What are you reading? November 2013

I read The ocean at the end of the lane and enjoyed it a lot, but I'd have liked it better without a very traumatic (to me) incident that occurs at the beginning. SPOILER A kitten is involved :-( END SPOILER

Now I'm reading The dream thieves. It's good to be back in Henrietta with Blue and the guys, uncovering more of the mystery as menace builds. I love the setting and the non-angstyness of this YA series so far.

Currently reading ... The Dressage Chronicles ...great fiction book for horse-lovers!

Brittney Joy
http://brittneyjoybooks.sqsp.com/

Not reading any YA at the moment, but am in the middle of a couple things:

the Magician King: Where the Magicians drew from Harry Potter, LWW & Prince Caspian, Grossman riffs most heavily on Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the second book in the trilogy. I'm only about a hundred pages in, but MK doesn't feel as dark to me as the first one did.

Be As You Are: A collection of dialogues with an enlightened Hindu saint who was likely one of many influences on Eckhart Tolle. This stuff will blue screen your brain, make you see the world in ways you couldn't have even conceived of.

the Swerve: Nonfiction history book about the discovery of a book called De Rerum Natura (on the Nature of Things) in 1417 by an Italian ex-secretary to the pope turned book hunter, Poggio Bracciolini. Bracciolini and De Rerum Natura are significant because the book essentially predicted the modern scientific world view during the heyday of the Greeks and Romans, and its discovery by Bracciolini was one of the main factors in kick-starting the Renaissance.

the Way of Kings: Book one of a series of bricks that will likely be as long as the Wheel of Time. Written by Brandon Sanderson, Way is a fantasy novel set on a world with winds so strong plant and animal life has adapted to be able to retract into itself and have bug like chitinous armor. The main conflict is a long drawn out war between two sides, composed of two different races of humanoids. Sanderson is well known for his inventive magical systems, and political intrigue. I also enjoy him because of how much he seems to enjoy creating and playing with religions. All this along with some amazing world building is on display here. I'm just glad I'm reading Way as an ebook, as the physical book is just over 1000 pages long.

I finished up Reality Boy by A.S. King yesterday. Obviously it won't be the book for everyone, since it's a darker read and a bit depressing, but I loved it. I already had a thing against reality tv shows, but this book cemented my opinion. Also, any time I begin to think my family is dysfunctional beyond words, I just have to think back on poor Gerald Faust and realize I don't have it so bad after all.

I haven't decided for certain what to read next, but I think it will be Eleanor & Park (can't seem to get that touchstone to work) by Rainbow Rowell, since I adored reading Fangirl last month and I'm in the mood for another good contemporary.

Oh, I'm also listening to The 5th Wave on audio and I really like it. I'm picky about my narrators, but the two readers that were selected are fantastic. My one qualm with YA audiobooks is that sometimes the narrators sound like they are forty years old, but that's not the case here.

This morning I started Earth Girl by Janet Edwards, which I believe I saw recommended on the Book Smugglers blog (one of my fav lit review blogs, I really respect it).

It has the interesting premise that in a time when humans have settled on numerous planets around the universe, a small group of people are forced to live on Earth because of a genetic abnormality that basically makes them allergic to life elsewhere. Typically abandoned by their parents, reviled and called "apes" by people on other planets, they usually attend college at Earth schools and keep to themselves. Jarra, however, chooses to attend an off-world university that offers freshman courses in history (more like our archaeology) on Earth, with the motivation to prove to herself and her peers from the other planets that she is normal.

Though I initially found the writing a little awkward, the story and Jarra as a heroine have quickly grown on me. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Recently read Playing Tyler by T L Costa. Basically a boy meets girl, but he's super gamer Ty (Tyrade) and she's Ani (Slayergrrl) girl genus who created the unit ty's ask to test by a Fagan-like mentor, Rick. But the road to love is never smooth. And beside that, Ty has an older brother, Brandon, in re-hab for heroin addiction, that he deeply cares about. The book is more than just about gaming. There are eyes in the sky and ethical issues too, yet like Ty, I couldn't help caring most about his bro, Brandon. A rapid-fire good read.

I really enjoyed The dream thieves, although I found the pace a bit slow at times. But it was great to see the characters developing and coming to terms with the new revelations. All the car stuff left me cold, but it was worked into the plot well. I'm looking forward to the next volume.

Finished Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina, a little rough to read but tells an important story about bullying.

Just finished A Drowned Maiden's Hair. Generously, 3½***. A bit clichéd, but Maud was a decent enough character and I particularly liked the deaf servant Muffet/Anna. I've also got Splendors & Glooms to get started on, and I hadn't realized until I was well on the way through A Drowned Maiden's Hair that they're both by the same author. (ETA: That makes me a little nervous about Splendors & Glooms, that it might not be as good as I've been expecting, but I'll certainly read it with an open mind because A Drowned Maiden's Hair wasn't bad, just not particularly noteworthy.)

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George is up next.