ Jim Butcher
Cleopatra in Space: target practice, i ~ Mike Maihack
Foundation ~ Isaac Asimov

Spring Update

As I sit here, listening to the Sesame Street soundtrack, I bask in the relaxing vibe of Spring Break. Travelling all around and reading all around. I'm planning on taking the bus up to the 'rents, which means 10 hours of reading time.

Reading has been slow since getting a job. It's a good trade off though. More money = more books. Sadly, less time for reading. I've managed one book in the last little while. A pretty pulpy one at that... SO FUN though. A Harry Dresden book (Jim Butcher). I've been meaning to get into this series. People love the Harry character. I can see why.

The plan for Spring Break is to finish at least 3 books. Of course, being indecisive, I brought four as an option. 1 reread, 2 to finish, and 1 new.

Cheers to reading and 2 weeks off!